Where to Stay in Singapore for a Local Experience

Singapore is known as the Garden City, so it doesn’t get much more authentic than this eco-friendly concept hotel. The five-star accommodation offers guests the opportunity to discover new experiences, with complimentary cooking and mixology classes during the week, and weekend yoga sessions and architecture walking tours. Or explore the colourful streets of Chinatown on an ‘Instawalk’ where the guides offer tips for capturing the best shot for your grid. Within easy reach of both the CBD and Chinatown, it’s ideal for business trips and weekend staycations.

This boutique hotel, with its sleek monochromatic design, is just a five-minute walk from Singapore’s famous Orchard Road shopping district, and is the perfect spot to stay if you want to indulge in some retail therapy. It’s not only convenient – a stay here will make anyone feel like a local. Instead of a typical hotel breakfast, for example, guests receive vouchers to the nearby Artisan Boulangerie Co. cafe, where they can enjoy freshly baked pastries and coffee. After a day exploring, return to the hotel and make friends with fellow travellers on the roof terrace, where you can mix your own cocktails, or around the garden deck and dipping pool.

Planning a trip to Sentosa and want to stay somewhere that reflects the island’s reputation as The State of Fun? The Outpost Hotel is a luxurious resort set on a hill overlooking the Singapore Strait and its architecturally bold facade hints at what you can expect from a stay here. The design-led monochromatic interiors pair luxe black marble with sleek white furnishings, and the rooms and suites boast timber panelled walls and sculptural statement lighting. The highlight, however, is the 1-V:U rooftop restaurant and day club, which is the only only rooftop day-to-night destination on the island.

Stay in a slice of Singaporean history at the five-star Fullerton Hotel, which is located in a neoclassical landmark that was built in 1928. Over the years, the building has been home to the General Post Office, The Exchange and the prestigious Singapore Club, and in 2015 it was declared Singapore’s 71st National Monument. Today, the 400-room hotel offers guests a luxurious local experience, including the Town Restaurant, which has views over the Singapore River and is famous for its free-flowing Sunday brunch and themed street-food evenings on Fridays and Saturdays.

Want to explore Singapore’s bustling Chinatown, with its iconic kopitiam (coffeeshop) culture thrives alongside Michelin-starred restaurants and vibrant bars? Check into this characterful hotel, which is housed in neighbouring historical shophouses. The contemporary rooms boast comfy beds, vibrant artwork and marble bathrooms with high-end Hansgrohe showers. Relax with friends over an expertly made martini in the bar, or head to Takeshi Noodle Bar for dinner – the menu features premium ramen soups made with iberico pork and parma ham, and a signature Mala broth infused with Chu collagen.

Looking for a hostel in a central location in Singapore? If you want all the luxuries of a plush hotel and don’t mind sacrificing space, book a pod at CUBE Capsule Hotel in either Chinatown or the Kampong Glam neighbourhood. Each timber-lined capsule boasts a super thick mattress with plush linens, under-bed storage, universal plugs and USB ports, dimmable lights, a fold-down table, soundproofing and air vents. There are single capsules for solo travellers as well as queen capsules for couples and female-only capsule rooms. If you’re travelling as a family or group, book a private capsule room that can sleep up to eight guests.

Want to experience Singapore’s vibrant city life? Book a room at Hotel G, a centrally located hotel that is just as cosmopolitan as the island nation itself. The colourful rooms, which range from cosy Good Rooms and Great Rooms to more spacious Greater Rooms, are decorated with vintage-inspired furniture and boho-chic accessories – think feathers, ribbons and eclectic pinboards. The two restaurants also reflect Singapore’s melting-pot culture – there’s Ginett, a bistro-style French restaurant offering charcoal-grilled meats and premium cold cuts and cheese, and the acclaimed 25 Degrees burger bar.

Housed in a handsome black and white colonial garrison built in 1920, this boutique hotel in Labrador Nature Reserve captures the essence of Singapore’s colonial past. There are 20 elegant rooms with vintage and teak furnishings, timber bathtubs, and high ceilings. The Tamarind Hill restaurant is located in an impressive bungalow – complete with four-metre long chandeliers – a two-minute stroll from the hotel on a jungle boardwalk and serves contemporary Thai and Shan cuisine. There’s also an airy lounge with views to the surrounding banyan trees where guests can relax with a handcrafted cocktail.

This luxe boutique hotel brings a slice of Parisian romance and elegance to Singapore’s Jalan Besar district. Designed by award-winning French designer Jacques Garcia, the 41-room hotel is an eclectic wonderland with touches of Art Deco opulence like the glittering rhinoceros reception desk, and golden banyan tree sculptures wrapped around concrete pillars. The rooms feature mahogany furniture, red velvet upholstery and walls adorned with vintage photographs. The Whiskey Library is a must-visit during any stay here, with a collection of more than 1,000 bottles of exclusive whiskey. There’s also Yellow Pot, a popular modern Chinese restaurant.

This five-star hotel with a chic industrial edge is housed in three warehouses that were built in 1895 on the Singapore River as part of the Strait of Malacca trade route. There are 37 individually designed rooms and the interior design throughout is all sleek brass details, soaring ceilings and restored original features – think exposed black trusses and raw brick walls. The food and drink offering here is a highlight, with a culinary program developed in partnership with pioneering local chef Willin Low. Order Kurobuta char siew and XO crab carrot cake at Popo, or go for a spice trade-inspired cocktail at the lobby bar, like the Singapore sazerac crafted with raisin bourbon, pandan bitters, rye, cognac, absinthe and spiced demerara.