Singapore has more luxury hotels per square kilometre than any other city in Asia. These are the ones worth your time.
The Singapore Hotel Landscape
Singapore's luxury hotel market is the most sophisticated in Southeast Asia — a city where the finest international brands compete with legendary colonial institutions, and where the definition of luxury is constantly being pushed forward by a government and a private sector that regard world-class hospitality as a strategic priority.
The city's hotel geography is relatively simple: the Colonial District, around Raffles Hotel and the Padang, contains the most historically significant addresses; the Marina Bay area, dominated by the Marina Bay Sands, is the most visually dramatic; and the Orchard Road corridor, Singapore's luxury retail spine, contains the most convenient hotels for shopping and business.
Raffles: The Colonial Ideal
Raffles Hotel Singapore is the most famous hotel in Asia — a colonial landmark that has been welcoming guests since 1887 and has hosted Somerset Maugham, Rudyard Kipling, Charlie Chaplin, and every significant figure in 20th-century history who passed through Singapore. The hotel's Long Bar, birthplace of the Singapore Sling, is the most historically significant hotel bar in Asia.
The hotel underwent a comprehensive restoration between 2017 and 2019, emerging with its colonial character intact and its facilities transformed. The 115 suites — all with private verandahs — are the most beautifully designed in Singapore. The hotel's collection of restaurants and bars, including the Tiffin Room and the Writers Bar, is the most historically resonant in the city.
Marina Bay Sands: The Spectacle
The Marina Bay Sands is the most recognisable hotel in Asia — three towers connected by a SkyPark that contains the world's largest rooftop infinity pool, 200 metres above the city. The hotel's 2,561 rooms, its casino, its ArtScience Museum, and its collection of celebrity chef restaurants make it the most complete resort destination in Singapore.
The infinity pool, accessible only to hotel guests, is the most dramatic swimming experience in Asia — the sensation of swimming at the edge of the pool, with the Singapore skyline and the Strait of Malacca stretching to the horizon, is genuinely extraordinary. The hotel's Ku Dé Ta bar (now Ce La Vi) is the most popular sunset venue in Singapore.
The Capella and the Fullerton: Quiet Excellence
The Capella Singapore, on Sentosa Island, is the finest resort hotel in Singapore — a 112-room property designed by Foster + Partners in the grounds of a restored colonial mansion, with a spa that is among the best in Asia and a collection of restaurants that would be remarkable in any city. The hotel's position on Sentosa, accessible by cable car or road, creates a sense of remove from the city that is rare in Singapore.
The Fullerton Hotel, in the former General Post Office building at the mouth of the Singapore River, is the most historically significant hotel in the city — a 1928 Palladian building that has been transformed into a 400-room luxury hotel with one of the finest rooftop pools in Singapore. The hotel's position at the heart of the Colonial District makes it the most convenient luxury address for exploring the city on foot.
Our editors travel extensively to verify every recommendation. All hotel reviews are independent — we accept no payment for editorial coverage.
