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Inside the luxury hotel where Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un will meet

It has been announced that the historic meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong-un scheduled for later this month will take place at the five-star Capella Hotel Singaporean island of Sentosa. It will be the first time that a North Korean leader has met with a sitting US president. Sentosa is one of 63 islands that make up Singapore, but has a somewhat dark history. Despite being home to luxury resorts, private marinas and pristine golf courses, it has a very violent piracy reputation and was the site of a massacre during World War II. It also hosted a prisoner-of-war camp. The island took on the name Sentosa, meaning “peace and tranquillity”, when it was re-imagined into a tourism site by the Singaporean government in the 1970s. Even then it had a somewhat chequered development with the Singapore cable car disaster and the controversial Fantasy Island multi-million dollar water park which received a lot of media attention due to its safety record. Today, though, the island looks set to host one of the most historic events of the modern era. It is a prime location for the meeting of the two leaders since it is a location that is easy to secure, with the only access from the mainland being a cable car, a monorail, a pedestrian causeway and a vehicle tunnel. The hotel has 112 rooms, suites, villas and manors, so that guests are “assured a personalized experience amidst the 30 acres of beautifully landscaped surroundings”. Throughout the hotel, touches of Asia are infused with contemporary design, giving this urban island resort its own unique character. Each of the villas and manors comes with a private plunge pool, and outdoor showers and bathtubs. The hotel has four specialty dining outlets including a refreshing Mediterranean gourmet experience at The Knolls, a modern Cantonese restaurant named Cassia, Bob’s Bar which is reminiscent of the Cuban island bars in the 1950s and 60s, and the Chef’s Table at Capella Singapore which offers luxurious and private dining. Sentosa is also home to three Michelin star restaurants: the 3 Michelin star Joël Robuchon (French contemporary), the two-star L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon (also French contemporary), and the one-star Osia restaurant (Australian). And if Donald or Kim choose to take a break from their meetings, the award-winning Auriga spa at Capella Singapore is focused on health and wellness, using natural and organic products, unique treatment offerings and specialised programs administered by a professional team of highly trained staff. Furthermore, Sentosa Golf Club is home to not one, but two of the most scenic yet challenging golf courses in the region – Serapong and Tanjong, each boasting 18 holes. In particular, the Serapong course is a jewel as it is the home of the Barclays Open, won this year by Spain‘s Sergio Garcia. Whether Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un will play a round of golf is not yet known but, if the North Korean leader’s golfing ability is anything like his father’s (Kim Jong-il allegedly once carded a rather hard to believe 38 under par, 34 at the 7,700-yard Pyongyang Golf Course), then it will surely be no contest.

Paul Johnson

Paul Johnson is Editor of A Luxury Travel Blog and has worked in the travel industry for more than 30 years. He is Winner of the Innovations in Travel ‘Best Travel Influencer’ Award from WIRED magazine. In addition to other awards, the blog has also been voted “one of the world’s best travel blogs” and “best for luxury” by The Daily Telegraph.

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3 Comments

  1. Gorgeous place. Interesting history on the island too. In some ways fitting for 2 world leaders who are learning to work together, for the good of the world.

  2. How interesting the history is it is good that they have turned something so negative into something so stunning. I hope they still honour and remember the history and those peoples lives though how sad. A beautiful place and the bath with a view is amazing. Seems very fitting for a place for two very controversy people to meet that is for sure.

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