A cozy enclave at the heart of Bugis with touches of Peranakan heritage and culture.
Most Singaporeans have probably walked past InterContinental® Singapore on more than one occasion, but never paid much attention to it. However, this elegant and stylish hotel is a beautiful gem located right in the heart of Bugis Junction, and is well worth every second glance! The hotel is nestled in the centre of Singapore’s arts and cultural district, and its decor pretty much speaks for itself. Entering the lobby was akin to entering the house of a close Peranakan friend – we felt right at home in the cosy ‘living room’ which was actually the concierge area.
The distinctive patterned tiles, plush velvet furniture, eclectic wall paintings and a shelf filled with an assortment of vintage items and art pieces simply blew us away. The Concierge Lounge displayed trinkets such as a porcelain food container, porcelain pillow, Straits Chinese Spittoon, a sail ship, an old radio set, and many more items that piqued our interest and curiosity. InterContinental® Singapore is certainly a unique hotel that draws on the rich heritage from its surrounding locale, allowing Singaporeans like us to learn more about our multifaceted culture and history in ways we’ll never be able to do so in classrooms.
The hotel comprises a Main Tower and a Heritage Wing, and we just couldn’t wait to see what InterContinental® Singapore had in store for us!
Timeless elegance at its best with floor-to-ceiling windows and Peranakan inspired motifs.
The Heritage Room perfectly synergises elegance with a hint of the locale through the delicate wood furnishings, Peranakan paintings, and even a porcelain tea set! We were delighted to get a taste of the Peranakan heritage and culture as we sipped on hot tea in these beautiful cups. The headboard above the beds are also refreshingly vibrant and colourful, depicting porcelain tea sets in intricate designs.
The most distinctive feature of the room, however, has definitely got to be the cabinets which encase a mini-bar refrigerator. Exquisitely designed with black lacquered doors replete with a champagne gold gilt finish, we felt as if we were staring at an ancient artefact only found in museums! We absolutely loved the charming oriental elements all around the room.
The warm and soothing tones of orange, brown and green made the Deluxe Room such an inviting sanctuary. With plush beddings, gold trimmings on the ceiling and floor-to-ceiling windows, the room was incredibly bright during the day and exuded a sense of luxury and elegance. In particular, the headboards above the bed are distinctively different from the Heritage rooms, featuring a contemporary interpretation of Peranakan tile motifs.
The sofa right next to the windows was also our favourite spot to while away a lazy afternoon, where we could browse through magazines or use the free smartphone to surf the Internet. Plus, the floor-to-ceiling mirror in the room made us feel like princesses – it was so convenient to check our makeup or attire before heading out!
The Premier Room was extremely spacious and comprised a separate living area. We looked out of the windows to a hive of activity along the bustling streets below! Despite this, the room was the perfect enclave for an indulgent weekend staycation. It was pure bliss just being able to kick back, relax, and laze around on the comfortable sofas at night.
The epitome of luxury in InterContinental® Singapore would definitely be the…. (drumroll)... Presidential Suite! It comprises a huge living room, a walk-in wardrobe, a majestic meeting room, as well as its own PRIVATE SAUNA. Yep, you heard that right! The toilet has its very own sauna room for your ultimate indulgence, so you can you sweat it out for as long as you like.
We heard that plenty of people love to book this suite for corporate and social events, be they birthdays or product launches, so if you have big plans, do give them a call! The hotel will also be able to cater a tailored spread for you and your guests.
Get a taste of shophouse living with the Heritage Suite, which comes with a personal balcony where you can look out onto the bustling air-conditioned streets of Bugis Junction and its shoppers below. The ornate furnishings and timber floorings add a delicate touch to your fulfilling staycation experience.
Located on the top two floors of InterContinental® Singapore, the Executive Suites guarantee panoramic views of the city skyline like no other! With a plush living room and spacious bedroom, you’ll find it hard to leave this splendid abode. You’ll also enjoy access to the Club InterContinental® experience!
