Fullerton Hotel is one of the most prestigious hotels in Singapore. It used to be the General Post Office Building in the past. Now, it is gazetted as one of Singapore’s National Monuments.
Having been living in Singapore for more than 15 years, I have never stayed in Fullerton Hotel because I never think that I could afford it. One night at Fullerton Hotel costs at least SGD 300 before the global shutdown. I did not even dare to dream of staying in Fullerton Hotel one day. It was really out of my league.
Thank God, miracles happen when you least expect them. In April, there was an Epic Sale by Traveloka. I tried my luck and stayed glued on my phone for hours everyday to catch a good deal. And this staycation is one of the deals that I managed to snatch.
I stayed at Fullerton in the beginning of May 2021, when Singapore was still in Phase 3 (thank God). A couple days after our stay, the nation tightened the restrictions and went back into Phase 2.
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TABLE OF CONTENT
1. Booking
2. Pre-Arrival
3. Check-In
4. Premier Courtyard Room
5. Gym
6. Swimming Pool
7. Dinner at Town Restaurant
8. Breakfast
9. Fullerton Monument Tour
10. Exploring Fullerton Hotel
11. Fullerton Postcard
12. Conclusion
Booking
During the Epic Sale by Traveloka, various promo codes were released throughout the day. It was really difficult to catch a good deal because the price shown on the app was dynamic, so we had to keep refreshing the app. It took me hours and hours of patience, determination and luck to get a great price.
The final price I paid for Premier Courtyard room (aka the cheapest room)? SGD 109.81! I know, it’s crazy cheap and I’m super thankful for this experience to stay in a 5-star luxury hotel for less than half of its original price.
My booking comes with SGD 50 dining credit. Upon calling the hotel, I was told that the dining credit can’t be used for afternoon tea. So, we decided to use it for ala-carte dinner.
If you’re looking for cheap rates, do compare the rates from Booking.com and Klook as well.
Pre-Arrival
I had the impression that Traveloka would send our booking details to Fullerton and then Fullerton would email us the details of our check-in. I waited and waited but nothing from Fullerton came into my inbox.
So, 4 days before my check-in, I gave Fullerton Hotel a call to ask about check-in time, pool booking procedure, dinner & breakfast reservation. The staff told me that they don’t have emails of customers who booked from travel agents, so they didn’t send me anything.
She then asked for my email address so that she could send the necessary information and booking forms to my email. I also asked if there is any staggered check-in timing and whether I can check-in early instead of the usual 3pm. She said check-in can only be done after 3pm. Oh well, we will just try our luck to turn up early on that day then!
At the end of our conversation, she forwarded my call to the dining reservation team so that I could make dining reservation through the phone. I made reservation for dinner at Town Restaurant, which is located at the 1st storey of Fullerton Hotel. For your info, the dining credit can also be used for in-room service or at restaurants at Fullerton Bay Hotel. We didn’t want room service because we wanted the restaurant atmosphere. And we didn’t choose restaurants at Fullerton Bay because they were not within our budget.
A few hours after my call, I received the email from Guest Relations Executive. Inside the email, there is a link to pre-arrival form made in GoogleDocs. In the form, we get to choose our preferred pool timing, gym timing and breakfast timing. Also, there’s a link to book Fullerton Experiences to rediscover Singapore.
The timeslots for breakfast are:
– 7.30am to 8.30am
– 8.30am to 9.30am
– 9.30am to 10.30am
The timeslots for pool and gym are:
– 7am to 8.30am
– 8.30am to 10am
– 10am to 11.30am
– 11.30am to 1pm
– 1pm to 2.30pm
– 2.30pm to 4pm
– 4pm to 5.30pm
– 5.30pm to 7pm
– 7pm to 8.30pm
– 8.30pm to 10pm
I do not know how to book pool/gym session for 2 separate days because there is only 1 field for you to choose your preferred date. And I do not know whether my pool reservation is confirmed or not, because there is a limit of 10 pax in gym and 24 pax in pool at any slot. I think I’ll only figure it out on the day itself.
