SINGAPORE – Even in an urban jungle, it is possible to escape to an oasis.

Hotels in Singapore are offering new outdoor experiences for locals and tourists alike to enjoy a slice of paradise inside the city.

The Beach Terrace on level 5 of Pan Pacific Orchard hotel, which opened in June in Claymore Road, is designed to look like a sandy beach and lagoon. This is a languorous zone with palm trees, a sunken bar and a view of Orchard Road.

There are also 10 special Beach Club Loft rooms, nine of which have outdoor living areas that extend into the lagoon. 

The hotel was designed with the tropics in mind, with four large outdoor terraces – the Forest Terrace, Beach Terrace, Garden Terrace and Cloud Terrace – each measuring over 1,500 sq m.

Mr Marcel Holman, Pan Pacific Hotels Group’s vice-president of operations for China, Indonesia, Japan and Oceania, and general manager for Pan Pacific Orchard, says these areas allow guests “to connect with nature despite being in the middle of a dense city and set us apart from other city hotels”.

While the Beach Terrace is reserved for hotel guests, the Garden and Cloud Terraces can be booked for private events.

Mr Holman, 55, adds: “Introducing an open-air lobby and incorporating numerous outdoor spaces were bold decisions.”

These outdoor spaces appeal to staycationers, who are a primary market, he notes.

“Domestic travellers currently make up the largest share of our bookings, with a substantial portion of those reservations coming from local guests enjoying staycations, primarily during weekends.”

Down the road at the Pullman Singapore Orchard hotel, anyone can book a cabana at the P.S.O. Beach Club and use the pool too.

There are five cabanas for lounging by the pool, and they can be booked on the hotel’s website. At the moment, there is no cover charge, but guests are expected to order food and drinks. 

The hotel’s general manager Rob McIntyre, 52, describes the vibe at the P.S.O. Beach Club as a “tropical beach paradise experience with the energy of urban living”.

He adds that staycationers represent about 10 per cent of its hotel bookings, while most of its guests are “bleisure” travellers, a new category of technology-savvy business travellers who seek an interplay of business and leisure.

“We believe that guests are no longer looking for just a hotel stay – they are looking for memorable experiences,” he says.

EDG Design Asia was responsible for the design of P.S.O. Beach Club, with its swimming pool’s bold tile pattern and striking cabanas.

Partner and managing director Robert Shen, 52, says it was designed with Instagram in mind.

“Hotel brands are so competitive these days, and whether it’s lifestyle or luxury properties, we’re always being asked for Instagram moments, which isn’t just for vanity, but ultimately helps the hotel promote its brand to the right audience,” he adds. 

Another recently opened hotel is the Mondrian Singapore Duxton, which has a rooftop pool, bar and restaurant that hint at the glamour of 1970s Hollywood. 

It has a separate garden terrace that integrates greenery with the built environment. The goal was to create a seamless blend of nature and architecture for a space that is available for private events. 

There are now Mondrian Hotels all over the world, but the first opened in West Hollywood, Los Angeles, in 1996.

“Mondrian hotels are always located in the most vibrant cultural scenes in the world, and from the Hollywood Strip to Duxton Hill, we are bringing some of that energy to Singapore,” says general manager Robert C. Hauck, who is in his 50s.

He observes that Singapore already has many “great luxury hotels”, but adds: “We all have to find our niche.”

For a good time, here are five hotels in Singapore that offer more than just a room for the night.

1. Sky Terraces – Pan Pacific Orchard

The new 347-room Pan Pacific Hotel encapsulates life in the tropics by bringing Singapore’s different environments under one roof.

This is done by integrating biophilic spaces – which emphasise designs with a relationship with nature – with the hotel’s design. 

Pivotal to this are the Sky Terraces – four outdoor terraces on levels 2, 5, 11 and 18 of the 23-storey hotel.

The hotel was designed by award-winning architecture firm Woha Architects. Its director Phua Hong Wei, 44, says the building was conceived as four “precincts” within a vertical “neighbourhood”.

The landscaped terraces, with ceiling heights of over 26m, “provide views for both the guestrooms and neighbouring buildings, creating a spatial interplay with the neighbourhood that is lacking in most high-density environments”, he says.

The Forest Terrace on level 2 has a waterfall feature, and tropical native plant species such as Cratoxylum cochinchinense and Dillenia reticulata. The outdoor hotel reception, a floating bar and a restaurant are located here. 

The Beach Terrace on level 5 is conceived as an urban beach for hotel guests with a lagoon in an organic shape. There is also a meandering beachfront and palm grove.

