The best hotels in Singapore 2024 - Condé Nast Traveller
The best hotels in Singapore
Ah, Singapore; the tiny city-state with enormous appeal. Historically — notwithstanding a brief spell under Japanese occupation, during World War II — it spent 144 years under British rule, while today its narrative is arguably still shaped by a large population of immigrants, often loudly frustrated by its 'sterile' nature or shoebox-sized real estate. However, as with most things, there's context. Yes, it's policed heavily – chewing gum, vape pens, littering and many over-the-counter meds are all illegal – but it's also safe; people have been known to leave their handbags on the floor of the MRT while travelling, or their wallets to reserve tables while queuing for street food at its legendary hawker centres (although the latter is more rare; generally speaking, tissue packs are the usual signifier of an occupied spot). And, it's a place known for extraordinary infrastructure – especially for people who want to rack and stack their income.
Recent blockbusters like Crazy Rich Asians (such is its Sex and the City level of impact, there's now citywide tours of its filming locations) have only solidified its reputation as a playground for the ultra-wealthy (according to London-based investment research in 2022, Singapore ranked fifth amongst the most prosperous countries in the world). And with a futuristic international airport that's become a tourist attraction in and of itself, there's no shortage of things to do in Singapore. Come early Autumn, the city comes alive for Formula 1's first night race – its drivers burning rubber against a backdrop of iconic buildings like the three 55-storey Marina Bay Sands – over a weekend of parties, headline concerts and events. But there's also a softer, slower side to the island: it's a haven for cyclists; birdwatchers (even on busy Orchard Road); and, more famously, foodies. Here's our pick of the best hotels in Singapore.
hotelThe Singapore Edition
No one does cool luxury quite like Edition, and this slick, greenery-bedecked hotel looks set to become the new clubhouse of Singapore's creative crowd. And it's well located on the quieter edge of Orchard Road, Singapore's vibrant retail and dining precinct. Within the dramatically spare lobby, the air is (subtly) infused with Edition's signature Black Tea fragrance, its smoky and sweet notes crafted in collaboration with US perfume brand Le Labo. There's also a Techogym-outfitted gym and a spa with soothing treatments using Le Labo and Swiss Cellcosmet products.
A stay here looks out into the planted courtyard. General manager Ranim Ben Romdhane aptly says the 204 rooms "give you everything you need as a luxury traveller, but aren't too complicated." I like that its quiet guest rooms offer sensory relief through a restrained palette and careful use of negative space.
The property's showpiece restaurant is undoubtedly Fysh, a smart and elegant high-ceilinged affair with plush, forest-green velvet banquettes and Calacatta marble tables, along with a custom bar in green, scalloped Antico Verde marble. It's a fitting stage for Josh Niland's first restaurant outside of Australia, where he can showcase the sustainable, gill-to-fin approach and dry-ageing fish technique on which he's built his name. The rooftop pool is suspended nine floors above the courtyard, which contains a transparent acrylic oculus that gives swimmers a fish's eye view into the greenery below. Shamilee Vellu
hotelMondrian Singapore Duxton
Mondrian's first Singaporean hotel makes a great jumping-off point to explore one of the island's buzziest lifestyle precincts, with meandering rows of heritage shophouses containing multiple barista-led coffee shops and charming indie bookstores. The first Mondrian's owner, Ian Shrager, is often credited with inventing the term "boutique hotel". With 302 keys (all of which will be fully open by August), its Singaporean outpost isn't boutique in size but retains its intimate, design-forward spirit. Entry-level guestrooms are compact yet well thought-out, with unblocked views and interiors that feel larger with strategically placed green-tinted mirrored glass, hammered metal and lucite accents. And if you scan local artist Andre Wee's AR-enabled Rojak print with your mobile phone, the artwork instantly recreates itself in a flurry of line and colour.
Bottega di Carna is the hotel's flagship dining experience, where breakfast for guests segues into lunch and dinner starring prime cuts of meat by Tuscan Dario Cecchini, the "World's Greatest Butcher" of Chef's Table fame. Seafood and pasta are available, but it's really all about the smoke-burnished meat, signalled by the open kitchen's Josper grill and the steaks displayed like jewels in glass-fronted cases. The infinity rooftop pool recalls Mondrian's Sunset Strip origins, with its grapefruit-pink-striped cabana loungers and bikinied guests taking selfies over fancied-up Cuba Libres at its edge, an ideal vantage point as golden hour descends over Duxton. Shamilee Vellu
Georg RoskeCapella Singapore
Best Singapore hotel for: luxury
There's an instant and near-inexplicable sense of calm that washes over you, upon walking into the flagship hotel of the Singaporean-owned Capella group. You're on Sentosa, the tranquil island just 20 minutes drive from the mainland that feels so far removed from the chaos, almost all the country's billionaires now call it home. Which helps. As does the property itself which, despite stretching across 30 acres, still feels utterly private. A glass-fronted extension was designed by Norman Foster, in which 80 of the hotel's 112 rooms are housed; there's a world-class holistic spa; near-faultless service; two infinity pools and grounds so bucolic you'd think you were staying on a nature reserve. You may as well be, incidentally, because parts of this place are protected by the National Park. Keep an eye out for Singapore's first albino peacock, who was born on-site and can still be seen wandering around.
Address: 1 The Knolls, Sentosa Island, Singapore 098297
Four Seasons Hotel Singapore
Best Singapore hotel for: foodies
Let's start with the biggest honour one can bestow: multiple Singaporean friends recommend the lobby café at this Orchard-based hotel as their top choice for lunch in the city (specifically, the off-menu Laksa – which met our lofty expectations). They weren't alone, either; come 1pm, even in the centre of town, the hotel restaurant was full with barely a tourist in sight. It helps, of course, that this place is serious about food; there's everything from pop-ups with talented underground mixologists to Singapore's first Nobu opening on-site last year. Plus, its central location compounds the allure; right by Orchard Road's glitzy shops and well-connected MRT.
Address: 190 Orchard Blvd, Singapore 248646
Shangri-La Singapore
Best Singapore hotel for: families
Granted, it can be difficult to find hotels in Singapore that are genuinely well-equipped for families of any stage or size. That's not the case here though. As far as kids are concerned, Shangri-La's Orchard Road outpost could give Disneyland a run for its money: there's everything from an on-site water park to soft play, treasure hunts and cooking classes – even themed suites, should you want to ratchet the excitement level up to space (no, really; there's a galaxy-style room.) Adults are well-catered for, too; between the five restaurants, four bars, spa and babysitting service, you may be tempted to move in (which, of course, they've thought of too — the residents' building is next door.)
Address: 22 Orange Grove Rd, Singapore 258350
Raffles Singapore
Best Singapore hotel for: the spa
The team at Raffles' flagship property know about expectations: they need to operate at the same level as their room rate while managing one of the island's most feverish tourist attractions (the Singapore Sling was invented on-site, at their monkey-nut-covered Long Bar.) Unsurprisingly then, there's a performance element to the hotel's common areas; they even offer to snap a keepsake portrait upon check-in. For us, though, the magic of this 115-key grande dame happens in a quiet garden within Raffles Arcade, that feels a world away from the DSLR shutters: the holistic spa. Perhaps they should put signs up at Changi's arrival halls, for while the flattering lighting alone would make for a decent jet lag cure, its gemstone massage tops the whole list when it comes to repairing knotty, long-hauled limbs. Read our full Raffles Singapore review.
Address: 1 Beach Rd, Singapore 189673