Amara Sanctuary Sentosa

Origin & Introduction

Situated on a hillside in Singapore’s top island retreat, Amara Sanctuary Sentosa covers 3.8 hectares of well-maintained gardens and natural rainforest, providing a peaceful escape rich in history. The resort features 140 guest rooms, suites, villas, and a mansion, enhancing its unique character by blending beautifully restored colonial architecture with modern design elements. Each building conveys a sense of place and heritage, perfectly balancing the island’s rich history with contemporary features.

This Heritage-centric Sentosa Resort captures the tranquility of its environment with calming biophilic interior designs.

Amara Sanctuary Sentosa ushers in a new era of tranquility on Sentosa Island with revamped interiors. The design concept for Amara revolves around the origin and purpose of water, and you can see this primary focus in various thematic zones as you move across and within the resort; Amara is lifted by the triple nomenclature pathways of Immortality, Contentment and Joy and Beautiful (Forever), based on different language origins. Utilizing the creative expertise of the cross-disciplinary design studio FARM, known for its holistic spatial approach, the updated spaces seamlessly blend contemporary aesthetics with biophilic elements.

Honouring the island's maritime heritage as a former military fortress and the estate’s 100-year legacy, the redesign features a careful selection of natural materials, including indigenous stone, venerable timber, and reclaimed wood upcycled from traditional fishing vessels. The island’s lush surroundings are also reflected through vibrant plants, transforming previously underutilized spaces into serene oases for mindful contemplation.

Central to the estate's transformation is the magnificent lobby, where a celestial skylight creates a captivating interplay of light and shadow. Drawing attention to the center of the area is a grand four-metre Pithecellobium Confertum 'Everfresh Tree' accompanied by Davallia Fejeensis shrub, highlighting nature's serene beauty as guests first experience the hotel. At night, guests can watch the tree close its leaves as it conserves water. While the lobby is designed to encourage travelers to connect with one another, it also features snug corners for guests to enjoy moments of relaxation.

Amara Sanctuary Sentosa’s lush tropical gardens, home to free-roaming peacocks, squirrels, and native flora and fauna, offer guests an immersive experience in harmony with nature. These green surroundings is spectacular and soothing to the eye as it showcases the resort’s commitment towards environmental sustainability and creating a peaceful oasis for travelers. Amara Sanctuary Sentosa’s comprehensive dining and wellness facilities complement the resort’s historic charm, providing the perfect setting for an idyllic island retreat. 

Rooms, Suites and Villas

The biophilic design philosophy is evident in the revamped Villas and Suites, which create a seamless atmosphere of nature-inspired elegance throughout the resort. To facilitate a smooth transition between outdoor and indoor environments, the new design utilizes plants and greenery to instill a sense of calm and relaxation among guests. Numerous planters are strategically placed to enhance the setting, while the outdoor courtyards and foyers offer spaces with daybeds, new settees, hammocks, or bar tables inviting guests to enjoy the sunshine and the colonial architecture.

We stayed in a couple suite complete with direct pool access at Larkhill Terrace. Measuring 58 square metres, the room comes complete with a suite of amenities, including complimentary mini-bar with snacks and non-alcoholic beverages, complimentary welcome amenities, flat-screen TV with cable channel access, individually controlled air-conditioning, outdoor bathtub and rain-shower facilities (we love this as this symbolises the uniqueness of this couple suite), bathroom amenities by Appelles Apothecary and Lab, in-room bathrobes and slippers, tea and Nespresso coffee-making facilities. The room was truly spacious, clean, minimalist in feel with a soothing and relaxing holiday resort ambience, just perfect for rejuvenation!

This distinctive two-story heritage building, once a British army barracks, has been transformed to accommodate our Couple Suites on the ground floor of Larkhill Terrace. These suites effortlessly blend classic charm with modern elegance, offering direct access to a stunning 45-metre infinity pool. The expansive private patio features a frameless outdoor bathtub and a daybed for leisurely relaxation. Designed with romantic escapes in mind, the soothing aroma from the in-room diffuser creates a peaceful ambiance, matching our preference for choosing a resort filled with romance and history.

The rooms feature sand-inspired tones, infusing the area with a coastal tranquility that complements the nearby Palawan Beach located just behind the resort - it was just a 5 minutes walk, so we walked down to explore the nearby beach setting, especially lovely during sunset! Nature’s hues are also incorporated, from lush greens to warm tans, along with natural materials like rattan, timber, and sisal. Furthermore, the Verandah Studios and Suites have been converted into dual-key apartments with kitchenettes to cater to the growing number of multi-generational family travelers.

