Overview of the Barracks hotel in Singapore

a truly luxury boutique resort experience that feels private and hidden away despite being minutes from Resort World

the barracks hotel

The Barracks Hotel by Far East Hospitality is a luxurious and small scale resort located on Sentosa Island, Singapore. Once a British artillery outpost, The Barracks has been renovated with 40 high end, thoughtfully designed rooms and suites, a central Living Room lounge and two large pools which flank the internal lounge. Military touches can be found throughout, in a nod to its military past – from the architecture to the memorabilia displayed in the rooms. It’s all rather romantic and invokes feelings of old world glamour and a reverence for the history and stories of the building.

the rooms

The Barracks has 5 types of rooms – ranging from the standard Premier room (39sqm for 2 people) through to the Duplex suite (118 sqm and housing up to 5 adults). We were in the Premier room, which was a decent amount of space for 2. The interiors comprised warm timbers and the use of rattan in a nod to traditional Singaporean architecture. In the bedroom itself you’ll find a huge smart TV (with in-built chromecast capability), writing desk, bluetooth speakers, mini bar and cute coffee / tea setup inside what looks like a refurbished record player.

As mentioned above, the layout of the room means the bedroom section doesn’t have any natural light which feels a bit claustrophobic – you’ll have to step into the bathroom and open the balcony door (frosted glass) to get some sunlight. Not a dealbreaker, but as someone who likes waking up with natural light it’s a small negative. Perhaps some skylights for rooms on the top floor @ Barracks Management?

The large bathroom is separated from the bedroom with a sliding door and is stunning. The black stone bath is the centre piece, complete with a reading tray and included bath salts. There are separate floor to ceiling glass doors for the toilet and shower, allowing you and your travelling companion to use both spaces without any performance anxiety!! The toilet is a smart Toto toilet – with the lid closing upon removing your key card from the holder in the front of the room and opening again once you enter your room. It really felt like a welcoming wave from your local friendly toilet robot and quite amusing. The shower itself is huge, with rainshower and handheld options and excellent water pressure (very important). Other amenities you’ll find in the bathroom include Apelle lotions and potions, an iron, hairdryer and safe. Oddly however, there are no spare powerpoints for use in the bathroom so if you need to iron something or dry your hair you’ll have to do that in the bedroom.

around the grounds

The Barracks footprint isn’t huge, overindexing on two large swimming pools (no complaints here) with all guest rooms either overlooking (second floor rooms) or with direct pool access (first floor rooms). This really feels like such a luxury for a small resort catering for only 40-80 people! As a result, the pools felt quiet and relaxed, with no tussles for deck chair space or feeling like you’ll bump into someone while doing lazy laps. There is also a separate section of one of the pools hidden away and reserved for those staying in the Duplex Suite.

In the centre of the grounds is The Living Room, the hotel’s dining and lounge area. It’s a beautiful space with a mix of tables and lounge seats, and a few outdoor options for those wanting to eat al fresco pool side. The Living Room is open most hours of the day, and guests can wander in and help yourself to a range of non-alcoholic drinks (sparkling water, coconut water, soft drinks, juices) and snacks (potato chips, nuts, cookies) and generally use the space for sitting and reading. Waiters are also on hand to make tea / coffee, or serve you alcoholic drinks (for purchase).

Directly opposite the hotel is a cluster of eateries and a 7/11 housed inside a complex called The Mess Hall (pictured below). Don’t worry it doesn’t feel like you’re right on top of a set of shops, it’s on the otherside of a very large lawn and the architecture of The Mess Hall matches The Barracks so it just feels like another wing of the hotel itself. Here you’ll find a few decent restaurants of varying cuisines (French, Indian, Japanese) if you’re wanting a feed very close by. You might also spot a peacock or two wandering around!

the food

Oh my gosh the food. I think I put on about 5 kilos over the course of a 3 night stay at The Barracks, in between the 3 course daily breakfast and nightly wine and canapes. For breakfast, you can choose a starter and main course from an “Asian” or “Western” menu, finished off with a generous serving of fresh fruit. Asian starter options include siew mai or seafood beancurd rolls, while on the Western starter list you’ll find classics such as yoghurt pots and granola. For mains, select from a showstopping nasi lemak, bee hoon noodle soup with wontons, congee, or smoked salmon benedict and smashed avocado on toast. Free flow coffee, tea and a variety of juices are also available. The breakfast really was a highlight of my stay at The Barracks – while I enjoy a good old hotel buffet breakfast, there’s something very relaxing and indulgent about leisurely working your way through a plated 3 course meal every morning.

Side note: you’ll be asked to pick your menu selections and dining time for the next day while at breakfast. I guess this is their way of helping the (very small) kitchen prepare, and spread guests out (COVID reasons perhaps?) but it was a bit annoying and detracted a little from the feeling of a carefree retreat where you don’t have to know what the time is, and the spontaneity of having what you felt like for breakfast that morning. Shout out to the staff though, who very graciously accommodated my desire one morning to switch from nasi lemak to the smashed avocado and tomato toast as I was so full from the night before and couldn’t manage an entire plate of rice and curry!

Siloso Beach is also a 5 minute buggy ride away, with drop offs and pick ups available from the hotel reception. From Siloso Beach, you can also access the island’s MRT system which enables you to explore the whole island very easily.

Wine and canapes every night from 4-7pm was also a nice touch, with a snack board served to every table and a great selection of wines, beers and mocktails included. You can also pay a bit extra to enjoy premium drinks or cocktails of your choice. Canapes included a variety of cheeses, prosciutto, arancini balls, Hainanese chicken bites, wontons and seasoned jellyfish.

in the area

Sentosa Island itself is super accessible from the mainland – your options include Cable Car, the MRT, taxi or even just 10 minutes on foot via a pedestrian boardwalk!

Resort World is a few minutes walk from The Barracks, containing many of the top attractions including Universal Studios and the SEA Aquarium, and heaps of great restaurants including a hugely popular Din Tai Fung outlet. Don’t miss the Aquarium – it really is one of the best I’ve visited and I’ve never seen so many weird and wonderful sea creatures in the one place.