As for the Fullerton Experience, there are many paid activities which are way out of my budget (like cooking class that costs S$200++ per couple). Luckily there are free tours as well! Yay! However, not all tours are available everyday. Most of the tours are only available on certain days of the week. The only complimentary tour available during our stay was the Fullerton Monument Tour. Not wanting to miss it, I quickly made a reservation by email. They replied in 8 minutes. Amazing!
On the night before our arrival, I received a call from Fullerton Hotel offering me an early check-in at 11am. That was a pleasant surprise! I quickly said yes without hesitation, even though that meant we had to cancel our morning plan to go somewhere else. Of course, it’d be better if Fullerton could tell us a few days in advance that early check-in is possible, but I guess it’s probably quite hard to predict occupancy in a time like this. Anyway, I’m just grateful that we get early check-in.
Check-In
The check-in was really smooth. There were no queue at all, probably because the occupancy was just low on that day, or because not many people were granted early check-in. I had no idea.
We were told that our check-out time would be 4pm the next day. Wow, that means we’ll have 29 hours of staycation! That’s truly unexpected and we’re absolutely happy about this arrangement. However, we had something on the next day, so we could only stay until 3pm. That makes it a 28-hour staycation, woohoo!
We told the receptionist that we had booked swimming pool for the first day only because the online form only allowed us to book for 1 slot. We asked if it’s possible to swim on the second day. She said yes, but we have to make booking at the reception. So we did.
And then, off we went to our room.
Premier Courtyard Room
Premier Courtyard room is the cheapest room in Fullerton Hotel. For information, here are all the rooms in the Fullerton Hotel.
| Room Type | Size | View |
|---|---|---|
| Premier Courtyard Room | 452 sqf | Atrium view |
| Heritage Room | 409 – 484 sqf | City / Atrium view |
| Quay Room | 388 – 420 sqf | River view |
| Marina Bay View Room | 388 – 420 sqf | Bay view |
| Esplanade Room | 570 sqf | Bay / River view |
| Premier Collyer Suite | 700 sqf | – |
| Palladian Suite | 743 – 1,001 sqf | Bay/River view |
| Fullerton Suite | 970 sqf | Bay / River view |
| Governor Suite | 828 sqf | City view |
| Loft Suite | 1,173 sqf | Bay view |
| Presidential Suite | 2,169 sqf | City view |
The size of Premier Courtyard room is 452 sqft, which is about the size of a shoebox appointment in Singapore. It comes with a king size bed, a sofa with coffee table, a round dining table with armchair and ottoman, minibar, wardrobe and an impressive bathroom. No balcony though.
The view is atrium, so there’s not much natural light. Our room is at Level 7 (the highest level is 8), and it is facing other units across the atrium, so privacy is non-existent unless we draw the blackout curtain close.
Beside the bed were lamps and bedside tables, along with switches and power socket.
The minibar at the counter comes with mineral water, sparkling water, chips, nuts, cookies, cup noodles, hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes. Only the Fullerton mineral water was free.
I was quite surprised that hand sanitizer and wipes were not free, they both costs SGD 8 each. When I stayed at Conrad in December 2020, I received free hand sanitizer (60ml), sanitizing wipes and a surgical mask.
Well, to be fair, Fullerton’s sanitizing wipe comes in a huge packaging of 40 sheets while Conrad only gave 2 single wipes.
Inside the minibar drawer, there were cups, teaspoons, TWG tea bags, Nespresso capsules, sugar, tall glasses, wine glasses, electric kettle and ice bucket.
Meanwhile, the fridge has wine, sparkling water, mineral water, Tiger beers, Heineken beers, Coke, sodas and fruit juices. These are not free. The prices can be found in the Samsung Tab.
Now, let’s move to the bathroom! The bathroom at Premier Courtyard Room comes with a bathtub, a shower cubicle, a chic vanity and a toilet cubicle.
The bathtub comes with faucet and handheld shower at the side. It doesn’t come with any bath salt, so we requested some from the housekeeping. They gave us some loose bath salt on a paper saucer, oh well, better than nothing, right?
