The Shangri-La hotel brand is well-known for its luxury hotels and five-star service, and the Shangri-La Hotel Singapore is where it all began more than 40 years ago. Their flagship property is set amidst 15 acres of tropical landscaped gardens just a stone’s throw from Orchard Road in the heart of Singapore.
The hotel features 792 elegant guestrooms and suites within three separate wings, and beautiful gardens, featuring a fabulous outdoor freeform swimming pool. Service at the Shangri-La is second-to-none. Throughout our stay the staff couldn’t do enough for us.
What really sets this luxury Singapore hotel apart from the others is the recently refurbished Tower Wing with its impressive family floor, including themed family suites and the fabulous kids club Buds by Shangri-La.
Read our full Shangri-La Singapore review below for all the details.
Table of Contents
Bedtime at the Shangri-La
There are three wings in the Shangri-La Hotel Singapore – Tower Wing, Garden Wing and Valley Wing. Families visiting the Shangri-La Hotel Singapore should look no further than the Tower Wing and its amazing family floor.
Here fun animal shaped bookshelves greet you as soon as the elevator doors open and you know you are in for a treat. This entire floor is dedicated to family travellers with a choice of 19 Deluxe Family Rooms and five two-bedroom Themed Family Suites.
We first check into a Deluxe Family Room, which at a spacious 38 square metres also features a built-in kids bed to further maximize space. We love all the thoughtful touches here, such as the full-sized fridge and the height-adjustable table, while the kids are delighted with their mini-sized robes, slippers and pool ponchos.
Unarguably though, the most impressive feature of the family floor is the themed family suites. With five themes to choose from, including Safari, Treetop, Castle, Underwater and Space, we opt for the Castle Suite.
The kids are beyond excited as they climb the turrets to reach their dream-themed bed, and flickering candle nightlights keep them company in the dark. The whimsical wall mural features dragons and knights, while the TV is concealed behind castle doors.
I cannot stress how much fun and utterly impressive these rooms are, I have never seen anything like it in a hotel room before. Shangri-La really have thought of everything here – there’s even a special kid-sized tunnel linking the adult and children’s bedrooms, which the kids of course use over and over again.
The suites also boast two bathrooms, with the kids’ bathroom filled with kid-friendly amenities, including child toilet seat, baby bath and children’s toiletries. There is even a supply of nappies, wet wipes and swim nappies, in case you forget to pack your own.
Speaking of which – if you are in need of any additional baby supplies, the amazing pantry on the family floor is fully stocked with every conceivable kind of amenity, from Stokke strollers and cots, to high chairs, baby baths, bouncers, booster seats and bath toys. You just need to call the dedicated family concierge to access any of these.
This pantry also has self-service laundry facilities, including washing machines, dryers and iron/press for all those inevitable accidents that happen when you travel with kids.
Guests staying in the themed family suites also have access to the Horizon Lounge, where you can enjoy a more refined breakfast experience with fabulous views over the city. An evening cocktail hour provides complementary drinks and snacks. Children are welcome in the Horizon Lounge up until 6.30pm at night. Note however there is a dress code (no flip flops) and as a business lounge, your children will need to be well behaved in here!
On a previous stay at the Shangri-La Singapore (prior to the Tower Wing refurbishment) we have also stayed in the Valley Wing, the most luxurious wing of the hotel and also known as the VIP wing.
This wing has 131 elegantly furnished guestrooms, including 23 suites. The Valley Wing boasts its own lobby and entrance, and guests staying here are also offered complimentary breakfast in the Summit Room (no children under 12), complimentary minibar (excluding alcoholic drinks) and complimentary champagne, cocktails and snacks throughout the day (yes you read that right, complimentary champagne in the lobby lounge throughout the day!)
Our room here was beautiful and spacious. With both a rollaway bed and a cot in the room, there was still plenty of room for the children to run around. Our bed was huge (two beds pushed together), and there was also a sofa and armchair in the room – although this was a bit of a squeeze with our rollaway bed up against them.
The large separate dressing area had plenty of cupboard and drawer space, with room to keep the suitcases and trunkis out the way. The large marble bathroom featured double washbasins, separate WC, glass-enclosed shower, Occitane toiletries – and the bath even had a TV for the kids to watch Cartoon Network while they soaked in the tub!
There was a complimentary soft-drink minibar, and our fruit bowl was piled high with a selection of different fruit that was replenished daily. For the kids, there were little Shangri-La teddy bears left in the room, and even a small pair of slippers each.
For those looking for a more resort feel, the Garden Wing is surrounded by trickling waterfalls and koi ponds. The interiors of the 158 rooms are inspired by nature, and all feature a balcony with armchairs for relaxing. Breakfast is served in the poolside Waterfall restaurant, adding to the resort feel of your stay.
If you really want to live it up, you can check into one of the Premier Balcony Suites, complete with private Jacuzzi, sunloungers and barbecue terrace – perfect for entertaining.
Playtime at the Shangri-La
The Shangri-La Hotel swimming pool is one of the most beautiful in Singapore. Surrounded by tropical landscaping and palm trees, the resort feel to this swimming pool belies its city centre location. The swimming pool features two shallow areas for the kids to splash about in, and some fun fountains to run in and out of.
There are plenty of sunloungers surrounding the pool, and we also appreciated the slushies and other goodies that were brought around at regular intervals.
My kids favourite part of the hotel is Buds by Shangri-La, the hotel’s new and very impressive kids club, which is one of the best indoor playgrounds in Singapore.
Open 7 days a week, 9am-9pm, this fabulous kids club has several interactive play zones, including an art room for painting, music room with karaoke and even a fully equipped kitchen for baking classes.
My kids try out everything, running from zone to zone with excitement. They also spend hours chasing each other around the ball pit and soft play area, and shooting soft foam balls at each other from the ‘cannons’.
