Spotlight shines on Singapore's Sentosa Island as host of US-North Korean summit

Sentosa Island off the coast of Singapore calls itself "the state of fun." But "fun" might not exactly be the most accurate description on June 12, when President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un meet for a historic summit, bringing a cavalcade of security officers to the resort island with them.

This week, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders announced details of the summit: The leaders would discuss the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula at the luxury Capella Hotel on Sentosa Island.

Though today the resort island getaway is a popular destination for fun-seekers -- it's notably home to Universal Studios Singapore, a major water park, casinos, aquarium and museums -- the island harbors a dark past, having once served as a prisoner of war camp.

During the Japanese Occupation of Singapore in the Second World War, the island housed British and Australian prisoners.

Meanwhile, the summit has given the island a major tourism boost, particularly in parts of the world that are unfamiliar with its offerings.

Just a 15-minute cable car ride from the mainland, Sentosa is a tropical getaway that features 3 km of beaches and was developed as a luxury, leisure and family-friendly destination, with golf courses, spa retreats, fine dining restaurants and waterfront, residential properties.

The five-star Capella hotel will also go down in the history books for hosting the summit between two of the world's biggest political firebrands.

With a history that stretches back to the 1880s, the restoration of the British colonial buildings included new hotel extensions and villas that feature 112 rooms, along with a conference room that spans 24,500 square feet (2,276 square meters), and a grand ballroom that can fit 400 people.

The property also features private villas and manors that come with private plunge pools and outdoor showers and bathtubs.