Amara Sanctuary

[h2hm2m]

Hi Faith,
I've booked w the Sanctuary in May before the wedding show. Can't remember wat's exactly in my contract cos it's w my FH. But if din rem wrongly, w a min. of 32 tables, u need to top up another 300plus plus for e villa base on e current rack rates. If not, u'll hv to book 35 or more tables to get the upgrade.

Angie,
So did u receive my email?Hope you manage to get Irene in e end

Btw, my solemnisation (at glass pavillion) n dinner will be on 20sep 2009. Wat abt ur?

 

[faithz17]

hi happy, i've ROMed long long time ago in 06... the glass pavilion is an interesting concept lah, but it wld be much nicer if instead of being surrounded by buildings, they built it near the edge overlooking some sea view... that would really be super romantic and ideal esp for pictures...

the staff tt brought me around said that the one bedroom villa rack rates was like $2000 on weekday and $2500 on weekend... but i saw this other person's contract that they have option to upgrade from suite to villa at $400... but then again their per table price is like $1128 or something...

Hi Kath, ahhh so you're the one who took 20 Sep 09... i was also looking at 20 Sep 09 but realised that it's a super popular and peak date for weddings then like a lot of things like hotel, MUA, PG, VG, all will either be fully booked or will have surcharge... then guests also might have to 'pao chang' like attend halfway then need to go another wedding... so in the end we gave up tt date and decided to go with our anniversary which is more meaningful to us... but it is a really nice date and supposed to be very auspicious also...

anyway i also haven't paid my deposit, so will be going down another time to sort everything out with Irene... how much is a second night in the villa ah?? cos thinking whether to stay one more night...

did anyone also manage to get full waiver of corkage??

 

[sassylass]

Hey Faithz17,

I already paid my deposit and confirm with them. Apparently they will not waive off the corkage for wine except hard liqour. During wedding show the corkage per bottle is $25++ so will be $29.40nett. Usual is $40nett. But can discuss for a lump sum for corkage. But still its expensive.

Hey Angeline Tay,

I only have a friend who had attended a wedding there and she said the food not bad. But still its very individual. Will keep you posted after my food tasting.

 

[h2hm2m]

hehe...ya..we decided on the date beginning of the yr. abit kiasu. we noe its gonna be a popular date but we din see any fortune teller or read up almanac to decide on e date. we juz 'ham tam' simply bcos we like the date.So it's kinda lucky dat it turns out to be auspicious plus next day is PH.

As for the 'pao chang' problem, we din really tink abt it bcos we tot since we'll be inviting those who are really close to us n who'll love to celebrate the occasion w us, they will oso wanna stay thru the evening. So it's really abt 'who dat matters'.

In our contract we oso stated we r booking the villa for the 2nd nite n we'll be getting it at the rack rates they stated then (in may). I dun remember it was dat expensive then, maybe abt 1300++. But I wun be surprise if they raise the price..its e devil named inflation man.So if u r tinking of booking 2nd nite, better book fast before the price goes up any further.

As for corkage,wat we got was 1 bottle free for each table if I dun remember wrongly.Anyway, for those who went for e wedding show, may i check w ur,how much is their price per table now?

 

[sassylass]

Forgot to add for one also one per guarantee table. I think must hv min table too.

 

[h2hm2m]

The min. table to book the grand ballroom (2 ballrooms combined) is 32. tink if less than dat, they'll let u hv e smaller one. but they'll be letting out e other ballroom to other couples also.

 

[faithz17]

based on the package i got during wedding show, for 2008 to Apr 2009, chinese dinner, $888 for weekday, $1088 for weekend... for May - Dec 2009, $988 for weekday, $1168 for weekend... sunday - thurs considered weekday, fri and sat considered weekend... all prices nett...

how much are the old packages??

 

[h2hm2m]

Oh.so it's stil the same I guess. mine is on Sunday n it's $988nett per table.Guess the price wun deviate too much w/in a few mths also.Maybe the perks will differ in some ways.

