(Photo Credit: Superman Pan Pacific)

15 years ago, 20 of us snuck into a suite for prom night. Someone puked, the class monitor drank an entire bottle of whiskey in a gulp to prevent people from drinking, we reminisced about our two years in junior college, tears were shed, feelings confessed. A roomful of emo 18 year-olds wasn’t pretty, it was hilarious.

The Gorgeous Lobby

After a 5-month closure and a $80-million facelift, Pan Pacific re-opened last Aug. Carpets are changed, armchairs are upholstered, bathrooms now have rain-showers and massage-showers. There are automatic sensors so the lights switch off if there is no movement for 20 minutes. With immense nostalgia, I returned to the skyline suite at a listed price from $580++. (For those who want to see fireworks on National Day, book the Pacific Harbour Room, Pacific Harbour Studio or Harbour Suites. Request for a high floor.)

ROOM: At check-in, approach the standing service staff. They will welcome you with a complimentary drink, and direct you to a seat. You may also sit in one of the “huts” at the lobby whose stunning design is inspired by Asia Pacific and they will bring you an ipad to check-in. Very considerate.

The skyline suite consists two rooms. In one room, there are a toilet, a dining table, a sofa and tv; and the other room is the bedroom with walk-in closet and a huge toilet. I like it there are two toilets so that we used one, and the two friends we invited to chill out used the other. The suite has everything you want: Nespresso machine, wine opener, iron and hairdryer (which is very important to Huccalily!).

This is the bigger of the two toilets, fully equipped with bathtub, rainshower, massage-shower, and, as you can see in the reflection, a huge basin area and me!

SERVICE: Compliments to the Japanese lady at the check-in. I saw her last thing at night at about 1am and the next afternoon when I checked her. Her manner was professional and friendly. The gym staff, swimming pool staff and one of the room service staff were friendly and happy. But on the whole, I thought other service staff were tired. They smiled but their eyes didn’t. Maybe it was the haze. I’d also like some flexibility. They followed protocols strictly and when I asked for something out of the blue, they repeated what seemed to be lines from a handbook.

The Beautiful Fan-Shaped 80s Designed Pool

One of the most fully equipped hotel gyms I’ve seen. It has free weights and Smith Machine, the most important machine of all.

AMENITIES:
– Outdoor swimming pool
– 24-hour gym
– Outdoor tennis courts
– Steam room
– Spa treatments at St. Gregory
– An entire level just for office support services. Come here to surf the internet or print documents.
– Many malls and restaurants nearby
– Free wifi in my room
– 24-hour in-room dining service

Room Service: Club Sandwich – More Sandwiches Please.

Room Service: Delicious but Tiny Pacific Salad

Talking about room service, we ordered twice, once in the afternoon and once for supper: club sandwich ($22), kid’s junior fish & chips ($14), and Pacific salad ($22). I try to always order room service food because, in my experience, the food is always awesome. At Pan Pac, the food was ok and I expected bigger portions.

Two things about the amenities that we found wanting were (1) there were no DVDs that we could borrow and (2) Chiobu was displeased that we did not have access to club room (pictured above) on the top floor. I made the mistake to think that all suites had access to the club room, as other hotels have this practice. But alas! Only people staying Pacific Club rooms can access the club room. My BFF visited Pan Pacific twice and said, “What’s the point of a staycation if you have to step out of the hotel?” And twice, he lived at Pacific Club rooms. He said that the 24-hour club room was fantastic, it provided all three meals, including a champagne breakfast, so it means you can camp there. Quite a pity we didn’t get to it. Heart pain.

FOOD:

Cupcakes from Pacific Marketplace, a cafe accessible from Marina Square Mall

On the first floor, Atrium is a dramatic 22-meter bar, serving cocktails and tapas, and Pacific Marketplace (pictured above) is a gourmet grocery and cafe. We should have come down here to eat during lunch instead of ordering room service.

A 20-seater private room in Hai Tien Lo

The third floor is the designated dining area with Rang Mahal, Hai Tien Lo (long-standing Cantonese restaurant), and the Edge, which my BFF claimed to have one of the best buffets in Singapore. On the fourth floor, the beautiful Japanese restaurant, Keyaki, has an outdoor Japanese garden.

The complimentary breakfast (6-11am) is held at the Edge (pictured above), sitting 350 people. But come here at 9am to avoid a very, very long queue. It was hilarious how we had to pull Yandao out of the cosy bed at 9am–he said, “So early… I don’t want to eat breakfast…”– and he was the last one to leave the breakfast buffet at 11.30am, until the manager came over and said, “We’re very sorry but our buffet has ended half an hour ago.” Haha.

Smoked salmon and other cold cuts were great companions to the porridge and kway teow

The Edge serves a great variety for breakfast: Chinese, Malay, Indian, Singaporean, Western, and even desserts. We found that the standard of the food had a wide range: the outstanding, superb dishes; the average ones; and the unsatisfactory.

Almost everything on this plate was good.

The Good: The mee siam (pictured above) was “flame on.” The tasty omelette with melted cheese was solid outside and runny within. Rosti and sauteed mushrooms couldn’t go wrong. Another must-eat was the homemade sausages, that Pan Pac packages and sells to supermarkets and other hotels. If you like eggy waffles, go for it. Freshly squeeze juices.

Braised Duck

The Average: Yandao loves steak. However, we found the steak overcooked although it was rare to find steaks on breakfast menu. The fried kway teow was extremely popular, always gone when it came out, but we thought it needed more salt.

The Unsatisfactory: The dim sum needed some work.

Conclusion: My moneyed BFF, who has stayed at all the atas hotels in Singapore–so good hor, rich people can stay any time, any where they want–says Pan Pacific is his favorite staycation. Although I trust his taste, I didn’t get to experience the club room and I couldn’t agree with him. Next time, I’ll book the Pacific club room, then I can verify his claim.

Pan Pacific Singapore

7 Raffles Boulevard Singapore 039595
T: 6336 8111

ps: Thanks Nathalyn for giving us a huge discount on the suite.

Written by A. Nathanael Ho.