Shangri La Singapore review: staycation at Child-friendly hotel with large indoor playground (Buds by Shangri-la), and outdoor mini water theme park (Splashzone)

In this Shangri La Singapore review, we celebrated our son’s 1st birthday with a 3D2N staycation in the Garden Wing room (upgraded).

I’m really blessed – the husband, myself, and two kids (aged 4 and 1) had the most amazing time here.

Shangri La Singapore: Lobby Lounge

Booking: FHR rates, S$400 hotel credit by Amex

With the American Express Platinum Charge card, for this Shangri La Singapore review, I was able to book an FHR (Fine Hotels and Resorts Rate) online via the Amex travel website.

FHR benefits includes the following: 

• Complimentary breakfast for two daily
• Room upgrades at check-in, subject to availability
• 12pm check-in, subject to availability
• 4pm late check-out – this is promised
• Hotel credits – USD 100, for use during stay at either spa or dining.

On top of that, card holders receive an annual hotel lodging credit of S$400. At the time of writing, this S$400 credit could be stacked with FHR benefits. When booking online booking, there is an option to use this S$400 offset the hotel bill, and I happily did so.

Score!

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Check-in and complimentary room upgrade

The check in area at Shangri-La Singapore is grand and beautiful. 

Check in counter area at Shangri La

Prior to arriving, I had called Shangri La to enquire about the possibility of early check-in; with Amex FHR benefits it was certainly a possibility (subject to availability). The staff happily informed us that yes, our room could be ready by 12pm, so we were stoked to go early ; it definitely avoided the late afternoon check-in crowd.

At check-in, the staff kindly reminded us of our Amex FHR benefits. 

4pm late check out is a definite promise

The key thing to note is the USD100 credits to be used either for meals, spa, or entry fee for Buds by Shangri la (more on that later). At the time of writing, it converts to SGD $135. It definitely helps especially for those wishing to dine-in.

We also got a room upgrade! I had originally booked a room in the Tower Wing, but with Amex FHR, the hotel bumped us up to a room in the Garden Wing instead. Sweeeeeet.

(Someday, though, I hope to stay in one of the hotel’s famous Themed Family Suites – these are rooms customed to look like a Safari, Castle, Underwater world, or other highly imaginative spaces).

Armed with the keycards, we made our way to the room.  And passed by a workdesk area along the way – the space is practically designed for laptop use.

Workdesk Area 

Our room was in the Garden Wing. The name is as literal as it can get – the rooms here are literally surrounding a garden.

Garden in the Garden Wing

So Very Green

Admiring the plants, we strolled along the walkway and soon arrived at our room.

Garden Wing Deluxe Room

First impression: wooden undertones, and nature-inspired interiors. 

View from room entrance

At 50 sqm (538 sq feet), the room size feels just right for a family of two adults and two kids.

Garden Wing Deluxe Room – King Bed

It’s a miracle I got this shot – my kids couldn’t wait to roll about on the bed

Randomly (and for the ladies who are curious) – the bag I brought along for this trip is the Hermes Bolide 27. And yes, people do ask me what bags I take along on trips / staycations.

King sized bed and the Hermes Bolide 27 bag. Lol.

For the one-year old, at the time of booking, we had requested for a baby cot. The four year old typically bunks in with the parents in the same bed – though for this stay her choice of ‘bed’ was the sofa. Lol.

Armchair, sofa, and baby cot

This is also the first hotel we’re staying in that provided a BABY CHAIR for the room. For parents with small kids – we always appreciate these little acts of thoughtfulness to include a little kid.

Dining area

Bonus points for this Shangri la Singapore review: it was our son’s first birthday. and the hotel had left him a little treat from Shop house (the in-house bakery).

Complimentary Birthday Cake

Soft chocolate mousse cake (that was mostly eaten by the four year old daughter), a card wishing the son a happy first birthday, with a badge-making slip for Buds at Shangri-La.

Card and badge-making activity for Buds at Shangri La. And of course, cake.

This place seriously knows how to make the kids happy. Both my kids got goodie bags – filled with room slippers, bathroom amenities, puzzles and coluring materials, and an activity book. 

