Had a weekend escape to Capella cos I felt like I just needed a break. Decided on Capella cos it had been years since I’ve stayed there and I like that they had an in-house resort programme so you can spend all your time in the property. Our day started bright and early cos we had booked a floral styling workshop at 8.45am.  I know, it’s so early

Check-in was fast and easy cos it was so early. There’s literally just us. And of course the room was not available at that point of time. So after leaving our things at the front desk, we left for Chef’s Table where the workshop was being conducted

The quietness in the morning

Chef’s Table

There were only us and another couple at the workshop which was nice in a way it felt like a private workshop. We had a vase of flowers each and well, it a pastel theme with an array of roses, tulips, baby’s breaths and I can’t remember what else. The co-ordinator will guide you step by step so you just need to follow and by any chance you felt lost along the way, someone will spring to your rescue. lol

First you take all your flowers out and start trimming them

I looked like I was concentrating in putting the flowers together, but in actual fact I was just posing for the camera. lol

The co-ordinator told us not to think too much. The more you think, the flowers won’t come out the way you want

and TA-DA. I think mine looked decent

And taking the other for a comparison

I definitely felt mine looked prettier but okay, beauty is subjective

And since there was time to kill, we went to the The Living Room to chill and also to enjoy their free refreshments

which was also quiet in the morning

We were served a pot and you can choose which tea you want so we got the Earl Grey. And then I thought they would serve some light bites but as time passed, we figured it’s not going to happen 😦 I was hungry so I was secretly hoping. lol

Took some time to walk around the property after that and well, took some snaps as well

It was quite nice walking around cos you rarely see humans. It’s that peaceful. Even tho the staff mentioned they were 90% full on capacity. hmmm

And cos, don’t waste the flowers. So took even more photos with it 😀

And we decided it’s time for lunch cos the stomach was growling already. Tried Cassia but they were fully booked (You need to make a reservation if you want to dine there. They are really popular) so we headed to the other restaurant that was available – The Knolls which was relatively empty. The staffs told us their window seats were fully booked so they can only give us the other tables which was fine by us (I mean not like we request for them lah). But by the time we left, the diners for the window seats haven’t even turn up. And oh, they address you by your last name here

I guessed everyone must either had a full breakfast or decided on in-room dining instead

5 minutes into ordering, I got a call that our room was ready (YAY). Not bad for an early check in on a weekend at 12pm. But food comes first, so here’s lunch

Complimentary Bread Basket

Served warm, the olive bread was memorable. If you had a chance, please give it a try. Probably one of the best olive bread I’ve tasted (from a person who doesn’t take olive)

Pan Seared Jumbo Lumb Crab Cake $30

Capella Fried Seafood Beehoon $38

Not your usual seafood beehoon. This spells everything expensive on the plate put together. lol. It had the wok hey taste, a little salty but somehow the seafood felt a little overdone. Probably worth trying other dishes on the menu. And oh, the portion was huge

So we went back to the front desk and they took us to our room with a room tour no less

Say hello to Room 321!

Guess which view I took?

The Sea View which had more greens than the sea. Showed this to the friend and she commented this felt like the trees featuring the sea, not sea featuring some trees. Indeed, I felt cheated. And I guess it made a lot of difference if you had paid for a garden view and got this view, than a sea view room and got this view 😦

Point to note: Just get the standard garden view next time

But I take comfort in the huge and cozy room which was honestly very nice to nua. You can just chill in there and don’t feel like getting up/out

The patio area for whatever reason, if you need some air, some space or a smoke break?

