As part of our 2023 Singapore staycation tour, we moved around the city-state to book hotel stays. As a critical hotel in the Marina Bay area, we had always wanted to stay at the PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay. It was recently renovated in 2020, and we have yet to be able to stay there. I once attended a wedding dinner and thought the hotel’s interior looked lovely with much greenery. Of course, we had our appetite whetted!
Our staycation tour heated up towards the year-end as we booked multiple stays in December. We decided to stay at the three hotels in the middle of Marina Bay, where all the hotels went through recent renovations. After completing a stay at Pan Pacific Singapore in their newly-renovated Executive Marina Bay Room, it was time to experience PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay. Come find out how our one-night stay at this lovely hotel was!
TL:DR
Nice spacious suite
Open-air view of Marina Bay via a balcony
Beautiful design after a massive renovation
Food is the highlight of the stay
Excellent service by COLLECTION Club staff members
Service:
We arrived at the hotel somewhat early, around 12 plus in the afternoon. While we did not expect to enter our room so quickly, we wanted to put our luggage at the check-in counter before heading to the nearby shopping malls.
When we arrived at the check-in counter, we were immediately informed that their system was down and that the check-in could not be completed. Nevertheless, they requested our identification documents, which we gave them. They then informed us that the check-in time was at 3 pm and told us to come back again at that time. The conversation then ended as such. It was so strange as we had a piece of big luggage and wanted to leave it there first, but we were not even allowed to say anything. I told them about our situation and asked if we could at least leave our luggage at the hotel first. Strangely, they had to check and ask around before returning to us to take our luggage.
After that, we left the check-in counter to head towards Marina Square. Almost immediately, a staff member chased us and asked if we had booked a suite. We responded in the affirmative and were then requested to follow her to COLLECTION Club, the hotel’s club lounge, to process our check-in. At that point, we obeyed whatever instructions we received and walked with her to the club lounge.
Thankfully, things were much smoother at COLLECTION Club. The staff immediately took our luggage, processed the check-in, and apologised for the inconvenience. They confirmed that the system was down then but assured us they would call us once the system was back up and the room was ready.
They invited us to stay at the club lounge for beverages if we preferred to wait. It was nice to take a break in the air-conditioned lounge, and we enjoyed a cup of coffee and fruit juice. Before long, we wanted to stretch our legs and head out for a walk. Funnily enough, we were not even out of the hotel premises when we received a call, as promised, from COLLECTION Club that the room was ready and we could complete our check-in. We walked back to the lounge, and almost immediately, the check-in process was completed, and we were given our room keys. A short walk later, we arrived at our beautiful home for the night, ready to snap some pictures at around 2.40 pm.
Thankfully, after that incident during check-in, the rest of our encounters with staff members were fantastic. If we were not in our room, we mostly hung around in the COLLECTION Club, and the service at the club lounge was great, to say the least. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at the lounge, and every staff member there was courteous and eager to help. We can confidently say that the COLLECTION Club staff members made our stay that much brighter.
Hotel Facilities:
PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay is on level 5, featuring an outdoor swimming pool, gym, and spa.
The outdoor swimming pool is arguably the highlight of the hotel’s facilities. The location of the swimming pool allows guests to catch a glimpse of the Central Business District while also gaining a view of the nearby skyscrapers and hotels. At night, more than 1,000 fibre-optic lights light up the pool, beautifying the pool that you would think the sky is underneath the pool. It makes the area look much more beautiful at night, especially if you swim amongst the “stars”. The nearby Skyline Bar is also great, as guests can grab a well-deserved bite after swimming a couple of laps in the pool.
The gym is on the same floor and has the standard equipment for guests to enjoy. It has various machines, including treadmills, stationary bikes, and dumbbells and kettlebells of multiple weights. Guests should be able to get a great workout at this gym. It is open 24 hours a day, which should please most gym-goers. Another great thing is that it appears to be lightly used. This is excellent news as little equipment sharing, if required, is needed.
St. Gregory Spa, the signature spa of PARKROYAL COLLECTION, is on the same floor. Having tried one of their massage sessions at the sister hotel at PARKROYAL COLLECTION Pickering, a visit to the spa is highly recommended.
The Children’s Playroom is a great option for families with young children. It is located on level 4 and is open daily between 9 am and 9 pm. With a wide range of toys and books, the children should have an enjoyable time here!
COLLECTION Club Lounge:
The COLLECTION Club Lounge is on the same floor as the swimming pool and is easy for club guests to access. Facing the Marina Bay area, the club lounge has a spacious setting with lots of seating. Afternoon tea is between 2.30 pm and 4 pm and is suitable for guests who do not want a heavy meal before dinner. Evening cocktails are held between 6 pm and 8 pm, while the buffet breakfast is between 7 am and 10 am.
It has three dining services daily: buffet breakfast, afternoon tea, and evening cocktails. On the day of our arrival, we settled in for some complimentary non-alcoholic drinks before returning to enjoy some delicious food. One thing we love about PARKROYAL COLLECTION hotels in Singapore is the variety of local food they enjoy serving guests. Even at the club lounge, we enjoyed indulging in local puffs, kuehs, and cheng tng, a sweet dessert soup. They also serve the standard Western fare like beef sliders and other types of tarts and cakes, which taste delicious. It makes for a well-balanced afternoon tea that showcases Singapore food in a very positive light.
