Hotel Review: Mandarin Oriental, Singapore (Marina Bay Suite) - Large One-Bedroom Suite With Unrivalled Views
The Mandarin Oriental, Singapore is probably one of the most popular hotels around the Marina Bay area, and it has started to accept leisure bookings once again. The property is located within walking distance to various attractions like the Gardens by the Bay and Singapore Flyer, but more importantly, it is surrounded by a number of shopping malls so there are plenty of food options for you regardless of whether you are considering a staycation, or if you are visiting Singapore via one of the Vaccinated Travel Lanes (VTLs).
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Living Room
Marina Bay Suite - Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
Checking-in to the property was fuss-free and I highly recommend that you join the Fans of M.O. program (free!) if you are booking directly with the property on an eligible rate - enjoy two additional privileges like daily breakfast and room upgrade when you book the 'Be a Fan' offer (SRV-eligible). Do note that at the time of writing, the Oriental Club is currently not in operation and breakfast will be served at the all-day dining restaurant, Melt Café, located on Level 4.
View of Marina Bay from Living Room
Marina Bay Suite - Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
The Marina Bay Suites at the Mandarin Oriental, Singapore offer unparalleled views of the Marina Bay and its surrounding areas. The one-bedroom suite measures approximately 62sqm in size, and it features a large living room (complete with a private patio), spacious bathrooms (including a guest powder room), as well as a beautiful master bedroom. The very first that you will definitely notice as you walk into the living room is the amazing view from your very own space - the suite looks out to the entire Marina Bay area (making it the perfect spot to watch fireworks or displays when things go back to normal) and the roomy living area makes it the perfect spot for those traveling with family (or looking for more space to hang).
Guest Powder Room
Marina Bay Suite - Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
Located near the entrance of the suite is a guest power room (essentially a half bathroom) which is especially great if you have friends or family over (just make sure you adhere to safe management measures). Guests will not have to walk through your master bedroom in order to get to the main bathroom and this is fantastic since it allows you to maintain some level of privacy.
Nespresso Coffee Machine
Marina Bay Suite - Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
Most of the rooms and suites here at the Mandarin Oriental, Singapore now have a Nespresso coffee machine and this is something that I appreciate a lot (especially with the absence of an equivalent club lounge at the moment). Complimentary coffee capsules are provided and you can always request for more should you require them - they are also replenished in the evening during turndown. For tea-drinkers, hand-sewn cotton teabags (the same ones that you get from the retail stores) from TWG are provided in one of the cupboards below.
Living Room
Marina Bay Suite - Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
Honestly, unless you own a luxury apartment that overlooks the Marina Bay area, the view has got to be one of the major selling points of this suite. I really enjoyed simple things like having a cup of coffee in the living room and the private patio of the Marina Bay Suite. There are plenty of areas to lounge around so if you are planning to get some reading (or work) done, you will find ample space to do that. There are two TVs in the Marina Bay Suite and one of them is located in the living room - while it does not support casting from an iOS or MacOS device, you will be able to connect to it via HDMI, or if you have a supported Android device.
Fruit Sodas from The Tapping Tapir
Marina Bay Suite - Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
Consistent with my stay before the property was converted into an SDF, all rooms and suites at the Mandarin Oriental, Singapore comes with two bottles of natural sparkling sodas from The Tapping Tapir - I really enjoy these drinks and I will definitely be purchasing some online since they would probably go well with some gin (it also helps that these sodas are low in calories).
Welcome Amenities
Marina Bay Suite - Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
As part of my welcome amenities, I also received some local snacks which consisted of pineapple tarts, prune kueh lapis (which is essentially one of my favourite snacks), as well as puteri ayu (steamed pandan and coconut cake). Seriously, give me property snacks like these over chocolate pralines any day - I absolutely adore Southeast Asian treats so these were definitely a huge plus in my books.
Work Desk and Bedroom
Marina Bay Suite - Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
As someone who is consistently on the go, I tend to bring my personal work along with me on stays and travels - this is also why a proper WiFi connection and a quiet room is extremely important to me. The WiFi connection works without a hitch and the suite was really quiet during my stay - I later found out that the windows here are not only double-glazed (which is gold standard) but actually quadruple-glazed (I did not even know that was a thing!).
Bedroom with a View
Marina Bay Suite - Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
The bedroom of the Marina Bay Suite is connected directly to the living room but you can partition off this space by closing the wooden doors (which can be locked) for additional privacy. Being able to enjoy the beautiful Marina Bay view from the comfort of your own bed is truly quite magical (especially at night!) and the luxurious bedspreads on the king-size bed allowed me to be truly rested. If you are planning on watching the TV, you will find another one here in the bedroom with plenty of channels. With that said, I do believe that most of us prefer to watch content on our own mobile devices so it would be great to see some modernisation of technology here (being able to stream content to the TV will be a huge plus!).
