Pure luxury: Shangri-La, Singapore's Valley Wing Suite

The Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore, is a luxury 5 star hotel which has consistently been voted as one of the best hotels, not just in Singapore, but in the whole world!

Set amidst fifteen acres, Shangri-La Singapore is known as Singapore's second Botanical Gardens, and is perfect for tranquil exploration. The hotel also offers exceptional dining options at their award winning restaurants. 

We spent one opulent day and night at the Valley Wing of the Shangri-La and this is what we thought: 

Pick-up

Before we'd even entered the Shangri-La, Singapore, we felt their luxury and superiority to other hotels, because they sent a Mercedes to pick us up. This car was equipped with internet and an iPad for our use.

Personalised check-in

Our driver rang ahead to inform the Shangri-La that we were on our way, so when we arrived at the Valley Wing's private lobby, we were met immediately, given an orchid(!) and taken straight up to our room. 

Check-in occurred in our room, which made it personal, efficient and private.

Our room

Our room was perfect. The Shangri-La had contacted us in advance to ask our preference in pillows (contour, foam, bolster or buckwheat). Hence the bed was the comfiest we could have imagined. We also had a chandelier and another orchid. 

Our bathroom was equipped with a gigantic shower (including a seat), a gigantic bathtub (with a tv at the end) and mood lighting! 

There was also a ginormous closet and safe. Our luggage was also there, I'm not sure how it got up there before us, but it was wonderful not to have to wait around for it.  

There were complimentary fruit and chocolates in our room, along with everything non-alcoholic in the mini-fridge (i.e. the juices, cokes, sprites, teas, coffees). 

The desk in our room was grand and we even had our own printer. 

Lunch at the Waterfall

We were lucky enough to get to try out the Shangri-La's Italian restaurant: The Waterfall.

This was by far the best meal we had in Asia, and actually one of the best meals we've ever had!

It started with an extensive choice of salads, cheeses and breads:

Next up was the Waterfall's 'Stufato di Pesce' a.k.a their Signature Seafood Stew. This is a tomato based stew with lobster, prawns, clams, mussels and fish. It was the best we've ever tasted. 

After that was the Tagliata di Manzo Rucola e Grana - i.e. premium beef cuts marinated with peppers, served with rocket and parmesan. It was the most tender, delicious beef I think we've ever had. We loved it!

If we weren't spoilt enough, next up was dessert:

There was a lot of choice, but we decided on some cute little cheesecakes, of course they were delicious too. 

We had lunch with the Director of Communications and the Assistant Communications Manager, who were completely lovely. 

After lunch they gave us a tour of the Shangri-La:

The Garden Wing

Our tour started with the Garden Wing, which was very lush and serene. 

The Garden Wing has a koi pond, complete with koi fish and three turtles!  

It truly was a tropical sanctuary. 

Each Garden Wing room comes with a private balcony and a marble clad bathroom. 

 The Tower Wing

Next on our tour was The Tower Wing, which, built in 1971, was the original section of the building. It has the most beautiful chandeliers, a grand sweeping staircase and massive columns of marble.

The Orchids

On our tour we noticed more and more orchids. Shangri-La celebrate orchids by dotting them all over the hotel. They have even bred unique orchids! 

The one we were presented on arrival is known as 'Dendrobium by Shangri-La'. It's a long-lasting speciality orchid whose mother plant is Dendrobium by Paolo Sunshine and whose father plant is Dendrobium Pink Spider - a Singaporean hybrid. The Dendrobium by Shangri-La Singapore was named in commemoration of Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore's 35th anniversary. We were honoured to have been given something so special. 

The swimming pool

After our tour we tried out the swimming pool which has something that no other pool we've come across in Asia has: a deep end. Adjacent to it was a hot jacuzzi. We spent a good hour and a half here, it was wonderful. 

