The Barracks Hotel Sentosa was once a British artillery outpost in 1904, home to soldiers from afar. Now lovingly restored, the hotel transports world-weary wanderers to the golden age of travel, when travel was– and still is– a stylish art form, filled with marvel, romance and discovery.
Opening in Dec 2019 with a mere 40 odd rooms within the 2 storey building and market themself as Luxury Heritage Hotel. Guest experiences are more personalized within the small compound. The staff will recognize you wherever you go.
A pretty good place to stay in if you are looking for a quiet place away from the noise especially from kids. As the rooms are allowed up to one child unless you opt for a suites room. During my stay, I have hardly seen any kids around.
Traveling to The Barracks Hotel
Located at 2 Gunner Ln, Sentosa island, you can board the monorail from Vivo and alight at Imbiah station which is 2 stops away and it’s a 3 min walk from Imbiah station.
Alternative, for those driving, entry into Sentosa is free till 31st March 2021.
There is a drop-off point leading towards the main lobby for check-in but due to Covid, you won’t be able to do so as it’s blocked by the flower planter. The white tentage is used as a venue for the wedding banquet.
Entering the carpark, there is a welcome message on the wall.
You know you are at the carpark lobby when you see a Rolls Royce parking and taking up 3 parking lots.
Once you step into the lift lobby, the feeling of vintage colonial starts. On the right will be a security guard to check your safe entry.
From the vintage bicycle to the British style suitcase and vinyl record player. A vase of plastic flowers provides an elegant touch to the lobby.
Between the front desk and drop-off location is the Barracks lawn which is a good place to host events.
On another side is reserved for the wedding banquet. It looks boring and quite restrained due to current Covid measures. Perhaps there isn’t any wedding at the moment thus the lack of decoration.
Check-in
The moment you exit from the lift, the check-in area is on the right. There are able to check-in 2 bookings at any one time. However there isn’t any concern, firstly the hotel capacity is only about 40 rooms and secondly, one day before your check-in, the staff will contact you and ask for your preferred check-in timing to manage the crowd.
There are seats within the check-in lobby. There are lots of vintage stuff on the shelves. Pretty good for some Instagram photoshoots.
This is the lift lobby where it connects you to the carpark and level 2.
Premier Room
My room type is Premier Room and the room measure 39 sqm. Comfortably able to accommodate a family of 2 adults and 1 child. Parents with more than 1 kid will need to book a suite room.
Rooms on level 2 are with balcony and the ground floor are with patio and direct access to the pool and personal jacuzzi.
I was assigned room 217 which is the second room from the lift. Good that it’s near the lift but as the bed is very near to the door, you can hear people walking and not so good for light sleepers.
The room is rectangular in shape and without much walking space. After the sliding room is the toilet follow by the balcony.
The writing table is made with solid wood and spacious enough for you to do some work with your laptop. However, the chair is not comfortable for prolonged sitting. The chair will tend to block the entrance from opening if your partner wanted to go out.
A universal power outlet is available at the top of the table and 2 other universal power outlets are available underneath the table.
The king-size bed and sheets are very comfortable to sleep on. Definitely, within the top 3 beds, I ever slept on. A wall mount mirror for you to tidy up before leaving the room.
The bedside table has a mirror, telephone, wrapped tv remote control, writing materials and a postcard.
On the wall is the main controls for the room lightings and aircon temperature.
Another bedside table is Marshall Speaker which allowed you to connect with Bluetooth.
A 55-inch Smart TV with interactive features allows you to watch Netflix and chill while resting on the bed.
A must-have for luxury hotels will be the Nespresso machine. The red and black label bottled drinking water. Red is sparkling and black is still water. There are two mini tins in red and green that are tea leaves. Green is Jasmine while red is a special blend for Barracks hotel. I had it in the Living room and it’s called 1904 Barrack’s Signature Tea.
Softdrinks and tonic mixers are complimentary for guests but the small bottles of liquor will cost you $10 each. In case you want to mix your own cocktail in the night while sitting on the balcony enjoying the pool view.
