Be on top of the world in a tropical skyscraper
Before our staycation, Oasia Hotel Downtown was simply known to us as that majestic red building draped in greenery at Tanjong Pagar. But boy, it certainly has so much more to it than its gorgeous exterior! Located literally 30 seconds (yes we actually counted) away from Tanjong Pagar MRT, Oasia Hotel Downtown is a restorative respite in the heart of Singapore’s bustling Central Business District.
The lobby of this swanky hotel is filled with leather chairs and couches so cushy and soft that we couldn’t help but sink ourselves in upon entering. We’ll tell you a secret – they’re so comfortable that a while ago before our stay, we actually snuck into the hotel lobby to lay on the couch after a long day of walking. It’s not our fault that the couches are so inviting!
The lobby isn’t just a comfortable resting space, but a perfect photo spot as well if you’re creative enough! Feel free to use the free apples from the reception as props in your mini photoshoot or as sustenance should you, you know, feel hungry.
We’ve heard a lot about Oasia Downtown Singapore’s Club Privileges, and thus how could we resist booking ourselves a Club Room for our stay! We checked in as Club Guests and received lots of exclusive perks and privileges, but more on that later.
Wake up to golden sunrises over the stunning cityscape
The Superior Room is a cosy and affordable room type perfect for a staycation with your beau, or for a simple night of unwinding with your best friend. There are also connecting rooms available so the Superior Rooms also make a great staycation option for a larger group. Haven’t you heard? Two’s a company, but three’s a party!
The feature we loved the most about the room was the TV. Not just for the large variety of channels, but also the multiple applications available on it such as Facebook, Twitter and Spotify – is that sweet or what! Personally, music amps up the mood of any staycay by 100%, and music filtered through a quality sound system? That tops it to a 100000001%.
I’m ashamed to say that we only realised it isn’t a touch-screen TV after a good five minutes of fiddling. I’m also ashamed to say we never once switched Spotify off whenever we were in the room… P.S. There’s even a volume knob in the bathroom for the TV. So even when you’re bathing, you don’t have to battle with your case of #fomo.
A slightly higher-end counterpart of the Superior Room, the Deluxe Room boasts a premium King-sized bed that will guarantee you such a good night’s sleep that you might just sleep past the check-out time. You’ve been warned! All rooms are also equipped with a spacious bathroom complete with a rain shower, providing guests with a soothing experience not only in the bedroom but during bath time as well!
Ahh, our favorite room of the lot – the Club Room. Priced just slightly higher than the Superior and Deluxe Rooms, the Club Room offers an exclusive set of perks that’s worth the buck. Besides exclusive Club access to the infinity pool and Club Lounge – which offers complimentary breakfast, all-day food and drinks as well as evening cocktails – being a Club guest also entitles you to free laundry service (up to 2 pieces for a minimum of 2 nights stay), an in-room yoga mat, a TWG minibar, a Biology Smart Skincare set, and a sleep kit with Oasia’s Essential Oil Pillow Mist.
We only had one night in this paradise of a room and it was unfortunate that we got too overly-attached to it, because the struggle of having to bid goodbye the next day was REAL.
So many things to do with so little time!
The Club Lounge is on a floor that’s EXCLUSIVE to Club guests, who even get a separate check-in process. We took the lift from the lobby directly to this floor, and were greeted with stunning views of the infinity pool and refreshing cups of coconut water.
The friendly hotel staffs briefed us on Club entitlements, which include all-day free-flow of drinks and food as well as evening cocktails from 6-8pm at the Club Lounge, exclusive access to the infinity pool at the Club floor, as well as complimentary breakfast and complimentary wellness drinks – one of which being Oasia Hotel Downtown’s signature ice mint and cucumber detox water which I may or may not have drunk about 10 cups of during my stay.
Pssst, the Club privileges are what make the stay at this hotel so worth it, and it actually doesn’t cost much more than a regular room!
