Grand Hyatt SingaporeSingapore, the small city state on the tip of the Malaysian peninsula, is a good entry-point to South-East Asia, especially for Westerners who have not visited the region before. Changi is the most efficient airport we have visited (touchdown to landside in 15 minutes), public transport is clean and easy to use, and the city is a mix of spectacular architecture (for example, Marina Bay Sands) and open green spaces such as The National Botanical Garden with Orchid Garden (a must see). Sentosa Island is also rapidly developing as the ultimate family fun destination in Asia.
The Grand Hyatt is located near the junction of Scott's Road and Orchard Road, surrounded by premier shopping areas, and is only a couple of minutes walk to the nearest MRT (metro) station. On entering the lobby, check-in is not immediately obvious, but just keep to your right and you'll find it. On one stay we were met in the lobby and escorted to our Corporate Suite (see below) for check-in, but on other stays we checked in downstairs. The guest rooms at Grand Hyatt Singapore are arranged in 2 towers: the Grand Wing and the Terrace Wing, which is often quieter and was more recently refurbished. On the 5th floor are pretty gardens and a waterfall cascades from here into the lobby - a grand and unusual feature. Grand Corporate SuiteOn our first stay at the hotel, we used a suite upgrade certificate and were further upgraded to a Grand Corporate Suite. The suite was large and elegant, with a separate fully equiped kitchen (with Nespresso machine), living room, study, dressing room and bedroom with 1.5 bathrooms, the main bathroom containing a shower/steam room and separate bath. All rooms were very spacious and an extremely comfortable place to stay.
The diamond amenity (although it could have been a suite amenity) was 2 bottles of Evian water, some (unripe) plums and 3 boxes of snacks (vegetable crisps, chocolate truffles and mini pineapple cakes). In addition, the kitchen contained boxes of cereal (rice crispies, corn flakes and all-bran), yoghurts, milk, water, soft drinks and large pots of chocolate cookies, dried apricots and fruit and nut. These were excellent and added to the homely feel of the suite. The separate study makes this suite ideal for anyone travelling on business for an extended period, or with a partner or family. The Club Lounges
The Grand Hyatt Singapore has 2 club lounges: 1 in each tower. The Grand Wing club lounge is on the top floor and had great service. After we first visited, staff remembered our name for future visits. We only visited the Terrace Wing Club lounge once for breakfast - we preferred the decor, but the lounge it smaller.
Both lounges offer a reasonable spread at breakfast and in the evening (in addition to some cakes and biscuits during the day). At breakfast, there were eggs to order, congee, fresh fruit and the typical continental breakfast. However, it was not possible to order fried rice or noodles, as in the Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok. In the evening, there were 2 or 3 hot canapes each day, some salad, sushi, cheese and desserts. The offerings in the lounge were not as good as in Bangkok, for example, and we were disappointed that no champagne was available (as in Marina Bay Sands). However, there was a choice of red and white wine, and Prosecco.
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Grand Twin RoomAlthough we have only stayed in suites at this property, we asked to view a Grand room (standard room). We were pleasantly surprised by how spacious the room was and, although renovations are being planned, the room didn't feel tired.
The bathroom was of a good size with a separate shower and bath; walls and floor were made of marble. One neat feature of these rooms is the wardrobe, which can be accessed either from the bathroom or the bedroom, as it opens on both sides. Working space is separated from the sleeping area by positioning the desk where a balcony used to be, making it feel quite removed from the main room. The only problem with this would be working instead of admiring the view! The standard room at the Grand Hyatt Singapore is of a good size and quality. It will be interesting to see what changes after renovations. Presidential SuiteOn our most recent stay, we were absolutely blown away to be upgraded to one of the Presidential Suites. This was located in the Terrace Wing on the 16th floor. The suite is a total of 250 square metres, so you can imagine our amazement on entering the room.
An entrance hall leads past the guest cloakroom to the large lounge, with seating for around 8 people on sofas around a coffee table. In one corner of the lounge is a comfortable lounger - ideal for meditating about work, or a quick doze. To one side of the lounge, is the dining room or boardroom with seating for 8 around a table. A fully-equipped kitchen is situated off this room, as well as the option to connect to another suite. Off the front of the lounge is a separate study complete with iMac and printer. Here, there is room for 2 people to work on laptops and this would be a great place for a meeting or as a breakout room from the boardroom. On the other side of the living area is the huge bedroom with a small sitting area. Behind the bedroom runs a double dressing area, similar in size and style to the personal shopping area at Harrods. The bathroom is also fantastic, with a huge bath, double sink areas, a sauna and the best shower we've had: rain shower, massage jets and a normal shower where you can run all 3 at once! Throughout the bathroom are Aesop toiletries (shave foam, shower gel, body balm, face moisturiser, shampoo, conditioner: all full size). The suite is a beautiful space and must be one of the top suites in Asia. All finishes are extremely high-end and everything you may need is thought of. Dining
On our first stay, we had the Easter buffet at Mezza9, which was really great. Then, on our second stay, we ate both dinner and breakfast in StraitsKitchen, which suited us less.
The champagne brunch in Mezza9 was fantastic, with great service, a wide range of food and free flowing Perrier Jouet. The shellfish (including lobster and oysters) and Western carvery options (including roast beef and lamb) looked delicious, but we were feeling a little delicate from jet lag, so decided to concentrate on the Asian specialties. These included Peking duck, dim sum, fish, noodles and kebabs. Presentation of the food was good, and staff seemed proud of their food. There was also a dessert table, with a chocolate fountain, a range of ice cream and sorbet, and a number of cakes and chocolates. Brunch was busy (as expected on Easter Sunday), so had a good ambience, but there were enough staff to make sure service didn't suffer. StraitsKitchen is a restaurant perhaps more suited to local families. We didn't find the ambience as expected for a 5* hotel (very basic and badly worn tables) and, although there was a huge choice of food, the quality was not as we would have hoped. |
Overall Impression
The Grand Hyatt Singapore represents a true 5* hotel in a great location. We have stayed a number of times and have never had a major problem, so the hotel must be well run. For diamond members of Hyatt Gold Passport, staying here is incredible value, with the standard upgrade to a Club Deluxe room representing a mini suite and the club lounge offering a big enough spread not to need to buy food elsewhere. We love Mezza9 for brunch and Damai spa for relaxing spa treatments. There are a number of luxury hotels in Singapore, but we can never bring ourselves to stay elsewhere. We definitely recommend the Hyatt for your stay in Singapore - it is well located, offers fantastic facilities and reasonable value.