Child goodie bag

The husband and I searched the rest of the room, looking to see if there were goodies for adults as well. 

Drawers, counter space, mini fridge

We found lots of wardrobe space, a safe, and a nespresso machine…

… and a pull-out tray from under the counter revealed the tea and coffee stash. 

Coffee and Tea

The usual snacks you find in hotel rooms – chips, chocolate, peanuts, etc, have been removed due to COVID19 but are available upon request (not that most people i know consume them anyway – they are so overpriced).

Spot the goodies

However, we had a fruit bowl, some milk and cookies, and a box of chocolates (Water is complimentary anyway). These goodies are actually part of the Amex Platinum Charge Card benefits: the card used to come with elite hotel status at Shangri-la – I say “Used to” because newer cards now have DISCOVERY (Pan pacific) Platinum benefits instead – it replaced the one at Shangri-la (Golden Circle) some time ago. 

Anyways, previous card holders had Golden Circle Jade-tiered membership, and one of the perks is a choice of x3 complimentary goodies (instant noodles are also an option, but I didn’t go for that)

Complimentary fruit basket, milk and cookies, chocolate (in ‘indulge’ white box)

The chocolates were absolutely divine – almond chocolate clusters, a coffee chocolate, and one with a creamy chocolate interior. It literally sweetened our stay already.

With the room being so comfortable, and the kids entertaining themselves with the goodie bag, the parents had a short breather and lounged about in bed.

And we actually watched very little TV for this stay.

Bathroom

The bathroom was pretty standard: double sinks, with a separate area for the bathtub and shower. 

Bathtub and Sink

Separate shower area

There’s both a regular shower head and a rain shower here. 

Rain shower

Bath amenities are the in-house premium Shangri-la toiletries. The soap and shampoo smells like fresh grass/ lawn.

Bath gel, conditioner, and shampoo

We weren’t super stoked about the bath amenities. To some extent they do feel a little cheap – something akin to getting a cheap brand and pouring the contents into the little bottles? But then again, when you compare other places – Hilton Singapore uses Crabtree and Evelyn, and the Capella Singapore carries the Aesop brand. Perhaps for a hotel of this caliber, our expectations might hae been overly inflated. 

Rest of the Bath Amenities

Breakfast: in-room dining

Due to covid19 restrictions, unfortunately at the time of stay, dining in their restaurants was limited to 2 pax per table. So, as a family of four, we decided to do in-room dining instead.

We ordered breakfast with this simple breakfast menu slip the night before.

And for both mornings, our breakfast was delivered to us in brown bags.

Feels like Grabfood or Foodpanda, Shangri-La style

Unload the bags, spread out the boxes like a picnic…

Packed in recyclable boxes

… open everything, and suddenly the volume of food becomes apparent.

Needless to say, the kids were VERY excited – the four year old insisted on opening ALL the boxes.

Breakfast is served

Breakfast comprises of The Shangri-La Breakfast Set: scrambled eggs served with green pea cream and parmesan, hashbrown, chicken sausage, and pork bacon. 

The eggs were fluffly and creamy, and everyone loved the western set.

Every set comes with cut fruits (Banana and plum), a selection of pastries, yogurt, and fruit bircher muesli.

The Shangri-La Breakfast Set

The set includes a local option: choose either dry wanton noodle with charsiew pork and kailan, Nasi Lemak with chicken curry, or roti prata with vegetables curry.

Wanton noodle (left) and Nasi Lemak (right)

Personally, among the local options, I preferred either the Nasi Lemak or Roti Prata – the wanton noodles felt REALLY dry. The noodles would also stick together in large clumps. The char siew and fried wantons were awesome but it felt like the noodles needed a little more moisture. 

Roti prata and vegetable curry.

Generally, the breakfast spread was definitely huge in volume; more than enough for our family of four. We actually couldn’t finish all of it. Ended up packing the breads and pastries for the kids to go out with later, and we kept the fruits and yogurt aside (in the mini fridge) for a midday snack in the late afternoon.

I do miss the pre-covid19 buffets – the breakfast here wasn’t bad, but nothing beats sitting down with the family at the buffet table; it’s just part of the whole staycation and hotel experience. Plus, this place does GOOD buffets – I’ve written a Shangri la Singapore review on the high tea buffet at Rose Veranda, and that was pretty much the best high tea I’ve ever had in Singapore. 