The inviting three-bay Royal Suites redefine the meaning of grandeur, complete with high ceilings and extended spaces for a soothing stay. With a living room, dining room and the master bedroom, you’ll be sorely wishing that you could stay here forever. It’s exclusively located on the highest floor alongside the Presidential and Ambassador Suites, and grants you access to personalised services by Club InterContinental®.
Not only does the ambassador suite boast a living room, dining room, grand bedroom and opulent chandeliers, it even has a private study as well. Lounge on that daybed right beside the floor-to-ceiling windows and soak in the view before your very eyes!
Relax in tranquility at the Club Lounge, choose from the multitude of dining options available or indulge in a private session of yoga!
We could not help but gasp in awe the moment we stepped into The Lobby Lounge. A stunning amalgamation of timeless elegance and heritage charm, the opulent chandeliers and lavish velvet furniture left us floored by its beauty. The high ceilings and carpeted floors added an air of grandeur to the entire atmosphere, enhanced by the soothing jazz tunes played by a live pianist.
Serving Ala Carte breakfast, lunch, and dinner, The Lobby Lounge is the ideal location for languid afternoons and evenings. With a plethora of loose-leaf teas, specialty coffees, mocktails, house-infused cocktails, and delectable confectioneries, we were absolutely spoilt for choice. We highly recommend trying their afternoon tea set!
Stepping into Ash & Elm, we were delighted by the bold and modern chic interior that boasted plush sofa seats, mesmerising chandeliers, and cozy enclaves for intimate dining sessions. In addition, their unique skylight canopy offers warm rays of sunlight in the day and transforms Ash & Elm into a stylish restaurant at night.
This modern European restaurant truly offers a culinary experience like no other. We were pleasantly delighted with the delectable array of food that greeted us, and simply couldn’t wait to get started! The restaurant is unique because it features three different culinary theatres – a Charcuterie & Cheese room, Wood-fired Oven, and an Open-Grill Kitchen, with a semi-buffet concept that runs on weekdays.
We happily feasted on house-cured and premium meats, an assortment of cheeses, pasta salads, smoked salmon and cheese flatbread, and much more! Needless to say, our stomachs were almost bursting by the end of our meal, but wait – who can say no to dessert? The dessert section was also splendid, boasting apple crumble, a sinfully indulgent chocolate fondue, and various cakes, tarts and pastries that satisfied our sweet tooth. Mmm… Best of all, they also provided Teh-Tarik flavoured ice-cream, which was our favourite of the lot!
For those who are unable to make it for the semi-buffet lunch on weekdays, don’t worry! They offer breakfast buffet, ala-carte lunch, and ala-carte dinner options as well. Indulge in a classic Seafood Linguine or take your pick of signatures from the wood-fired oven and charcoal grill. First-time diners can also choose to try out the Ash & Elm Platter served from the Charcuterie & Cheese room, which includes House-cured Beef Pastrami, Presse de Foie Gras with Smoked Duck and more.
Located on top of Ash & Elm, Man Fu Yuan serves perennial Chinese favourites and delicious handmade dim sum. It’s the perfect dining location for big families to have a hearty meal together. Plus, they have private rooms for your family or corporate gatherings, with the biggest accommodating up to 30 people around a single table! Signature dishes include Smoked Duck with Chinese Tea Leaves and Brown Sugar, Egg Custard Buns and Whole Roast Suckling Pig with Glutinous Rice.
We instantly fell in love with the interior of the Club InterContinental Lounge – the plush furniture, exquisitely designed dividers, and Peranakan elements in the form of paintings, porcelain tableware and artifacts made it such a cozy place to relax in. We could laze on the comfortable couches watching television shows, browse through magazines, catch up on current affairs by reading the newspaper, or simply head to a quiet corner to do work on our laptops. It provided an incredibly tranquil and soothing ambience, which is perfect for guests who want some peace and quiet.
Club InterContinental® guests get to enjoy complimentary breakfast, afternoon tea with bite-sized sandwiches, cakes, scones and more, as well as evening cocktails. You’ll never go hungry when you stay at InterContinental® Singapore, because they’ll keep you well-fed at all times of the day! There’s also a reading library and complimentary wireless Internet for the discerning business traveller.
