We're heading to
Shanghai next week {gonna get more
Feiyue shoes & celebrate
Mid-Autumn Festival there yay!} so I'd better write about our
7th marriage anniversary staycation at
Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel last month before I go. It was in one word -
unforgettable.
As a city girl at heart, I love Orchard Road for all the excitement and convenience it brings. Except during holidays and festivals when it gets crazy crowded but yeah, I love going down to Orchard Road because there's always something new and intriguing to see, do and eat there. A swanky boulevard flanked by distinctive shopping malls, restaurants and hotels, our famous shopping belt offers a mind-boggling array of retail, dining and entertainment options to please any taste or wallet size - from opulent brands to budget fashion, and exclusive restaurants to fast food joints.
Sometimes I think living in Orchard Road would be a dream come true but unless we strike lottery, that's all that it will be - a dream. Luckily though, I can still realise that dream in a small way by having little luxurious staycation escapes at the hotels there ◝(●˙꒳˙●)◜
We had our wedding at Four Seasons Hotel, which is slightly off from the main part of Orchard Road, and now 7 years later, we celebrated our 7th marriage anniversary at Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel, which is right smack in the midst of Orchard Road's bustle!
A 5-star hotel strategically located in the heart of Orchard Road, this is one landmark hotel you just can't miss with its signature green-tiled Chinese pagoda roof that was originally part of the old Dynasty Hotel.
There's array of impeccable hotel amenities - from state-of-the-art furnishings in every room and suite, to the luxury spa, to delight any guest. The gastronomic indulgences, as we soon found out, are aplenty at five award-winning restaurants and bars offering Cantonese and international cuisine, as well as take-away gourmet pastries and aromatic coffee.
We were given this welcome gift filled with nostalgic local toys & snacks during check-in. Such a thoughtful gesture that's appealing to both the locals and foreign tourists!
We spent a night at a
Pool Terrace Room on Level 5, where the hotel swimming pool was literally right at our door step!!
Guess who was the happiest one of us all?? :) Yup, it was definitely Lil Pumpkin!! Didn't matter that she just finished
her swim class the day we checked in, she was happy to go to the pool all over again.
View from our room porch. It was the first time we stayed at a room overlooking the pool and although it's really convenient to have the pool just a few steps away, one of the disadvantages is that your room will also be filled with the carefree shouts and cheerful shrieks of the pool crowd during the day time.
If you are sensitive to noise pollution, or if you have a baby that needs to nap often, this room is not for you.
However, if you have a family like us who loves to spend most of our time at the pool anyway, then this room is perfect. Swim, eat, play, sleep. Swim, eat, play, sleep. Repeat (｡◕ฺˇε ˇ◕ฺ｡）That really is our family motto whenever we are away on a relaxing weekend staycation haha.
The Pool Terrace Room is extremely spacious and reminds me of a resort villa with its wood finishing, stone walls and skylight at the end of the room. I love love love the open-concept giant bathtub, and appreciated that the hotel provided fragrant bath salts for a relaxing soak too... because surprisingly, not all hotels do!
Our plush king-sized bed was comfortable and big enough for all 3 of us, and the room has a bathroom with rain showers, THANN aromatherapy bath products and an adjacent vanity area, complimentary unlimited wired and wireless broadband Internet access, fully stocked mini-bar, Nespresso {!!} coffee and tea making facilities, iron, hairdryer etc.
That night, we had a belated anniversary dinner at
Marriott Cafe at the hotel lobby. I wore my
Meadow Leaves Printed Dress with the boy's anniversary gift for me.. the SG50 Petite Malle ❤(◕‿◕✿) #thankyoudear #loveyou
Goodness! I must be living under a rock!!! With more than 50 succulent dishes, live cooking stations and a large salad bar, this stylish buffet restaurant is such a foodie heaven and I have no idea why we've never come here before our staycation.
There was the freshest selection of oysters, lobsters, snow crabs, crayfish and prawns...
... local dishes such as the chilli crab, chicken rice, succulent crispy pork knuckles, roasted prime ribs, lamb leg, Japanese sashimi and sushi, salad, cheese, smoked & cured meat etc.
Cooked a la minute for your pleasure, chefs will also whip up hot pasta dishes to your preference.
Imagine my joy when I saw one of
the best selection of desserts ever with cakes, puddings, crèmes, curd & gelato!! #fatdieme
Despite the extensive selection of food, the quality was impeccable and each bite was well worth the calories I was eating. There's nothing worst when you're on a fitness program than wasting calories on yucky food hahaha (*≧∀≦*)
The restaurant was pretty full but I must say that the staff were efficient in clearing the tables, and the food was replenished continuously. I never saw an empty tray of food for long, even for the popular seafood items like oysters and snow crabs.
If a buffet dinner is not your thing, check out
Marriott Cafe's all-day ala carte dining menu here.
After dinner we stepped out for a night walk along Orchard Road without worry of getting home too late... one of the perks of staying in Orchard!! Took this shot of the pool on way back to the room. So gorgeous with all the bright city lights.
