The Barracks Hotel at Sentosa

The Barracks Hotel at Sentosa

The Barracks Hotel at Sentosa occupies two colonial buildings raised in 1904 as a British artillery outpost, and the history still shows: dark wood grains, brass and leather furnishings, and white marble bathrooms with a free-standing tub in every room. Forty rooms spread across just two floors is an unusual count for Sentosa, an island better known for sprawling resort towers, and it keeps the corridors quiet and the pool, open from 7am to 9pm, from ever feeling crowded. The Living Room does double duty as breakfast room and all-day lounge, pouring refreshments, cocktails and canapes through the afternoon, complimentary for two adults per room, which suits guests who would rather not leave the grounds to eat. Universal Studios Singapore, Palawan Beach and Siloso Beach are all nearby, close enough to walk to, so both families with older children and couples chasing sand without a taxi ride find their footing here. One child aged 12 or under stays free in the parent's room on existing bedding; an extra bed runs 251.80 SGD a night, and a 50 SGD daily deposit is taken at check-in. Pets are not permitted. Its scale, forty rooms on two floors, keeps the place feeling boutique rather than corporate, even though there is a conference hall on site for meetings that need one. Check-in is from 3pm, check-out by noon, both available contactless, and the hotel also holds GSTC sustainability certification. What the Barracks has that its Sentosa neighbours mostly do not is history you can touch: this is the one address on the island that was a fort before it became a hotel, and it has kept the walls to prove it. Two 1904 artillery buildings turned into forty rooms across two floors, walking distance from Palawan and Siloso beaches, with marble bathrooms and a Living Room that pours cocktails all afternoon. It's the one hotel on Sentosa that was a fort before it was a hotel.