Is it worth the splurge? Raffles Sentosa's Villa

Raffles Sentosa, Singapore’s first all-villa resort, only just recently opened its doors on March 1, 2025. This luxurious property is located on Sentosa Island and offers a unique blend of contemporary design and serene natural surroundings.

The resort features 62 villas (the only all-villa resort in Singapore), each with its own private pool and garden, providing an intimate and exclusive experience for guests.

However, it comes with a premium price tag, with rates starting at around SGD 1700 (US$1,250) per night for the one bedroom pool villa.

Adamson, our 2 kids and I had a staycation in their one bedroom villa on their opening weekend. Was it worth the splurge?

 

Our day started with being chauffeured over to the resort. We were picked up right from home (or the airport if you're flying into Singapore).

I love that Raffles Sentosa has put in so much thought into these little touches, making your Raffles experience one of sheer indulgence.

We were given a warm welcome by their Hotel Manager Mr Vazeeq and the iconic doorman (the world is familiar with the doormen at Raffles Hotel Singapore at Beach road, who are iconic figures, known for their distinctive uniforms and warm hospitality), it was good to see this familiar tradition carried through to Raffles Sentosa as well.

Being one of the firsts guests of the hotel, we signed in their guestbook. From the very instant we set foot on the property, all the staff have been so hospitable, and friendly and helpful, it made us feel so welcomed.

We were also charmed with their check in ritual, unique to this property... where we were given an aromatic scent in our palms, we rubbed our hands together and then breathed in the calming scent while there was a chime rung through a Tibetan bowl, signaling the start of our tranquil experience on the island. (Myla loved this so much, she requested for it at checkout too haha). I don't have a photo of this check in ritual, but it's in my YouTube video review of our stay at Raffles Sentosa. (Link at end of blog post).

Then from their beautiful lobby, our butler Rose brought us to our villa. 

The one bedroom villa has a garden, private pool, cabana, outdoor shower, a small living room and a separate bedroom with huge en suite bathroom, in total it is around 216 square meters, which is like almost 3 times the size of a HDB 3 room flat.

It's supposed to be able to fit 4... but I would say 2 adults plus 2 young kids is maximum. I would not recommend it for 4 adults (or 2 adults plus teenage kids) so get the 2 bedroom villa instead.

They put a spare bed into the living room upon our request. But later we asked them to move it to the bedroom instead because Myla wanted to sleep together with us in our room.

The living area is cosy, and comfortable. Plus a large square coffee table where MJ spent a lot of time playing with his Minecraft blocks. I also loved that it was full floor to ceiling glass panels so I could sit in airconditioned comfort while watching my kids (and husband) in the pool.

There was a selection of cakes for us when we got into the villa. All tasty! Hope they keep this selection, no tweaking needed. And our butler served us the Sentosa Sling, (it's alcoholic, so the kids got pineapple juice instead of slings).

There was a kettle to make your own coffee and tea ... complimentary Bacha coffee and TWG tea and ample bottles of drinking water.

The mini bar was well stocked with soft drinks, beer and snacks as well as wine, liquor etc. These are chargeable.

They also have a small in room dining menu, which I think they will expand as time goes by. But they were very happy to accommodate any food requests ( like my son is into his Nutella bread right now and hardly eats anything else, and they made it happen). 

Oh their bedroom is divine. Spacious and very open and bright during the day... once you press the button to get the black out curtains drawn, the room transforms into a cocoon of darkness. 

Their bed is the most comfortable we've ever slept on (and we've slept on a pretty good amount of hotel beds in our lifetime.. the Westin's bed which was also very very good... is now a distant second place).... 

MJ slept with us in the main bed (I think it's super king size because there was so much space for 2 adults + a six year old)....the sheets, the large pillows, the duvet, and mattress ... giving us the best sleep. (Even Myla on her spare bed said her bed was sooo comfy and asked if we could buy it from them lol).

There's 2 wardrobes, so that's more than enough space for us to put away our luggage.