The planting scheme is inspired by coastal plant species, including Pandanus tectorius and Chrysalidocarpus leptocheilos.

The Garden Terrace and the Cloud Terrace on levels 11 and 18 respectively are more formally landscaped to accommodate private functions. 

There are also two green columns planted with climbing plants that include Thunbergia grandiflora and Cissus nodosa. The columns contain the hotel’s fire escape from the top level to the ground floor, connecting all the terraces.

Mr Phua adds that the terraces also have the effect of having “different boutique hotels in different environments within one building”.

Instead of occupying and taking away from nature, the building achieves 300 per cent green replacement in an area which includes over 14,000 sq m of foliage and water features. This is also proving to be a draw for animals.

“A preliminary biodiversity assessment, completed one month after opening, shows 23 fauna species across various greenery features. This is a positive sign of a thriving ecosystem,” says Mr Phua.

Info: Pan Pacific Orchard is at 10 Claymore Road. Go to panpacific.com/orchard

2. P.S.O. Beach Club – Pullman Singapore Orchard

There is an exaggerated sense of scale at the P.S.O. Beach Club of the 326-room Pullman Singapore Orchard that lends itself to comparisons of current fashion trends like oversized shoulder pads and big chunky shoes. 

Immediately noticeable is the large herringbone tile pattern in the swimming pool. 

There are also five cabanas that have such high canopies that they become almost architectural elements that seem to be projected from the structure.

The hotel’s general manager Rob McIntyre, 52, says its concept was inspired by its proximity to the big fashion houses nearby. It had to “resonate with the fashion-forward spirit of Orchard Road”, he adds.

After making an entrance and strutting past fashion catwalk-inspired bleachers along the lobby, guests can make their way to level 4 where the 263 sq m P.S.O. Beach Club is set. To get to the pool, you first pass the Atelier Lounge, a curated lifestyle space decorated with fashion-inspired artefacts.

Indeed, throughout the hotel, there are accessories inspired by fashion, including period cameras, fashion books, measuring tapes and vintage scarves and neckties.

The hotel was formerly the Grand Park Orchard hotel, before it was renovated and reopened as the Pullman Singapore Orchard in December 2022.

The design firm responsible for its new look is EDG Design Asia, which has offices in California, Texas and Singapore. Partner and managing director Robert Shen, 52, says: “We wanted to make P.S.O. Beach Club a fun destination to see and be seen at.”

EDG Design Asia is also working on Naumi Singapore hotel in Seah Street. Mr Shen says that current trends in hospitality design dictate that outdoor spaces are just as important to the overall guest experience as any other area within the property. 

“Additionally, as designers, we must remember that even outdoor spaces should be revenue-generating whenever possible,” he adds.

The pool area is serviced by the bar at Atelier Lounge. The cabanas have been wired with call buttons for service. There is also a panel of buttons poolside, including one for rose wine or champagne. 

Info: Pullman Singapore Orchard is at 270 Orchard Road. Go to pullmansingaporeorchard.com

3. Canyon Club Rooftop Bar and Poolside Cabanas – Mondrian Singapore Duxton

The 302-room Mondrian Singapore Duxton opened in June with a certain chutzpah that will go some way in establishing it as the new hip hotel in town.

To mark its opening, it unveiled a 6m-high bronze sculpture titled What Party by renowned American artist Kaws. The artwork weighs more than 4,000kg and will be on permanent display at the hotel’s entrance at the corner of Neil Road and Craig Road.

General manager Robert C. Hauck, who is in his 50s, adds: “For us, the Mondrian in Singapore is about gathering a true community of creatives, freethinkers and the wild at heart.”

American design firm Studio Carter and Singapore’s DP Architects were behind the design of the hotel. The chief executive of Studio Carter, Ms Robbyn Carter, says the hotel “aspires to be recognised as a contemporary cultural centre in the heart of the city”. 

Studio Carter leveraged Singapore’s cultural heritage and architecture, using these as sources of inspiration to create a design concept that Ms Carter refers to as “deconstructed shophouse” to merge tradition with modernity.

“Rather than a direct translation, we took the shophouse’s parts and deconstructed them into contemporary forms,” she says.

This is evident in the treatment of the facade of the hotel facing Neil Road, which echoes the rhythm of scale and proportion of the adjacent shophouses.

This wing of the hotel is linked to the main building by a lushly planted garden terrace that can be booked for private events. Referencing Singapore’s City in a Garden status, Ms Carter says that the goal was to make greenery integral to exterior and interior design, creating a seamless blend of nature and architecture.