And the bathtub that overlooks it

I think the whole bathroom + toilet + vanity area combined is bigger than my room

You can do the aircon/lightings/blinds adjustment from the tablet. Need help/housekeeping? That’s done through WhatsApp and in-room dining is by ordering online using your phone. Yeah, it’s very digital here

Whatever that is in the mini fridge is free to take. So the juices accompanied me on a trip to the pool

Fruits and macarons! The macarons were quite decent but I was too full to finish them

Capella also gave a care pack during check-in which consists of the essentials these days and since they had a collaboration with Net-A-Porter, we got a free gift as well

Basically a lot of beauty products. I thought it was pretty generous

And Aesop for toiletries

Just had to take a shot before escaping to the pool

Capella has 2 pool for use. One is directly outside The Knolls which I felt like was deeper and the other further down which has all the floats (free to use as well). And the floats are awesome, for taking pictures and just to laze around. The best thing about Capella pool? No booking is required cos it’s like never crowded. How awesome. And their pool service is great too, to the point it felt like butler service. lol

So after an hour or so, we made our way back to change and head for our second workshop – Bath Bomb Making which was held at The Gallery (near the ballroom). There were about 10 participants and kids are welcomed as well

There’s a recipe for you to bring home in case you felt like making one at home

The essential oils and the food colouring

Ingredients were already prepared for us so you just need to mix it. It’s relatively straightforward

Took Geranium and Lavender cos they smelled the best in my opinion

And after breaking the molecule

You whisk and pour the solution at the same time. Yup, I chose pink as my colour. You are supposed to create a sand-like texture so you can mould them easily

And the available shapes for you to mould

The end product. We actually made more than what we thought and they smelled so nice!

You can also mix the colour if you want to. The bath bomb were really fragile so the coordinator told us to keep it in the fridge if we were going to bring them home. We decided to use everything during our stay since we had no bath tub at home. lol. Might as well

Popped by Bob’s Bar for Bosun’s Call which happens everyday at 6pm. Basically they give out free rum

And catching some sunset, which ain’t much to see

Free rum and snacks! 🙂

And then it’s back to our room for dinner!

Just had to enjoy in-room dining

The food arrived in a warmer box and the staff would set it up for you when they arrived. You could also set it up yourself since it wasn’t that difficult

Their in-room menu comprises a little bit here and there from The Knolls, Cassia and Bob’s Bar. Not extensive, but I guess it’s enough to cover a meal or two

Chicken Satay $30

Gosh, this was so delicious. The end

Steamed Cod Fish w Black Garlic & Light Soya Sauce $24

Hmm, just a fish with a smooth texture

Baked Jumbo Prawn Risotto $38

Capella Chocolate Tart

Wanted to have the chocolate fondant but it wasn’t in the in-room dining menu. Hence, went for the chocolate tart instead which was really good. So chocolatey and sinful

After we were done, we followed instructions and rang them up so they could come by and collect the tableware that was left outside the room. When the staff rang our doorbell, he exclaimed – oh you are so smart to leave this outside. And in our head we thought, the instructions said so? And if you leave it inside the room, they still have to ring your doorbell to collect? Isn’t it common sense? lol

And that marks the end of Day 1

Day 2 started bright and early with a trip to the pool

Though we were woken up by the cries of the peacock. I kid you not, they were so loud, they were even more effective than the alarm clock

The place literally had no other guests

So it’s just me and the pool..

..until the floats crashed our party

But the pool water was warm, which made it even better 🙂

Then we went back up to freshen up before we head down to our breakfast slot at 9am

And we bumped into one of the residential alarm clocks, I mean, peacock

Decided to go with the outdoor seats cos why not?

And we had a good empty view

Breakfast started with some flat white and detox juice

And the pastry tray popped by

which served some really good pastries I must say

The prata and laksa was highly recommended so we ordered both to start

Prata with South-Indian Chicken Curry

Oh, the prata was really quite decent, like a good prata you will find in your hood. Love the curry as well which came with a small piece of chicken to munch on. I would totally order this again in a heartbeat but my stomach was protesting already

Singapore Laksa

Rice Noodle, Prawn, Quail Egg, Fish Cake, Fragrant Laksa Coconut Broth

I thought the laksa was average at best. It was well, okay..