Their toilet bowls is automatic, so you never have to touch the lid. Motion sensor detects when you approach and the lid lifts up automatically. There's also buttons on a remote control for flushing, bidet functions. The only other time I've had such a smart toilet bowl that's better than the ones in Japan, is when we stayed in a villa in Ayana Bali. 

Large shower area... water temps were easy to control... 

Bathtub and a view into the pool area.

They provided kids toiletries and toothbrushes too. And even kids sized bath robes. Nice touch.

The kids loved their unlimited pool time ... they were hardly out of it.

Good thing about having a staycay is that we could bring a lof of their toys and pool toys (if we were flying or taking train etc, we can't take all that with us because we want to travel lighter when on the move).

That's my cabana boy adjusting the curtains so I can get a bit of shade... he looks a lot like my husband... 

This is me being poser... of course! Got the privacy of my own villa to do so. No need paiseh.

The hat came with the room, and we could take it home with us... and Raffles brand flip flops too!  (U can see it in my video).

Of course this tranquil oasis has some beautiful wildlife in the form of peacocks... and some wild hornbills and other birds flew around our villa in the morning, delighting the kids.

We hardly left the comforting indulgence of our own villa... but then we did, it was to have dinner at Empire Grill. It's right by the hotel's main pool. You can take your seat on the alfresco terrace by the pool or choose to dine indoors.

Empire Grill at Raffles Sentosa is a modern Italian restaurant that offers an intimate yet casual dining experience.  

The restaurant is led by Chef Bjoern Alexander, who is known for meticulous attention to flavor, using high-quality meat and seafood to create dishes that are both delicious and creative.

MJ loved their corn ribs.... it's corn not quite on the cob, but sliced to look like ribs. Tasted so good.

We shared a few dishes... I forget the names now... but the tuna ceviche was so flavourful.

Fresh tagliolini pasta tossed with truffle cream sauce and topped with shaved black truffles. Ooooh it hit the spot.

We had both the lamb and the wagyu and both were good. Mmmmm.... Chef Bjoern does grilled meats perfectly. This was just a nice amount for 2 adults and Myla (MJ is super fussy and was happy to ONLY eat corn ribs)... so I didn't order the Octopus leg ( My bubba pointed it out in the menu because he knows I love octopus, but I skipped it because I didn't want to over eat... now I regret it and am wondering how good it would taste. kwa kwa kwa)...

We shared a baked choux for dessert....

As well as a limoncello jelly dessert. Very unique flavours (and I love limoncello).

In the morning, we headed back to Empire Grill for breakfast (breakfast is included in the villa price btw), and it's like a buffet because you can eat as much as you want and have repeated helpings ... but it's served to your table instead of lying out on a buffet table. It had all the things I love like prosciutto, ham, bacon, sausages... eggs done whichever way you want, (no blue cheese though, but then again, I didn't ask for it... I forgot to).

After that, we went back to our villa to relax for a few more hours before we checked out at noon. 

The kids are already asking to go back again soon. Adamson said it was his best staycation, he's been working so hard and it was good to see him be able to switch off and relax for a weekend. 

And I am having some post Raffles Sentosa villa withdrawal syndrome... hahaaa....  We will defintely return again this year... and yes it is a splurge but it is well worth it.. considering the top notch service and VIP attention, the amount of space the private villa gives you, the excellent quality breakfast that's included, the chauffeuring to and from home (or airport) for free and your own private pool.

I'm just comparing prices with some other places with a similar price point we've stayed at... for instance, we used to stay at W hotel whenever we staycay at Sentosa, for the 'Fabulous' suite with private pool is around Sgd 1300 plus a night. And that's just a large room, and a private pool... no breakfast included and no VIP treatment at all. While accommodation like the W does have it's place, like it's a great place to crash after a drunken evening out at +Twelve beach bar... I find that the villa at Raffles Sentosa is well worth it's cost. It's a perfect sanctuary for a quiet retreat.

Ok I gtg pick the kids up from school now, will come back to edit the typos later... meanwhile, if you want to see the walk through video of our villa on Youtube, click here.