Andaz Singapore Staycation Review

Its the favourite month of the year again! Most will start taking leaves, go on vacations and busk in the christmas festive mood. However, with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, many plans are disrupted. Any form of leisure international travel is temporarily put on hold. There were hopes of some resumption of air travel with Hong Kong when the travel bubble was released but it has been further delayed amid a rising number of cases in HK. It seems that air travel would not recover anytime soon. The next best to have a getaway would probably be having a Staycation. 

This is the first time that we are using our very own money to pay for a staycation in Singapore and of course I spent time researching on which hotel to make my money worth it. Despite the mixed reviews of poor customer service, cleanliness issues in some rooms and removal of buffet for breakfast service, we decided stick with our initial attraction to Andaz.

Booking of Andaz (KLOOK)








We managed to book our one night staycation during one of the sales with KLOOK for $275. This was inclusive of:

  • Breakfast for 2
  • $100 Dining Credits (Available to use for in room dining and all restaurants in Andaz)
  • Complimentary In-Room Minibar
  • Complimentary All Day Refreshments at Sunroom
Do use the following codes by KLOOK for further discounts on your stays!

  • DBS Woman’s Card members can enjoy 15% off (capped at $30) staycations on Klook, minimum spend $150. Key in the promo code “STAYWITHDBSWC” before checking out with your DBS Woman’s Card.
  • Citibank Credit Cardmembers can also enjoy $25 off all staycation packages with a minimum spend of $300 with the promo code "RELAXWCITI".
Pre-Arrival
3 days prior to our stay, we received a welcome email from Andaz containing information of the hotel, as well as links to pre book the pool and restaurants. Pool booking starts 72 hours prior to the stay and each slot is valid for 1hr. A maximum capacity of 20 people per timeslot to manage the crowd in the current situation. The pool booking was easily done online however slots were filled up pretty quickly! 

Booking for restaurants were intuitive. However do book the restaurants much earlier by calling them! To our disappointment, Alley on 25 was fully booked when we tried to book 72 hour prior to our stay. They were nice to put on the waitlist and would get back if there were available slots. One day prior to our stay, we received an email & SMS to inform that they a slot for us 8pm! 

To go further, they noticed I had a reservation at Mr Stork (Bar) at 8.30pm and asked if I would like to shift it right to 9pm after my dinner. Also, being the first timers that we were, we asked lots of questions on late checkout availability, discounts etc and the service staff addressed all our queries timely and professionally. 

Arrival & Check In
Andaz is located in DUO tower which can be easily identified by the hexagon patterns on its exterior. 

Andaz is easily accessible from Exit E of Bugis MRT. To reach the lobby from Exit E, walk through the shops in DUO galleria and then take the escalator to level 2. 

If arriving by car, do indicate Andaz hotel and not DUO tower (many alighting points), the alighting point would be on level 2. 

View of Entrance of Andaz

We checked in at about 3.30pm and there were about 4 groups in front of us in line. Upon noticing that were carrying mutiple bags, the service staff came over to carry our bags to the waiting area while one of us queued. Although the lobby was small, the staff made it up by being efficient and we got our key cards within 10 minutes. 

The Room 
We were given a room on the 30th floor and had to take a lift to the 25th floor before changing to another lift that serves the guest rooms.

Modern looking Entrance 

Corridor

View from Entrance

                                                                      Bedroom

Walk in wardrobe and Toilet

                                                                    Vanity Area

                                                                  Shower Room

                                                               View from room
    
We really liked the interior of the room. Modern, minimalistic but yet exudes a sense of luxury. Full glass window that brings in lots of natural sunlight with good views of the city. The room was big that it felt like a maze and sofa was large enough to sleep in as well. For those who are thinking yes there are no blinds in the shower area. The shower area can be cordoned off by closing two doors leading to the main area and walk in wardrobe. 

Andaz certainly does not scrimp on its amenities. 

Ang moh brand should be atas

Something different. Wore these to the pool.

Bedside Switches & USB Ports

There were also small touches to the rooms that we really appreciate. 
The lights controls are presetted; Night (All off less toilet lights), Mood (Lights are dimmer to get into the mood? lol) and the usual individual light switches. 
Multiple sockets and USB ports to charge around the room and at both sides of the bed! 
The suaku me was excited to see that there were also buttons to control the blinds and curtains, that I kept playing at it.

As part of the package, we also had access to the goodies in the fridge and the usual tea and coffee. But not just any lipton tea, TWG hor! We also had 6 bottled water placed around the room.

Free Beverages

 Coffee Capsules

Pool
We booked the pool from 4-5pm which is located at the 25th floor. Upon reaching the pool it was completely empty but many started coming in shortly after. Based on the capacity of 20, it was easy to get a sun chair for each person. To catch insta worthy shots, its best to arrive early where you can have the whole pool to yourself temporarily. Swimming laps was kind of hard with people crowding near the ends to capture good views of the Singapore skyline. 

                                                                View from the pool 

                                                             Amazing Architecture

                                                                 Singapore Skyline
    
Restaurants (Alley on 25 & Mr Stork)
There was a 25% discount for food at Alley on 25 and we decided to utilise our dining credits there for dinner. No pictures for this part as we were too hungry. Interior was too dimly lit and noisy for our liking probably due to the crowd of people from the on going Kitchen Party. Food was average and I was expecting more flavour and quality at this price point. 

After dinner, we proceeded to Mr Stork for some drinks and to capture the amazing view. Mr Stork is located on the 39th floor, rooftop. 

                                                          Where the magic happens 
                                                                    Seating Area
Initially we were given a counter seat overlooking the skyline but then the service staff came over and offered us the TP hut. 

Upon walking to the hut, I remember reading on milelion that there was a minimum spending of $150 in order to sit this hut. No way am I going to pay such money! Luckily the service staff told us that he waived the minimum spending as we were the last customer they were expecting PHEW. The hut was located a few walks away from the main crowd and it was really cooling and quiet. The atmosphere was really great to talk and there were servers constantly checking in if everything was alright. 

Good drinks, free snacks, cool weather and romantic atmosphere makes a good bonding session. 
The main part of us coming up to Mr Stork was definitely for the views! 




Breakfast
Breakfast is available from 0730am to 11am on the 25th floor. I was looking forward to feast but Andaz no longer serves buffet for breakfast. Instead we were given a choice to choose one main and unlimited servings of continental items. 


We had the guacamole toast, egg benedict and vanilla waffles. The food was pretty good (less the bacon) and there were various beverages like smoothie to choose from too. 

   

Conclusion
We thoroughly enjoyed our very first staycation. Location of Andaz was excellent, walking distance to MRT, and few mins walk to many delicious food. In house dining wise, Breakfast was great, dinner not so but the atmosphere and views at the rooftop made up for it. Service staff were very friendly, took the initiative to upgrade us, acceded to our late check out request and we felt very welcomed throughout this short stay. The best part of it would be the room which feels modern and young. There were no hygiene issues and thankfully no hair stuck in the lamps. Perhaps the only thing that could make spoil the entire experience is if they were to charge the incorrect amount to my card as I went for the express checkout option. 

Thanks for reading.

Cheers,
KO

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