Confined to Barracks

On an island that already has five shiny hotels—and will have a Norman Foster-designed resort when it opens in 2008—Amara Sanctuary Resort, amarasanctuary.com , aims to offer something different: a sense of history. Sentosa, a small island getaway 15 minutes from downtown Singapore, was a British military fortress during World War II, and the 121-room Amara has housed itself in two former barracks. You'll be surprised at just how comfy they can be when someone besides an army engineer is in charge of the design. Two colonial-era buildings above an air-raid shelter are now home to 20 suites; a third...