Christmas – 29
Although they’re part of the same portfolio – and both are members of Preferred – Singapore’s Fullerton Bay Hotel must be distinguished from The Fullerton Hotel. The Fullerton is the Grand Dame, a traditional hotel converted from the Singapore Post Office. It’s an imposing structure, one of those buildings that you feel august and definitely six inches taller for being part of, even temporarily. Across always-busy Fullerton Road but reached by an underground walkway Fullerton Bay. This is a conversion of old classic buildings that were part of the wharf structure of the old Marina Bay when it was a bay as opposed to an inland lake. This is an intriguing conversion. You walk into Landing Point, a waterfront lounge that used to be Clifford Pier, built in 1933 by the architect of Changi Prison, Frank Dorrington Ward, and named for Sir Hugh Clifford, Governor of Singapore 1027-1929. Turn right along another walkway about 20 meters, turn left along a walkway past three structures that are actually water-set two-floor event spaces each capable of holding about 20 people. One’s called Compass, one’s called Voyage, and the third one is Ports of Call. From the hotel walkway these structures just look like signs. Apparently inside they’re very desirable: the US ambassador to Singapore, a newly appointed former surgeon, really likes renting one of these places, it is said.
Anyway, continue to the end of this last walkway and through security. You’re still at ground, or rather water, level and there you find 0110, Girlahead’s room. This is fairly high ceilings, probably about 45sq m in all. The end wall is entirely window, looking out over a full-width 3m deep pontoon terrace and across Marina Bay to the logo of Singapore, the Marina Bay Sands three-tower 57-floor sculpture with that amazing elongated swimming pool balanced on top as if it were a flattened ironing board.
There were two first-time pluses about overnighting at Fullerton Bay One was a key card that is actually embedded in a luggage tag, something to hold on to, very clever, personalised with gold initials (next time Girlahead hits town the ‘baggage tag’ can be re-programmed to enter another room0. The other novelty is a knee-top portable desk, brilliant idea, should be compulsory in all luxury hotels.
Dinner, with Sino Land’s Singapore boss Gino Tan, was in the Brasserie, the all-day all-purpose theatre that is just what the hotel needs – its guests can dine, but not sign, in The Fullerton Hotel or dozens of really close restaurants that are also part of Sino Land’s extensive eatertainment portfolio (some of which was set up, earlier in this century, by such great foodie hoteliers as MPS Puri and Louis Sailer). It was simply simple and simply good – Legumes provençal followed by a 250g Little Joe striploin with fries and lemon béarnaise. Yes, simplistic style aided by a steak knife so futuristic that the blade continued right up into the handle….