If you’re not a Club guest, the hotel’s rooftop is also home to two pools as well as a large open area which is filled with plenty of deckchairs and rainbow egg-shaped swings for you to laze your afternoon away in – so take your pick! We also adored how the towels match the lively yet intimate vibes of the area. Oasia Hotel Downtown really nailed it with the details!
Aptly named after the sounds of wine glasses clinking against each other, CIN CIN is a bar at the hotel lobby. We absolutely loved the part-classy, part-vintage interior design of it. CIN CIN Bar specialises in gins, carrying over a whopping 100 labels of gins, from classic boutique ones to gin-inspired cocktails, to your very own customised versions of Martinis and Gins & Tonics.
And if you’re an oyster fan like me, heads up! CIN CIN recently started an Oyster After Hours movement for die-hard addicts like us – we indulged in a platter of 3 oysters for just S$5!
This offer is valid on Tuesdays and Thursdays with any purchase of drinks from 6-9pm.
Oasia Hotel Downtown is also big on promoting wellness activities to Refresh, Refuel and Recharge their guests.
There’s an open-air Sky Terrace on level 12 that makes the perfect space for you to hone your forward bends and mountain poses. Yoga mats are also readily available for sale in Oasia Hotel Downtown, and Club guests can even find one in their room for use around the hotel!
Whether you’re a hotel guest who has just grumpily checked out, or a businessman looking for a place to schedule your lunch meeting at, this cosy bistro at Oasia Hotel Downtown’s lobby makes the perfect spot.
The selection on its menu is both amazing and affordable! Also, be sure to try the famed Lobster Barley Risotto when you’re there – we highly recommend it!
Conceptualised by the renowned WOHA Architects, this tropical skyscraper is covered by an iconic foliage that makes the building instantly recognisable from afar. Some guests have even been said to spot butterflies and squirrels amongst the greenery! Having a staycation here is like living in a vertical garden – we’re pretty sure no other hotels can give you an experience anywhere close to that.
The public levels at Oasia Hotel Downtown are open on all 4 sides, allowing for a channel of natural breeze to flow through the building at all times. It’s so cooling that it completely eliminates the need for air-conditioning! Take the time to chill at any of these open spaces during your staycation to see what we mean.
Oasia Hotel Downtown provides a restorative respite for its guests through three wellness pillars – Refresh, Refuel and Recharge – which are exemplified through its amenities, facilities, interior design, and even the scents they deliberately diffuse throughout the hotel. The scents are a delightful mix of tea fragrances, which are bound to relieve your worn-out soul to a state of bliss.
There’s so much more to this concrete jungle than what meets the eye. The hotel is nestled amidst a large variety of cafés, and is right opposite Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Take the chance to explore the neighbouring Telok Ayer district or even venture to Bayfront for Gardens By the Bay.
The Seng Wong Beo Temple sits right opposite the hotel, and is a popular temple dedicated to the Chinese City God. One of the temple’s sides is conspicuously painted with traditional brush strokes of Mandarin characters, which also serves as an excellent photo backdrop!
This eatery is a personal favorite of mine, and it mildly kills me to have to expose it, but it’s a deal that’s too good not to share. Hanare Cafe is a small Japanese joint tucked along Tanjong Pagar Road, just a 4-minutes walk from Oasia Hotel Downtown. Unlike its popular sister outlet, Teppei Japanese Restaurant, Hanare Cafe has a shorter waiting time and a friendlier price tag. For those who aren’t familiar with Chirashi Don, it’s a Japanese rice bowl drowned with an assortment of (typically) sashimi, a definite crowd-pleaser dish amongst Japanese food lovers.
Located at Tiong Bahru Estate, ‘We Need A Hero’ is a superhero-themed all-male barber also known as ‘the new grooming headquarters where the new gentry calls home.’ Less than 2 kilometers from Oasia Hotel Downtown, you can get there easily via public transport (take the train two stops down or take bus service 75) or a quick 20 minutes walk. Get your hair, brows, moustache and basically any body part with follicles groomed here, for just an affordable fee!
Even if you’re not up for a trim, be spontaneous and get one anyway because a novel barber like this is truly a gem you can’t find anywhere else.