With our Pool Terrace Room, we also had access to the
Executive Lounge on Level 27 where we can choose to dine there for our complimentary Continental Breakfast {daily 6am - 10am}, or enjoy complimentary cocktails, hors d’oeuvres and desserts {daily 5.30pm - 7.30pm}.
Unfortunately, the Executive Lounge is not kid-friendly and children under 12 years of age are not allowed admittance. We went up to take a look after our walk with Lil Pumpkin and the staff there reminded us that she was not allowed in. She was so sad and asked pitifully, "so where are you going to put me then??"
I thought they might have allowed her in since there weren't many guests there at that time and Lil Pumpkin wasn't being rowdy but rules are rules. Obviously the boy and I weren't going to leave her alone while we enjoyed the Executive Lounge so we just took a quick look {the view there is stunning!!} and left. If Singapore Marriott Tang Hotel had a
kids club where there were staff to supervise the kids at play while the parents went away for some quiet time, we might have though :P
Maybe since the Executive Lounge is so big, they can carve out a space just for families, or set some hours that kids can enter too. If not, really, which parent is going to leave their young kids in the room alone while they live it up in the lounge?
Later that night, while Lil Pumpkin and the boy were sound asleep, I sneaked away to go to the
hotel gym. I hadn't been able to sleep very well recently and thought that rather than tossing around in bed, I might as well work up a sweat.. especially after that full meal I had at our buffet dinner haha.The old me would have pooh-poohed at the idea of wasting precious time meant for relaxing at the gym, but now I actually find it a good way to unwind.
The fitness centre is located just a floor below the pool and I didn't even have to take the lift - just a flight of stairs down at one end of the pool. It is available 24/7 via card access, and is really well-equipped! There are state-of-the-art cardiovascular machines, running and cycling equipment and free-weights so I could easily complete one of my home workout programs there. Gotta love a fully-furnished hotel gym that easily allows guests to keep fit and healthy even away from home.
Morning breakfast the next day was at Marriott Cafe again and the spread was no less impressive than the night before.
There was a huge selection of Asian and Continental dishes that included Singaporean specialties, an omelet station {shout-out to the chef there who was so friendly & cheerfully greeted everyone!}, various types of ham, sausage, bacon, a large selection of fresh fruit, juices and yogurts, fresh pastries and breads.
This time, however, we sat at the adjoining
Crossroad Cafe, watching the world go by along the famed Orchard Road from this sidewalk restaurant. We've passed by it a many times and always thought to stop by and find out what it was like to dine there.
Now we know (*´ω｀*)
Love these two so much!!
Oh Lil Pumpkin liked the mochi cakes from the night before and wanted to have them for breakfast again but unfortunately, they don't serve that during breakfast. However, the chef specially went into the kitchen and brought them to our table for her!! I think these were for the lunch buffet. So sweet.
The Marriott Cafe breakfast is open not just to hotel guests, but the public as well. See the
breakfast prices and menu here.
We went for another dip at the pool after that. Silly me forgot to bring Lil Pumpkin's floats and pool toys! There's none provided by the hotel so please bring your own if you're staying there.
Lil Pumpkin didn't mind though and still had soooo much fun wading and swimming around in the clear blue waters. This is the only available pool and although there's no kiddy pool, there's a shallow pool area near the wooden shelters behind.
Actually we all enjoyed unwinding in the pool too... wish we could do this everyday!!
We requested for a late-checkout so managed to eat at the refurbished, al fresco
Pool Grill after our swim. Something light after our full morning breakfast.
Their brunch sets cames with a kickstart and specialty eggs so we ordered Bircher Muesli with Honey Milk, Banana Pancakes with Gula Melaka & Coconut Milk, Poached Eggs with Avocado & Smoked Cod Fish {my fave!!}, and Poached Eggs with Jamon Serrano, Fresh Fig & Goat Cheese.
Not to mention how flavoursome the food was, they were all so prettily plated and inspired me to want to do the same for whatever food I cooked at home and make even the simplest dish memorable too #lifegoals
It was a really wonderful anniversary staycation and I'm thinking that we should do one every year now on! hahaha...
There was no doubt that the Singapore Marriott Tang Hotel's facilities were top-notch and luxurious, but what truly surprised me was the various dining experiences we had during our stay there. Absolutely mouth-watering dishes cooked to perfection that I keep thinking about, even up to today, and I would love to go back and to dine again soon.
Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel
320 Orchard Rd
Tel: +656735 5800
Website: http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/sindt-singapore-marriott-tang-plaza-hotel/
P.S. If you're looking for an unforgettable experience of another kind, pop by my
Ebizo Ichikawa x Japan Theatre 2015 kabuki show tickets giveaway! Win tickets worth S$290 to watch one of Japan's most famous traditional dance-drama performances marked with elaborately designed costumes, eye-catching make-up, outlandish
wigs, and most importantly, majestic actions performed by Japanese actors right here in Singapore!!
*Disclosure: This is a review for Singapore Marriott Tang Hotel. All opinions are my own.
