Hotel of the Week: Valley Wing of the Shangri-La, Singapore
Sunday 17 February 2008
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I am a very important person. I know this because I am staying in the Valley Wing of the Shangri-La Singapore. Only very important people stay here. We have our own driveway, our own entrance, our own check-in. We are different from those ordinary fellows who stay in the hotel's Tower and Garden wings. If we're so important that we've run countries and corporations, we get our own lift to the very best suite. But even if we're not quite that important, we can still command a chauffeur from the airport, the services of a butler and free champagne at any hour of the day or night.
The bedroom
Very important people like us demand our comforts. We don't want minimalist chic, we want marble, lots of it, from the lobby floor to our bathroom walls. We want handwoven carpets underfoot and plush sofas to sink into. We want curtains that open at the flick of a switch. We want to snuggle under the finest Egyptian cotton and rest our heads on pillows as soft as clouds. We want flatscreen TVs, and a courtesy laptop with fast internet access. We want to be surrounded by tasteful ornaments and paintings. We want fragrant teas brewed ready to revive us after a hard day's designer shopping on Orchard Road, and petit-fours awaiting our return from dinner.
The bathroom
We want to be able to press a bell to summon a white-gloved butler bearing a tray of essences and petals to draw a bath. And we want a TV to watch while we're wallowing. We want a monsoon shower for when we're in a hurry. And we want fluffy towels and a monogrammed robe.
The food and drink
Sometimes we want variety, so we go to The Line to browse the open kitchens for fresh sashimi, or a plate of oysters, or a Caesar salad, or some Peking duck, or a curry, or a bowl of pasta. Sometimes we want a view, so we go 24 storeys up and eat French in BLU with the beautiful people. And sometimes we want traditional flavours, so we go to Nadaman for some Japanese kaiseki cuisine. We want it all – and at the Shangri-La's Valley Wing we get it.
The access
Children welcome. Limited wheelchair access. One room modified for guests with disabilities (a second in the Garden Wing). Braille in the lift.
The bill
Double rooms cost from £226 per night in the Valley Wing. Singapore Airlines (020-8563 6767; singaporeair.com) offers return fares from £544. For city information contact the Singapore Tourism Board (020-7487 2710; visitsingapore.com).
The address
The Valley Wing at the Shangri-La Singapore, Orange Grove Road, Singapore 258350 (00 65 6737 3644; shangri-la.com).
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