Capella marries European elegance with an idyllic island setting.[Photo provided to Shanghai Star]

Breakfast with peacocks: Capella Hotel

This is a hotel that combines island resort living with European-style hospitality. Its scenic location and quiet locality makes it a favorite venue for small elegant weddings, and you may find yourself invited to dance with the bride and groom

Certainly, you will be having breakfast with the brood of peacocks wandering freely on the grounds. In fact, these beautiful birds are part of the Sentosa island landscape, the descendants of prolific breeding pairs that used to roam the neighborhood golf courses.

Alost every room at Capella has a sea view, and you can look out at the reasons why Singapore is the world's busiest entrepot port. The rooms are large, and amenities are carefully chosen. They use organic soaps and shampoos sourced from Australia.

This hotel is a quiet retreat for those wanting sun, sea and sand as well as easy access to the Universal Theme Park on the island, and the integrated resorts near by. It is also a short drive away from Vivo City, a shopping and eating destination favored by both Singaporeans and visitors.

The only hurdle is access to the island itself from mainland Singapore, and you have to show your bookings at the tollgate gantries, or be charged a fee per entry.

Capella Hotel

1, The Knolls, Sentosa.

Quiet retreat, and a sanctuary for those after a comfortable rest stop. Easy access to Sentosa's tourist attractions, and shopping at Vivo City.

Average cost:Rooms are not cheap, and range from S$600 upwards, or about 3,000 yuan per night, inclusive of breakfast for two, when you get to feed croissant crumbs to the peacocks.