Review of the Carlton Hotel, Singapore

On my recent trip to Singapore, I stayed in one of the most upmarket hotel I have ever stayed at in Singapore from my many visits to the country.

The Carlton Hotel is actually the hotel my parents stayed at when they visited and I stayed there based on their recommendation. There are now two Carlton hotels in the city and this review is of the original Carlton Hotel and not the Carlton City Hotel that only opened in 2013.

I stayed in the hotel for two nights and this is my review of the Carlton Hotel, Singapore.

Location of the Carlton Hotel, Singapore

One of the main reasons I booked this hotel was because of its location.

It is close to the CBD but not right in it which makes it slightly more affordable than other city centre hotels. It is also located next to the world famous Raffles Hotel.

How to get to the Carlton Hotel, Singapore

The easiest way to get to the Carlton Hotel is to take a taxi, or Uber or Grab from wherever you are in the city. They are relatively affordable in Singapore.

The hotel is also close to City Hall station which is on the East-West Line (green one) and the North-South Line (red one). If leaving from the station, head to Exit C which will take you through the shopping centre and you’ll exit diagonally across the road from the hotel. Or maybe the easier option is to take Exit A and then walk the one block to the hotel.

The hotel is also only a short walk from Bugis, Bras Basah and Bencoolen metro stations if you happen to be on any of their lines.

If you’re out and about in the city, you can easily walk back to the Carlton Hotel from the city centre as it is only a 20 minute walk from Clarke’s Quay or 30 minutes from China Town.

Check in Procedure

There was a short queue at check in but then got my key swiftly after with no issues as I had prepaid online. I was expecting to put a deposit on my card but nothing came of it and I was off to my room minutes after walking in to the hotel.

My Room at the Carlton Hotel, Singapore

My room, a deluxe double, was on the 23rd floor of the hotel. Note there are two towers and I was in the northern one.

As I walked into the small foyer, there was a wardrobe containing a safe and an ironing board on the left and just past that was a large bench for my bag to be placed.

On the right was the bathroom. Bathrooms in Asian hotels are always a bit unusual and this was no different. The sink and vanity shelf was open plan, with a mirror above the sink and glass walls either side of it looking into the bedroom. Behind that were two separate “rooms” with doors, one being the toilet and one being the shower. Neither of these had locks and aren’t soundproof in any way if you decide to share a room with someone you don’t know particularly well.

Another frustrating point about the bathroom was the light switches which were located just inside the door in the foyer. If you’re getting up in the middle of the night or before you’ve opened the curtains in the morning, turning them on can be an issue, as it would be if you’re sharing the room with someone else as the lights would illuminate the bed area. Sometimes I wonder if hotel room designers actually use the rooms with other people before signing off on the design?

Toiletries were provided in the shower as were toothbrushes by the sink.

Into the bedroom, I had a large king bed and four very comfy pillows. I slept like a dream on this bed and there are sockets and a night stand either side of it to charge your phone.

The room had two phones as well, one next to the bed, and another on the desk in front of the large window looking out over the city. I didn’t have iconic views but I could see the National Museum of Singapore, but you may get lucky and have views overlooking the Raffles hotel and towards Marina Bay Sands.

The desk also has a lift up vanity which I hadn’t seen many of in hotels.

There is a small but comfortable reading seat and a large Samsung smart TV in the room as well. Between the TV and the cupboards was a kettle with tea and coffee. The coffee was poor quality but the tea was delicious. Underneath that was a fridge which I was surprised to find empty. I thought maybe at a hotel of this quality there may have been a minibar but instead I used it to hold my two complementary bottles of water.

Despite the weird bathroom and poor minibar and coffee choice, the room was spacious and was very pleasant to stay in.

Food, drinks and restaurants

There are a number of on site restaurants including the Tuxedo cafe in reception that sells pastries and coffees, Cafe Mosaic which is where breakfast is served and was always busy at lunch times as well as it appears popular with locals.

Wah Lok Cantonese restaurant is known as “one of Singapore’s top restaurants” (their words not mine!).

The Tux Bar & Lounge (menu here) is the on site bar that is open until late serving fine cocktails, beers, wines and light bites.

I chose a room rate without breakfast (as it is almost always cheaper to go to a local hawker centre) and ate out a lot as well so I didn’t get a chance to sample any of the food and drink choices here.

Other facilities at the Carlton Hotel, Singapore

There is a gym and outdoor pool on level 5. The gym is open from 7am to 8pm but can be accessed outside of these times if you go to reception first to pick up a key.

It was a good size, had modern equipment and was generally one of the better hotel gyms I have been to. Unusually, it had a squat rack, deadlift platform, plates and some very heavy dumbbells which I often find lacking in hotel gyms. There wasn’t a stretching area as such but there were some yoga mats to put out.

The pool has a bar and restaurant next to it where you can order food and drinks between 10am-7pm.

There is also a spa which I didn’t use during my stay but is run privately and has no affiliation to the hotel. Additionally, a ball room is available to hire for events such as weddings.

Costs and how to book

I booked my room on booking.com and got a last minute deal with two nights over a weekend costing £255. I got this rate as I booked through the app and I’m a Genius member.

If booking direct on their website, rooms start at SGD$223 per night (which would work out slightly more than what I paid).

Overall thoughts on the Carlton Hotel, Singapore

The Carlton Singapore was opened in 1988 and from the outside, it is starting to show its age. It isn’t the most modern building across the Singapore skyline.

Despite that, for the quality of the hotel it is a fair price in a great location and has excellent room choices. It is a hotel that would be great if you are travelling for business or for pleasure.

Dan

Dan is an avid traveller from London. His first big adventure was in 2010 living in Malaysia for 3 months. He has been on the road almost constantly since 2015 travelling to destinations that aren’t on the mainstream tourist trail and working full time and travelling since 2021.