Capella Singapore hotel review: polished serenity on Sentosa Island

Times

18-07-2025

Quiet luxury remains all the rage, and this place has it in spades. On top of a grassy hill on the Singaporean island of Sentosa, elegant terracotta-roofed buildings — built in the 1880s and with restored creamy colonnades and lengthy verandas — stand by a lawn where twisty-trunked angsana trees and a spiral steel sculpture are displayed with equal reverence. While nods to its past as a British Royal Artillery barracks remain — sepia photos of days-gone-by gala suppers and help-yourself afternoon sandwiches — it is rich in modern appeal.
A looping infinity-shaped wing by the hotshot British architectural firm Foster + Partners gives way to 113 rooms and villas dressed by the interiors maestro André Fu in enveloped-in-the-forest sage shades and mid-century modern curves; buggies whisk guests to a wildly tasty yet unpretentious Italian restaurant by the renowned chef Mauro Colagreco, while three swimming pools inspired by Balinese paddy fields tumble down a hillside. Frankly, what's not to love? Everything is just-so without ever feeling showy and, while kids are warmly welcomed, there's an air of grown-up tranquillity, broken only when oriental pied hornbills crash into the canopy.
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Score 9/10Views-wise it's impossible to feel hard done by. Bedrooms housed in the sienna balustrade-wrapped contemporary wing, have balconies looking out to gardens filled with rustling grasses and lipstick palms or electric blue pools, some backdropped with a hint of the ocean. Fu's light, contemporary mid-century aesthetic is homely but alluring — plush sand-coloured sofas upholstered in soft flax stand next to an ash wood rocking chair and hand-carved teak bowl. Walk-in wardrobes are hidden behind king-size beds made with Frette linens, while smart oak and rattan-weave drinks cabinets include complimentary Fever Tree fizz and fruit juices. The rooms are among the largest in Singapore (from 77 sq m), with the curtains closed by a no-fuss button touch. The stone-floored bathrooms have double basins, baths and rainforest showers stocked with geranium-leaf-scented Aesop amenities in glass bottles.
The set-up of the suites is similar, save for an additional lounge that is revealed by pulling back a theatrical wooden partition. Several villas with one to three bedrooms that are scattered down the hillside sport similar decor and also have petite outdoor plunge pools, indoor and outdoor rainforest showers and alfresco tubs for under-the-stars bathing (the one-bed villas are prime honeymooner territory). There are two grand heritage manors that tend to be taken over by visiting celebs, who the amiable staff are too discreet to name, of course.
Score 10/10Colagreco's Fiamma brings a taste of la dolce vita to Sentosa, in a timber-beamed space decorated with a bronze-cast chandelier, Portuguese marble and a wood-fired pizza oven. For breakfast the 'semi-buffet' spread means that you can order from a menu featuring dishes such as buttermilk vanilla pancakes, onsen eggs with kaya (coconut jam) toast, Singapore laksa and avocado toast, plus help yourself to fruit, salad, cheese and freshly-baked pandan swirl brioches and even bloody marys — it offers plenty of what you fancy without feeling excessive. Roaming staff pass by tables with matcha-turmeric-lemon wellness shots for extra pep, while myna birds and peacocks strut past tables on the 30m terrace. Lunches and dinners are rooted in just-like-nonna-made recipes with modern twists — think burrata with apricot and pistachio, pesto trofie, grilled fish and, the star dessert, tiramisu.
The heritage wing's Fu-designed Cassia is a more formal, white-tablecloth affair where glammed-up guests feast among lacquered screens and latticework lanterns on Cantonese crystal dumplings, double-boiled chicken soup and poached peach in osmanthus. Sundowner spots are plentiful — try the Siloso Sours on the terrace of Bob's Bar or opt for rum, cherry and pineapple Scarlet Rouges with card games in the convivial Pineapple Room. Still peckish? Complimentary sandwiches and nibbles arrive in the living room mid-afternoon.
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Score 10/10The scene-stealing, three-tiered, lava-stone swimming pools cleverly separate different guest categories — the top level infinity-edge adults' pool is a hit with blissed-out honeymooners, the middle level is a family affair and below is a slender adults-only lap pool. A bucket sunhat and staff appearing with icy mango slushies make pool time really feel as though you've hit the holiday jackpot.
The Auriga spa is equally appealing; follow a curving path — in which sculptural shoals of koi carp appear to swim from the walls — to a zen space where tailored 90-minute massages, vibrational therapy and treatments inspired by the lunar cycle take place. Leave time to make the most of a bubbling vitality pool, sauna and steam rooms, as well as mindful colouring books and mini zen gardens to rake while nibbling sesame-tahini cookies and sipping rose-infused tea. There is also a gym, fussball and pool tables, on a veranda in the heritage wing, and a schedule of workshops from sunrise yoga to scavenger hunts to keep the whole family entertained.
Score 9/10The Capella is conveniently close to the entry bridge for Sentosa, making it a strong choice for those keen to have a calm base to explore the city, about ten minutes' drive away, and the buttery sands of Palawan beach, which can be accessed in ten minutes via a footpath leading down from the hotel. As for exploring, free island-wide shuttles and trains mean that most attractions can be reached in under 25 minutes — be that theme-park hotspot Resorts World, Sensoryscape's light walk or the Merlion cable-car stop for rides to the zip lines and bars at Siloso beach. The hotel's clued-in 'Capella culturists' can arrange pretty much anything, from mahjong sessions (an absolute hoot) to street art tours combining dosas in Little India with mural-adorned laneway explorations or rounds at one of the two championship golf courses on Sentosa.
Price room-only doubles from £832Restaurant mains from £26Family-friendly YAccessible Y
Ianthe Butt was a guest of Capella Singapore (capellahotels.com)
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