Check it out: Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa

Boasting the largest Sofitel spa in the world, this Singapore hotel hits the spot for pampering.

The swimming pool at the Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort and Spa.

After opening a design-driven downtown hotel in Singapore last year, Sofitel has redeveloped the Beaufort resort on Sentosa Island to feature an enormous day spa and urbane interiors and landscaping inspired by the Luxembourg Gardens in Paris.

The $40 million makeover began 18 months ago and is all but complete, with the hotel’s famous The Cliff restaurant the final component, scheduled for completion in January in time for the official relaunch.

The Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa claims a prime position, sprawling across 11ha of forest and gardens with peacocks on the prowl, overlooking the South China Sea with easy access to Tanjong Beach.

Interiors by Beatrice Martinet of Toineinbangkok alongside Pierre Maciag and Jordane Nguyen of M.A. X Studio bring Sofitel’s signature French flair to the tropical surrounds, with open verandas, whirling ceiling fans and pots of orchids sitting alongside chic public areas and 211 rooms and suites with timber floors, pastel-hued rugs and residential vibe. There are also four luxury villas each with a garden terrace and private pool and access to the spa garden.

The hotel’s SoSPA is housed in a heritage building on the grounds and is the largest Sofitel spa in the world, with 14 indoor treatment rooms, six outdoor spa pavilions, and indoor and outdoor gardens with float and mud pools, a fitness centre, sauna and hammam.

DON’T MISS: A dip in the spa’s mud pool filled with New Zealand’s mineral-rich finest.

DINING IN: Executive chef Eric Crochetiere oversees three restaurants including the healthy eating spa outlet The Garden and soon-to-debut The Cliff. At Kwee Zeen, where alfresco tables are set amid lush greenery overlooking the sea, a “Magnifique Sunday Champagne Brunch”, with French bubbles and 16 “ateliers’’ including live seafood, a foie gras “gallery” and handmade chocolates, costs from $57. Otherwise try the corn-crusted salmon or indulgent chocolate royaltine, or have afternoon tea in LeBar.

DINING OUT: Drop by the Tanjong Beach Club, perched on the sand, for a plate of barbecued tiger prawns or pop over to Quayside Isle at Sentosa Cove, where you’ll find several restaurants overlooking the marina.

ASK THE CONCIERGE: How about a morning jog along Tanjong Beach (directly accessible from the hotel) where bird song and ocean breezes will clear the cobwebs; or perhaps an afternoon in the spa gardens, which features a women’s-only section.

CHECKING IN: Super advance saver rates from SGD376++ ($370). More: sofitel.com.

ALSO TRY: Sheraton Mirage Resort & Spa Gold Coast; Sofitel Moorea Ia Ora Beach Resort.

ACCOMMODATION BUZZ:

• A “glamping’’ hotel will pop up at Adams Beach on Queensland’s North Stradbroke Island from December 14 to January 31; the fully furnished tents will feature real beds, Armadillo rugs, deck chairs, solar lighting and quality linens; there will also be a pop-up cafe

• Next June, the Art Series Hotel Group makes its debut in Queensland with a $155 million, 85-room hotel dedicated to master colourist Michael Johnson in Brisbane’s inner-city Spring Hill

• Sheraton has announced plans for a 160-room hotel for Adelaide, parent company Starwood’s second signing for the city in a year; the new hotel will form part of a mixed-use residential and retail complex on a long-vacant site in affluent North Adelaide

• Mandarin Oriental adds Boca Raton, Florida, to its stable in 2017 with the opening of a 158-room hotel, and adjoining residential complex, with rooftop restaurant and terrace

• London’s Dorchester decks its lobby as an ornate gingerbread house for Christmas; special festive family packages, from £480 ($1026), include a free room (and gifts) for children, champagne for parents and full English breakfast for the whole family (available December 14 to January 10).