Drinking Water
Marina Bay Suite - Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
In a bid to become more sustainable, single-use plastic bottles for water have been replaced with reusable glass bottles. While this is not something that is revolutionary, I really appreciate the fact that four large glass bottles are provided in the room. I have been to other properties in Singapore where they try to do the same thing, but I always run out of bottled drinking water within the first few hours of my stay. All of the lights in the suite can be controlled via the panels located on the sides of the bed, and I really appreciate the fact that a universal power outlet (with a USB charging port) is readily available by the bedside since most of us would probably like to leave our mobile phones charging by the bed.
Personal Care Kit
Marina Bay Suite - Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
A personal care kit which includes a bottle of hand sanitiser, as well as disposable masks and gloves can also be found by the side of the bed. Once again, this is something that first begun internationally due to the COVID-19 pandemic but moving forward, I do see value in these personal amenities as well.
Wardrobe
Marina Bay Suite - Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
There is quite a bit of wardrobe space and if you are looking for the iron, personal safe, or bathroom slippers, they can be found here as well. Located inside the wardrobe is also a small tote bag which is rather handy for you to either bring stuff home (I always run out of bag space towards the end of a staycation for some reason) or even to do some shopping around the area.
Bathroom
Marina Bay Suite - Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
Apart from the guest power room, the Marina Bay Suite also comes with an ensuite master bathroom which features a standing shower, a separate toilet, a bidet, as well as a deep-soaking bathtub for your indulgence. Some of the personal amenities have been replaced with more sustainable options (e.g. toothpaste is now provided in a tablet form) so it is definitely nice to see the property heading towards the right direction.
Bath Amenities from Diptyque
Marina Bay Suite - Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
Bath amenities are provided by Diptyque - a luxury French perfume house that is well-known for creating products in small batches to ensure quality. These amenities are now provided in larger pump bottles but this also means that you will not be able to bring them home with you. As I have mentioned earlier, sustainability efforts throughout Mandarin Oriental, Singapore can be seen and these larger pump bottles will also help reduce single-use plastic wastage.
Bathtub
Marina Bay Suite - Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
A staycation experience is never quite complete without a relaxing soak in the bathtub and that option is there for you when you stay at the Mandarin Oriental, Singapore - bath salts are also provided for you to simply indulge and unwind.
Night View
Marina Bay Suite - Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
The location of the Mandarin Oriental, Singapore makes it fantastic for all kinds of travellers - I love having the Marina Bay located just a stone’s throw away as that allows me to go for a short jog around the area in the evening (you can also jog towards Gardens by the Bay and eventually East Coast Park if you are up for something further). There are quite a number of gyms and fitness studios located around the area as well if you are here for a longer-term stay but most importantly, there are plenty of food options in the area if you do not wish to dine in the hotel.
Night View
Marina Bay Suite - Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
While there are quite a handful of hotels that look out to the Marina Bay area, I dare say that the Mandarin Oriental, Singapore has one of the best views, and if you want a perfect photo, the private patio truly makes a huge difference. Even though I live within walking distance to the Marina Bay area, having all of these at my doorstep during the stay made it so much better and it goes without saying that the night view is something spectacular that you will have to see for yourself.
Melt Café
Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
Hotel guests are highly-encouraged to pre-book a time slot for breakfast - this is something that has become quite common in Singapore due to Safe Management Measures that have been set out by the government. As the capacity of restaurants is limited due to safe-distancing measures, booking a time slot ahead of time will allow you to have a much more enjoyable dining experience (it will also allow the restaurant to better handle the demand). If your room rate comes inclusive of breakfast, it will be served at Melt Café, which is located on Level 4 of the property.
While it is not exactly a self-service buffet, you are allowed to walk around the restaurant (with a mask, of course) and visit different stations to have your food served to you by staff behind the counter. There were quite a number of local dishes and I particularly enjoyed the Nasi Lemak and Roti Prata. There was also an egg station where eggs are cooked to order, but I actually do miss being able to order from an a la carte menu (and have food served to your table).
Swimming Pool
Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
The Mandarin Oriental, Singapore has one of the nicest swimming pools in Singapore and I absolutely love the resort-feel of this area. Even though the swimming pool is operated from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM daily, you will have to book a slot prior to visiting - each guest room is limited to a one-hour slot each day - I would highly recommend that you go at noon or at 1:00 PM if you would like to enjoy the sun (and avoid the families) but it is definitely the most beautiful in the evening (but be sure to make your booking as soon as you get the email).
While the rooms and suites of the Mandarin Oriental, Singapore could possibly do with some modernisation, it is still one of the nicest properties around the Marina Bay area that features some of the best views in Singapore. If you have not utilised your S$100 SingapoRediscovers vouchers, you may consider using them here at the Mandarin Oriental, Singapore - booking has to be made by 31 December 2021 for stays to be consumed by 31 March 2022.
Mandarin Oriental, Singapore
5 Raffles Ave, Singapore 039797
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Used one of my Nightly Upgrade Awards (NUAs) at the W Osaka to secure a beautiful Marvelous Suite. The hotel is located on Midosuki Boulevard and within walking distance to Shinsaibashi and Dotonbori.