The shower comes with a rain shower, a handheld shower, a plastic seat, and amenities from Atkinsons. It took me several minutes to figure out how to switch between rain shower and handheld shower. Not sure if I’m too old-fashioned or if it’s time for the shower mixer to get an upgrade.
My favorite part of the bathroom has to be the toilet! First of all, the toilet bowl has a heated seat. I have never sat on a heated toilet seat if I recall correctly; and now that I’ve experienced a heated seat, it’s very hard for me to go back to unheated seat.
When not in use, the toilet cover comes down automatically. When I enter the cubicle, the sensor senses my appearance and automatically lift up the toilet cover. What a convenient life I had.
The toilet bowl also comes with a remote mounted on the wall that has buttons for rear wash, front wash, dryer, as well as water pressure and position. Fullerton, you obviously know how to pamper your guests!
The bathroom vanity was nicely done with marble countertop. On top of it, we got a box filled with toothbrush kits, amenity kit, face towels, bath gel, shampoo, lotion and soap from Atkinsons. In the drawer was a hair dryer. Mounted on the wall was a concave mirror, which I can’t use due to my limited height.
Moving on to the wardrobe, there is an ironing board with iron, 2 bath robes and 2 cotton slippers.
We notice that there was dust at the cabinet and on the table. Didn’t make any complaint because it was a small issue.
Gym
The gym is located at level 1M, together with the spa. It was a pretty small room with several treadmills, spins, eliptical and swiss balls. We didn’t exercise during our staycation. Here’s a quick snap of the gym in case you’re keen to go there.
Swimming Pool
Finding the swimming pool was quite tough, especially during the unprecedented times like now. Every sign in the hotel says that swimming pool is located at Level 2, including the labels on the lift control panel. So, we went to Level 2 and we managed to find the door to the pool but there’s a sign that says the door is not in used and we should go to Level 1M.
We then went down to Level 1M but only saw spa and gym. How frustrating! We took the lift back up to Level 1 and asked the Concierge how to find the pool. Concierge told us to take the lift to Level 1M. Confused, we took the lift again to Level 1M and walked to the spa. Then, we realized that we have to walk past the spa in order to get to swimming pool. Ugh! If only there is signboard telling visitors that pool is actually at Level 1M and not Level 2.
Back to the topic of swimming pool. We booked the slot at 5.30pm to 7pm on our first day, thinking that is the best slot to avoid the afternoon sun. Guess what? It rained until slightly over 6pm! We wasted more than half an hour sitting by the pool, waiting for the rain to stop. Well, at least the view is nice!
On the second day, we went to the pool again at noon, from 11.30am to 1pm. Guess what? It rained again! Well, at least we got the pool to ourselves!
We truly love the swimming pool and we managed to find a couple of Instagrammable spots. Facing northeast, the backdrop is Anderson Bridge, Swissotel, and South Beach Tower. Facing southwest, the backdrop is Cavenagh Bridge, UOB Plaza, skyscrapers and shophouses along Boat Quay.
SafeEntry and temperature check were required before entering the pool. Towels were available at the entrance, self-service. Majority of the sun lounges have umbrella cover. Some sofa, table and chairs were not sheltered. Life jacket is compulsory for kids under 12 years old. Free kids life jacket was provided.
When you exit the pool, you’ll see a toilet. Inside, there is a steam room and sauna. I did not try those due to time constraint. There were lockers in the toilet as well, so that you can keep your belonging safe when you’re relaxing in the steam or sauna room. Showers are available as well, but who needs that when you can shower in the comfort of your own room, right?
Dinner at Town Restaurant
In order to utilize our SGD 50 dining credit, we had 2 choices, either use it for lunch or dinner. As a thrifty couple, we tried to find the meal with the most value. After a thorough research and discussion session, we decided to use the dining credit for dinner at Town Restaurant.
During our stay, Town Restaurant was serving only ala-carte menu, not buffet. To be honest, we weren’t that excited about the dishes in Town’s ala-carte menu because most of the dishes are local food that we can find at hawker centers, so we were not keen to pay SGD 30+ just to eat local dish.
