Last year on the first day of the Lunar New Year, attracted by the hype surrounding Resorts World Sentosa Singapore, I made a trip down to witness the grand opening of the resort at the prosperous time of 12.18pm. No efforts were spared in welcoming guests into Singapore’s first integrated resort. Upon arrival, the thunderous Lion Dance led the way as enthusiastic and courteous resort ambassador ushered us in.
The resort is the Genting group’s latest crown jewel, a renowned resort giant with 45-year history, the group has enjoyed tremendous success in the leisure and hospitality sectors across Asia. This year, Chinese New Year approaches again, I traveled down to the resort to find out why Resorts World Sentosa Singapore is still the ideal destination – only bigger and better.
Riding the movies
To me, there is really nothing better than seeing movies come to life. I am a die-hard fan of the glitz of Hollywood, which explains why I shrieked on the drive in to the resort where the flags of Shrek’s Far Far Away Castle™ greeted me. I had been to other Universal Studios parks before but I was especially excited to see all the world-first attractions unique to Universal Studio Singapore®
The attractions are spread across seven unique zones. Find the majestic world-first Far Far Away Castle™ at Far Far Away ®. Walk along the streets of Far Far Walk and you might even find Shrek and Princess Fiona waiting to take a picture with you. Or visit the first ever Madagascar™ zone and Move It Move It with the characters from Madagascar at the Meet & Greet. Also, this zone will feature the highly anticipated upcoming ride, Madagascar A Crate Adventure™ – a river boat adventure with the four heroes, Alex, Melman, Marty, and Gloria. Other zones include the futuristic Sei-Fi City™, Hollywood, New York, The Lost World™ and Ancient Egypt™ where the Revenge of the Mummy™ ride is a must ride for thrill-seekers. With so many exciting rides and attractions, the region’s first Universal Studios theme park certainly does not disappoint.
Retail and Gourmet Paradise
Like any bonafide Malaysian, my two greatest passions are eating and shopping. And that’s why Resorts World Sentosa Singapore is a haven with over 60 dining options and over 45 retail choices. For those who love Asian favorites, quality hawker fare can be found easily at the resort. When I arrived, I felt like treating myself to something special ad was delighted to find the numerous world-class restaurants helmed by celebrity chefs like Susur Lee who is behind Chinois by Susur Lee, Scott Webster who presents Osia and Master Chef Tokuoka who serves up authentic kaiseki cuisine at kunio tokuoka.
Opening in early 2011 are two restaurants by Joel Robuchon, L’Atelie de Joel Robuchon, known for its swanky red and black décor and Joel Robuchon is renowned in the culinary world, having a total of 26 Michelin stars among his restaurants worldwide – the most of any chef in the world. With my cravings satisfied, I decided to stroll down to the Galleria to indulge in some retail therapy Luxury brands like Bulgari, Chanel, Piaget, Rolex and Versace make up the exclusive shopping stretch. Also, exclusive to the Galleria is the first Victoria’s Secret retail outlet outside the US. For tourists, the real attraction, though, is the on-the-spot tax rebates.
Breathtaking Attractions
My days at Resorts World Sentosa Singapore were definitely fun-filled, but I felt that the resort really came to life at night with the variety of entertainment spectacles. One of them is the theatrical circus spectacular Voyage de la Vie™ which tells the story of a Boy’s metaphoric journey to adulthood. An original production created in Singapore, it brings together a cast of international stars from over 16 countries for a one-of-a kind event.
Resorts World Sentosa Singapore also features free nightly entertainment. At FestiveWalk™, the Lake of Dreams is a magical dreamlike outdoor display of groundbreaking light, sound and water effects featuring flaming dragons, water cannons and laser special effects. The latest attraction is Crane Dance™ which opened on Christmas Day 2010. The colorful multimedia spectacle of lights, sound, water jets, laser and pyrotechnics features the world’s largest pair of animatronics cranes and tells the story of how they fall in love. The show is helmed by four-time Emmy award winner Jeremy Railton and plays nightly at the Waterfront. These breathtaking performances are definitely the highlights of the nights at Resort World Sentosa Singapore.
World-Class Hospitality
I like to feel like royalty and Resorts World Sentosa Singapore definitely made me feel like a VIP everywhere I went, especially in their hotels. The staff from all four hotels greeted me with cheerful pleasantries the moment I strolled into the hotel lobbies. This reported has to admit that the service standard across the entire resort is remarkable.
Each of the four hotels has a character of its own. Hard Rock Hotel™ Singapore is doused in rock-and-roll charm. Festive Hotel™ is fun and family-friendly; Hotel Michael™ is artist Michael Grave’s first hotel masterpiece and the by-invitation only Crockfords™ Tower is the epitome of luxury. The warmth of Asian hospitality was apparent everywhere I went, from the caring hotel porter who took my bags off my hands to the waiters in the restaurants who always served with a smile. For the privileged guests of Crockfords Tower, there is even round-the-clock butler service to pamper you day and night.
Opening in the near future are Spa Villas™ and Equarius Hotel™, offering even more luxury accommodation options.
Singapore’s first integrated resort has definitely grown by leaps and bounds in its first year. I enjoyed myself tremendously with the many exciting round-the-clock activities, all with an impressive touch of classiness added to the mix. This Lunar New Year, Resorts World Sentosa Singapore has a line-up of festive activities spanning the whole holiday period (see right panel), giving you more reason to visit. I hope that you do and have as satisfying a holiday as I did.
For more information on Resorts World Sentosa Singapore and its variety of offerings, please call +65 6577 8888 or visit www.rwsentosa.com
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