Time to book that staycation!
Photo credit: Villa Samadhi via Booking.com
Hooray, hotels are open to staycations once again! Since most of us haven’t been able to travel, here’s the next best way to spend off those annual leaves! Grab your boo, or a few good friends (but keep it under 5 yeah?) — from Santorini vibes to a villa in the woods, here are 12 staycation ideas that help you forget you’re stuck in Singapore.
For more staycation ideas, check out these 11 Unique Singapore Hotels From Just S$48 a night/pax.
1) TreeTop Loft: Bungalow in the Trees
Photo credit: TreeTop Loft via Resorts World Sentosa
Let’s take things to another level and experience privacy 12m above ground. In your own TreeTop Loft, live among the trees with balconies overlooking the lush greenery of Mount Faber and Sentosa, a view I’d trade over skyscrapers any day!
With only two lofts, the exclusivity makes it perfect for a couple’s retreat.
Similar to Ocean Suites, TreeTop Loft comes with personalised butler service so you can focus on enjoying your retreat. And if you’d like to go around Resorts World Sentosa, buggy service is available any time of the day.
Cost: (Email [email protected] for rates)
Room capacity: Up to 4
Address: Resorts World Sentosa – TreeTop Loft8 Sentosa Gateway, Sentosa Island Singapore 098269
2) The Great Madras: Boutique Hotel With Wes Anderson Inspired Decor
Photo credit: The Great Madras
If you’re a fan of the retro-pop Wes Anderson movies, you’ll enjoy staying at The Great Madras. The preppy boutique hotel is adorned with fun prints and old-school furnishings that make you feel you’re on one of Anderson’s movie sets.
Photo credit: The Great Madras
You can choose options from private rooms in a co-living space to a grand suite with a tub, for a different experience with each stay.
The aesthetic facilities also make for Insta-worthy backdrops with their vintage barbershop and tropical laundromat. Take this chance to spruce up your Insta-game!
Cost: From ~S$119/night (~S$59.5/pax) for Standard Double Room
Room capacity: Up to 2
Nearest MRT station: Little India
Address: 28 Madras St, Singapore 208422
3) Villa Samadhi: Quiet Colonial Home Surrounded By Nature
Photo credit: Villa Samadhi via Booking.com
Enjoy the slower pace of life at Villa Samadhi. Tucked away in Labrador Nature Reserve, this 1920 colonial home lets you reconnect with nature. The hotel has only 20 rooms, ensuring you a quiet stay.
The refurbished garrison reflects its past influence with dark wood flooring and furniture against a monochrome palette. In the main building, 11 Cribs occupy the ground floor, each opening up to a terraced walkway, which leads you to the garden. Opt for the Crib with the wooden tub to enjoy your bath bombs in style.
The hotel also offers rustic villas that stand alone, surrounded by lush foliage. Each comes with a plunge pool for a quick dip in privacy.
Lose yourself in the moment at the Library. The exclusive lounge has a grand ‘candle-lit’ chandelier in the centre of the room and is accented with deep red tones that complement the dark wood flooring. Lounge on the day bed and or one of the leather armchairs. Attached to an old-fashioned bar, it paints the introvert’s dream — sinking into a comfy armchair and escaping into a book while sipping on a cocktail.
Photo credit: Villa Samadhi via Booking.com
Cost: From ~S$232 (~S$116/pax) for Crib, and from ~S$627 (~S$313.5/pax) for Luxe Sarang with a private pool!
Room capacity: Up to 2
Nearest MRT location: Labrador Park
Address: 20 Labrador Villa Rd, Singapore 119193
4) Resorts World Sentosa Ocean Suites: Room With a Private Aquarium
Photo credit: Beach Villas via Booking.com
Who wouldn’t want to watch sea creatures gracefully glide past your window right at the comfort of your bed? Ocean Suites gives you this novel experience with rooms built around the S.E.A. Aquarium, so you can get up close and personal in your own private space.
It’s an extravagant price to pay, but so is the experience — each suite comes with a jacuzzi as well as round-the-clock butler service. Buggy service is also available if you’d like to head out to other parts of Resorts World Sentosa.
Cost: From ~S$1458 (~S$729/pax)
Room capacity: Up to 2
Address: Resorts World Sentosa – Ocean Suites, 8 Sentosa Gateway, Sentosa Island, Singapore 098269
5) Hotel Sohola: From Vibrant Murals to Airy Rooms with a Private Courtyard
Photo credit: Hotel Sohola via Booking.com
The urban chic hotel is electrifying with neon lights and pop-art murals by local artist Ethrisha Liaw. The bold colours set the mood in the bar, perfect for drinks with friends.
Photo credit: Hotel Sohola via Booking.com
The outdoor suite is a popular choice, offering an outdoor tub and private courtyard. This room is contrastingly simple compared to the others. The white walls and blue windows will remind you of Greece, whether you’re chilling in the courtyard or unwinding in the tub.
Cost: From ~S$128 (~S$64/pax) for a Deluxe Lite Room, and from ~S$189 (~S$94.5/pax) for a Suite with Outdoor Tub
Room capacity: Up to 2
Nearest MRT station: Outram Park
Address: 12 Teck Lim Rd, Singapore 088387
6) The Vagabond Club: Boujie Parisian Living with Bespoke Whiskey on the Rocks
Photo credit: The Vagabond Club via booking.com
Bold, gold, and brimming with scarlet red, The Vagabond Club gives you a taste of upper-class living — Parisian-style. Jacques Garcia‘s interior masterpiece takes you back into the roaring 1920s of jazz clubs and finely-aged liquor, a truly unique experience.