Two Eggs Any Style – Fried Egg + Chicken Sausage

And what’s breakfast without eggs? 😀

Dim Sum Basket

Lobster Dumpling, Siew Mai, Pork Char Siew Pau

The second round started with dim sum which I thought it might come from hands of Cassia, but clearly my expectations were too high. lol. Skip this, don’t waste your stomach space

American Waffles

Crispy Chicken, Bacon, Maple Syrup

The waffles were worth a mention. Love the nicely fried chicken which was moist and tasty and the waffles that were crisp and not dry

Tho we were amused by its small bite size – definitely not too filling for one!

Signature Nonya Coconut Kaya Roll

And finishing breakfast with this cos it says signature. But hmm, I find the roll a little dry, the kaya too sweet and the coconut pieces were too thick. Was this a bad batch perhaps?

You had to pre-book your breakfast slot for staggering purposes and each party was allocated a 30- minute time frame for your breakfast. You might find 30 minutes too short, but trust me, you will be full by then. I doubt the staffs would actually chase you away if you were not done by then. In fact, Capella never chases their guests away. And the food comes out so fast! Though I appreciate the portions were small enough so you get to try everything. That’s the best about ala carte buffet breakfast

So it’s back to the room to chill and pack up before it’s time to check out! Check-out was at 12 pm so yes, time passed fast. And since guests were still able to enjoy their facilities after checking out..

It’s back to the pool again. lol

The weather was good so there were some people lounging around but not so much in the pool actually

And if you are wondering, there’s a shower/locker room for use. Hairdryer included

Headed over to The Living Room for high tea which doesn’t require prior reservations. We were about 15 minutes early but there was a couple of guests there already. But turnover was pretty fast and they had plenty of outdoor seats so I guess you didn’t need to worry if they had enough seats

They only give one cup each so *hint hint* don’t stay too long

Our simple high tea platter

Which was honestly not bad given it’s complimentary

I can’t remember what was what cos the staffs were just too busy serving out tray after tray to explain. Though at some point I overheard one of them explaining the items to the table across us

Menu changes everyday so it’s a surprise!

Went to Bob’s Bar next for our last activity for the day – Rum Appreciation!

But before that, photos first

Rum Appreciation happens at 5pm and only 8 participants so slots are limited

Bartender preparing for the Bosun’s Call

The first to everything – Sugarcane, which honestly tasted like dark soya sauce

Our coordinator for the day. He really tried his best to engage us though half of us weren’t that responsive. lol. I wonder if everyone was just there for the rum. Oops

Our first rum to try, made by Capella

Tasted like vanilla, it had a smooth texture and it smelled really aromatic

French Rum (54.2%)

It had a floral smell though tasted a little spicy. Took me some time before I actually finished it. And oh, the alcohol volume too

Final one – 12yo Spanish Rum

When he told us the alcohol volume for this was 90%, there was an audible gasp

He was joking..

With an alcohol volume at 40%, this smelled really fruity. Aged in bourbon barrel, this was also considered a dessert rum. Basically, very easy to drink

And all 3 tasting rums

which in all honesty, I thought the portion was generous. He even joked and said he would give us a refill if it’s not enough

And finally, finishing it up with Bosun’s Call

At some point, all tasted like whisky to me. lol

Murni Murni $25

Cuban Chicken Salad $22

Spicy Chicken Wings $16

Captured some photos with the evening light and it did made you feel like you were not in Singapore for a moment

And so that’s goodbye Capella, till next time

Capella was enjoyable. It’s not cheap, let’s face it. And most of us would have the same thought. Food is on pricier end, and the wine is even more expensive. But you can still have an enjoyable time, by bringing your own wine. lol. But I guess what makes a difference here is you are not just paying for the accommodation, you are also paying for the service and experience. The staffs also made sure you had an enjoyable time during your stay there. And I guess the complimentary programmes by Capella Culturist also made a lot of differences so it felt like you were never bored in there. It was a good break, albeit a short one, but definitely one that warrant a return in the near future

Capella Singapore

1 The Knolls, Sentosa Island, S(098297)