Capella – Hotel Review

Gazing out over the South China Sea, Capella Singapore on Sentosa Island transforms a former artillery barracks into a tropical sanctuary, fusing its colonial heritage with sleek modern design and activities that foreground Singapore’s diverse contemporary culture.

Where is Capella

Though it’s just 25 minutes from Changi Airport and 20 from the city centre, this tranquil escape on the resort island of Sentosa feels far removed from the bustle of the city and has direct beach access – a rarity in Singapore.

Room types

The pick of the 112 rooms are 38 freestanding villas filled with elegant mid-century design and sumptuous dark timber fittings. Floor-to-ceiling windows open onto a large private terrace with reclining day beds and a plunge pool surrounded by greenery, while the cavernous bathroom leads to an outdoor rain shower and bath.

Restaurants and bars

The signature breakfast encompasses everything from eggs (Benedict or scrambled) to laksa, while modern Cantonese restaurant Cassia offers dim sum with a luxe twist, like char siew bao in a striking charcoal bun topped with gold leaf and filled with truffled Iberico pork. Later in the day, it’s joined by Italian diner Fiamma and the private group only Chef’s Table while the Caribbean-inspired Bob’s Bar gets popular at 6pm when friendly bartenders ply guests with a potent concoction of pineapple rum, tea liqueur, lime juice and vanilla syrup.

Travel for work

With over 2000 square metres of meeting and function space, there’s plenty of room for conferences across three meeting rooms, two boardrooms with teleconference facilities, The Gallery – good for business receptions – and the Grand Ballroom with a high definition LED video wall measuring 81 square metres.

Spa and gym

You could spend an entire day exploring the swimming options at Capella, which include two tiered family pools surrounded by sweet frangipani, a more private adults-only lap pool, sandy Palawan beach and a private plunge pool in each villa. There’s also a hydrotherapy pools at Auriga Spa, as well as a spiced hammam-style steam room and a range of indulgent personalised treatments designed to reflect the phases of the moon.

Sustainability

An ice bucket with cardboard cartons of water that magically appears when you sit by the pool is the most visible sign of Capella’s no single-use plastic policy. In the kitchen, food scraps are composted for use on the surrounding greenery, which includes an onsite herb and spice garden.

What you need to know

Before your stay, an in-house “culturist” will get in touch to create a personalised itinerary from the broad menu of activities designed to connect guests with Singaporean culture. These range from feng shui tours in the sidecar of a Vespa to tea blending workshops, market visits with a chef and mahjong lessons. But be warned: one rarely mentioned aspect of local culture is kiasu – a precursor to FOMO that means it’s worth booking ahead.