As a result of our elaborate research on Fullerton’s website, we found that Town & Courtyard Restaurant also serve special dishes from the “Fullerton Chef Create” menu. There are 3 dishes in this menu: Italian Nasi Lemak, Seafood Pao Fan and Spicy Peranakan Satay Babi. Each dish costs SGD 29++. So, hubby ordered pao fan and I ordered satay babi.
The Seafood Pao Fan comes with clams, prawns, scallop, bak choy and collagen broth. According to him, the prawns are fresh and nice, the rice is a bit too hard to his liking, the clam has a stone which caused a cracking sound as he chewed it.
The Spicy Peranakan Satay Babi comes with pork in satay sauce (which reminds me more of rendang than satay sauce, perhaps due to my unfamiliarity with satay), buah keluak fried rice (which tasted really nice and reminds me a bit of claypot rice due to the crust at its bottom), onsen egg, unsalted belinjau crackers and pickled vegetables aka acar (I don’t normally eat acar, but I ate this one and I liked it). I’m pretty satisfied with my meal, and hubby said mine is better than his.
The service was prompt and great. The server was really friendly and took great care of the customers. We had requested during reservation for an outdoor seat by the river, but the server recommended us to sit indoor to avoid mosquitoes, so we followed the recommendation. The restaurant was not crowded during our stay; it was less than half full. Soft music was playing in the background, so it has some romantic vibes.
For your info, Town Restaurant also have Happy Hours from 5.30pm to 8.30pm. The details can be found on their website.
Breakfast at Town Restaurant
Breakfast was included in our package. We wanted to have it at Courtyard Restaurant because we had already dined at Town Restaurant the night before. Too bad, Courtyard wasn’t open for breakfast. We had no choice but to eat breakfast at Town Restaurant again.
We had chosen the first seating, which was from 7.30am to 8.30am. As early birds, we got to sit outdoor by the river, basking in the glorious morning sun. It was a perfect setting for a breakfast in my opinion.
Even though we were seated outside, we did not have to worry about getting the staff attention, because there were 2 attentive staffs designated to take care of guests at the outdoor section. The lady who served us was so thoughtful to offer to take a photo of us. Without her offer, we wouldn’t have a photo of the 2 of us, having breakfast by the river.
The breakfast was ala-carte buffet, that means we can order unlimited portion but we are not allowed to take the food ourselves. The food has to be served by the staffs.
Our first round consists of laksa, scrambled eggs and bread basket. The bread basket, served at the beginning, has croissant, muffin and Danish. The croissant was surprisingly good. The laksa has creamy gravy, thick bee hoon, fish cake, 1 quail egg and 1 prawn (yes, just one). It’s a good bowl in my opinion. Meanwhile, the scrambled egg is not something that we’ll order again; the eggs just didn’t taste nice. The smoked salmon is alright though.
Our second round consists of nasi lemak and dim sum delights. The dim sum delights came with a chicken and a prawn siew mai, har gao, chicken char siew bun and glutinous rice. I love the glutinous rice, the rest are just alright. Meanwhile, the nasi lemak came with 2 chicken drumlets, sambal prawn, omelette, and ikan bilis with peanuts. I like the prawns; the fried chicken is okay; the egg was not my favorite; the rice was too much.
By the time we finished or second round, our stomach was quite full, but our eye was still hungry. To solve this, we came up with an idea to order just half a portion of the seafood congee and buttermilk waffle. Best.decision.ever! I absolutely love the seafood congee that came with sliced fish, prawn, you tiao, fried shallot and crispy vermicelli. Meanwhile, the waffle is nothing to shout about. It’s good enough to satisfy my sugar craving.
Lastly, we had a fruit platter and yoghurt to finish off our meal before heading back to our room for a food coma. Oh, I forgot to mention that we also ordered a latte and a cappuccino. My advice to you? Skip the latte, go for the cappuccino. The cappuccino has a more pronounced taste of coffee, and it came with a Fullerton bear coffee art, who doesn’t love that?
Fullerton Experiences: Fullerton Monument Tour
Fullerton Experiences is a curated list of activities that guests can participate in (either for free or for a fee). On their website, Fullerton says that “the Fullerton Experiences let you create your own unforgettable #FullertonMemories.” We are the proponent of free activities, so we signed up for the only available free tour during our stay: the Fullerton Monument Tour.
