2 days ago
Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa review: Singapore's only beachfront resort
With kayaks bobbing on the teal waters of the South China Sea and peacocks strutting along shortbread-coloured sands; it's hard to believe you're 20 minutes from Singapore's futuristic skyscrapers. An oldie but a goodie, this seaside resort and its whitewashed block of 454 rooms — with balconies and forest-chic decor — has occupied a prime position at the western end of Siloso beach on Sentosa Island since the 1990s. The lively beach — and Shangri-La's private section of it — has undeniable draw, but this place also shines when it comes to keeping families happy, with direct-to-lounger beach bar bites, splash and slide zones, and a roving high-energy 'fun team' who cheer children through walk-on-water challenges, and deliver chilled watermelon slices to those who prefer to stay horizontal. Staff are full of energy and enthusiasm and have plenty of recommendations for what to see and do nearby to make the most of the seaside locale. At busy mealtimes, restaurant service is good, if a little more laid-back.
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Score 8/10Calming bedrooms are a pleasant retreat from the hubbub of the Noughties-soundtracked pool, bringing the resort's foliage-rich surrounds inside with vine-patterned carpets, lotus flower triptych artwork, blonde wood, fern-coloured cushions and cream-on-white pinstripe linens. On one side, hill-view rooms peek into tangles of verdant canopy; on the other, watery vistas vary. Lower levels look out to the freeform pool, surrounded by palms; floors six and up add an ocean glimpse; the 10th and 11th floors afford full-glitter seascapes.
All rooms have balconies, apart from the ground-floor rooms, which spill straight into the garden where orioles perch on birds of paradise stems. A design quirk means that the bathrooms of the smallest rooms (Superior Hill View and Deluxe Sea View) have a tub, while some larger rooms come with a shower. Higher category rooms have 8/10 Nasi goreng? Check. Three-egg omelette? Check. Chefs whipping up nest-shaped appam topped with coconut? Check. The sprawling third-floor restaurant Silver Shell Café serves a huge array of global cuisine from breakfast through to dinner. Most guests opt for the buffet, and given the satay station, noodle bar and patisserie lineup (mango cream puffs, pandan chiffon and red velvet cake) it's unlikely they feel hard done by. Just in case, an additional selection of dishes, which changes each evening, is put on at dinner; perhaps Singaporean hawker fare one night, a seafood focus the next.
Children have heaps of choice (tomato pasta, chicken fried rice, frog-shaped kaya buns) and will undoubtedly angle for a stop at the cotton candy stand. It's the only sit-in restaurant space and breakfasts get busy; to manage the masses at its busiest (queues to get in can reach half an hour), staff offer coffee, fruit juice and balloon sculpting while you wait. For straight-to-lounger dining, passionfruit mint sodas, gelato macarons and wagyu burgers can be ordered via QR code from Siloso Beach Bar, and there's also the Bubble Bar for the likes of raspberry cosmopolitans topped with dry ice.
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Score 9/10The sizeable pool is pretty, surrounded by frangipani and flame trees and soundtracked by that Noughties playlist. It is divided into three sections: a shallow end for kids, a deeper family section, and an adults-only lap portion, bookended by bubbling whirlpools. The atmosphere is one of high-energy high jinks, thanks to free activities including bingo, face painting and water polo for little ones, and aqua aerobics for adults. Three separate splash zones with jets and waterslides, decorated with monkey sculptures, are perfect for children, all under a shaded canopy. Kayaks, pedalos and SUP boards are available from the beachside Sea Sports Centre and children (aged 5-12) can play all day at the Cool Zone, colouring, crafting and doing sports led by a watchful, charming team (under-fives have a play area, but must be accompanied). Parents can use the gym, or wander along a pillared path to Chi, the Spa for aloe wraps and stress-busting back massages. Days can be topped and tailed with sunrise yoga and — after apricot-hued sunsets — barefoot beach cinema.
Score 9/10Sentosa is a small island and it's only half an hour's drive from the resort to Singapore's city centre. On the doorstep, Siloso beach has a party-meets-adventure thrills feel, with zip lines flying above the water and buzzy beach bars. Bungee jumping, blend-your-own perfume at Scentopia, and Trapizza restaurant's burnt tomato and buffalo mozzarella pinsas are all a short stroll along the sands. Siloso Point cable car station is also close by for sky-high rides, as is the Imbiah Trail, where the local firm Untamed Paths runs night safaris to spot owls and glow-in-the-dark scorpions. An e-powered monorail and beach shuttles make reaching all the major attractions a breeze — try Beach Station's shops, the walkable light, sound and scent trail at Sensoryscape, and Resorts World's theme parks. Family-friendly Palawan beach is a ten-minute shuttle away; here you'll find HyperDrive — a 308m e-karting track which feels like playing real-life Mario Kart — and beach club +Twelve, which does mean mango margaritas at the swim-up pool.
Price room-only doubles from £227Restaurant mains from £11Family-friendly YAccessible Y
Ianthe Butt was a guest of Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa (
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