Over the past weekend I had the fortune to attend the finale evening of the  wonderful Jazz by the beach on Friday evening at lovely Coastes, and Weddings by the sea by Shangri-la Rasa Sentosa. 


Coastes is a laid-back club & restaurant with a lovely outdoor dining area that’s set along siloso beach, just a short 5 minutes away from the Monorail station. 

For the month of March they’ve had Jazz Fridays in which they invite jazz artistes to perform in the evenings. I was fortunate to be able to win a draw held by honeycombers Singapore to win a bucket of Heineken and a plate of nibbles for Jazz by the beach. 

entrance to Coastes 


We arrived around 820pm on friday and the place was already packed with people! Was glad we made a reservation, that got us seat right by the front stage, slightly towards the left.


view from our bench, QP with the coastes menu

 Q with the menu

In line with their casual outlook, there is no dress code for coastes- swimwear or shorts/slippers are allowed, so you could come here for a drink after your morning/evening swim/tan! There way one orders food/drinks is also rather casual- diners need to head to the cashier counter to order, after which the service staff would serve you your order at your table. 

studying the menu while queuing to order 

 salad and kitchen area

Their kitchen has a semi-open concept where diners can look into the food preparation area to see how the staff are cooking the food. 
In terms of dining areas there are both indoor (sheltered, on wooden flooring) and outdoor options (benches/tables set in the sand. The area near the entrance is also decorated with pretty strings of lights that make a nice touch in the evenings.

After ordering our food  

One of the things I really appreciate about coastes is that they are really generous with their serving portions. We ordered 2 sides – 1 order of wedges ($9-10  approx) and 1 order of wings (small), and when they arrived our jaws dropped! The basket/bowl was practically overflowing with wedges! With prices comparable to that of standard pubs/bars, but serving portions easily 2-3 times the usual, it left us very impressed.

 enormous serving of wedges 


The complimentary plate of mixed nibbles that was served shortly after made us even more shocked- with a generous amount of fries, calamari, wings/drumlets and fried fish, it was hardly nibbles! 



The drinks however, were less impressive. Instead of the bucket of free Heineken, we opted to get an equivalent serving of non-alcoholic drinks instead as we aren't huge drinkers and also the bf was driving so he couldn't drink either. We had the peach and passionfruit smoothies/mixes and though they looked promising when they arrived, they were far too sweet, especially the peach one. None of us could finish the drink, opting to drink the free flow plain water instead. 


 The band playing that night (Steve McQueens) had a female lead singer whose voice sounded similar to that of Duffy’s – very nazel but a seasoned kind of loud, jazzy voice. They sang various pieces, including a couple from their own EP, which sounded great. The volume of the music however, was really much too loud- at one point blaring through our ears! We were really relieved when the band took a break in between the sets. The last set was less loud and more of a slow-tempo toned-down kind of jazz, which suited the beach setting and we really liked.

 stuffed!

 dining area

bf and i 

 customary instagram shot of the night 

 pigging out on ice cream! :)

Overall though the type of jazz played that night didn't quite appeal to all of us, we loved the ambiance, food and service we received at Coastes, and wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to our friends, or to return soon. As Coastes is also open in the morning, the bf and I would love to return to see what it’s like in the mornings- it would have probably a more lazy and quiet atmosphere, perfect for brunch after a leisurely morning swim/tan!

 happy at Coastes

On Saturday the bf and I headed over to sentosa again, this time for a wedding show called ‘Weddings by the sea’, which was organized and hosted by Style Singapore, Shangri-la rasa sentosa and laura mercier.


Upon arrival, we were each given a string of seashell necklaces as a welcome gift, then ushered to the registration table to provide our particular and collect our door gift and also receive the schedule of planned events for the day, as well as the package and price list for holding weddings at Rasa Shangri-la. The seashell necklace was a pleasant surprise and went really well with my white lace sundress from Hervelvetvase!


reception area 


us with our shell necklaces :) 

After registering, we walked around the lounge area within Atmosphere by the sea. With ceiling to floor glass panels that allow the guests enjoy unobstructed sea view, we could see how some would consider this the for a sunset solemnization ceremony or an outdoor dinner by the waterfront, especially  for couples looking for an alternative to the conventional hotel ballroom wedding.

 inside atmosphere by the sea

The cocktail reception and canapes that welcomed us was lovely; we were given 2 different types of their signature drinks, with a colour theme to suit the beach setting, that was served in dainty looking wine glasses decorated with a cute bow! The canapés consisted of salmon, scallop, prawn and other assortment of ingredients presented in a very visually pleasing manner, and were delectable.



cute drinks and lovely seaside themed decoration 

 yummy canapes 

Aside from the canapés, there was also an assortment of different pastries such as meringues, macaroons, lolli-brownies and cookies for guests to enjoy, and a model wedding cake for reference. As it was rather early, we headed outdoors to escape the crowds that were coming in. There were various beach benches, chairs and couches for guests to relax and unwind on. 

yummy heart biscuits, macaroons, lolli-brownies

Model wedding cake

relaxing on the couch outdoors 

 :)

 the lovely shell necklace and my dress :)
The bf and I really loved the small touches the hotel management put in – things such as a small glass of baby’s breath flowers; pure white chairs for the example outdoor solemnization/wedding ceremony; the pink flower petals that adorned the ‘aisle’ along the chairs. 

really pretty baby's breath 


 outdoor venue for the bridal show later 

 sample venue for outdoor solemnization/wedding 

lovely details and chairs 

Aside from this, in the indoor area, there was a small section where they had laid out 3 tables with different banquet decorations/styles for couples to view. The bf and I really liked the western/white themed one, with roses that decorated the table and the same white chairs that they had used for the outdoor ceremony. 

table setting for outdoor dining 

lovely roses and candle

 bf and i 

After a rather mundane talk on Fengshui, we were invited outdoors for the outdoor/beach bridal show. 

Various different styles of gowns suitable for an outdoor wedding were showcased- with majority cream or white colours, with intricate lace detailing, or special touches such as a cape-like train. The bf didn’t quite like the one with the train flowing from the back of the shoulders as it seemed rather impractical since the model had to keep arranging it backwards to avoid it from getting in her way.




 Following the end of the outdoor bridal show, we were ushered indoors upstairs to their ballroom area, and shown a short presentation on the seating capacity and capabilities of the ballroom dining area. After that, there was a short makeup demonstration by Laura Mercier, providing us some tips on how to have flawless makeup for your wedding day (use a primer, use waterproof makeup and be sure to adhere to a strict beauty regime at least 2 months before your wedding!).  This was then followed by another bridal show with gowns for indoor or banquet-appropriate setting.

Most of the earlier shown indoor gowns the bf and I found too gaudy or unsuitable, while the ones towards the end with simpler designs and solid colours appealed to us more.

 bridal show indoors

After the bridal show, a dinner break was announced, and everyone prompted rushed for the buffet line outside the ballroom area. The spread was reasonable, with a variety of different types of mains ranging from seafood to meats, with a bbq area (satay) and specials (kueh pie tee, Beijing duck roll, etc) and also vegetarian options. The desert section also had a wide range of options from crème bulee to strawberry mousse to macaroons and other sweets.
buffet area 

by the balcony; friendly satay chef 

dining overlooking the pool area 

Overall we had a great time at Rasa Shangri-la sentosa, and really love the outdoor wedding venue, especially atmosphere by the sea and the outdoor solemnization area. However given the rather inconvenient location and slightly hefty price tag,  and also the sea view being marred by the many shipping boats scattered around, we might consider other options for our future wedding.