The Valley Wing 

We were staying in the Valley Wing and on our tour we learnt that this was the last to be built (in 1985). There were many privileges to be had by staying here; Valley Wing guests can enjoy:

• Complimentary breakfast in the summit wing
• Complimentary champagne, cocktails, wines, tea and coffee at the Champagne Bar
• Professional butlers who provide assistance to Valley Wing guests 

High tea 

High tea is served daily between 2pm and 5pm. We decided to be a bit unconventional and go for a herbal tea, which was served from the most beautiful tea pot.

It was accompanied by a darling plate of sandwiches and cakes. It was the perfect afternoon snack.

Champagne and canapés 

Served between 5pm and 7pm, the canapés were another delectable highlight. Each canapé was a little bite of heaven and the champagne that was served with them was divine. This was the highlight of our stay at the Shangri-La, it was a real delight to sit in the grand lobby, sip champagne and listen to the incredible harp player - she played a mixture of classics and current chart toppers, including what I am pretty sure was 'Timber'! 

Nearby attractions

Shangri-La Singapore is situated in close proximity to the infamous Orchard Road. However, it rained an awful lot when we were at the Shangri-La so we spent a whole 24 hours on site. We were secretly very pleased about this. 

Conclusion

All in all, this was the absolute highlight of our first month in South East Asia. Everything, from the food, to the service, to the rooms was incredible and we had an unforgettable experience. We highly recommend that you visit Shangri-La when you're in Singapore, it's absolutely perfect. 

This is where the legend of Shangri-La was born, and we hope to visit many more of their wonderful hotels in the future. 

For more information, make sure to visit Shangri-La's own website, in particular their page on the Valley Wing (where we stayed). Also check out their Facebook page, Instagram and Google+. 

For more information on our stay, check out our daily Vlog, number 28:

And follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to keep up with our world wide adventures! 

Disclaimer: Travelling Weasels were invited as guests of Shangri-La, Singapore, but as always all opinions are our own. Staying at the Shangri-La is one of our favourite travel highlights and we hope you enjoy your stay there as much as we did. 

Blacklane Review

Blacklane provide professional chauffeur services across the globe at the lowest rates. 

Choose between business class, business SUV/van and first class and be guaranteed reliable services at the lowest rates.

We took a first class trip from Shangri-La, Singapore to Singapore airport with Blacklane and this is what we thought:

Booking process

Blacklane's website www.blacklane.com/ is extremely clear and easy to use. 

Pick the date, time and where you want to go from and to and click 'book a ride', it's that simple. You can also opt to put in your train/plane arrival/departure times for your driver.

We thought that the website was perfect, it was really easy to use and super clear.

Blacklane also have an app, which we didn't use this time, but if it's anywhere near as good as their website, it's worth having. 

Before pick up

We received an email before our ride letting us know our driver's name and number, which was a really nice, personal touch. 

We received another email fifteen minutes before pick up stating that he'd arrived. These emails were perfect, they added a personal, professional dimension that we weren't expecting.

Ride 

Our car was a Mercedes with tinted windows that came with bottled water, refreshing wet towels, aircon and, best of all, reclined leather seats. This car was by far the comfiest we've ever been in and we felt great cruising along to the airport. 

Fancy cars are pretty much the norm in Singapore, and it felt excellent to be 'keeping up with the Joneses'.

Our driver (Mr Wong) was really nice too. He told us about his life in Singapore, which was a nice way to end our Singapore trip. 

Professional travel bloggers that we are, we had no idea which terminal we were headed to when Mr Wong asked. We said to not worry about it, to take us to any terminal and we'd find our way to the correct one, but he looked up our airline, found the correct terminal and took us straight to the door. This went above and beyond what we expected and we were very impressed. 

He was very patient with us and let us take photos of the car.

We made really good time and arrived at the airport before schedule. We LOVE to be early, especially for flights, so this was another benefit.

Conclusion

All in all, we thoroughly enjoyed our trip to the airport with Blacklane. They took away all the stress that normally occurs when getting to the airport. We especially liked the emails and were blown away with Mr Wong's commitment to finding our terminal. We highly recommend that you take Blacklane on your next trip!

