Rasa Sentosa Resort Sentosa Island

This hotel was very disappointing. Upon check in, there was no member of staff to show us to our room, I had to ask where the lifts were located, the receptionist pointed in the general direction. On our way to the room, there was work being carried out, the ceiling had been taken down and we had to walk around step ladders and debris. The corridors resembled what you would expect to find in a cheap motel, not a Shangri-La property. When we eventually found the room (deluxe sea view on the 8th floor) we were amazed at the state of it. The musty, damp smell, the old dirty carpet, furniture that was well past its best, holes in the sheets- nothing like the pictures used in advertisements.

The service left a lot to be desired. One example being my request for a late check out when we arrived. We were told that it would cost $140, which we agreed to. The receptionist appeared to action it, however, on our last night, our bill was delivered to the room and there was no charge for late check out. I enquired at reception regarding our check out time, only to be told that it was 12.00 and not 8.30pm as requested. When checking out, the actual cost was $165 (£55), the original quote was without taxes, service charges etc.

There were also problems at breakfast, due to conferences being held at the hotel- very crowded, no tables, when eventually seated there was no tea/coffee on the table, had to request it several times. I had to get up and find a member of staff and ask for cutlery, I ended up stirring my coffee with a desert spoon!

Although we were not happy with the hotel in general, there are some positive aspects to it such the free iced water at the pool bar. The evening buffet is very nice (around £35 for two with drinks, no charge for children).

The island itself is great for families, with bus services to the attractions. However, the hotel needs refurbishing and the staff, particualrly the receptionists, require basic customer service training.

Good Points

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1. The island Sentosa that the hotel is on is beautifull

2. The view from the rooms are fantastic - for people to complain that all you see are oil tankers - get a life - Singapore is one of the worlds largest cargo ports - what do you expect to see - whales and mantees !!!!!!

3. The staff couldnt do more for you

4. Reglar complimentry transport to the mainland and main shopping area

5. Decent food at good prices

6. Super pool area - again as people have mentioned there are many kids here - but they are well behaved kids - not British kids !!!!

7. We had a suite which was beautifull.

Bad Points

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1. Saw inside some of the other rooms that did look a little dated

2. Sundays the hotel is choc a block with locals

3. Hotel could do with sprucing up - especially as someone mentioned the gloomy Alcatraz style corridors.

4. The beach is not pleasant as the water is polluted from all the tankers.

Concluision

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Dont expect to book here for a beach holiday - thats not what this hotel is all about.

If you want a good standard hotel ( its more of a 4star than 5star ) in a relaxing location with good facilities but not a central location than this is the hotel for you.

We loved it here but there again we arent pedantic ( oil tankers spoiling our view ) !!!!!

Rasa Sentasa Resort is unbelievable. Having booked our first holiday to Singapore we stumbled onto the resort. At this point we returned to our packaged accommodation and booked 2 nights at the resort and returned.

The service was impeccable. The resort and man made beach was something to be seen.

We are already planning our return

Having travelled to Thailand and different parts of Indonesia, this has suddenly got me hooked.

Not cheap like Bali. But then not like Bali in any way or form.

the la rosa hotel is superb in every way ie location, facilities, rooms, staff the whole package, the resort itself is ideal not just as a stop over but also as an actual vacation there is so much to see and do the pool area is the best i have ever had the pleasure of using and when the mill pond sea is just a few feet away it is wonderful .

We booked with travel bag and could not fault them, do try it one day

We were unlucky enough to stay at this so called 5 Star hotel recently for a 3 night stay for which we was so looking forward too and all i can say about it is.... stay at the Shangri La in the city and NOT at the Shangri-la Rasa, Sentosa Resort !!

We had a room right along a VERY long corrider which reminded us of a corridor from a housing estate which badly needed decorating to look better. The "SUITE" as it was so called was in serious need of updating with a terrible smell of damp!! cupboard space for hanging clothes was almost nil and the room was in need of a good clean which you would expect from a top hotel. Following the disapointment of the room we decided to go out for a spot of dinner as we had just arrived from Australia.....to find the only place we fancied eating from "The Grill" was fully booked!! which was much to our surprise.The buffet look o'k but wasn't for us, as also was the Restaurant " Pick a "live" Fish or Lobster and we'll cook it for you!!

After lasting the night out sleeping in a damp room we found the bathroom floor was wet!! for a cleaner to say in the morning "You should sleep with the Air-conditioning on as it dries the room out!! The look out of the window is like looking out to a dock yard!! ships and tankers everywhere, so "IF" your looking for a beach with beautiful sea views forget this place.

After trying to change the room 3 times with the same smell we decided to cut our losses and stay at the Shangri La in the city. For the sake of about 20 a night more......you will be in more of a 5 Star keeping than staying in a place that isn't. I agree with the other views someone has said that the staff are very good....but the management must update this place and cure the smell of dampness in the rooms as we wasn't the only people complaining at the reception in the morning.