The toilet had a separate shower and bathtub area.
The toilet bowl is from Toto brand, a famous Japanese brand. At certain times of the day, the toilet bowl will auto flush due to the auto cleaning feature thus for a light sleeper, there is a switch to power off at night or you can close the sliding door. For such a high priced item, the seat is heated so you won’t have a cold butt.
Plenty of features for you to play.
There is a handheld shower and rain shower. The water pressure is just right. Neither too strong nor too weak. I enjoyed the rain shower a lot cause of the high ceiling and it’s mounted higher than what other hotels do.
There are two panels for you to switch on the water. When you press the left side, water will come out from the handheld and the right side will be from the rain shower. Most hotels will be the knot turning and often you won’t know where the water outlet is.
The bathtub is spacious enough to fit two people. The handheld shower is mounted near to the centre and this allows both people to soak at the side.
On the other side will be the vanity area and wardrobe.
The bathroom amenities are provided by Atkinsons.
The bathrobe is very comfortable to wear and there are furs inside the bathrobe which adds warmth while wearing. However, the bathrobe does has the hotel name on it. Something which is uncommonly seen compared to other hotels.
The balcony is spacious and clean. Perfect spot for you to chill and sip some wine.
Nice view overlooking the pool.
Swimming Pool
There are two pools within The Barracks, one at each wing and separated by The Living Room.
The pool is 1.2m deep and rectangular-shaped for you to do your laps. Both pools are mirror-imaged and if one pool is too crowded, you are able to switch to another side of the pool. There is no restriction on which pool you can use.
From what I understand from the staff, the pool usage is available 24hrs and no reservation is required.
The Living Room
The living room serves breakfast, all-day refreshments and evening cocktails. It’s a very small lounge area with a blasting aircon mode. Those afraid of the cold will have options for outdoor seating.
Breakfast
Breakfast is limited to 1hr seating but during my stay, it wasn’t strictly enforced.
You are limited to a starter and main for your breakfast. I didn’t try to ask for additional main as the portions are quite generous.
Jam and honey are available for your breadbasket.
I do not recommend the dim sum, the prawn dumpling skin will harden and stick onto the base after it’s cold. The bread on the other hand is fluffy and soft.
Nasi lemak is served with Sambal prawns and chilli. A sunny-side-up egg on top of the rice. But this is the first time I had Nasi Lemak with curry chicken. The serving is generous and the ingredients are fresh.
Another main we had was bee hoon soup with abalone. The taste is similar to fishball noodle soup but added with 2 baby abalones.
Evening Wines & Canapes
Similar to breakfast, the evening cocktail is limited to 1hr slot but not enforced.
Evening canapes menu changes daily. My visit is on Sun and the deep-fried yam and crab cake taste wonderful. Cheese is pretty standard.
Wines and tea-based cocktails are complimentary during the evening cocktail sessions except for premium wines.
I ordered 1904 Barracks Spritz and was instantly hooked on this drink. In total, I had 3 glasses.
I also had French 75 but I still prefer Prosecco in a flute. For the whites lover, Michel Lynch Sauvignon Blanc is actually quite nice. Floral sweet and taste of citrus fruits.
All-day refreshment
Guests can walk in to have refreshments from 8 am to 8 pm. There is no need to make a reservation.
Enjoy your drinks at the side of the pool and the feeling is great. Nice way to spend the day.
Bar counter which gives you the cafe vibes. Types of coffee and tea are written but no need to go and see what is available. Every table there’s a QR code for you to check the menu.
Snacks place on the island top for guests to self-service. The chips and rosemary almond nuts are nice.
Plenty of soft drinks and juices are available.
Conclusion
The warm hospitality and the limited number of guests due to the small capacity of the hotel. During my stay, the hotel is at max capacity but I hardly saw more than 10 pax at any moment.
The building and hardware are quite new and fresh. Pool chairs and shades are in good condition.
However, the price tag of $700 per night Is a price that I am fine to pay to have a stay every few months. I am looking forward if there are any promotions upcoming.