Come evening, the whole club lounge becomes packed with many guests. The food selection is also considerably more extensive. There was a large variety of food, including sandwiches, dim sum, deep-fried food, cakes, salads, cold cuts, and fresh fruits. We could see guests enjoying multiple servings of food while hotel staff were busy replenishing the various drinks.
We found a nice corner and settled down when the staff quickly noticed us and asked if we wanted something to drink. As usual, we opted for two mocktails before heading to the buffet table. For those who prefer a menu, the club lounge kindly placed a beverage menu on each table so guests can quickly check out what is available and order them immediately.
That evening, we enjoyed a variety of dishes, including smoked salmon, cheese, sandwiches, dim sum, salad, and fresh fruits. We then had a large serving of the sweet soup we had earlier during afternoon tea before indulging in a slice of cake. After that, we decided to call it a night at the fantastic COLLECTION Club Lounge.
We dropped by the following day to check out the breakfast situation. As expected, it was relatively quiet, and this is the place to be if you enjoy privacy and a sense of calmness. The club lounge offered a nice variety of food for breakfast, including standard pastries, dim sum, curries, salads, cold cuts, and cereal. Although it makes for an excellent breakfast here, the hotel’s main restaurant is always the place to be for breakfast if you demand variety.
During our multiple trips to the COLLECTION Club Lounge, we always enjoyed ourselves, and every staff member was very friendly and eager to help. We appreciate the high attentiveness and felt valued as club guests. We can easily say that the COLLECTION Club Lounge is a key highlight of our stay at PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay.
Breakfast:
After initially heading to the COLLECTION Club Lounge to check out the breakfast situation, we made our way to Peppermint, the hotel’s main restaurant, for our breakfast. From the start, we knew it would be much busier as it is meant to serve every hotel guest. However, the extensive variety of the food more than compensated for the lack of calmness.
After getting a table, despite the restaurant running at full capacity, we headed straight for the buffet tables. We came across various foods that looked delicious. They had sushi, Turkey ham, sausages, a comprehensive egg station with different egg types (omelette, over-easy, sunny-side ups, hard-boiled, scrambled), pastries, and a salad bar. Fresh fruits, yoghurt, cheese, and different types of Indian food were also available. There were also some local delights, including stir-fried noodles, chee kweh, and you tiaos.
Ultimately, we took a mishmash of different food and enjoyed all the randomness on a few plates. We had sunny-side-ups with noodles, porridge with a croissant, and some sushi with baked beans. As with most buffets, all the food we took ended up in our tummies. We then finished our meal with miso soup and a cup of Latte—all in a morning’s work.
Overall, the food at breakfast was decent. It was pretty standard fare and what you would expect at a five-star hotel. It was packed, but that should be expected. The variety was also quite good, so hotel guests should be satisfied with the quantity and quality of food. However, we did not think any dish particularly stood out, except that we enjoyed our breakfast. Perhaps the next time we book a stay at PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay, we will try the breakfast at the COLLECTION Club Lounge!
Food:
After checking out the next day, we decided to have lunch at the hotel before heading home. We dropped by Portman’s Bar, which also served food from Peppermint. We knew Discovery has a tiered discount when dining at its hotels, so we wanted to make full use of this offer while we happened to be at PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay.
As always, we opted for some local food at the hotel. We decided on the humble Hainanese Chicken Rice, Lobster Laksa, and one of Singapore’s signature dishes, the satays. The food did not disappoint. The chicken rice was cooked to perfection, and we enjoyed it thoroughly when we placed the chicken meat (with the chicken skin on) on some rice, mixed some chilli sauce on it, and ate it in one bite. We repeated this manoeuvre a few times, and the entire dish was soon gone.
The lobster laksa took some time to finish as we consciously checked our clothes each time we slurped some noodles. The lobster was fresh and tasty, while the laksa broth was delicious. Lots of ingredients were also served, such as prawns and scallops. Before long, the entire bowl of laksa broth was gone, too.
The chicken satays acted as our dessert. It tasted just like those we enjoy at hawker centres around Singapore. We particularly liked the peanut sauce as it had the perfect texture. We prefer a finer peanut sauce that is not too crunchy, and this is precisely the style of peanut sauce PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay serves. This was a great way to end the meal at just six sticks per serving. We had a delightful meal at our final stop before heading home. We will definitely be back here again for another meal!
Room:
PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay’s Signature Marina Bay Suites measure between 63 and 66 square metres. Named as such for the stunning Marina Bay views the suite offers, it is one of the premium suites offered by the hotel.
