There are a few iconic hotels in Singapore but none with more history than the Fullerton Bay Hotel. With the forefathers of Singapore landing on this very part of the bay, the building that the hotel is built is steeped in history related to the tiny island nation. Before we dive into the ins and outs about an experience at the Fullerton Bay Hotel, do not forget that you can consult the full list of hotels in Singapore open for staycations if you want to start planning your local journey as soon as possible!
As you enter the hotel grounds of the Fullerton Bay Hotel, you are met by a grand facade of the old Singapore Post Office that was here all through the 20th century. A great feature at the front of the hotel is a luxury car which sits at the front, coated with the hotels’ flag all over the Rolls Royce. A rotation is made daily to another car for viewing leisure. Upon arrival, we are welcomed to the safety measures for entry, whilst our bags are taken care of. For check-in rituals, we walked all the way down to the reception, on the way through, we walked past the Landing Point, a dining area with a view. It is an iconic spot for an afternoon tea with the MBS as a backdrop.
Where is Fullerton Bay Hotel Located?
Located in the heart of Singapore’s downtown district, the Fullerton Bay Hotel is right on the water surrounded by Fullerton restaurants and walkways. The Fullerton Bay Hotel is 25 minutes drive from Changi International airport.
The world-famous Merlion statue, the mythical creature which is lions head and fish body, is said to signify Singapore’s humble beginnings, is located only 300m from the entrance of the hotel and is a picture-worthy spot all times of the day.
For all those who love going for a run or walk, there is a huge loop around the bay which is especially good in the night time as the skylines come to life. There are several shops/restaurants close and dozens of public transport options all less than 200m away from the hotel. The hotel is downtown and is a short stroll to the National Gallery, walkways, the F1 track and incredible Hawker street food markets.
Dining at Fullerton Bay Hotel
For dining, there are many options. There is The Landing Point, overlooking the bay and is an open designed eating area. This is where you can enjoy a drink, afternoon tea experience and, currently during COVID, serving a customized menu with delicious French cuisine from La Brasserie for lunchtime. Escargots, Wagyu Beef and Confit De Canard, risotto were on our list! The escargots, tasty and strong flavours and the very tender Wagyu Beef were the star dishes of the lunch experience. The Confit De Canard, a bit dryer than we usually like, were saved with the perfect mix of the sauce, pickled onion and a dash of mashed potatoes, making the bite an absolute delicacy.
Afternoon Tea at The Fullerton Bay Hotel
As we have spent significant time at The Landing Point, we decided to maximize our time in the room by having The Fullerton Bay Hotel Afternoon Tea experience in our room. Before arrival with our avo tea goodies, we were called up and asked what options we want for drinks: coffee or tea? We were then greeted with a table full of savoury and sweet afternoon treats. All this is facing outwards towards the Bay Area. Afternoon tea is one of our favourite couples dining experiences. Why? I am a sweet tooth and Thuymi likes her savoury treats, win-win for both!
When you are a guest at The Fullerton Bay Hotel, you can choose to have dinner in the room. We enjoyed a 4-course Dining Experience, starting with a bottle of wine (although as non-alcoholic drinkers at the moment, the team arranged sparkling juice) we had the starters all laid out for us on the table. The team stayed a decent amount of time to set up the table, serve us the hot soup and drinks before leaving us to our privacy and advising us to proceed to the mains when we are ready in the hot box under the table.
The soup was tasty and delicious and we had enough for refills! In fact, we finished off the whole bowl before we touched anything else. For entrees, we had beef and chicken satays with peanut sauce. Needless to say, these were eaten extremely quickly.
For mains, Seafood Marinara Spaghetti and the Herb Roasted Seabass were our picks. I must admit, they were tasty, but were no match to how good the starters were. The seabass was crispy and the sauce was on point, the highlight between the two served mains. Our evening was capped off with a little space left over for a slice of Chocolate and Cherry cake.
Breakfast at The Fullerton Bay Hotel is served at La Brasserie. To ensure the restaurants are never crowded, they will ask you to book a time slot of when you want to eat. There are several different options for breakfast: A standard American breakfast, Nasi Lemak, Singaporean Laksa, and Pancakes. Each breakfast comes with baked goods, coffee, tea, juice and seasonal fruits as well. It is a simple offering as they cannot buffet like before COVID, but the dishes are exceptionally tasty. La Brasserie is also open for non-staying guests, which we also strongly recommend for those curious to just come over for breakfast.
