Shangri La Valley Wing – Singapore

Cannot seem to be able to book anywhere else even though the service and food has been very erratic for a few years.  The reason….free flow champagne from 11 am to 10 pm and for this we put up with everything they get wrong.

The rate includes Breakfast, Afternoon Tea and Evening Canapés, other alcohol is also included.

How to get there and Check in

Getting there - taxi is the quickest and cheapest option, just make sure you tell them the Valley Wing or you will be taken to the main reception, not a problem as they can drive through the car park to get to the it. The journey should take around 20 to 30 minutes, if you are suspicious then ask the doorman or staff at the Shang and they will sort it out.

Check in - fairly quick and we have in the past had the bags sent to the room and asked them to bring any paperwork to us while we have a drink. All depends on if new staff. You should also get an orchid in a box which you can watch die throughout your stay.

Room

We always have the same room type on the top floors which have a balcony and smoking is allowed.

It is traditionally furnished, a good size and very comfortable and clean.  The bathroom has a bath, separate shower and toilet, bidet and 2 sinks.  There is a small wardrobe area with plenty of space and hangers.  Soft drinks are free in the minibar and you get a sweet confection to share every night.  You used to get a lovely bag full of La Prairie goodies but no longer…just the orchid now.

The only piece of technology is a button to close the curtains.

Size: 57 sqm

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Valley Wing Room Facilities

• Toiletries by L'Occitane
• Tea and coffee machine
• Minibar with free soft drinks
• International TV Channels
• Hangers
• Safe
• Dressing gowns and slippers
• Hairdryer
• Free Wifi
• Fresh Fruit Daily

Dining

The food when they get it right is good, this time the breakfast had vastly improved with a small buffet and a la carte selections.  The Eggs Benedict was excellent 9/10.

Afternoon tea was a disaster, things came in the wrong order, scones first and 3 for two people, at least the triangle scones have gone…what planet!  Basically they need more staff and a better chef.  We were not there for the evening canapés or other offerings.

We have never been to any of the other restaurants at the hotel except Tracey was once sent in disgrace, for the sin of wearing flip flops, to the canteen called The Line where you can fight over breakfast to your heart’s content.  This also serves an international buffet.

Service

Certain members of staff are great and always have been, others have not got a clue and manage to annoy you just by existing.  The girls outside The Summit Room in the morning are useless and annoying in one go.  Okay they are following orders on dress code but they really should not look you up and down and decide if you are good enough to enter.  I sat and watched them refuse entry to a family as they were obviously dressed to go off sightseeing….appalling service.   

They do have a dress code nicely displayed on a board which was obviously written by the some little man they have kept in the cupboard since victorian times …no flip flops, not even Havaianas, at breakfast (it is the rubber apparently)…no you cannot use the hotel slippers and shorts and T-shirts gets a look.  Next time I will try the Tory Burch flip flops for a laugh. Dress code for evening canapés is stricter. None of this applies to the hookers brought in for the rich businessmen of course, so you could try dressing as a hooker.

Another one of our niggles is not allowing you to take a glass of wine up with you to the room.  We tend to do this so we can finish off a glass while getting ready so now we play a game of distraction with them.

Amenities

Swimming Pool shared with the two other wings - not a favourite, it is too busy

Chi, The Spa - never tried it, prices seem high and there are loads of options outside.

Health Club - the best intentions and all that…shopping for 9 hours includes walking sometimes at speed and weightlifting, the more you buy the more weight you lift.

Tennis - 3 courts on site with equipment and coaching available.

Restaurants / Bar

Origin serving international cuisine

Nami serving Japanese

Waterfall Ristorante Italiano serving….take a guess

Shang Palace serving cantonese

You can also book an 8 course private romantic dinner at The Orchid located in the gardens.

Origin Bar at the Tower Wing - no longer on the top floor with its wonderful views

Valley wing guests can also use the Horizon Club Lounge

Conclusion

After reading the above you may ask why on earth do they stay there…hello free flow champagne all day. Yes we have paid for it but the rate is no more than other hotels of the standard and sometimes cheaper…yes we have worked out how much we need to drink to be in profit. So we put up with the errors and who knows they may finally get it right again.

The location is good for us, we use taxis to go shopping or to restaurants. It is about a 5 minute walk to the top of Orchard Road if you are feeling energetic or there is a shuttle down to the back of Ion.

Shangri La Valley Wing, Singapore

Decent 5 star hotel in a good location with with free flow drinks.  Click the logo to visit their website.