I stayed at the Four Seasons Singapore for three or four nights on a stopover to Europe. The service was ... I'm struggling to find a word to describe how good it was. From reservation to departure the service was outstanding: perfectly choreographed and appropriately pitched. The staff were effective, confident, polite and formal enough, while also being outgoing and friendly. Together with the design of the public spaces (there are numerous intimate spaces that feel like the sitting areas of a house, instead of a grand lobby that feels like the hall of a train station) the service contributed to a very pleasant atmosphere in which even the other guests seemed nice and at ease, rather than being as demanding and stressed as at other hotels. It was hard not to be in a cheerful mood in this place. The hotel's Executive Chef, Giovanni Speciale, deserves special mention for how he organised a special menu to deal with my medical dietary restrictions (I took all meals at the hotel). The reservations people passed on my request and kept me informed of where it was at and what response I should expect, Chef Giovanni created the menu and met me to discuss it, the room service people were always fully informed so I never had to explain myself and were proactive in thinking ahead to what I might need next, and the chefs and waiters created and delivered food that...I stayed at the Four Seasons Singapore for three or four nights on a stopover to Europe. The service was ... I'm struggling to find a word to describe how good it was. From reservation to departure the service was outstanding: perfectly choreographed and appropriately pitched. The staff were effective, confident, polite and formal enough, while also being outgoing and friendly.

Together with the design of the public spaces (there are numerous intimate spaces that feel like the sitting areas of a house, instead of a grand lobby that feels like the hall of a train station) the service contributed to a very pleasant atmosphere in which even the other guests seemed nice and at ease, rather than being as demanding and stressed as at other hotels. It was hard not to be in a cheerful mood in this place.

The hotel's Executive Chef, Giovanni Speciale, deserves special mention for how he organised a special menu to deal with my medical dietary restrictions (I took all meals at the hotel). The reservations people passed on my request and kept me informed of where it was at and what response I should expect, Chef Giovanni created the menu and met me to discuss it, the room service people were always fully informed so I never had to explain myself and were proactive in thinking ahead to what I might need next, and the chefs and waiters created and delivered food that both tasted excellent and met my requirements (no mean feat!). They even prepared a lunch to take with me for my onward flight, so while other passengers suffered through the meal service, I could munch away on my much better picnic. (The Four Seasons' response to my request also compared very favourably to the distinct lack of response days later of the Grosvenor House, the supposedly second best hotel in Dubai ... )

The fitness centre was great - well equipped, particularly for a hotel of this size.

The interior design wasn't as stand-out and try-hard as at other hotels and based on pictures I'd seen I didn't expect to think much of it, but once I was there it looked very nice and felt comfortable - you come back to the hotel after a day out and it feels like home rather than a musuem.

The rooms were nice enough, the location was handy, but above all the service and atmosphere made this hotel a favourite. Having stayed in Singapore often enough to have run out of new things to do during visits, and having often in the past wished I could leave sooner (even when staying at hotels as good as the Ritz Carlton), I this time found myself wanting to stay longer as I enjoyed staying at this hotel so much. Can't recommend it enough.More