There were 2 slots for the day, 10am and 11.15am. We wanted to join the 11.15am slot but it was already fully-booked, so we went with the 10am slot.
The tour started right on time at the Concierge of Fullerton Hotel. There were 8 of us (including the tour guide, Thomas). Bear in mind that our stay was in Phase 3 where the maximum number of people in a group was 8 pax. Thank God our stay was not in Phase 2 where the max people in a group is 5 pax.
Thomas explained to us the history of Fullerton Hotel, from the conception, construction, to the transformation over the years. From him, we got to learn snippets from the past as he told the stories about the time he worked at the Custom House. Since the entire tour was conducted at the Level 1 of Fullerton Hotel, no umbrella was required, yay!
Joining this tour has truly enriched our understanding of Fullerton building and a little bit of Singapore’s history. We came to know that Fullerton was Mile 0 in the past when postcode was not established yet. We learned how the General Post Office worked and and how it looked like in the past. It has definitely made our staycation more memorable.
Exploring Fullerton Hotel
If you think staycation in a small room is so boring, you’re completely wrong, especially if the staycation is at Fullerton. There are so many places to explore in Fullerton Hotel that we did not have enough time to leave the hotel.
First, there is the Fullerton Heritage Gallery at Level 1. It gives a glimpse of how Fullerton was conceptualized and how it became what it is today. There is also a still-functioning red post box where you can drop your letter or postcard.
We visited the Fullerton Shop and were awed by the Fullerton model made with Lego bricks.
We spent some time getting that Instagrammable shot at the grand stairway that connects Basement and Level 1.
We visited the hidden Fullerton Farm and giant chess set.
We met giant Fullerton bears at the lobby but forgot to take pictures with them, sigh. Well, maybe next time. But I do have a picture with Fullerton Bear Postman at the basement, in front of Philatelic Store.
Sending postcard at Fullerton’s postbox
I would argue that sending a postcard at Fullerton’s iconic red postbox is a MUST-DO for every guest at Fullerton’s Hotel, given the building’s history as the General Post Office in the early 1900s. So, I definitely didn’t want to waste the chance to send myself a Fullerton postcard, with a Fullerton stamp, from Fullerton’s postbox.
We went to Philatelic store at the Basement to buy a Fullerton stamp and pasted it on our Fullerton postcard (we got the postcard from receptionist). Then, we dropped the postcard into the historic postbox and made sure we immortalized the experience in our vlog.
Conclusion
Our staycation lasted 28 hours, but to be honest, 28 hours was too short! We did not have enough time to do many things that we wanted to do, such as visit the Merlion, take photos at Cavenagh bridge in front of the majestic building of Fullerton, visit Asian Civilization Museum.
Overall, I really enjoy our stay at the Fullerton Hotel. It is truly once in a lifetime experience for both of us. Dinner and breakfast were wonderful. Swimming pool was awesome despite the rain. Except the dust, the room was good. Bathroom was great.
If there are sales again in the future, or when we earn enough to finally be able to afford the full price, we will undoubtedly come back to try other rooms and restaurants.
If you’re considering whether or not to stay in Fullerton Hotel, well, if you can afford it then go for it! It’s worth staying at least once in your life.
What I Like
- Generous early check-in and late check-out
- Impressive service
- The scenic infinity pool
- Nice dinner and breakfast experience
- Free tour for guests
What I Don’t Like
- Dust in the room
- Not able to use dining credit for afternoon tea
Watch my Vlog
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a million. Watch my vlog here:
Other Staycation Experience in Singapore
I’m a noob staycationer, I seldom do staycation unless there are irresistible deals or if there are special occasions I want to celebrate. Here’s my other staycation experience in Singapore, so far. Here are my other staycation experiences in Singapore.
- Staycation at Goodwood Park Hotel Singapore – Deluxe Premier Room (2021)
- Birthday Staycation at Conrad Centennial Singapore (2020)
- Staycation at D’Resort @ Downtown East, Singapore (2017)
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