Rooms take cues from various scenes outside their windows. For example, Marina Bay-facing rooms are dressed in batik-inspired patterns and a cool colour palette that complements the Marina Bay waters; while rooms facing the South China Sea have warm tones reminiscent of the morning sun.

We stayed in the Sea View Suite with Balcony which came bathed in peaceful magenta tones, inspired by Singapore’s national flower Miss Joaquim. With an expansive bathroom, private balcony and luxurious amenities, the spacious room is definitely designed with relaxation in mind. The elegant space is complete with a living room and bedroom, which can be separated with a divider if you prefer different rooms for lounging and sleeping in.

Located on one of the highest floors in the hotel, the room overlooked the Singapore Flyer and the South China Sea. What’s more, our comfortable king-sized bed faced the room’s floor-to-ceiling windows, treating us to spectacular views from the moment we awoke. Early birds are sure to enjoy the perfect view of the sunrise from the private balcony.

We were told that only five floors of rooms are currently available for guest stays, with the remaining rooms—including Residential Suites—to be released progressively in the coming months.

The hotel offers a range of facilities which we couldn’t wait to check out. Staying in a suite gave us access to the hotel’s private lounge, Haus 65. Similar to the hotel rooms, the newly transformed space blurs the boundaries between indoors and outdoors. Facing the city, the lounge is decked out in lush botanical prints and an elegant shade of green. Co-curated by the team at members-only Mandala Club, hotel guests are given a glimpse of the exclusive club—think regular cultural, culinary and artistic events. The lounge also serves up an assortment of canapés and treats throughout the day, including afternoon tea, evening cocktails and a champagne breakfast.

We then indulged in a relaxing treatment at The Spa. As we entered, friendly staff greeted and ushered us to a waiting area where we could unwind before our session began. We filled out a form that allowed us to pick which spots we wanted focused on during the massage before being brought to the changing rooms.

We opted for The Essence of The Garden City, a two-hour treatment that starts with a relaxing herbal exfoliation followed by a relaxing full-body massage. Throughout the session, our masseuse was adaptable to our needs—regularly asking if we were comfortable and tailoring the massage to suit our bodies. The treatment ended with an ancient Malay tummy wrap, which helps to strengthen the abdomen. By the end of the two hours, we definitely felt relaxed and rejuvenated.

As foodies, and fans of popular Melt Cafe, we were excited to check out the refreshed space. The all-day dining concept has been renamed to Embu, in honour of the local evergreen Tembusu tree. The new garden-inspired space continues to offer a la carte and buffet menus. Its buffet spread is extensive, ranging from fresh seafood on ice to noodle and rice stations.

Of course, we sampled a little bit of everything—standouts include rich laksa, aromatic butter chicken and freshly shucked oysters from New Zealand. If you have a sweet tooth, like us, leave room for dessert as a wide array of options are available for you to choose from. Both local and international desserts are available, including ang ku kueh, pistachio ice cream and espresso-soaked ladyfingers. If you’re planning to dine here, don’t forget to bring the little ones along, the latest concept also offers a specially tailored kids’ buffet that’s complete with adorable finger sandwiches, fries, donuts and fruits.

As night fell, we couldn’t resist heading to the award-winning MO Bar for a cocktail, or two. After all, there’s no better way to end the night than by admiring the city skyline, tipple in hand. Its menu presents locally inspired cocktails that transported us through time. For example, the Kopi Siew Tai comes served in a traditional coffee cup and offers flavours of coffee, dandelion and cereal milk. Meanwhile, the Reclaimed Slings imagines what the iconic Singapore Sling could look like in the future. Cocktails on the menu ranged from low alcohol content to high—mocktails are also available upon request.

The next morning, we were treated to breakfast at Haus 65, which we enjoyed while admiring views of the city. Both buffet and a la carte dishes were available. The warm food menu comprised of both local and international dishes, including kaya toast foie gras, nasi lemak and lobster eggs benedict. We opted for the fluffy homemade pancakes with maple syrup and berry compote. While waiting for our food, we nibbled on the cheese, fruits and pastries available at the buffet spread.

It’s easy to feel like a tourist in your own country at Mandarin Oriental, especially when the hotel offers a myriad of unique experiences ranging from Tingkat painting to perfume creation. During our stay, we decided to give the Vintage Vespa Sidecar Adventure a try.

The experience kicked off right outside the hotel, where we were met with friendly drivers and adorable sidecar vespas. As the Formula 1 Grand Prix weekend had just passed, we got to explore certain areas of the track before continuing on to Haji Lane. Throughout the experience, we were regaled with stories about the history of various buildings, accompanied by personal anecdotes from the drivers. We also got the chance to stop at certain checkpoints to take touristy snapshots.

Although we were worried that it would be an overly sunny and sweaty experience, that wasn’t the case. The ride turned out to be wonderfully cooling, and we enjoyed the breeze from the comfort of the Vespa’s sidecar.

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