And if (i.e. when) you do travel with Blacklane, we can offer you a voucher! Use the promotional code 624GRVGP and save 10 EUR/USD/GBP! 

Book on their website, and be sure to follow them on Twitter, Facebook and Google+

And to keep up with our own adventures, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. And our new vlog!

Disclaimer: Travelling Weasels were invited as guests of Blacklane, but as always, all opinions are our own. We would never recommend anything we haven't personally tried and loved, because that's not cool. 

Hotel Review: Hotel Centro

When we finally arrived in Puerto Princesa we were slightly overwhelmed, we'd flown from Singapore to Manila, sprinted through the airport, and only just made it onto our second flight of the day to Puerto Princesa, which was then delayed, and then had to endure an hour of turbulence. 

When we exited Puerto Princesa airport, lots of tricycle drivers called to us asking if we wanted a ride. We were tired and after the day we had, trying to haggle with a bunch of tricycle drivers for the first time would have been a bit much. 

Luckily Hotel Centro were there to save the day, one of there drivers was there with a sign to take us straight to the hotel.

Our driver turned out to be one of the loveliest, sweetest people we'd ever met, he chatted to us on the way to the hotel and gave us lots of hot tips on where to go and what to see in Palawan. He made sure that our first impression of the Filipinos agreed with what everyone else had told us about Filipinos: they are lovely. 

We received a very nice welcome when we got to Hotel Centro. We were greeted, had our hands shaken, photos taken, were served drinks - and there was even a 'Welcome Travelling Weasels' sign! 

Our room


Our room was large and came with two comfy beds (one queen, one single). There was also a large bathroom with lots of excellent toiletries. 



Pool


Hotel Centro's pool was excellent. The length and depth were perfect and there was even a jacuzzi! It also makes for great Instagram photos :)  



Location
As the name suggests, Hotel Centro is very centrally located, with Robinson's Mall to the north, and downtown to the south. 

Robinson's Mall has everything you could need, including a cinema complex and super-market. 

Downtown has some excellent restaurants, our personal favourite was Ka Inato which we recommend. 

Breakfast


Hotel Centro serves a great breakfast, with Filipino options (rice, meat):





Western options (eggs, bread):



and fruit and cereals! The coffee in particular was excellent and we loved the view:



Staff
But by far our favourite thing about Hotel Centro was its staff. They truly went above and beyond our expectations and firmly confirmed what we'd suspected: Filipinos are the nicest people in the world!
We ran into a couple of money problems in Puerto Princesa: firstly there was a limit on the amount of money we were allowed to get out per day, which was a big problem for us as we'd assumed we would be able to get all our Pesos for the month here. 

The second problem we had was my (Laura's) card got denied. The bank said the only way to unblock the card would be to ring them.

This led to the third problem: my phone just wouldn't work in the Philippines! Still not sure why... 

Anyway, Hotel Centro were 100% sympathetic and did everything they could to try and help. They gave us addresses of different banks, offered us their phones to use instead, helped us research everything on the internet.. They didn't stop until my card had been sorted. It would have been almost impossible to sort without them, but they made sure everything was solved quickly and smoothly.

When you're tired, in a new country, your card gets blocked and your phone doesn't work, it can be easy to get stressed and home sick. But with Hotel Centro we were at home, they were so kind to us and I can't stress how grateful we are.

Conclusion
When you come to the Philippines (not if, when, because you must come to Palawan),  you must stay at Hotel Centro. Their staff go above and beyond and made our stay perfect.

To book your stay, head over to their website: www.hotelcentro.ph, Agoda page or Tripadvisor. Be sure to follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter too. 

And to keep up with our own adventures, be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and on our vlog.

Disclaimer: Travelling Weasels were invited as guests of Hotel Centro, but as always all opinions are our own. 

Marina Bay Sands Presidential Suite

The Marina Bay Sands is so grand and so luxurious that it's become one of Singapore's most famous landmarks, if not the most famous landmark in Singapore.  