 

[sassylass]

Hey actually it should be sunday till weekday 2008-May 2009 $888 for wedding show so $100 cheaper for min 25 tables

 

[sassylass]

Hey actually it should be sunday till weekday 2008-May 2009 $888 for wedding show so $100 cheaper for min 25 tables

 

[rachelt]

Attended the wedding show.. Fell in love with it almost immediately.. Loved the way the dishes were served.. Food is good too =)

Booked and paid deposit for mine too.. Ya, as per Irene, the 1-bdroom villa is $1,300++.. Contemplating if to upgrade but decided to downgrade to the Courtyard Suite for 2 nights instead of the Veranda for a night.. Hehe.. Villa pool too small la.. More for soaking =P

 

[faithz17]

rachelt when is your wedding date? weekday or weekend? late 2009?? can swop 1 night in veranda suite for 2 nights in courtyard suite??

did everyone managed to get irene? did anyone manage to sign up with the other guys that she trained? it seems like they more generous with their perks like car passes and all...

 

[patriciachan]

Hi all...
Went to the wedding show , booked and paid deposit too.
And any one knows when will they ring us again to discuss the other small details?
Didn't really talk much that day coz they were too busy...

 

[rachelt]

faithz17 --> mine's on 19 Dec 09, sat.. i took the premium package which wasnt in their package list.. and irene's told me i could have courtyard suite for 2 nights since it's a downgrade fm verandah.. i dont mind not hving the living room area as the jacuzzi in courtyard looks better to me =)

and no.. irene hasnt replied to my email.. n it's almost a week oredi.. very bad.. should at least response rather den keeping quiet lor.. not very pro lor..

oh.. ya.. i simply cant stand e emcee during the wedding show.. all e corny jokes.. wah faint

 

[faithz17]

wah... wat does the premium package include? how much is it per table? better food? yah agree with you prefer courtyard suite to verandah i like the jacuzzi too...

i'm not surprised she's not answering email... i called her asking when she can meet up, then she says she will not be working on weekends liao, so i try to take leave to meet up with her, but she can't even confirm the time and day... even when i want to meet her during office hours!! maybe i should start looking for other hotels man...

haha, i was already tuning out the emcee in my head... just concentrated on the food!

 

[rachelt]

I like the presentation of the food during the wedding show.. & was asking Irene for the same kinda presentation.. plus we wanted to do chinese with a touch of fusion.. so she suggested us taking the premium package.. it's $138nett per head max 250 pax as we're doing the long table layout..

wah!.. you serious ar!.. eh.. that's bad or.. how can leh.. now i'm worried liao.. paid deposit oredi leh.. hmm.. maybe i should write to the hotel gm lah.. i hate such service.. i used to work in four sesons hotel.. n this kinda service is bad la.. sigh.. she'll spoil e resort's reputation in no time la..

yaya.. wah lau.. i simply cant stand him.. especially during the fashion show when he commented "she is single".. my fiance n me were like "what!?!??!".. aiyor.. the man didnt get the event right in his head.. wahahhahaha..

 

[faithz17]

ooh yah indv plating takes a lot of effort and manpower in the kitchen... no wonder so exp...

well actually when they were introducing the mgmt, they look erm... less impressive than what i'd imagine the top mgmt wld look like... not sure if you complaining to the gm wld help matters... the bong person in this forum also wrote in, but they also never do anything... well if you still have ur own contacts in hotel maybe get them to help out for ur wedding lor... hahahaha...

yah at the point when the emcee said that, i was like well the men here in the ballroom AREN'T single!

 

[rachelt]

well.. if the mgmt isnt gonna so anything about it.. then really all the best to for the resort's future.. oh.. conrad's gonna start a resort right infront of them btw.. i was viewing the rooms when i notice a construction and asked about it.. they told me it's conrad's NEW resort coming up.. n the mgr who told me that "sigh".. BIG competition coming up for them la..

hahaahahha.. ya ya.. the emcee.. *slaps forehead*.. n guess what.. i saw a couple going up to him asking for his contacts! *faintz* =P

 

[rachelt]

oops.. it's ritz carlton.. not conrad.. hahaha..

