Review: I stayed at the Capella Singapore resort where Trump will meet Kim - and this is what it's like
Luxurious Capella hotel, set in restored colonial buildings dating from 1880s on city state’s Sentosa Island, is the ideal place if you want to ‘shut out the world’
So, it’s finally confirmed that the on-again-off-again summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore will finally happen at Sentosa Island’s Capella hotel – and there’s probably no better place for it in the city state for such a historic occasion.
The exclusive island is home to some of the country’s richest citizens and some ultra-luxury hotels and is accessible only from the main island by a single causeway.
Anyone entering or leaving the hotel areas has to pass through security checks even before this summit was announced.
On the day I arrived on a recent visit to the Capella hotel – which opened in 2009 and forms part of the luxurious Capella Singapore resort and spa – our private car was put through a rigorous check of names and other details before we were allowed to pull up into the hotel grounds.
The first glimpse of the low-rise building with shuttered windows is a strong reminder of the country’s colonial past.
As the car swept to the front, it was almost like driving up to the porch of Hong Kong’s Government House.
We were met by staff smartly dressed in white colonial garb, another reminder of the island’s history, and ushered into a cosy reception area with warm lights and upholstered chairs and sofas which gave it a homely feel. Check-in was fast and efficient.