The hotel taking pride of place in Singapore
After undergoing a $150m makeover, this property is making an elegant statement about its place in the Lion City.
I first stayed at Mandarin Oriental Singapore about 10 years ago, more than two decades after it opened as The Oriental in 1987. It was everything I expected from the Hong Kong-based luxury hotel brand: stellar service; classic decor with lashings of dark wood; beds that you never want to roll out of; an overall ambience that felt fantastically familiar. That’s because I could have been in the Hong Kong MO, or the brand’s property in Jakarta, or the one in Taipei. Unless I looked out the window, there was nothing to remind me I was in the Lion City. Some travellers prefer that level of cookie-cutter comfort, where everything is in its right place. But I love nothing more than waking up in my hotel room and knowing immediately where I am. Mandarin Oriental Singapore has spent $150m making sure you don’t forget you’re staying in one of Asia’s most happening cities.
At the recently revamped property, which retains its fan-shaped structure, the sense of place is apparent long before I fall into bed. Guests enter via enormous glass doors, which nod to the classic Peranakan shophouse fronts that characterise the city. The lobby is a sensorial whirlwind, in the best possible way. The hotel collaborated with fragrance house Maison 21G to create a signature scent, Exceptionally Singapore, which is delicate and uplifting, with heady notes of orchids, the city-state’s national flower (guests can take part in a scent-making class at the Maison atelier nearby). Tropical blooms pervade throughout, from elaborate bouquets in the terrazzo-floored lobby to the six varieties of orchid I count in vases in my room. Thoughtfully, the furnishings match the petals in jewel tones and botanical prints. It’s lilies that adorn the vast carpet on the floor of the atrium, visible from the internal balconies and lifts; overhead, there’s a dazzling sculpture made of crystal spheres resembling the Vanda Miss Joaquim orchid.
These floral flourishes are among the inspired elements introduced by interior design firm Designwilkes, which oversaw the 2023 renovation here, as well as makeovers of other regional hotels, including the legendary Mandarin Oriental Bangkok. The company was determined to ensure Singapore was front and centre throughout, but in a subtle, playful way that still exudes the class for which the brand is known. The soaring atrium, principally conceptualised by American architect John Portman, has shed its dark timber panelling and introduced a shimmering colour palette of graded pinks. The hotel calls it “50 shades of clay”, the hues inspired by the colours of roof tiles along the Singapore River, which spills into Marina Bay. This waterway is my room’s backdrop, along with the three towers of Marina Bay Sands and the “supertrees” of Gardens by the Bay. It’s arguably the best hotel outlook in the city, taken up a notch by the fact it’s also smack-bang on the Formula 1 racecourse. Book a suite for September 20-22 and you’ll have unparalleled balcony views of the high-octane night-time action unfolding below.
Regardless of where you sleep, more local flourishes are guaranteed. There is wallpaper inspired by batik prints; woodwork that references carved Indian jali screens; streamed music chosen by a Singaporean composer; ceramics handmade by regional artisans; welcome snacks such as jade-green pandan chiffon cake and mango macarons. These treats are made in the cake shop in the lobby; around the corner is a vending machine selling only miniature bottles of Moet & Chandon.
The rest of the MO’s food outlets are just as tasty. At Cherry Garden I sit down to a degustation that begins with wok-fired soft-shell crab and continues on to Sichuan-pepper-marinated abalone, charcoal-roasted duck, and lobster soup topped with crab roe. All-day-dining Embu, meanwhile, features a design inspired by Singapore’s heritage trees. Under a canopy of lush green, chefs at open kitchens prepare everything from truffled cheese naan (it’s a thing) to freshly shucked oysters to laksa made while you watch. At Dolce Vita, beside the outdoor pool, I try handmade ravioli with marinated Sicilian red prawns in prawn bisque, then slow-cooked veal loin with a classic tuna-mayonnaise sauce and shaved parmesan atop warmed focaccia.
At the lobby cake shop I could indulge in an extravagant $988 caviar-and-champagne high tea – Louis Roederer Cristal is the bubbles of choice. And then I end my evening in the MO Bar, where mixologists make a version of iced lemon tea that’s infused with gin and muddled with the hotel’s brand of tea and homemade limoncello. The follow-up is the Reclaimed Sling, a martini served with a Singapore Sling-flavoured lollipop.
There are more exciting culinary offerings in the MO portfolio thanks to the hotel’s partnership with Mandala Club, a private members’ venue in a 1928 Chinatown building that’s usually not open to visitors unless they fork out a hefty amount of cash or know someone important. Stay at MO in a room category with access to the 21st-floor Haus 65 lounge, however, and you can be a guest at the seriously slick space. It features an intimate Japanese omakase room, a cellar stocked with more than 1000 rare and interesting wines, a library opened in partnership with Assouline, and Popi’s dining room – the spot for flower-crab laksa and Angus beef-cheek rendang.
Aside from Maison 21G and Mandala Club, the MO also collaborates with a range of other organisations to delve into some of Singapore’s fascinating cultural traditions. Whether you’re in the lobby, your room or on the street, there’s no forgetting you’re in Singapore.
In the know
Mandarin Oriental Singapore is at 5 Raffles Ave, Marina Square; rooms from $S650 ($730) a night, twin-share.
Natasha Dragun was a guest of Mandarin Oriental.
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