 

[faithz17]

is it the capella? yah... was thinking about waiting to have it there also... but with opening dates always being delayed, who knows when it'll really be opened... not to mention the teething problems... anyway irene did sms me after all to tell me that she can't make it... so i told her to just send me the contract eventually... have you got your contract yet?? my wedding will be about 1 mth earlier than urs...

 

[rachelt]

wah.. she sms u oredi ar.. she still didnt reply my email leh.. n all i'm asking for is details of e package i signed up for.. think me gonna drop her another email..

oh.. any ladies attending any wedding at AS anytime soon?.. please share your experience..

 

[rachelt]

YAY! Irene finally replied my email.. *phew*

 

[faithz17]

so you managed to get your contract already? is it very long? supposed to be expecting my contract next week... haha...

 

[rachelt]

hi faithz17 --> no.. not yet.. she gave me my package info.. i replied her with all the stuff we've talked abt during the show.. now waiting for her to reply.. oso asked her when can i sign my contract.. scared ar.. btr get her to indicate everything agreed in the contract.. hehehe.. oh.. which BS did u sign up with??

 

[itgfe82]

Dear brides- to- be,

I just had my wedding dinner at amara in june...THe evening was beautiful and the food was AWESOME!my guests were all commenting on the food and the ambience.It is better than many 5 stARS HOTELs.It is definitely a memorable wedding and if given a choice again will still return to amara.


I took the villa for my bridal suite it was really spectacular and as there was a special promo so we did nt top up alot to enjoy the deal.

u will be given a choice to work with two florist n i had mine with red petals. i loved the deco n i did not even top up for any additional flowers.

the banquet manger and staff were very friendly n helpful too.on the nite itself i actually had some hiccups with the seating arrangement n i was fuming away seeing that the staff attended to me very quickly n offered me with ice water and initiated to solve my problem with my receptionist.

Hmmm some of the probs that u will encounter is firstly the parking the lots are definitely insuuficient and i was kind of upset that they actually block off some car park lots to do valet parking which cost my guests 10 bucks.secondly as hubby n i foresee the prob with their shuttle bus service we actually chartered our own bus so that we will not keep the guest waiting for too long and it really helps alot.also as they dun provide maps in their wedding cards i actually have to print out the maps for my guests.This is really impt as most of ur guests have not been there b4.

also i remembered on the nite itself they did not open the ballroom till very late n hence my reception area was really crowded with guests.abt 7 plus when i went in to take a look at the ballroom the captain was still briefing the staff which i thought they should hv done that long ago.


initially I was also quite disappointed with the choices of wedding favour i have. As i find the items are too commonly used in other weddings as well. i really wanted something that complement with the whole wedding.so we had to make a trip personally to the supplier and finally decided on bottles of strawberry jam n honey which are nicely tied up with coloured ribbons.But I had to liase with the supplier myself n nt through irene.And all these are only confirmed a few days b4 the dinner.

Last but not least, Hubby and i Love amara it is really awesome!

 

[h2hm2m]

Hi 'i wanna be happy',
Thanx for e confidence booster. I can't wait for my wedding now

 

[rachelt]

Hi i wanna be happy

Thanks for the updates! Will definitely make us all very very assured ; )

Cant wait for mine.. But another 1.5 years.......... Soooooooo long.. hehehe

 

[uiliz]

Hi all,can i just check with anyone who have signed up with amara during the wedding fair, have you gottn ur contracts or heard anything from them? I tried callin the guy who was coordinating for me and he MIA. NOw got an email sayin another guy will be taking over. Would like to know what is goin on, and if you paid using cheque, have u gotten and official receipt?