Check out their Whiskey Library, with an impressive collection of 1000 bespoke pours for you to try. If you can appreciate the art and the whiskey, you will enjoy the array of artworks that fill the lounge. The hotel’s close proximity to Little India inspired Jacque Garcia’s use of Indian artworks and heritage when designing the hotel’s interior.
Cost: From ~S$237 (~S$118.5/pax)
Room capacity: Up to 2
Nearest MRT Station: Lavender or Bugis
Address: 39 Syed Alwi Rd, Singapore 207630
7) AMOY Hotel: A Walk Through Singapore Chinese History
Photo credit: AMOY via booking.com
At AMOY, a museum greets you before the concierge does. The main entrance of the hotel retains the front of Fuk Tak Chi Temple, whose space it now inhabits. As you enter, you are welcomed with a showcase of Singapore’s early Chinese immigrants. The oriental theme continues throughout the rest of the hotel, reflecting the Fukienese people who came from Amoy, China.
The rooms, although modern, have oriental detailing with traditional lattice panels, Chinese calligraphy brushes, beautiful tea sets and blue and white porcelain basins.
Photo credit: Far East Hospitality
Cost: From ~S$182/pax for Cosy Single, or from ~S$230 (~S$115/pax) for a Deluxe Double Room
Room capacity: Up to 2
Nearest MRT Station: Telok Ayer
Address: 76 Telok Ayer St, Singapore 048464
8) Hmlet Cantonment: Hotel-Quality Co-Living with Spacious Private Rooms
Photo credit: Hmlet Cantonment via booking.com
Have an extended staycation in Singapore’s largest co-living space. Occupying the previous headquarters of the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB), Hmlet Cantonment has 150 serviced apartment units for you to feel right at home.
You could say this place has the communal space of a hostel but the service of a hotel. Communal spaces provide complimentary coffee, tea and beer on tap.
Although the lounge encourages conversation between residents, rooms are also fully-equipped if you’re not feeling for any interaction. A basic room comes with a queen-sized bed and a private bathroom, and the biggest two-room has its own kitchen!
Photo credit: Hmlet Cantonment via booking.com
This place requires a minimum stay 6 nights and is ideal if you’re looking for a long staycation without having to pay the full price for a hotel.
Cost: From ~S$97 (~S$48.5/pax) for the Small Room, or from ~S$1644 (~S$137/pax) for the Two Bedroom with Kitchenette
Room capacity: Up to 4
Nearest MRT Station: Outram Park
Address: 150 Cantonment Rd, Singapore 089762
9) D’hotel: Nature with a Hint of The City
Photo credit: D’Hotel via booking.com
Previously known as Wangz Hotel, D’Hotel stands out for its interesting metallic, cylindrical exterior. However, the interior is designed where nature meets modernism.
Every room has different artwork all revolving around the theme of nature, either with stunning animal portraits or edgy flora patterns. The wide windows open you up to views of the garden city, but the best view is at the rooftop bar. D’Hotel is not far from the city, but it’s distant enough to see and appreciate the skyline.
Photo credit: D’Hotel via booking.com
Cost: From ~S$168 (~S$84/pax)
Room capacity: Up to 2
Nearest MRT Station: Outram Park
Address: 231 Outram Rd, Singapore 169040
10) XY Hotel Bugis: Smart Living in a Trendy Space
Photo credit: XY Hotel Bugis via booking.com
This trendy boutique hotel incorporates art and technology. Unique to each brightly coloured room is an original hand-painted artwork by both local and international artists, with furniture to match. There are also rooms that open up to the rooftop pool area, which lights up with neon lights in the night.
As for technology, you will realise the entire room operates on a smartphone. Guests are given an XY handyphone at check-in that controls everything from unlocking your room door to switching off the lights and drawing the curtains.
Cost: From ~S$94 (~S$47/pax)
Room capacity: Up to 2
Nearest MRT Station: Bugis and Lavender
Address: 11 Jln Klapa, Singapore 199323
11) Spend A Night Under The Stars On a Yacht
Photo credit: Singapore Yacht Charter
Renting yachts is popular for parties and company events, but did you know you can rent one for a night?
This can be easily arranged with Yachtly or Singapore Yacht Charter. Both companies provide you with a variety of yachts to choose from and equipment for water play. However, Yachtly doesn’t provide food on board, so if you want a barbeque, Singapore Yacht Charter has packages.
Cost: Contact Yachtly or Singapore Yacht Charter for rates
Pick up point: ONE°15 Marina Club, 11 Cove Drive, Sentosa Cove, Singapore 098497
12) Dusit Thani Laguna Singapore: Luxurious Rooms With Views of the Greens
Photo credit: Dusit Thani Laguna Singapore
Hailing from Bangkok, Thailand, Dusit Thani is a multinational resort company opening their first branch here in Singapore come May 2020. For all you golfers who want an extended game, you can now have a week-long golf trip right in Singapore.
Cost: From ~S$332/night
Room capacity: 2-4 pax
Address: 11 Laguna Golf Green, Singapore 488047
How to get there: 10min drive from either Tanah Merah MRT or Expo MRT
Unwind with a Staycation in Singapore
Everyone needs to recharge and reset every once in a while, especially in an unpredictable time like this. Take this time of escape to recalibrate and remember the many things to be grateful for.
Know of any other unconventional places for a staycation in Singapore? Tell us in the comments below!