The outdoor pool directly faces the National Library directly, so you can wave at random strangers studying there – just like we did! Have a languid swim, laze on a cabana with a cocktail in hand, indulge in a good book, or just simply watch the clouds float by in the sky.
The fitness centre is open all the time, so you’ll have no excuse to skip your daily workout routine! Or if you prefer to have the entire fitness center to yourself, you can even choose to visit in the wee hours of the morning. The best part of the fitness center is this cosy alcove right at the corner – for you to do yoga or pilates, surrounded by lush greenery! They even provide complimentary yoga mats for you to use during your own practice.
Take a good look at the carpet design. Does it resemble or remind you of anything? The bespoke carpet that runs through the corridors of the guestroom floors and within the rooms, are designed to resemble the phoenix – a symbol of peace and prosperity in Chinese tradition!
Did you know? All rooms in InterContinental® Singapore have an aircon vent that has this unique design! Isn’t it truly one-of-a-kind? It was specially designed to complement the Peranakan heritage influences in the room’s interior decoration.
Can you tell what this gold-plated structure at the Concierge Lounge is? It’s actually an antique wooden basin stand, which is the support structure for a porcelain or enamel basin. It’s typically found in bedrooms of houses with shared communal facilities in the past!
This unique external corridor is part of the Heritage Wing and leads to some of the Heritage Suites! Doesn’t it just look so cosy? It’s a secluded part of the hotel unbeknownst to many, where you can have a relaxing time just resting on the benches and watching the world go by! Psst...keep this secret location in InterContinental® Singapore to yourselves!
With such a central location, connected to two shopping malls with endless food and entertainment options, you’ll never run out of things to do!
The hotel is directly connected to Bugis Junction – there’s really nothing more we could ask for!
Even when it rained, we didn’t have to worry a single bit because there was no need to step outdoors at all. We had tons of dining, shopping and entertainment options right at our feet; it was so incredibly convenient! Instead of lugging all our purchases around, we were so glad that we could just pop by our rooms and leave all our shopping bags there, before heading out for a delicious dinner and late night movie at Bugis+.
The cafe located on the 3rd floor of the National Library provided us with a great view of InterContinental® Singapore from across the street! We even managed to spot our rooms from here. It was the perfect place to chill over a cup of iced mocha while indulging in a good book. We literally spent an entire afternoon flipping page after page of various novels; we were simply too engrossed in the intriguing storylines to notice the hours passing by! The best part? The library is located right opposite InterContinental® Singapore, so we could borrow as many books as we wanted without worrying about having to carry them all back home.
This nondescript building is located just across the street from InterContinental® Singapore. Unbeknownst to many, the National Design Centre comprises of 4 pre and post-war buildings, designed into an integrated space to provide a nexus for dialogue and collaboration. And boy, were we pleasantly surprised when we stepped into the centre! The ‘Fifty Years of Singapore Design’ Exhibition was a huge eye-opener, where we learnt about the historical background and insights behind various fashion and architectural designs – such as the Singapore Airlines sarong kebaya uniform. You definitely have to visit!
We stumbled upon The Cat Museum while exploring the area and it is truly a hidden gem! Home to 9 permanent resident beauties who are affectionately named after Hollywood superstars, you’ll be able to play with adorable furry kitties such as Julia Roberts or Brad Pitt, who is a Persian/British shorthair. He’s the one with grey-coloured fur, sleeping soundly in the picture above. In addition, the third level of The Cat Museum houses adult cats and kittens who are up for adoption! Who knows, you might actually fall in love at first sight and bring one of these babies home for good.
You’ll find Tom’s Palette at Shaw House, which is just a short 5-minute walk away from InterContinental® Singapore. This is no ordinary ice-cream shop. They offer a huge variety of flavours and all their flavours are one-of-a-kind. Delight your tastebuds with some wasabi lime, lavender, chilli chocolate, salted coconut, and even pineapple tart ice cream! The ice cream is homemade, and they constantly create a new flavour each month.