 

[rachelt]

Hi Angeline

I signed up during the fair.. N no, I've not received my contract.. Email Irene and have to wait for 2 weeks + for 1 reply.. Now still waiting for the reply to my 2nd email.. Almost 3 weeks already =( Sigh.. As for deposit, we paid by credit card and got the receipt on the spot..

 

[h2hm2m]

Hi Ladies,
I signed up in May with Irene and has gotten my contract and receipt. Similarly, I received an email from this guy Rayston who informed that he'll be taking over my portfolio. Initially I thought perhaps Irene has resigned so was abit disappointed. Anyway, I replied to his mail and within minutes, he replied to my email and I realised that Irene is still around and they have more wedding planners now, which is a good thing for us. And they are just splitting the workload.Anyway, let's hope situation will improve now that they have more staff.Dun worry too much....and prepare to be a happy n beautiful bride

 

[uiliz]

hi all, jus a reminder to check your wedding date on the contract.that's e foremost important thing.cos i jus received the contract and it's e second time they made the mistake and i think it's really ridiculous to make that sort of mistake.

 

[faithz17]

finally went down to amara and settled the contract today... finally... a load off my mind...

mine is in Nov 09... so still wait long long also...

 

[patriciachan]

hi faith17,
what day is ur wedding in nov 2009?
my will be in nov too...
Nov seem very popular month for wedding ya...

 

[faithz17]

nov and dec are always the hotest months for wedding... mine is 26 Nov... my anniversary date... 27 also holiday so it's eve of public holiday at least my guests dun have to work the next day...

 

[rachelt]

hi gals.. finally received a copy of my contract.. but weird thing is.. Irene said will send over by post and dont have to go over to the resort.. my fiance feels that it's kinda insincere.. like how come dont bother to meet us or what.. somemore such a big committment..

faithz17.. u went down to look through your contract and sign ar?

 

[faithz17]

yup... actually it's more of i happen to be going down tt day and she happens to be working tt day so then we just meet up lor... but she owe me contract since the wedding show tt day liao... about 1 and half months... ok lah, at least most of the major details were correct... just requested to put in a few more things tt she promised us into the contract... like make sure the wine price is fixed... just in case maybe by next year they review the wine prices and decide to increase a lot so better get her to commit the price first...

i think maybe she knows they are in sentosa so quite far so offer to send you by post to save you a trip lah... but she isn't working on a lot of weekends this mth, lunar mth mah shouldn't have a lot of weddings... so maybe tt's why also... not fair to expect her to go all the way back to work on weekend just to meet you also right? if you want, wait till Sep i'm sure she'll work on more weekends then...

 

[uiliz]

hi babes, anyone knows how do the guests get in for free? With the invite? If its the invite, is it 1 invite irregardless of how many pax in the car?

 

[tipsybride]

1guest per invite i believe

 

[rachelt]

faithz17 - Yay! me gonna meet her next Tue evening for the contract signing.. happy~~~~

uiliz - good qns.. me gonna ask her next week and will let you ladies know after that ya.. hehe..

 

[faithz17]

i think i ask before... just flash the cards and the whole group can go in... after all invite cards you send by per family or couple, not one by one mah...

 

[h2hm2m]

Ladies,i think the invitation will entitle free entry for all guests on the public transport eg. shutle bus or cabs, but not for cars. With your contract, it'll be stated how many percent of the invited guests will get free car passes(to be negotiated). The rest of the cars will have to pay for entry.

 

[chouchouchboogie]

Hi just want to say that Amara Sanctuary is rather over-hyped. Do request to see their suites first before you book - I was disappointed after viewing their rooms. Their courtyard suites offer little privacy in the jacuzzi area. Rumours has it that other guests have peeped at ppl showering in their outdoor showers. Their verandah suites are like what other hotels can offer. Their villas are well not worth the price for a one-night post-wedding dinner stay. All in all, don't get your hopes up about the place lest you get really disappointed...

