I never thought I would try a Four Seasons. In Singapore especially.

Thanks to my random and very sporadic FOMO phase, I felt I had to check this property out while I still had my Hotelux membership to sweeten the deal. The brand has also felt a little ….elusive (and old) to me, plus they don’t have a loyalty programme and no club lounges. So many reasons to not stay here. Until now.

The refurbishments in 2018 was also a little motivation for to try out my first Four Seasons experience!

Address – 190 Orchard Boulevard Singapore 248646. Website.

Contact – Tel: +65 67341110. Email: reservations.sin@fourseasons.com.

Location – Somewhat a neighbour to Hilton, the property is located at the Forum end of the stretch, offering a sense of peace and quiet to the shopping belt’s hustle. The nearest MRT station is Orchard MRT but it’ll be a 8-10 mins unsheltered (and possibly sweaty) stroll.

Price – $304++ = $358 booked via Hotelux which gives me USD100 dining credit, breakfast for 2pax, early check in, late check out, and room upgrade subject to availability.

Pre-arrival – No pre-arrival email but I did reach out to the hotel via the Four Seasons app’s chat function to request for early check in at 12nn and late check out at 3pm. Both were quickly confirmed. Yays!

Getting There – Arrived by grab on a weekday 1130am and though polite, the staff did not offer to help with my luggage (1x duffel, 1x laptop, 1x paper bag, 1x handbag). Was it my strong arms I wonder.

Check In – The sight of an empty front desk welcomed me and I was checked in by Charles who was completely polite. I was carefully explained my Hotelux benefits and informed that my USD100 credit would equate to SGD$126. I was also told that I had been upgraded to a Boulevard Room. Yays!

Room – My Boulevard Room, 1609, is the same size as the Deluxe room (49SqM) but offering a large bay window where I can be impressed by views of bustling Orchard Road. The room is really, really, REALLY gorgeous!

The warm color tones, smart carpet design, choice of furniture and all-round high quality finishing – awesome! If all Four Seasons look and feel like this, I can really become a brand convert soon. I liked EVERYTHING – the completely cushy king bed, the dressing table + chair, the classy day sofa by the window, the circular desk with chairs which doubled up adequately as my WFH spot. Then there’s the huge TV (got Airplay!) and long console, the bose system which you can bluetooth your music to.

The mini bar follows the same classy design and contains a Lavazza machines with enough pods for a 2D stay, a fully stocked mini bar and fridge, and the usual cups and stuff.

The bathroom is really nice and done up in a old-school classy style with double sinks, a huge bathtub, a spacious shower, and a separate toilet + bidet. Toiletries were one of my favorite – L’occitane!

Opposite the bathroom is your wardrobe where you’ll find your safe deposit, laundry stuff, and ironing board etc.

My welcome amenity was 2 slices of pandan cakes which was really nice. I asked for seconds and it was granted. Yays to sugar high – super nice of them to accommodate this.

There is also your care kit

And a printed in-room dining menu.

Facilities –

Level 20: this small-ish pool is apparently the family pool to bring your kids to. Scorching hot on my day of visit, I spotted a little cosy jacuzzi which looked like it has seen better days.

Level 3: This floor houses the Four Seasons Spa, the Fitness Centre, and another pool which is adults-only. There is also what they call The Club – a bar lounge of sorts which is very business-y and kind of country-club-ish too. The facility is for all in-house guests but do note that all items are chargeable.

Also took a quick look inside the Spa area – very spacious and had steam room (currently closed) and sauna facilities too.

The fitness centre was very well equipped and could do very well even for a long stay.

The pool was just as expected as well, nothing fancy.

Breakfast @ One Ninety – Not crowded at all at 9am on a weekday. The space was nice and its botanical design made it feel really cosy and atas at the same time.

Service was immaculate and a menu board presented to me and I was recommend to order max 2 mains as their portions are quite big.

They were not kidding. I could only get through 50% of one main – Chilli Crab Omelette (excellent). A continental set comprising a bread basket, fruits, cold cuts/cheeses, and granola is also served to you – again, the portions were more than adequate for 1pax.

Other Dining –

One Ninety Bar – Blue Hour happens every Mon to Fri 530pm – 7:30pm and you get complimentary nibbles with every order of alcoholic drink or mocktail. The bites (cheeses, antipasti, nuts, broccoli, dips) were really high quality and at least for me, 2 rounds were sufficient as dinner. My Gin Tonic was $23++ and considering the bites, the meal was a steal.

Jiang Nan Chun (lunch menu here) – I had 4 dainty dim sum for $26++ (you know the place is atas when they sell dim sum per piece): Abalone Siew Mai ($9), Lobster and Scallop Dumpling ($9), Turnip Pastry ($4), and Beef Pastry ($4). They were all very good, with great service to boot. Thought I wonder if the plating can be combined as individual plating make the food look really lonely.

In-room dining – Did my Satu Kosong kosong test for the Nasi Goreng ($29) and the staff happily said they can certainly do it! Everything on the plate was delicious and I think I got extra satay and crackers! I topped it up with a glass of Taittinger Brut ($28) to burn off the remaining of my dining credits.

Check Out – I lost track of time (bath-tubing is hard work) and had to sheepishly ask for an extension of my late check out and was very kindly accommodated til 5pm. Check out itself took no more than 10mins at the front desk. This is also the 1st property who made my departure a great experience too: they asked if I needed help with luggage for my depart then carted them over to the door for me, offered water while waiting for my ride, and asked for the vehicle number to keep a lookout for me. Such simple gestures but so missing at so many properties.

In Summary,

I was really blown away by my first ever Four Seasons experience. I mean, the gorgeous room, the impeccable service throughout the property, the offers to walk me over (instead of just pointing) when I’m unsure about directions, and going the extra mile for all of my random requests. Wow.

I consider myself a brand convert now.