When you first enter the suite, you are greeted by a spacious living and dining area. By the entrance is the dining area, where a four-seater semi-round table is on the side of the room. On the other side is a cabinet that stores all the food and beverages. The minibar has a large San Pellegrino bottle and four cans of soft drinks. Coffee and tea come in the form of a Nespresso machine and six TWG teabags. The best part of the dining offerings is probably the complimentary snacks. Four small bags of snacks (dried mango, wasabi green peas, roasted almonds, and roasted cashew nuts), a chunky Kit Kat, two types of potato chips, popcorn, and PARKROYAL COLLECTION’s very own pandan gula melaka cookies are proudly displayed in a beautifully-designed picnic basket. However, be aware that the picnic basket cannot be brought home; it can be purchased for S$150.
In front of the dining area is a very homely living room. A huge, comfortable sofa is placed against the wall, with a workstation and a potted plant beside the balcony. This can be mistaken for any other apartment with a balcony in Singapore. We love the coffee table and carpet in the middle of the living room, as we thought they suited the suite's newly renovated design.
As the designers wanted a spacious feeling to greet guests, the sliding doors to the bedroom are in the middle. This means that the living room’s television is on the side, even though it can be adjusted to face the guests on the sofa. For some reason, this reminded us of Singapore Airlines’ Business Class seats, where you have to sleep at an angle. However, this is a non-issue for us, especially since it suited the person at the workstation just fine, who can catch some television while working simultaneously. A case in point was when I managed to stream the Formula 1 race and see a Manchester United football match while working in the living room. It worked perfectly, and I was happy to catch the sports programmes while working with my back facing the balcony.
The workstation is beautiful, by the way. We like the wood elements built into the suite. Plugs are readily available, and the desk light adds an elegant touch. The telephone is by the side of the workstation and can be used to call someone quickly. We love that the workstation is by the balcony, as you can turn around and look at the beautiful Marina Bay area when you need a break from your work.
The bedroom is another wonder to behold. A large King-sized bed sits in the middle of the bedroom with wall plugs on either side of the bed. This is great so both parties can charge their mobile phones simultaneously.
With the sliding doors in the middle, the television situation in the bedroom is similar. The television is mounted at the side rather than in the middle. Although this is not an inconvenience, it is just a suite feature. A tiny workstation can also be found in the bedroom, although it is not as comfortable as the one in the living room. However, it can be helpful if your partner chooses to sleep first and wants your presence in the room. Admittedly, I did just that at night as I hunched over and did some work while she slept first.
Located just beside the bathroom is the almost hidden dressing table and wardrobe. It has a full-size mirror with bright lights for guests to dress up in peace, while the wardrobe has all the standard offerings, including a safe, bathrobes, an iron and an ironing board, and plenty of hangers. On the dressing table is a Dyson hairdryer with various attachments so guests can do their hair in style.
Finally, we have come to the bathroom. So far, we have been thoroughly impressed with the newly designed suite. We love how the suite looked after the massive renovation, especially after being impressed with the hotel interiors. However, we were pretty surprised when we saw the bathroom. It was clear it had not been renovated, and a check with some travel websites confirmed that it had not been renovated. We have no idea why the hotel’s management chose not to do so, but we thought the bathroom stuck out like a sore thumb. While the bathroom remains fully functional, its look and feel contrast the rest of the suite. It was almost as though we walked back in time whenever we entered the bathroom. Nevertheless, the bathroom did its job well.
The bathroom has a standing shower and bathtub, although the bathtub appeared relatively low and small. The standing shower was fine, and Appelles provided toiletries consistent with the other PARKROYAL COLLECTION properties. Filtered water is supplied via a tap in the bathroom, and guests can continually quench their thirst without needing to call the hotel staff for more water bottles. A hair dryer, albeit old-looking, can be found attached to the wall by the sink. Overall, it was a functional bathroom, but it was not what we expected after a massive renovation by PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay.
Views from the room:
As its name suggests, the Signature Marina Bay Suite is known for its stunning views. Hence, we were only too excited to book this suite. Thankfully, the views did not disappoint. Although our suite was located farthest from Marina Bay (closest to Pan Pacific Singapore), we could still get a fantastic view of the Marina Bay area. Even better, we also got a great view of the Formula 1 race track. F1 fans, take note: this is an extremely great suite to book if you want to be close to the Formula 1 action!
As with all our stays in the Marina Bay area, we spent quite some time taking various pictures of the city. Even though the hotel is not as close to the Marina Bay area compared to Mandarin Oriental, this suite has a balcony. There is just something magical about a balcony. You can feel the fresh air and hear the sounds of the city. Marina Bay looks so much nicer from a balcony. We were able to snap so many pictures from the balcony, from the morning till the night. We hope you enjoy the photos we took!
Overall, we enjoyed our stay at PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay. The renovation did wonders for the hotel, and it felt very inviting inside. At the point of sounding ridiculous, it was as though we were in mini-Singapore in the hotel. A beautiful hotel with much greenery makes it a garden city. Perhaps this was what the hotel was after, and they succeeded. While the Signature Marina Bay Suite was pricey, we would want to book a stay at one of the standard Marina Bay rooms for our next stay. It would be interesting to experience a stay there and see the views it has to offer!
Click here to find out more about PARKROYAL COLLECTION Marina Bay and book a stay today!
Cost of Signature Marina Bay Suite: S$828.63 a night - stayed over a weekend in November 2023
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