Not a 5 star hotel. Please be careful when you read the glowing reports. We stayed in Room 945, a sea view deluxe with two beds. The carpet, curtains, and furnishings were really stained. Our sheets were not changed for the 3 days we stayed and I had to request the floor to be hoovered. Housekeeping apologised and said it should be hoovered every day. Still, nobody arrived. I had to march down the corridor the next day and grab a cleaner myself. The rooms badly need refurbishing. Room you see on the website with white furniture etc. is NOT what you get. Only a handful of rooms have been decorated up to date like that. Also, we were assured cheap rate from Shangri-La direct but found cheaper on other websites afterward. My bedsheets had holes in them. You have to put up with a lot of noise from rowdy people on neighbouring balconies and a hotel restaurant in the garden used for big Karaoke and Hypnotist shows, so LOUD. The clientele are 98% asian and if noisy children in the pool with large blowup toys bother you, dont come to this hotel, it is totally geared for families with children. Kids reign. I went there for my 8 year old to unwind after a gruelling cold European trip. He thought it was paradise. last warning - the beach is public and people can park their cars on it, so not pristine, cosy and private as in hotel fotos. Close to shore are 100s of tankers waiting to go into port. I did not like the look of the creamy foam on top of the sea water, for bathing. Staff are brilliant in general. Hotel needs complete re-haul. Chic or stylish it is not. More like a glorified holiday camp. Pay top dollar and you will be disappointed, get a good deal and you might like it.

great prices, booked direct on the internet, fab facilities, the pool was great and the beach so close. The hotel was clean and food great, service was fantastic and staff friendly.

We liked it so much we booked in extra nights.

The children loved it and the monkeys were so funny out on the balconies.

A huge plus point is the island itself, so much to see and do, free transport via buses or trams, don't miss the pink dolphin show or the lazer night show.

We tend to go to Singapore quite a bit and this time i wanted a more relaxed style holiday instead of the busy city life. We booked 5 days in the hotel and loved every minute of it. The staff were extremely friendly and always smiling, I felt safe enough to walk back to my room on my own in the dark. Although with the hotel all being open air, when i was walking back to my room i came across 2 monkeys helping themselves to someone's left over breakfast, i was more amused then worried and as soon as they saw me they picked up some food and went back into the forest! The breakfast was perfect for me as its so hot in Singapore all i wanted was some juice and some of the local fruit, but there is the usual bacon and eggs if that is what you would prefer. The dinner however was not all that nice, i tended to hop across the waterfront and have some local food in the food centre there, cheap and very traditional.

I spent most my days sunbathing first in the hotel pool area then id move onto the beach which is less then a minute walk away. I met some american jet skiiers who do a stunt show there whilst i was there and spent most my time on the beach with them. It just shows how friendly everyone who works on the island is there.

We were so impressed by the hotel that when we checked out on our last day, we booked another 5 days the next week, our last day being Christmas Day and we received a welcome back fruit basket and a little note which was lovely and a couple of gorgeous chocolates on Christmas Eve. The first time we stayed we had the cliff view which all you saw out the window was a cliff face, it was dark and it wasnt very nice at all. However, when we went back the next time we got a sea view which had a balcony with a sunbed, so i would suggest if you can, to book a sea view room instead.

There is a free shuttle bus which you can catch to a couple points on the island or to go onto the main island, or it is just a two minute walk to the mono rail which goes all the way round the island. There is also a beach train that takes you to the other stunning beaches on the island.

I would deffinately suggset a stay here as the views were beautiful, the staff friendly, and i can't wait to go back again this year!

I really enjoyed this hotel and its location.

I was told by some Malaysian colleagues about how they found the island artifical - not so, well not to me anyway. It was fine - a real tropical island, though if you are in to water sports, forget it, as there are no motorised stuff, jet-skies etc allowed on the island. Plus, you need to turn a blind eye to the ships which clog the vista towards the south china seas. Still, if you want a real desert island, you wouldn't head here; you come here if you are in Singapore and don't want to be in the city.

There is lots to do at this large hotel complex, though the downside is that there are a lot of people there - three conventions when I was staying.

Reasonably priced food etc for a 5* resort hotel and very nice.

The garden view room was a good size but dark - don't settle for anything other than a sea view.

The hotel is located 20 minuntes from the airport (S$15) and 10 minutes from the shops.

As an aside, I found Singapore more expensive than KL.

Andrew

We recently enjoyed a holiday to Australia and decided to stop at Singapore for two nights on route. What a wonderfull place. The hotel is located on Sentosa which is reached by a causeway from Singapore, we were so please that we chose this hotel as it was away from the bustle of down town Singapore. The hotel staff could'nt have done more for us very freindly. The hotel is very clean, our room had wonderfull sea and pool views, although the front of the hotel does look over a wooded area. The hotel provided a courtesy bus to down town Singapore. Singapore in it self is fantastic. Only regret is that we only had two nights at this location and hopefully will return for a longer stay