The Fullerton Bay Hotel is also home of Lantern, an outdoor bar area at the pool level that unfortunately is still closed due to Phase 2 of restrictions in Singapore still running. It is located on the roof next to the pool and looks straight out over the bay, the perfect spot usually for drinks and to watch the Singapore iconic Merlion light show.
Perhaps the grandest of all eating areas at Fullerton Bay Hotel, The Clifford Pier is currently only open on weekends and has its very own Dim Sim brunch. An absolute must if you are here on weekends.
Facilities at Fullerton Bay Hotel
The pool, located at the rooftop, is clearly the highlight of the hotel. With views of the city, bay and Marina Bay Sands, this is where you be spending most of your days. Even though you have to book your slot to go swim during COVID times, they will be staff waiting for you and plenty of seatings to be spread out safely. There are two jacuzzis that face outwards to the bay. Guests are offered with complimentary pool towels and glass bottled water.
There are plenty of spaces around the hotel to sit and relax (less than usual right now) but The Landing Point and the rooftop are the best spots to chill and read a book.
The fitness centre at Fullerton Bay Hotel is smaller than we expected but suffices for a workout and a run on the treadmill. It will absolutely do for a quick workout, but do not expect plenty of space to do large exercises. Instead, we do recommend to go for a run around the bay as the hotel is so well located for a lap around. Don’t forget to book as well if you want to go to the gym, something common now for all staycations in Singapore.
Rooms at Fullerton Bay Hotel
Best rooms at the Fullerton Bay Hotel are the Premiere View Rooms facing the bay. We strongly recommend that you get one of these rooms facing onwards for the MBS view. The are slightly more expensive than the Deluxe Room and Premier Room as they have their own balconies or even Jacuzzi.
Every room in the hotel has a Nespresso coffee machine, large bathtub, Balmain amenities, blackout curtains, Large TV and Bluetooth speakers to top it off. Room balcony is large and great for the sun in the morning, but after midday, the best bet is to head to the pool and relax there.
Similar to the Premier Bay View Room, the best room in the house, in our opinion, is the Premier Bay View Room with Jacuzzi!
Time For Two Special at the Fullerton Bay Hotel
To encourage more staycations in Singapore, The Fullerton Bay Hotel has its own Time for Two special for couples that are looking for a special stay. It is perfect to celebrate a special moment with your partner or just a simple way to take a break from home! The package includes:
- Daily breakfast for two persons
- A pair of Fullerton bears per stay
- In-Room four course set dinner for two persons (with the choice of Western or Vegetarian menu) and a bottle of house wine (red/white), valued at S$238
- Get more details by consulting the website.
Our experience at Fullerton Bay Hotel
Whilst staying at the Fullerton Bay Hotel, we went on a Singapore SideCar experience, one of the activities that can be arranged by the hotel. We met Simon, who is the owner of the company gave us a tour of some of the sites of downtown Singapore. Experiencing Singapore at sidecar level is something totally unique and gives you an appreciation for the cultural side of this modern city. It was our first time trying this and we absolutely loved it! Will share more about it on another article soon.
In summary, we had a blast staying at The Fullerton Bay Hotel. Considering the hotel being smaller, there is more limited guests, hence a even more personalized service even considering the shortage of staff because of the whole COVID situation. The team were first class and by far a highlight. Not to mention that The Fullerton Bay Hotel has Clef D’or concierge team, with Ali and Muhammad. If you don’t know, Les Clefs d’Or (translated as The Golden Keys) is a professional association of elite hotel concierges, with 4000+ members working over 80 countries. They are the ultimate insiders and these concierges have the skills and the contacts to open doors that no others can. What you want, you will most likely get, “no” is not in their vocabulary!
Staying there was convenient. There is plenty do in and around the hotel as well which means if you wanted action, you had it! If you want to just relax, then grab a seat at the rooftop pool and wish the day away too.
PROS
CONS
- I had some serious issues with my internet, my laptop didn’t connect. I got a call straight away and had a tech man on the phone walking me phone some complex settings.
- Service is first class, staff are going out of their way to make every guest feel welcomed. We had them help us take some pics and they were above and beyond, bravo!
- The hotel is clean, in fact it was spotless, not even a hint of dust anywhere.
- Next to our room there was a room with jacuzzi and they left it on at night, so it created quite a bit of noise that didn’t go away. However, after a quick call, the team had it sort out.
- The gym was really small had limited equipment so do not expect a whole range of goods. There was also a 2 person maximum in at any time, understandable considering safety measures. Gym must be booked for COVID purposes.
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