Buds by Shangri la Singapore review

The most outstanding thing about Shangri-la Singapore is the facilities for kids (and their parents).

There are two major play areas: Buds (an indoor playground) and Splashzone (outdoor wet area, more on that later).

At Buds, entrance is complimentary if certain family room categories or package types are booked. However, guests staying in non-qualifying rooms or hotel packages have to pay a fee of S$18 per child for a 60 minute time slot. For kids under 4 years old, the entrance fee includes the parents as well.

Of balls and nets: hours of endless fun for kids

The balls are everywhere; there’s even ball-shooting machines for kids to aim at targeted areas on the wall.

Other kids may prefer exploring and climbing through the double-storey netted areas like they are tarzan.

And there is ‘Superstar’ – a music room completed with a piano, dance floor area, round drums and cymbals on the wall…

‘Superstar’ – Music Area

… and karaoke facilities. 

Karaoke, anyone?

After all the climbing, running, jumping, ball throwing, and sliding – as if it isn’t enough – there is also the possibility of PAINTING. 

Painting area

Fun fact: the kids can paint on the WALL if they want. This is a brilliant idea – after all if you have an art room, why not turn the walls into a giant kid art display?

When we went, my kid befriended a couple of other kids there and they even painted on the wall together.

(I feel mildly sorry for the staff – someone has to constantly clean the paint off the walls).

Little ones (about 3 years and under approximately have a dedicated toddler play area. The slides are smaller, less steep, and the steps to climb them are cushioned and baby /crawl-friendly.

The one year old kept wanting to climg and slide – he just couldn’t get enough of this. 

Toddler play area

Any kid would love Buds – it has everything, it’s clean, colourful, and such a happy place. Occasionally, there’s also baking sessions for kids BUT unfortunately at the time of our visit the baking lessons were suspended due to covid-19.

Also, keep in mind that entrance to Buds is complimentary only if certain Family Room types were booked, or if certain hotel packages were chosen. For me, unfortunately, with Amex FHR rates, I had to pay to enter. The S$18 per hour per child fee was pretty steep (and i have TWO kids).

Guess how we spent a large chunk of our USD100 hotel credits? Lol.

Entrance to Buds

Splashzone review

The outdoor wet play area, splashzone, is another one that’s popular with the kids. 

Entry to splashzone is complimentary for hotel guests – however, like anything else, guests have to book a time slot to enter splashzone. 

I’ve managed to go in twice, three times a day just by showing up (kid naptime is not predictable) – BUT it’s subject to availability, and we were actually turned away twice. So reservations are the way to go. 

Splashzone – all the fun’s behind the wall

Inside splashzone, is literally a mini water theme park. There were slides in varying sizes, pool noodles and life jackets that kids can borrow… and a giant pirate ship for kids to explore. 

I would consider this a mini a water theme park on its own

It can get a little wild – kids tend to have very little restraint when it comes to playground equiptment, and throwing in water just makes it so much more exciting. Thankfully, there are friendly staff who patiently tell the kids to take turns, who try to socially distance them, and who gently tell off the kids if anyone is unsafe. 

Ship and Slide

More waterplay

Babies and toddlers can have fun in a shallower water area – my one year old could SIT in this area and simply enjoy splashing about. 

shallow water area

The hardest part about all this was getting the kids to leave the area. The one-hour time slot for each visit does mean that the staff WILL chase people out when it’s near the end of the alloted time slot. 

Pool and Gym

For those who prefer a NORMAL swimming pool, without the screaming kids (they’re all at Splashzone), the pool at Shangri-la Singapore is rather quiet. 

Swimming Pool

Not pictured: crowd

There is, in one corner of the pool a bunch of water jets bursting from the ground in a slightly unpredictable pattern. We spooted a couple of giggly teenagers navigating the waterjets, but otherwise the pool area was a largely peaceful one. 

Waterjet fountains? Or whatever they’re called.

Overlooking the gardens and Koi poind, is a rather large gym. 

