I stayed at the Mandarin Oriental in Jan 2007 with my parents and it was a fantastic experience, one I will remember fondly for a long time.

Lobby - One point that may work against the Oriental, but which did not particularly bother my family, is that the lobby is dark and not very welcoming (black tiles and walls) and there isn't the hustle and bustle that you can feel in other hotels with grand lobbys such as The Fullerton. There is no real place to people watch or just to relax and have a drink however what The Oriental may lack in this area it makes up for in friendly staff who greet you constantly as you go up to your room. I felt like a celebrity every time I walked in to the hotel so it didn't bother me. There were lovely flower decorations and I was impressed by the decor of the elevators which was very intricate and unusual.

Check in - Check in was very smooth and we had no problems. Staff were very efficient and there was virtually no wait involved.

Room - We REALLY loved our room! Even though we had a standard room, it was larger than an average hotel room with a little lounge and desk. Despite having three people in one room, it did not feel cramped. The bed was amazingly comfortable, possibly the most comfortable I have ever slept in. The bedding was like velvet against the skin! Pillows were just the right softness too. The bathroom was luxurious and packed with soaps and shampoos. Our view wasn't great (we overlooked a tennis court and a view other not-so-exciting buildings) but we still did spend some time admiring the few. It was great to people watch. So all in all, our room was fantastic and we were very happy!

Dining - Some of the best food I have ever tried was at The Oriental. The first night we ate at Dolce Vita where I had a tasty pasta dish. What really took the cake was the MELT ~ World Café which we ate at every morning. The wide variety of food, the high quality of ingredients, the attention to detail... everything was wonderful. Every morning we were greeted by name by the friendly hosts and led to our table. I loved the Indian section and often gorged myself on the curries. I also loved the fruit bar which had really fresh ingredients and you could make up whatever combination of drink you wanted! I am a huge chocolate fan so I made use of the chocolate fountain which of course was delicious. One fault I did find is that my freshly made pancakes were rather gluggy and stodgy but this is a minor point. Loved the food! Unfortunately we didn't get to eat at the Cherry Garden or the Steakhouse (as we are vegeterian) but I was completely satisfied with the Melt. So good!

Room service - After a long day of sight seeing we decided to indulge in a three course room service meal for dinner. We were really impressed by the professionalism of the waiter who folded out a table for us which was equipped with a freezer. We had napkins, plenty of cutlery and the food was still piping hot. I throughly enjoyed my meal which was incredibly filling.

Staff - The staff are so enthusiastic and helpful, we we really impressed with all the staff, from the people who open the doors, to the waiters to those on reception. We didn't encounter one member of staff who was ill-tempered. The maids always said hello to us. The staff made our stay truly terrific.

Pool - Although the pool itself is nothing to write home about as it is not very big, it was big enough and generally very quiet when we were there. I didn't like how the resturant overlooked the pool as I felt I was on show but the view overlooking the city from the pool is amazing.

Location - Very convenient for access to Marina Square and the MRT. We had no problems getting anywhere.

We throughly enjoyed our stay and would go back in a heartbeat!