For the hotel’s 393 sq m roof terrace on level 12, which features the Canyon Club Rooftop Bar and Poolside Cabanas, the juxtaposition of Singapore’s city skyline against the rooftops of the surrounding historical shophouses is the focal point. 

Ms Carter also adds that this space draws inspiration from images of glamorous 1970s Hollywood pool parties by American photographer Slim Aarons.

The retro vibe is conveyed by eight cabanas with pink-stripe cushioned seats. “We wanted our guests to feel enveloped in a luxury experience even when they step outside,” adds Ms Carter.

Info: Mondrian Singapore Duxton is at 16A Duxton Hill. Go to str.sg/iqVQ

4. Mandarin Oriental, Singapore

The 510-room Mandarin Oriental, Singapore opened in 1987 and is over 36 years old.

After closing for a six-month renovation, it reopened on Sept 8 with a new look created by the design firm DesignWilkes.

Principal designer Jeffrey Wilkes says he wanted to infuse the new design with colours, textures and a sense of the tropics. 

Mr Wilkes, who is originally from Canada and is in his early 60s, says he was inspired by Singapore’s cultural heritage, such as its Peranakan-style architecture, black-and-white houses and the notable flowers of the city.

Some will remember the original hotel, designed by American architect John Portman, as a building with a large and dark atrium.

Now, as one enters the hotel, the ebony and ivory floor pattern that references colonial architecture, and the palette of batik textiles for the new interiors, give a new character to the space that is brighter and more welcoming.

Mr Wilkes, who has also worked on the Mandarin Oriental hotels in Dubai and Bangkok, adds: “One of the more prominent trends I’ve observed is that, more and more, luxury hotel designs are going for a more bespoke look and a residential feel compared with the earlier days, when it was about achieving a consistent look no matter which city you are in.”

Included in the renovation is its large 1,080 sq m terrace, which includes the pool area and the Harbour Terrace that overlooks Marina Bay. While the 25m-long pool was not touched, all the cabanas, sun beds, umbrellas and towels have been updated and refreshed.

The new cabanas are dressed in coral-pink cushions and a fresh green-and-white striped canopy that matches the palm trees.

Mr Philipp Knuepfer, general manager of Mandarin Oriental, Singapore and area vice-president of operations, says that its swimming pool is one of the highlights of the hotel for both staycationers and tourists.

Mr Knuepfer, who is in his mid-40s, says the hotel has a comparable mix of both staycationers and leisure travellers, as well as meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (Mice) guests.

The pool terrace at Mandarin Oriental, Singapore also has its own dedicated staff. Adorned in Panama hats and Ray-Ban sunglasses, the pool attendants add even more glamour to the surroundings. Fittingly, they have new uniforms too.

Info: Mandarin Oriental, Singapore is at 5 Raffles Avenue. Go to str.sg/iqVd

5. Palm Terrace by Writers Bar – Raffles Hotel Singapore

The Palm Court, at the 115-room Raffles Hotel Singapore, is a private courtyard of the storied hotel where 35 Palm Court Suites look out over a manicured lawn bordered by eponymous palm trees.

The hotel opened in 1887 as a small 10-room hotel in an old bungalow. The main building of the Raffles Hotel Singapore of today opened in 1899. The Palm Court wing opened in 1894.

And it is here that many famous writers like Rudyard Kipling and Joseph Conrad have stayed and even written about.

British writer Somerset Maugham stayed at the hotel several times between 1921 and 1960, and it is said that he worked on his writing while sitting under a tree in the courtyard.

While the courtyard is still reserved for hotel guests, members of the public can now imbibe their gin and tonic on a terrace overlooking the Palm Court. And the view is picture-perfect, thanks to the low-rise buildings around the hotel. 

The new Palm Terrace by Writers Bar is an extension of the Writers Bar which currently seats 26.

Located in the right portico of the main building, the extension adds seating for another 12 people.

Against the backdrop of the Victorian Italianate Revival style architecture of the hotel, only the addition of banquettes, tables and chairs with subdued upholstery were needed for the alfresco space.

Mr Christian Westbeld, the hotel’s managing director, who is in his 40s, says: “Open spaces have always been a Raffles Hotel Singapore signature that allows guests to take in the colonial architecture, serenity and lush surroundings.”

He adds that the open spaces, including Raffles Courtyard and The Lawn, are connected by open walkways that let guests discover different perspectives of the historic architecture.

Info: Raffles Singapore is at 1 Beach Road. Go to raffles.com/singapore