Parents with little ones will appreciate the toddler zone, complete with swings, slide, ride-ons and a ball pit. There is also an on-site café where you can sip on a coffee as you supervise them.
The fun extends outdoors with a pirate-ship playground and adjacent to this, a super fun water-play zone, featuring fountains, water guns and tipping buckets. We spend hours running around here spraying each other and avoiding getting soaked. So much fun!
Entry to Buds by Shangri-La is free for all guests staying on the family floor. Other guests will need to pay $28 per child for entry ($18 for under 4 years old). Buds is also open to non-resident guests, with a fee of $48 ($28 for under 4 years old), with a discount for non-resident guests who are dining in one of the hotel restaurants or using the hotel spa.
For those with energy to spare, there are also four flood-lit tennis courts and a 24-hour gym. For some adult-only me-time, the CHI spa offers the usual selection of massages, facials and treatments.
Dinnertime at the Shangri-La
There are several fabulous restaurants in the Shangri-La Hotel Singapore, including Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Western and International.
The Line
All-day dining is offered in The Line, which features a huge selection of international cuisine at its 16 theatre kitchens. The breakfast buffet is insane – I have never seen such an incredible array of food on offer at any hotel breakfast.
From dim sum and noodle soups, to freshly made omelettes and pancakes, cold cuts, croissants, fruit juices, cereals, cakes, curries, donuts and even ice-cream. Luckily I manage to keep the ice-cream station (complete with a choice of toppings) secret from my kids, but the chocolate donuts were a little more obvious. I know many a parent will be happy to learn that sparkling wine is also on offer!
We also enjoy the super fabulous Sunday Brunch at The Line, renowned as one of Singapore’s best. Again the array of food here is mind-boggling, with piles of fresh seafood, beautifully roasted meats, chilli crab, curries, Mediterranean cuisine… the list goes on. You can also upgrade to a very reasonable free-flow champagne package. All this, while the kids play in Buds by Shangri-La… ideal!
It is also worth noting that up to two children under the age of 6 can eat for free at the buffets at The Line with a full-paying adult. Children aged 6-12 pay 50%.
Shang Palace
The Shang Palace is the Shangri-La’s fine-dining Chinese restaurant. Here you can tuck into Cantonese, Shanghainese and Szechuan dishes in a beautiful setting. We have enjoyed both dinner and fabulous dim sum here on many occasions, and particularly love their extensive Chinese tea menu, presented as a pot of Chinese Fortune Sticks.
The Waterfall
Located within the Garden Wing, the Waterfall offers southern Italian cuisine, including fresh seafood and handmade pastas, all to be washed down with an extensive wine list of Italian wines. We love the beautiful fresh pasta dishes here and the pizzas go down well with the kids.
Nami
The recently opened Nami restaurant offers fine-dining Japanese cuisine with a fabulous view from its 24thfloor location. It boasts both a sushi counter and an outdoor terrace for al-fresco dining.
Origin Grill & Bar
The Origin Grill & Bar is a popular new addition to the Singapore dining scene, and unfortunately it was fully booked during our stay, so be sure to book ahead to dine here! The restaurant menu features a bespoke beef selection and variety of line-caught sustainable seafood.
Rose Verandah
Long a favourite of local ‘ladies who lunch’ the Rose Verandah is famous for its lavish high tea buffets, featuring scones and sandwiches alongside sushi, sashimi, pastries and desserts.
In the ‘hood
The Shangri-La Hotel is just a 10-minute walk to Orchard Road, Singapore’s main shopping thoroughfare, where you will find more shopping malls than you can imagine. You can reach the Singapore Botanic Gardens in around a 20-minute walk. Getting a taxi in the hotel is easy, and you can reach most places in Singapore within a 20-30-minute drive.
Some of our favourite things to do in Singapore with kids include the Singapore Zoo, the SEA Aquarium, Universal Studios, the Jurong Bird Park, the Night Safari and Gardens by the Bay.
Get more ideas from our article 50 Things to Do in Singapore with Kids. For ideas on where to eat and drink, then check out The Best Child-Friendly Restaurants in Singapore.
Conclusion
I have stayed at many hotels in Singapore, and the Shangri-La is definitely up there as one of my favourites. The new refurbishment of the Tower Wing and its incredible new family facilities make this hotel hard to compete with from a family travel point of view.
If you can afford it, the themed family suites will put a smile on your kids faces for months! The accompanying kids club and outdoor play areas really do make this an amazing hotel in Singapore for families.
Beyond the family facilities, I love the resort feel to the hotel, making you feel like you are on holiday on a tropical island – which of course you are, but you would never know that Orchard Road is just a ten-minute walk away.
Find out more about this fabulous family hotel in Singapore by visiting the Shangri-La Hotel, Singapore website here.
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Note: Mum on the Move were guests of the Shangri-La Hotel Singapore for the purposes of writing this review. This in no way influenced our review and all opinions, as always, are honest and our own.
I agree. This is probably the best pool deck in Singapore. Love this hotel!
Thanks Leigh – yes we’ve stayed in a few Shangri-Las around Asia, always a good option. But we particularly loved this one in Singapore!
Marianne Rogerson recently posted…The Best Restaurants in Port Douglas, Australia
I really love the Shari-La hotel here in the Philippines. I wonder how does it feel like there in Singapore. Must plan a visit soon, then. Thanks for sharing the pics! You all look like you had so much fun! 🙂
Hi! What would you recommend Shangri-La Rasa or Shangrila Orchard Road?
Hi – I think it depends what you want to do with your holiday. The Shangri-La at Orchard is more luxurious for sure. But if you want to spend time at the beach and doing things on Sentosa then the Rasa Sentosa is more convenient. I personally prefer the one at Orchard.