COURTESY OF RESORTS WORLD SENTOSA

Singapore might be a city of full of shiny malls and offices of glass and steel, but many people, especially foreigners, may not know that the city-state has a small tropical rainforest on Sentosa Island, a paradise for tourists.

The Resorts World Sentosa (RWS), Asia’s premium lifestyle destination on Sentosa Island, has all top tourist attractions, including Universal Studios Singapore, the S.E.A. Aquarium, Dolphin Island, Adventure Cove Waterpark, Resorts World Theater and a big casino. RWS is wholly owned by Genting Singapore, a subsidiary of the Malaysia-based Genting Group.

Above all, RWS has six swanky hotels — Equarius Hotel, Beach Villas, Hard Rock Hotel Singapore, Crockfords Tower, Festive Hotel and Hotel Michael — all with modern facilities in the resort.

The RWS recently invited a group of Indonesian journalists, including from The Jakarta Post, to visit all the tourist attractions in its resort and have a mouth-watering Michelin trail experience.

We stayed at the Equarius Hotel, a jewel among the six hotels, for two nights. It was an amazing and unforgettable experience at this award-winning hotel. It was like a juxtaposition of the old and the modern.

Opened in 2012, the 183-room hotel has many attractions and facilities.

“Equarius is an idyllic getaway for nature lovers or couples looking for a tranquil resort stay. In fact, many people like it because of its location and spacious rooms,” Amanda Tan Hui Lin, RWS’s senior executive resort marketing said.

The eight-story hotel, which has spacious deluxe gardens, pool access and suites, is unique in the sense that every room either has a balcony or garden. We can take in waterfront views or the views of Mount Imbiah’s foothills and the rainforest.

The Equarius and the Beach Villas were designed by Australian boutique interior design firm Dianna Simpson Design and a Singaporean firm, Dpd + Pte Ltd.

A quick look at the hotel room after check-in revealed that the room was spacious, with a large glass panel to usher in natural daylight. With a higher than average ceiling, the room looked like bigger and freer. From the window, I saw the beautiful view of the rainforest. It was a green hotel. Can you imagine that you can stay in a forest while visiting the most modern Singapore?

I was surprised to see a big basket of tropical fruits, which later I was told was complimentary for every guest. There were also many complimentary bottles of drinking water in the room.

Not only the room, even the bathroom was spacious and provided with magazines and a built-in television so the guests won’t miss their favorite TV shows. The bathroom has three parts: a bathtub, a separate shower room and a toilet.

Every room is provided with internet connectivity (which is expensive), an LCD TV, mini bar, in-room entertainment, magazines and giant luxurious bed. There is also a gym, swimming pool and a bar at the hotel.

The service was good, starting from the check-in to check-out, as everything was taken care of by the friendly staff.

All the important attractions are located very close to the hotel. The RWS provides a free shuttle every 15 minutes to reach the other five hotels and a shopping complex. In the night, there was a free golf cart service that takes you to your hotel from either the casino or the restaurants within the resort.

Singapore’s largest luxurious spa ESPA is just located right beside the Equarius for you to enjoy an exciting luxury for mind, body and soul.

What about breakfast, lunch and dinner?

Guests can have their breakfast at the Forest. Don’t be confused, Forest is name of the Chinese restaurant, which is located inside the hotel and has famous chef Sam Leong at the helm. My favorite dish in this restaurant was nasi lemak. It was a unique dining experience at the Forest.

Nearby, besides Forest, there are many top restaurants, including the famous Michelin-starred Joel Robuchon Restaurant, L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, the Curate and the Osia Steak and Seafood Grill.

I saw many Indonesian guests in the Equarius lobby, as well as at the Forest during breakfast.

“My family, especially my children, likes this hotel very much. It is very close to the Universal Studios, Dolphin Island, S.E.A. Aquarium and other attractions. It’s a good hotel. There is no need to go to the city because everything is available here,” Sudin Hartanto, an Indonesian guest at the Equarius, told the Post.

“Staying at Equarius and visiting attractions on Sentosa are pricey, but they are world class. Really worth it,” Sudin said.

When asked about the presence of Indonesian tourists at the resort, one of the RWS’s executives said that Indonesians were their biggest customers, along with Chinese people and Indians.

“Indonesia is one of our biggest markets. Many Indonesians love our facilities. We have been promoting our resort in Indonesia in a big way. We have an office in Jakarta and an Indonesian language website,” RWS’s director for resort marketing Alan Lee told the Post in Singapore.

Lee was right. Last year 2. 73 million Indonesians visited Singapore. According to the Singapore Tourism Board, in the first six months of 2016, almost 2 million Indonesians visited the city-state. It is estimated that more than 50 percent of Indonesians visiting Singapore would visit RWS’s facilities and stay at the hotels.

Built on 49 hectares of land for a cost of S$7 billion, the RWS, one of the most expensive buildings on the planet, has so far attracted more than 100 million visitors from all over the world since its soft opening in 2010.

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