Gym

During this stay, I didn’t actually manage to enter the gym. For one, I was really busy with the kids, and for another, when I DID find time, the time slot happened to be already full. It’s just one of those things about staycations with covid19 – everything must be planned in advanced, which IS challenging when the kids timing might be unpredictable. 

View from the Gym: Koi Pond

Instead, we ended up admiring the Koi pond with the kids. 

Koi pond on bottom left. Right side has The Rose Veranda (awesome high tea there, by the way), and the Gym is directly below it.

Takeaway High Tea

With the Amex FHR rate, I was given USD100 credits (SGD135) to spend. We burned quite a bit on it at Buds, but had a bit of leftover – so for a midday snack, the four year old and I went searching for food.

Shophouse by Shangri-La Singapore

On the ground floor, is the in-house bakery, Shophouse by Shangri-La. Among the cakes, breads and pastries, there’s a range of heritage retail items that are popular among the locals, including gourmet snacks sauces, crackers and cookies.

Pastries galore

By the way, it’s also possible to purchase the items here online (including the high tea sets!), and then pick up your items via a drive-through from the hotel’s driveway.

Not so sure what these were – I think pinatas – but man, they were so cute

And we decided to get a take-away high tea set. 

Takeaway high tea sets (top) and cakes (bottom)

Specifically – the CHILD high tea set.

child high tea set

At SGD38++, this was reasonable, pretty enough, and the cover is something that the kids can COLOUR into.

At the time of visit, the adult high tea options were SGD78++ or SGD88++. Granted they had more variety and items but we really wanted something small and cute. 

We were not disappointed. 

There’s lots of chocolate. This is definitely idiot-proof

I think the sandwiches are especially cute

There’s something special about carting this off to the hotel room, and sharing it all with the family. Everyone had something to enjoy. The price was reasonable, although it’s technically a “kid’s high tea” – there was nothing particularly kiddish about the whole set. 10/10 would recommend this.

Shangri la Singapore review: Overall thoughts

Shangri-la Singapore, while located in the Orchard area, is considerably off from the main Orchard road and Scott road areas. It’s not the most convenient by MRT. But on the other hand, it has the benefit of being close to town without taking on the hectic, busy vibes of Orchard. It’s definitely more relaxed; feels almost like a sanctuary.

Strolling around

Having a staycation with two small kids – sometimes you wonder why parents do it, as it CAN be a lot of work: ensuring the kids are always fed, having diapers on standby, scheduling life around their naptimes – it feels more trouble than it’s worth. We do it to spend time with the family and to make good memories. In this Shangri La Singapore review, I must say that this hotel has made it so easy to relax – because of how child friendly it is.

Baby cot, living room area, and yes, my Hermes Bolide 27 bag.

I’m not just talking about having Buds and Splashzone – those in itself are incredible of course. But it’s complemented with staff offered a baby cot and baby chair to the room, giving kids goodie bags, staff being friendly to children, having stuff catered for them (e.g. child high tea, bakery things that kids will enjoy, etc) – in both the big things AND little things, the overall package made it very pleasant for the family.

Bakery: selling such cute pinatas (i think) for kids. Or adults. Take your pick. 

Finally, I am grateful for the American Express Platinum Charge Card – with the S$400 lodging credit and FHR benefits, this stay ended up being very reasonable. Folks – I can’t recommend this credit card enough; the perks and benefits are incredible.

It was an amazing stay especially for families with children, and I am so thankful for the time and memories there.

Inspired by this post and want to apply for an American Express credit card? Apply through one of my referral links and receive either bonus Membership Rewards points or statement credit:

• The Platinum Charge Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 140,000 bonus Membership Rewards points when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• The American Express Platinum Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 62,500 Membership Rewards points when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met.
• American Express Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend Credit Card: Use this referral link and receive up to 35, 000 Krisflyer miles when you apply and minimum spend criteria is met. 

Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed on this page are that of Happy High Life and may not necessarily reflect the position of American Express. Happy High Life is not responsible for any decisions made by readers. The terms and conditions for each credit card's application and usage may be subject to change by American Express. Therefore, readers are recommended to check any matters with American Express or its partners; the list of all benefits of the Platinum Charge Card can be found here.

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