Amara Heritage Trail

As we embarked on the Heritage Trail conducted by Suresh, who has been working at Amara for the past 10 years, we knew that we would be in very good hands, as we love to hear stories from folks who have passion working for the property. Suresh brought me on a comprehensive tour, along various stops around the Amara resort to uncover unique insights and tales from historic Singapore, Sentosa, and the British Colonial era as we wandered in awe through the grounds of Amara Sanctuary Sentosa, a former British Army site from the late 1800s to early 1900s.

The pit-stop stations along the Trail uncovered memories and stories from a different era, from the time when British troops were based in Singapore, to the British families who live here, to the war-time bunkers that were being used to shelter residents from bomb raids, to the type of trees, orchards, vegetation and landscape dotted all along the pathway with an organic garden, to the unique bell structure (commissioned by the owner) that hangs above the private wedding solemnisation hall, and the various facilities, amenities and restaurants within Amara Sanctuary Sentosa. British guests who come back to view the Resort add a sense of aura and mystery as they shared their experience living in the colonial quarters during that time.

The trail is available daily from 4pm to 5pm; at the end of the tour, we adjourned to the Tearoom Sanctuary where we had a chance to sample and savour a specially crafted Gunner cocktail, meant for those who take on this Heritage Trail along with a cute softie, a mini peacock, to enliven our memorable stay and trail experience! So thoughtful!

Ticketing:

S$12 nett per person for Amara Sanctuary In-House Guests

S$18 nett for Public

Complimentary for Amara Sanctuary Sentosa suite and villa guests

Sanctuary Tearoom : Breakfast

The brand-new Sanctuary Tearoom is centrally located within the resort, serving as its primary dining area. This minimalist restaurant can accommodate 146 guests, with 88 seats indoors and 58 in the alfresco area. It adapts to different occasions, whether it's the daily breakfast buffet offering a variety of hearty local dishes or private events celebrating life's most treasured moments.

The decor features earth-toned furniture paired with handwoven rattan lanterns and tall greenery, reflecting the resort's lush, nature-inspired design. A patio with comfortable settees overlooks the lobby's impressive water feature, while floor-to-ceiling windows provide views of the scenic lawn outside, making Sanctuary Tearoom an ideal setting for weddings meant to be unforgettable.

We had a wonderful spread for breakfast, ranging from fruits, yoghurt cold hams, assortment of breads, cakes, kuey, porridge with local condiments, pork slices braised with soya bean sheet, dace fish, braised peanuts, glutinous rice that is truly a delight, egg station, noodles and soup, Simply awesome!

Flames & Feasts Dinner Buffet

We were treat to a splendid dining experience at the Sanctuary Tearoom, where we were surrounded by nature's beauty and treated to a sumptuous array of premium seafood, flame-grilled specialties, and local favorites. It was tastefully executed and brought to our table; along with that, we also managed to relish the Crustaceans on Ice that offers a generous assortment of Poached Tiger Prawns, Green-Lipped Mussels, Sea Scallops, Freshly Shucked Oysters, Alaskan Snow Crab, and Boston Lobster.

The outdoor grill came with a full selection ona range of marinated satay skewers with different meat varietals and prawns, expertly grilled by their chefs. We also indulged in a whole array of local favourites, International cuisine, meats, Chinese herbal cantonese soups, as well as a bowl of delicious local Laksa with Prawn, Fish Cake, Fish Ball, and Quail Egg over rice noodles—topped with aromatic laksa leaves and their signature sambal chili; Spicy and yummy!

Dessert for the evening came in the form of a plethora of assorted Mini French Pastries, Classic Baked Cheesecake, Tropical Fruits Platter, Assorted Nonya Kueh, and Chilled Cheng Tng or Bobo ChaCha. The Chocolate Fountain was a crowd favourite and it is accompanied by a delightful selection of fresh fruits and pastries for dipping.

This Buffet is available every Friday and Saturday, 6.00pm to 10.00pm

$98++ per adult | $52++ per youth (ages 10-16) | $22++ per child (ages 7-9)

(Children aged 6 and below dine for free, with a paying adult) 

For an extra $30++ per person, one can enjoy unlimited servings of house wines and beer for 3 hours.

Accolades

We would like to thank Clarence, Yi Zhen, Evelyn from the Marketing Communications, Abel and Sophie from Front Office, Suresh my personal Heritage Trail guide, Liu on my buggy and MJ together with AJ at the Sanctuary Tearoom, for taking good care of me and the wonderful Amara-showcased hospitality!

Amara Hotels & Resorts

1 Larkhill Road, Sentosa Island, Singapore 099394.

Tel: +65 6825 3888

Email: sentosa@amarasanctuary.com

Website: https://sentosa.amarahotels.com/