Review - Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Singapore

Smudge · October 27, 2012

I stayed at this hotel in 2010 prior to my cruise aboard Costa Allegra from Singapore to Savona.

The hotel is in the Marina Bay district of the city and within easy walking distance of the Mer-Lion and other attractions around the city. Shopping is a breeze since the hotel is part of a large covered mall with a variety of shops and restaurants.

The architecture of the hotel is breathtaking on the inside, shaped like a giant beehive of 23 floors, the hotel boasts glass elevators that travel up the center of the atrium...NOT for those (like me) who do not like heights, however. There is a service elevator available which seemed to get quite alot of use when I stayed there for 4 nights.

Service & food....not up to the 5 star standard that I anticipated. Service was surly and the included buffet breakfast was overcooked and dried out due to be prepared and laid out way too early...I invariably arrived to eat at 6am when the buffet opened and the food was already dry under heat lamps.

Overall my stay was disappointing...the hotel pool which overlooks the bay was closed due to maintenance, the rooms were badly in need of maintenance and my room was above the kitchen and service roads, so often noisy and smelly. Asking to change to a better room was like asking for blood out of a stone, so I wouldn't recommend that you try.

So...one night, it would be OK, but anything longer than one night you maybe better off looking at another hotel.