Thus, the Marina Bay Sands is on everyone's Singapore Bucket list. Whether it's swimming in their rooftop Infinity Pool, getting the best view of Singapore from their Observation Deck, actually staying in one of their luxurious rooms or just capturing a photo from the outside, everyone wants to experience the Marina Bay Sands in some way or another and we were no exception.

Travelling Weasels were invited to check out one of Marina Bay Sands most prestigious rooms; the Presidential Suite, and this is what we thought:

1. It's luxurious 

The Marina Bay Sands' Presidential Suite was extremely luxurious. Not only do you have your own butler team, but they have their own separate entrance (so you don't need to open the door when entertaining guests). 

Speaking of guests, there is more than enough room to entertain them, with an eight person dining table: 



But our favourite luxury item definitely has to be the baby grand piano. If having a baby grand in your hotel suite doesn't scream luxury, then I don't know what does!

2. It's grand

Boasting 509 square metres, this place was bigger than the whole flat that we lived in before we started travelling. It just kept going on and on, with extra surprises around every corner. 

509 square metres is so large, that the Presidential Suite actually has both a sea view (from the bedrooms and bathrooms) and a city view (from the karaoke room)!

The Presidential Suite has three bedrooms including the master bedroom with his and her bathrooms.

Speaking of bathrooms, there are actually 3 in this suite, each with their own shower and a jacuzzi!

3. There's no need to leave the suite

One of the things we liked the best about the Marina Bay Sands Presidential Suite, was the fact that it didn't just have numerous bedrooms and bathrooms. It also had: 

A karaoke room! This room is completely sound proof and comes with comfy chairs, karaoke microphones, iPad and a massive TV.

Home gym! Lots of hotels have gyms, but you have to share them with the other guests. In the Marina Bay Sands Presidential Suite, this is not the case. Not having to see other people when you are all sweaty after a gym workout is pure luxury. 

Steam and sauna room the suite includes not just a private steam room, but also a private sauna. Like having a gym in your hotel room, having a sauna and steam room in your suite makes it feel like you have your own private hotel. 

Massage room continuing with the 'hotel within a hotel' theme, the Presidential Suite comes with its own massage room, complete with a professional massage bed. 

Salon 


After all the relaxing you'll be doing in the massage room, it will be time to make your outside look as good as your inside feels. So logically it makes sense to have your own salon for hair and make up - right?

All in all, the Presidential Suite had absolutely everything (and more) so there was no need to leave the rooms! 

4. But if you do leave.. 

The Infinity Pool: The Marina Bay Sands has one of the best swimming pools in the world and it's just a couple of floors up. 

Snapping a shot in this infinity pool is a must for anyone even slightly serious about Instagram or Pinterest. As usual the Marina Bay Sands goes the extra mile, this time by providing photographers who will come in the water with you to capture the moment for you. 



The Observation Deck: 


This observation deck truly does give the best views in Singapore, you can see everything from here: the Gardens by the Bay, the Singapore flyer, the race track... Even if you don't get the chance to actually stay at the Marina Bay Sands, make sure you go up to this deck (it's open to non guests for a small fee). 

Conclusion


All in all, we were very impressed. The Marina Bay Sand's Presidential Suite was like a hotel inside a hotel, and included things we'd never even thought of. This is true luxury people! 

The Observation Deck and Infinity Pool were very impressive too. 

Marina Bay Sands has earned its title as one of Singapore's most famous landmarks, don't miss it when you come to Singapore!

To book a stay at the Marina Bay Sands head over to their website or their Agoda page. Also make sure to give them a like on Facebook and follow them on Twitter and Instagram.


To see more of the Marina Bay Sands Presidential Suite, check out our vlog about it:



And if you haven't already, follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook to keep up to date with our adventures!

Disclaimer: Travelling Weasels were invited as guests of Marina Bay Sands, but as always, all opinions are our own.