On Sentosa Island — Foster + Partners restored 1880s British military buildings into 112 rooms across thirty acres of rainforest, with three pools, the Forbes Five-Star Auriga Spa, Cassia Cantonese, and Fiamma Italian.
"On Sentosa Island — Foster + Partners restored 1880s British military buildings into 112 rooms with three pools, full destination spa, and the most refined garden setting in Singapore."
Capella Singapore opened in March 2009 on a 30-acre rainforest parcel on Sentosa Island — the first Capella in Asia and the brand's most decorated property until the 2019 Bangkok opening. The site occupies the former Royal Artillery Officers' Mess and Tanah Merah Country Club buildings, completed in 1880 as part of the British military presence on the island; Foster + Partners (the firm behind Hong Kong International Airport, the Reichstag, and 30 St Mary Axe) restored the original colonial buildings and added two new contemporary wings that step down the hillside, framing the original architecture and the rainforest beyond. The result is the most architecturally serious hotel in Singapore — a working example of restoration-plus-contemporary at the international flagship level. The property has sat at the top of Singapore's hotel rankings for a decade and held Travel + Leisure's #1 hotel in Singapore (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024) along with multiple World's Best lists.
There are 112 rooms, suites, villas, and manors across the property. The standard Premier Garden Room runs to 65 square metres with a private balcony or terrace facing the rainforest; the Premier Seaview Rooms — at 75 square metres — face Sentosa Cove and the southern coast. The 38 villas — Garden Villas, Pool Villas, Sentosa Villas — each sit in private rainforest plots with private outdoor areas; the Pool Villas (with private 4-by-9-metre swimming pools) are the brand's signature product. The two restored colonial Manors — Sir Stamford Raffles Manor and Sir Henry Hill Manor — are the property's most exceptional bookings, three-bedroom standalone bungalows with private gardens, plunge pools, and butler service. The interior register, by Jaya International of Singapore, leans tropical contemporary: bleached oak, hand-loomed silk, large-scale ink-and-watercolour works by regional artists, and bathrooms with deep stone soaking tubs and Auriga's signature spa amenities.
The property runs three on-property restaurants. Cassia, the Cantonese dining room set into the original Officers' Mess building, runs a working dim sum programme at lunch and the most considered Cantonese dégustation menu in Singapore at dinner. Fiamma, the Italian room helmed by chef Beppe De Vito (formerly of Aria Roma in Rome), runs the on-property Italian and pizza programme. The Knolls, the all-day room facing the central pool deck, runs a Mediterranean-Asian breakfast and the property's most reliable lunch buffet. Bob's Bar — set into the rainforest's central lawn — runs the property's signature evening cocktail programme and is one of the most photographed garden bars in Asia. The Living Room runs afternoon tea Saturday and Sunday, and the Capella Cooking Studio runs daily classes in Cantonese, Italian, and Singapore street-food techniques.
Auriga Spa — Capella's signature wellness brand — runs nine treatment suites (three for couples), a separate vitality pool, herbal steam, ice fountain, and a six-treatment Lunar Cycle programme; Auriga was one of the first spas in Singapore to receive a Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star rating and has held it consistently. The property's three swimming pools — the central Pool Pavilion (35 metres), the family pool, and the adults-only Cascade Pool — are arranged across the rainforest grounds at different elevations. The fitness centre is open 24 hours; the Pilates and yoga programme runs daily on the Pavilion deck. Sentosa beach is five minutes' walk; the Sentosa Express and the cable car connect to central Singapore in 15 minutes; Changi Airport is 30–35 minutes by car. For the most architecturally considered, garden-set, full-spa Singapore booking, Capella is the answer.
For Singapore anniversaries at the most considered tier — couples who want a resort-rhythm rather than a city stay — Capella is the most decisive booking. The Pool Villa for a milestone year (the only Singapore hotel rooms with private four-by-nine-metre swimming pools); the Sir Stamford Raffles Manor for an exceptional milestone (a three-bedroom colonial bungalow with private garden, plunge pool, and dedicated butler). A chef's-table dinner at Cassia for the night itself; the Auriga Lunar Eclipse couples treatment for the morning after. The hotel reflexively handles every variant.
For an Asian honeymoon anchored on Singapore for three to five nights — the most considered single-stop honeymoon booking in the city — Capella is the answer. The Premier Seaview Room for the standard programme; the Pool Villa as a milestone upgrade. Honeymoon turn-down at Capella runs to a hand-rolled chocolate selection from Cassia's pastry kitchen, an in-room Krug, and the brand's signature jasmine-floral arrangement. The Capella Culturist personal-assistant programme handles the in-Singapore programme.
For a Singapore wellness booking anchored on the Forbes Five-Star Auriga Spa, Capella runs the most decorated multi-day wellness programme in Singapore. The four- and seven-night Lunar Cycle programmes combine daily treatments, a clean-eating menu coordinated with The Knolls' nutritionist, and the morning yoga programme on the Pavilion deck. The Pool Villa is the natural booking; the Garden Suite is the more accessible. The 30-acre rainforest setting itself is the principal differentiator against any other Singapore wellness option.
1 The Knolls
Sentosa Island, Singapore 098297
Sentosa Express & cable car to central Singapore in 15 minutes; Changi Airport 30–35 minutes by car; Tanjong Beach 5 minutes' walk
112 rooms, suites, villas & manors
Premier Garden Rooms from S$1,000/night
Pool Villas from S$2,800/night
Manors from S$15,000/night
Check-in: 3:00 PM
Check-out: 12:00 PM
Open since March 2009; Foster + Partners restoration of 1880s British military buildings
Cassia Cantonese, Fiamma Italian
Bob's Bar & The Knolls
Auriga Spa — Forbes Five-Star
Three pools (35-metre Pool Pavilion)
Capella Cooking Studio
30 acres of rainforest
From S$1,000/night. The Pool Villas book three to four months ahead for high-season weeks; the Manors book six to twelve months ahead for milestone bookings. Cassia's chef's table books four weeks ahead for any weekend evening.
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