RELIVING HISTORY

Take a trip down memory lane with The Barracks Hotel, which offers its guests an exclusive experience that will take them through the storied past of Sentosa and beyonds

- ANTON D. JAVIER

Sentosa prides itself as Singapore’s “state of fun” — and they’re not wrong. In the land-scarce city-state, the 4.71km2 island is where most residents go for a quick getaway given the number of attractions packed within it — Universal Studios, beaches, walking trails, restaurants, watersports centers, and luxury hotels. In addition to that, it’s also the playground to some of the world’s wealthiest, where their lavish holiday homes and luxury yachts are parked.

However, this wasn’t always the case. With all the lifestyle destinations and activities to indulge in at Sentosa, it’s easy to forget its less than “fun” past. Before taking on its current name, which means “tranquility” in Malay, it went by something more ominous: Pulau Blakang Mati or “island behind death”.

Despite having visited Sentosa countless of times and being somewhat familiar with its dark history, it was a weekend stay at The Barracks Hotel Sentosa that gave me a more in-depth understanding of what went on in the island all those years ago. In fact, the luxury hotel served as the perfect window to the island’s storied past because it occupies a conserved colonial building built in 1904, which was once used by the British Army.