Hotel Review: Marina Mandarin Singapore

Located right in the heart of Marina Bay, the Marina Mandarin Singapore is one of the flagship properties of the Meritus Hotels and Resorts. Just steps away from Marina Square and Suntec City (two major shopping malls in Singapore), the 575-room hotel was built in 1987 and designed by John Portman. It boasts of a magnificent atrium – probably one of the most attractive in Singapore and certainly a feast to architecture buffs. I recall staying here some 9 years back and remember being pleasantly surprised by the his and her sinks found even at the entry-level rooms. Recently, I had another opportunity to check out the property – this time at a different room category.

My room for this particular stay was a Premier Room which is located within the 16th to the 19th floor of the hotel. Renovated a couple of years ago, it sported a contemporary and elegant look that differentiated it from the base level rooms of the hotel. The first thing you will notice as you enter the room is how bright it is. The color scheme is highly pleasing to the eyes – light and lacking of any garish décor. At the far end, you will also see a balcony which opens up to views of the City Hall area. The glass panels are actually floor-to-ceiling which also allows plenty of light to come in.

The work desk is also situated in such a way that your back faces the window so if you do decide to get some work done in the room, you’ll have little need for the desk lamp during the day.

At 31 to 33 square meters, the Premier Room comes with plenty of space to relax or get some work done. If you are the type who brings plenty of gadgets in a hotel, you will be pleased that the complimentary in-room wifi supports up to 4 devices at any given time. Aside from this, you also get a Handy phone which you can use to make international calls or surf the web, free-of-charge.

The bathroom is decked in white marble which helps to create a clean look. There’s a separate shower area as well as a deep-soaking tub. Toiletries are from the in-house brand and I did notice that the complete set of amenities were provided such as dental kits, comb and razors. If you ever need anything else, housekeeping is just a call away. I had called in to request for some extra amenities and my request was attended to pretty quickly.

At the topmost (21st) floor, you will find the Meritus Club Lounge which offers a selection of goodies throughout the day including breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails. The lounge is actually pretty spacious and consists of a number of rooms – including a proper lounge with plenty of couches by the entrance, a separate room for surfing, and finally, the dining section. The buffet spread is situated at the farthest corner and from there you can enjoy some light bites while gazing out at views of the skyscrapers surrounding the Marina Square area. If you wish to get a breath of fresh air, there is also a balcony near the computer area.

Afternoon tea is served from 2:30pm to 4pm and during this time, you can expect some small cakes, scones and fruits with non-alcoholic beverages on tap.

From 6 to 8pm, evening cocktails are served with quite a decent number of dishes. The spread changes by the day and you can expect at least 3 hot dishes plus a number of cold ones. On Sunday evenings, the theme is Japanese and there are quite a number of delicious sushi rolls on offer at this time, apart from fried chicken and cured fish.

I was also pleased to see a good variety of alcoholic beverages offered. This included bottles of champagne from GH Mumm, various cocktails (do try the refreshing signature Mandarin Sling!) and wines. The great thing about the lounge – which applied to all of my visits there – was that it never got crowded at any point. The sheer number of seating spaces helped to ensure this.

For breakfast, I had the option of having it at the all-day dining restaurant, Aquamarine or at the Meritus Club Lounge. Since I woke up too late, I decided to head to the club lounge instead where there was a smaller selection of food from the buffet. The upside though is that the breakfast at the Meritus Club Lounge comes with an ala-carte component (something you won’t see in Aquamarine). Certain dishes are prepared ala minute by a chef stationed in the lounge. For breakfast, I opted to have a delicious serving of eggs benedict topped by generous amounts of hollandaise sauce.

As a luxury hotel in Singapore, the Marina Mandarin Singapore boasts of a spacious gym with a separate shower/changing area and a pool located at the 5th level. The property doesn’t go around advertising it but Marina Mandarin Singapore is actually one of only a handful of hotels in Singapore with a mineral water pool. The mildness of the mineral water is evident from the moment you step on the pool – which is 2.5 meters at its deepest. We all know that most pools are chlorinated which helps to kill bacteria and keep oxidation. However, chlorine can also be a bit harsh to the body as it reddens the eyes and dries the skin and hair so you do get to avoid that with the pool here. It is also worth noting that the pool closes pretty late – at 10pm which is conducive for those who prefer to go swimming at night to avoid getting sunburn.

Verdict

Although this is not my first time to stay in this property, my second stay gave me a pleasant surprise. This was my first time to see the bulk of the facilities and I must say they are pretty well put together. The Meritus Club Lounge in particular is notable – not just for the sweeping views – but also for the fantastic service by the staff. You really get taken cared of while there. This, coupled with the location just steps from not one but two major shopping malls, make the property quite a compelling place to stay in Singapore.

Marina Mandarin Singapore
6 Raffles Boulevard
Singapore 039594

Tel: +65 6845 1000

Reservations: Compare best prices HERE

You can read more of my hotel reviews here.

I was hosted by the property. However, all opinions are my own.