 

[agie]

hi.. mi and my hubby are interested in their packages.. does anyone of u hv their 2009 packages? can send to [email protected]?

many many thanks in advance!

 

[rachelt]

faithz17 -- u getting the tiered cake? me asked for cup cakes quote.. super x.. think get fm outside vendors cheaper.. wonder if can order fm outside anot..

 

[faithz17]

erm... is amara sanctuary overhyped? i thought they are still in the midst of trying to repair their reputation... i signed up cos i liked the ballroom... the suites are not too bad, but the villa is really nice... and actually have a friend who worked there before, it's true that from the verandah suites especially can see those people who shower outdoors... actually their suites, as a resort hotel, are pretty decent... and generally i find resort hotel rooms much nicer than city hotel rooms... anyway it's not that bad...

rachelt... nah dun really care about the cake... ;p hahaha... as long got something to cut can already... i do have some contacts i think... will go dig them out...

 

[rachelt]

signed the contract last night.. very happy la.. n Irene's nice to clarify some of the stuff i needa find out for my AD.. oh.. i've oso raised concerns on Shutch's post.. n was happy with her explanations..

courtyard suite - i agree the "shower area" is only meant for rinsing before and after the use of jacuzzi.. i remember seeing the "shower area" as not so closed & protected.. n will definitely not shower out there la.. anyway inside oso have proper shower area ma.. n i definitely wont be using the jacuzzi NUDE oso lor.. so doesnt reali bother me as long as security is good..

verandah suits - i agree not such bigga deal.. but the toilet's nice tho.. with e nice vintage looking bathtub.. haa..

villa - ok ma.. will defintely not get that in city hotels lor.. but i agree it's pricey but what to do.. hotels and resorts in SGP is nvr cheap anyways..

ok.. that's my point of view la.. and to each his/her own la.. i'm happy with what i see and the explanations given.. so i'm cool la.. hehe..

faithz17.. ya ya.. can you please gime the contacts?.. fiance n me dont wan the usual tier cake.. abit bored with it liao.. wanted to do something different.. so our whole banquet wont be the usual ones la.. hehe.. oh.. my email.. [email protected].. TIA!! =)

 

[chouchouchboogie]

I guess for me it was a combination of the venue + poor service... Rayston's service was just not personable, unlike the city hotels we checked out. Venue very quickly became outshone too then- I mean the bridal suites in city hotels have the same facilities as amara's villas - minus the personal jacuzzi but to me the living room space & extra bathroom are more impt for my helpers - without having to pay any topup!

But yea to each his/her own. Now that the big headache of venue is settled, just focus on the rest of the process... All the best to you brides!

 

[rachelt]

hi shutch.. yeh.. i kinda agree city hotels gives free day room for helpers.. hmm.. i hvnt reali thot of that!.. hahaha.. blurz.. but nmind la.. i'll be doing my whole ceremony in AS n wont be hving the usual earli morn open door thingy.. ya.. 99% wont do it unless fiance's mum nag at us non-stop.. but i think e 1% hard to achieve la.. hahahaha.. btw.. when's ur AD?..

 

[greaselightning]

I shld seriously say Amara sucks big time. Got so many "Good" review from friends and even experience it myself when i was with a friend there for enquiries. said will revert back then no news till have to chase. best part, i have friends who worked there and i heard from so many they hardly have any functions there but then the person whom spoke with my friend told us oh we have done more than 150 weddings. haha.. so funny. i almost wanted to ask if its for the 7th month kinda wedding for the spirits.

 

[yoghurtlover]

grease lightning> I agreed with you that Amara has high turnover and i heard this a friend's friend too. People come and go there due to the incapability of the management. I went there sometime in June to attend a friend's mini birthday party at one of the rooms, i think they call it villa or something. OMG, the room was dirty and the pool was filled with leaves like it's been vacant for ages. My friend called for assistance, it took them ages to come clear up. I think the owner so do something about the top management. Been hearing alot of negative vibes from friends and peers.

God bless amara.