A Singapore Staycation at the Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa
18th August 2020
Who would’ve thought at the beginning of 2020 that we’d be on a complete travel ban and stuck on a small island that measures just 50km across? I sure didn’t!
Thankfully, in Singapore, we moved into ‘Phase Two’ of progressive reopening mid-June which for the most part has seen life go fairly back to normal, despite being able to socialise in groups of no more than 5. Hotels also gradually began to open up with some still being used as quarantine facilities for returning residents. After a few weeks of getting used to life in the outside world again, our attention soon turned to when we could next take a break.
All hotels in Singapore are now following safe distancing measures which include mandatory mask-wearing, no buffet services, capped hotel capacities, and usage of facilities dependant on a booking system. Fine by me, I’m glad everyone is staying safe. The big question was… which hotel would we do our first ever Singapore staycation at?
Surprisingly, hotels in Singapore are consistently booked several weeks ahead and you’ll be hard-pressed these days to book a last-minute staycation or even a day bed at one of the beach clubs. People are wanting to escape! After a lot of looking around and realising we wanted to stay in Sentosa, we settled on the Amara Sanctuary Resort in Sentosa. Specifically, we booked a Couple Suite for one night, which has exclusive pool access directly from your room. This turned out to be the best decision ever!
On arrival to Sentosa, we truly felt like we were actually on holiday. We rarely go to Sentosa, so already it was a welcome escape from the ‘city’. As soon as we walked into the lobby (after checking in via SafeEntry of course), the small of essential oils and the water feature made us feel so peaceful. Check-in was a breeze and they actually let us check in an hour earlier than normal because the room was empty (tip: book a midweek staycation if you can!). We were driven in a golf buggy to our room - another little novelty that made us feel like we were on holiday!
The room itself has a very pretty entrance, as these rooms are housed in a colonial-styled building. The bedroom is quite large, with the indoor bathroom leading directly to the outdoor bath. The main reason I picked this room was for the epic pool that you can literally step in to from your hotel room. There were some rules, no more than 5 people in the pool at any one time, but there was no booking system or queue you had to get into, as I’d heard at other hotels. I am not sure what the other pools were like at the Amara or how busy they were, because we only used this one.
We checked in to perfect weather, and spent the entire day lounging on our private daybed, ordering room service and dipping in and out of the pool. I read an entire book, (Sex and Vanity, by Kevin Kwan if you were interested… it was okaaay). We saw a few other people, but for the most part it felt very empty. The infinity pool really makes you feel like you’re on holiday, and we enjoyed having such a lush green view to look at!
We ate dinner in the hotel restaurant, as we didn’t feel like taking extra transport anywhere on the island. The food was great, but it was so quiet! I felt really sorry for the staff but I can only assume everyone else was enjoying room service in the comfort of their own hotel room. I came back to the room to have A BATH - an extreme novelty to me, living in an apartment in Singapore. Having a hot bubble bath outdoors in 30c heat, under a ceiling fan, and listening to the rainforest sounds from outside was absolute bliss.
After a restful sleep and room service for breakfast, our check out was extended until 1pm and we enjoyed a final few hours lounging around, wishing we’d booked more than one night!
I can’t stress how important it is to take a break if you can. If you have annual leave to use by the end of the year, make sure you use it. The impact of simply taking a few days off had such a positive effect on my productivity the following Monday. If you’re looking at doing a staycation, there are plenty of deals in Singapore at the moment, but if you’re after peace and quiet, fantastic service and a small, boutique feel with the amenities of a larger hotel, I’d definitely recommend booking a Couple Suite at the Amara Sanctuary Resort Sentosa.