This adults-only retreat in Singapore offers cozy contemporary rooms, a lively rooftop pool bar and restaurant, and a roster of fun-filled workshops and guided workouts.
Embarking on a brief weekend getaway at Singapore’s adults-only Outpost Hotel Sentosa was an enticing prospect that left my teenagers intrigued. Neither of them had reached the requisite age of 16, so my partner and I left them in the care of our housekeeper and drove across the causeway to Sentosa for a one-night Outpost Xperience.
Located just a stone’s throw from the Sentosa Gateway and Imbiah station, The Outpost Hotel Sentosa has 193 rooms and forms part of a cluster of properties run by Far East Hospitality, including the wellness-centric Oasia Resort Sentosa, family-oriented Village Hotel Sentosa, and The Barracks Hotel for history buffs with an eye for bespoke luxury. I was immediately taken with the contemporary aesthetics and the view of the Singapore Strait upon stepping into the elegant third-floor lobby. The front desk provided us with breakfast options at the poolside restaurant Sol & Ora, insider tips for exploring the island, and details about the exciting activities we had pre-booked for the Outpost Xperience.
As a tea enthusiast, my partner couldn’t contain his excitement over the Palawan Dawn welcome mocktail, a refreshing blend of pineapple juice, grapefruit syrup, and a tea infusion that had been steeped for eight hours. It came served in Insta-worthy copper pineapple mugs; understandably, plenty of previous guests have purchased them as souvenirs. We also got to customize our own complimentary minibar, choosing from a selection of premium snacks and drinks, including two small bottles of soy-based wine by Sachi, a sustainable local brewer.
Compact as it was, our 24-square-meter Deluxe Room had a serene ambience, with modern black furnishings, rose-gold chrome accents, and floor-to-ceiling windows framing views of nearby Siloso Beach and the lush green surroundings. The sleek contemporary design incorporates a moveable screen that separates the sleeping area from the sink and corridor, hiding any untidiness in the vanity area. Quenching your thirst is easy, as there’s a premium filtered water tap, Nespresso coffee machine, and sachets of bespoke heritage tea blends courtesy of Pryce Tea. Plush fleece-lined bathrobes and toiletries by Australian beauty brand Appelles Apothecary & Lab added a touch of luxury in the bathroom, which featured a rain shower and a Japanese Toto electronic washlet.
Booking an Outpost Xperience means you’ll get to sign up for various activities, such as soy-based cocktail making master classes with Sachi and oyster shucking workshops. Eager to try new things, we joined the former to create our own light, antioxidant-rich, vegan drinks using different ingredients. The result? Low-alcohol and low-calorie tipples that were big on flavor but totally guilt free.
All guests of the hotel enjoy exclusive access to the rooftop pool and day club at 1-Altitude Coast, which hosts themed parties on weekends. Bathed in the golden rays of the late afternoon sun, the vibrant alfresco bar/day club is just the place for dancing and socializing well into the night. From this vantage point, we enjoyed an elevated view of the fireworks from Sentosa’s Wings of Time show, which light up the sky at 8 and 9 p.m. on a daily basis.
My partner and I opted for a romantic dinner at Sol & Ora, washing down our hearty Latin-Mediterranean dishes with chardonnay while watching the bustling kitchen prepare platters of food for the partygoers. Next up was a postprandial stroll to the nearby Mess Hall. Formerly a military recreational club dating to 1904, the heritage building has found new life as a home for restaurants offering traditional Eurasian food, Indian fare, and French bistro favorites. Determined to be fresh for our complimentary yoga class the next morning (other fitness-centric activities like street dancing are offered depending on the date), we decided to retire early to bed.
So it was that I found myself shuffling to the lobby of the adjoining Village Hotel Sentosa at 8 a.m. to reach the Pool Deck and Bar. As we settled onto our yoga mats, a breathtaking view of the sea and a gentle sea breeze embraced us, a reward for having made it to this morning. Unsurprisingly, we were the only couple there—the other guests must have been sleeping in after last night’s rooftop party! Our experienced instructor took us through warm-up stretches before some easy-to-accomplish couple yoga poses suitable for beginners.
After the invigorating yoga session, we had the option to cool down with a dip in one of the four pools at Village Hotel Sentosa or continue our workout in the gym. However, my partner and I opted for a sumptuous breakfast back at Sol & Ora instead. We relished the oven-baked shakshuka—a hearty combination of tomato sauce, onions, onsen eggs, feta and mozzarella cheese, served with toasted sourdough—and devoured a plateful of Indonesian nasi campur. Centered on a mound of steamed white rice, the latter featured chicken satay, a sunny-side-up egg, fish otah, pickled vegetables, ikan bilis, and chili sambal for a truly satisfying smorgasbord of flavors.
The remainder of our stay was spent in the rooftop pool, savoring its relative peacefulness before the Sunday party commenced. As a fitting conclusion to the Outpost Xperience, we ventured to Skypark Sentosa by AJ Hackett to brave the world’s only giant double swing of its kind. Adrenalin coursed through our veins as we were propelled to a height of 45 meters at an exhilarating speed of 120 kilometers per hour. Screaming with both fear and exhilaration, the two of us marveled at the panoramic views of the beach and the Singapore Strait spread out below. Once the kids have grown up and hit their late teens, perhaps we will bring them along.
