I used to slam the idea of a staycation. Why go and cram the entire family in a small room with nothing to do? Wouldn’t staying at home be more comfortable?

Well, I still stand by my belief, but there’s an exception to it. If the hotel where you’re staying is Shangri-La Singapore or just as good, you get my stamp of approval.

Themed Family Suite at Shangri-La Singapore

So we had a mini staycation at Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore’s themed family suite during this year’s Mother’s Day weekend. Errm.. yes, this blog post is a month late but the memory is still fresh in my mind, given the amount of fun and how impressed I am with the hotel, I supposed anytime is a good time!

Chocolate truffles for me and soft toys for the kids upon checking in. I’m not sure whether this is the standard service or it’s just for Mother’s Day, but hey, I’m not complaining. The only complaint though, is that my kids ate the entire box of chocolate without leaving any for me 🙁

The king (super king?) sized bed in the adult’s room is big enough to accommodate my entire family. While our room is comfy and all, I wished I’m a kid again because the cool part of the suite is the kids’ room!

The mini tunnel that leads to the kids’ room – quite possibly Will’s favourite part of the suite as he ran back and forth 163 times.

There are a total of 5 themed family suites at Shangri-La Singapore and we got the space-themed room! I was told that the family suites are extremely popular, mostly booked months in advance, especially for weekends.

Be prepared to impress the kids with the illuminating lights inside their space bed.

Also, be prepared to answer the kids on why they can’t have the same bed at home.

Or the cool carpets. And oh, “why do we have to check out and not live in Shangri-La forever, mummy?”

Anyway, there’s also a door in the kids’ room that leads to this – an extra single bed for the helper! I think my helper loved her own little nook. She went in pretty early and we didn’t see her until we were ready for breakfast the next day!

A complete mini bar with snacks that I actually want to eat.

We were pretty knackered from playing all day at Buds (more on that below) so we ate in. Room service took an hour. It was Mother’s Day weekend and all the restaurants in the hotel were fully booked, so maybe that’s why the orders were backed up. Anyway, I suggest you place your order in advance if you can.

The food was good though. I love that you can customise your own bento box which includes a main, a side dish, a vegetable and a dessert, so you can pretty much choose to be as healthy as you want or indulge! The servings are big, so order to share.

Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore has really exceeded my expectations. Everything in themed family suite is designed and provided with parents and families in mind. In the bathroom, you’ll find a foldable baby bathtub, kids’ toothbrushes, organic toiletry for kids, a step stool, wet wipes, swimming diapers and regular diapers in multiple sizes.

There’s even an ergonomic desk and chairs for the little ones. And yes, they read my book for leisure. L to the O to the L.

Pantry and dedicated family concierge

If you ever need anything else, just call the family concierge located on the same floor. Of course, I had a nosy and took a peek. Playpen, steriliser, baby monitor, high chair, stroller, extra diapers etc are all available. Just ask!

You could also do your laundry here if you do not want to return home with a mountain dirty laundry.

Buds by Shangri-La

We spent 80% of our waking hours here. Shangri-La Singapore has recently transformed parts of the hotel into massive indoor and outdoor play areas for the kiddos. This has to be THE MOST IMPRESSIVE hotel kids’ clubs that we’ve ever been to. Naturally, I took 400 photos but here are a few…

The space is designed for children from the age of 0 to 12. This is the baby/toddler area where adult supervision is required.

If your child is above 4 years old, you can drop them off and head to the spa! There is staff supervising the children at various stations and at one point, a staff actually engaged with and helped Will up this net (slide/net-slide?) while I sat idly by the side. Kinda made me feel bad, but mostly, I’m glad that the staff were actually paying attention.

If the kids are tired of free-play (like never!), you could also sign them up for arts and crafts classes, conducted in the “muddy” room.

There are many sessions in a day and given that we were there over Mother’s Day weekend, I received many handmade gifts. Yay me!

Perhaps I should have signed them up for a baking class instead. Mother’s Day cake, maybe?

And if your child is musically inclined, there’s a room called “stage”, complete with a piano, drums, various musical instruments and a karaoke. Be prepared to hear your child prodigy and someone else’s genius making ‘music’ simultaneously and unharmoniously. Defo not for the noise-sensitive.

Buds is open to the public. Entry is $48 for a child (four to 12 years old), $28 for a toddler (below four years old) inclusive of one adult, for three hours.

If you stay at the hotel or eat at any of the restaurants within Shangri-La, you get discounted rate of $28 per child (four to 12 years old) and $18 per toddler (below four years old) inclusive of one adult.

For themed family suite and family deluxe rooms’ guests, entry is complimentary.

Guess what you can have in this room? ;D

My kids are equally as excited about the outdoor play area. I mean, look at this!

That’s not all. Right next to the pirate ship, you’ll find a water play area too.

Breakfast at The Line

One of my favourite thing about staying in a hotel is having a buffet breakfast upon waking! I have high expectation on the famous The Line at Shangri-La and I’m so pleased to find that it did not disappoint.

Champagne breakfast, anyone?

We bumped into David and Angeline (from Life’s Tiny Miracles) having a staycation at the hotel as well, and they thoughtfully reserved a table for us to dine together. Lauren absolutely adores their daughter, Dana, and I love her just as much because she immediately took Lauren and Georgia under her wings and helped them pick their own food, leaving me with lots of time to load my own plate up!

The international breakfast buffet is prepared at 16 theatre kitchens. Japanese, Chinese, Indian, local and anything you could think of for breakfast, are available here. I also spotted a healthy corner where you can find chia seed pudding, sugar-free muesli and fruit parfaits! There are plenty of choices for guests with dietary restrictions too.

Nasi lemak has my breakfast heart.

Horizon Club Lounge

As registered guests of the themed family suites, we get 24 hours access to the newly-renovated Horizon Club Lounge, located on level 24. Drinks and snacks are always available and you can also come here for the afternoon tea and cocktail hour where light refreshments, wines, beers and house pours are served.

Needless to say, we had an amazing time during our staycation at Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore. The recent facelift of the Tower Wing shows the hotel’s commitment to keeping up with modern hospitality trends. The custom built installations of the kids playground and themed family suites also show a thoughtful service to young families like ours.

Thank you, Shangri-La Singapore for the beautiful Mother’s Day memory.

PS: Read Life’s Tiny Miracles for their perspectives on the themed family suite!

*****

Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore 22 Orange Grove Road, 258350 +65 6236 1666

Email: reservations.sls@shangri-la.com

Websites: www.shangri-la.com/singapore | www.rediscovernew.shangri-la.com