From The Straits Times    |

For a tranquil retreat: VILLA SAMADHI SINGAPORE


Image: Villa Samadhi Singapore

Where: 30 Labrador Villa Road Nestled in the greenery of the Labrador Nature Reserve is a new boutique hotel that harks back to Singapore’s colonial days.

Villa Samadhi Singapore, which welcomed its first guests yesterday, is housed in a two-storey, black- and-white military building built in the 20th century during British times, though the exact date is unknown.

There are 20 rooms across four room types, featuring luxurious amenities such as plunge pools and rainshowers. All the rooms are located in the main building except the private 56 sq m Luxe Sarang suite, which is in an adjacent building that used to be a cook house.

The building had been empty for years before Mr Federico Asaro, 48, founder and chief executive officer of Samadhi Retreats, decided to turn it into a luxury retreat. This is the third property for the Samadhi hospitality group, which also runs Japamala Resort on Tioman Island and Villa Samadhi Kuala Lumpur.

Besides hotels, Mr Asaro also runs The Tamarind Group of restaurants, including Tamarind Hill Singapore, which is a short walk via a “jungle walkway” from Villa Samadhi Singapore.

An avid antiques collector who lives in Singapore, Mr Asaro was adamant that the hotel preserved an authentic colonial atmosphere inside and outside.

The Italy-born hotelier says: “It’s a historical building in the middle of nowhere – there’s soul to this place. I didn’t want to have this old exterior and modernise the inside. It would have lost its essence.”

To avoid using modern replicas in the building, he travelled to Malaysia to source for old wooden floorboards and balustrades.

He also went to construction sites in Singapore to pick up discarded old roof tiles that were in good condition. He used them to replace broken tiles on the hotel’s roof. “The construction people thought I was an idiot,” he says.

His eye for detail shows in the elegant Asian-inflected furnishings.

In the lobby, guests check in at an old Burmese bank-teller counter. Along the staircase, there is a 120- year-old food carrier from China and art pieces made out of colourful Hmong fabric hang on the walls.

Around the property are custom- made furniture such as loungers made from recycled wood, carpets and rugs from Afghanistan and Iran, as well as antique luggage trunks placed in some rooms.

Samadhi is a Sanskrit word that means a state of intense concentration achieved through meditation.

Guests may or may not achieve enlightenment at the hotel, but various thoughtful features are designed to help them relax. Yoga and taiji sessions are being planned. At night, decanters in the room are filled with port for a nightcap.

Room rates start at $395 for the Crib category and go up to $975 for the Luxe Sarang suite.

Guests can also unwind at a cool hang-out spot-cum-bar called the Library on the second floor.

Nature, which surrounds the property, provides the final touch. Mr Asaro says that peacocks, cockatoos and even an albino snake have been spotted around the premises.

He says: “I’m not selling a bed for a night. It’s about the experience.”

For a glimpse of history: THE WAREHOUSE HOTEL


Image: The Warehouse Hotel

Where: 320 Havelock Road The Warehouse Hotel in Havelock Road is not shy about the sordid past of its neighbourhood.

The 37-room property is housed in a 121-year-old godown along the Singapore River.

The area had a reputation for harbouring secret society members, gambling dens and prostitutes. It was also known as a place where homemade alcohol was sold on street corners and in alleys.

As a nod to the neighbourhood’s colourful history, the hotel marries the unfinished, utilitarian warehouse aesthetic with the kinkier vibe of a place for illicit trysts.

In the cavernous lobby, pulleys – common fixtures in old warehouses – and naked lightbulbs hang from the double-volume ceiling.

Inside a glass display area built into the check-in counter, there are a set of handcuffs, an ashtray and bottle openers.

Rooms come with a “Minibar of Vices” while some rooms have open-concept bathrooms or tubs placed behind clear glass.

The hotel is run by The Lo & Behold Group, which is behind chic lounges and restaurants, including the two-Michelin-starred Odette at the National Gallery Singapore and The White Rabbit in Harding Road.

The interiors were done by Asylum, a home-grown award-winning design studio.

Mr Chris Lee, 46, Asylum’s founder and creative director of the project, was also inspired by the Fritz Lang sci-fi silent film, Metropolis (1927), to create two Brutalist-looking feature walls of patterned, glowing squares.

For the hotel’s in-house restaurant, Po, he went for a nostalgic theme. The cosy 52-seat restaurant features rattan chairs, green Calacatta marbled tables and terrazzo flooring – creating an old-school feel.

The hotel is also big on championing local brands.

Lifestyle brand Matter Prints designed custom bed runners, which have a pattern showcasing the three roof peaks of the warehouse, while the minibars are also filled with treats such as Salted Egg Yolk Potato Chips by snack company The Golden Duck and complimentary tea from speciality tea company A.muse Projects.

Prices start at $295++ for the River View Room and go up to $495++ for the River View Suite.

Mr Wee Teng Wen, 37, managing partner of The Lo & Behold Group, says: “The hotel tells a very unique Singaporean story and will offer a truly authentic experience and be a prism to local culture, rather than be just a pitstop to eat and sleep.”

To meet like-minded millenials: COO


Image: Coo

Where: 259 Outram Road Tiong Bahru, an enclave that mixes retro charm and cool design-centric businesses, has no shortage of quirky boutique hotels. But a new hostel hopes to tap into a different demographic: the millennial traveller on a budget.

Housed in a four-storey conservation shophouse in Outram Road and comprising 11 rooms with 68 beds, Coo blends nostalgic references with techie frills.

All over its walls and ceiling are graphic prints featuring “kopitiam uncles”, Tiong Bahru’s iconic Art Deco architecture, local kueh and “Bob”, a neighbourhood tabby cat.

In a bistro on the first level, an abstract map of Tiong Bahru fashioned out of neon lights is suspended from the ceiling.

The four-month-old hostel takes it one step further with a social media- like “digital interest matching tool” to get guests mingling even before they arrive.

Once travellers have booked their stay at the hostel, they can log on to Coo Connect to create a profile. They can find others who will be staying there at the same time and link up with like-minded travellers to plan activities or chat.

The idea, says Coo’s founder Silas Lee, 51, taps on millennials’ love of digital connectivity.

The former head of corporate banking for Asia Pacific at Barclays bank, who is running a hostel for the first time, says: “The end game is to get people to interact face-to-face rather than just being a keyboard warrior. It is about connecting like-minded people and encouraging them to explore common interests.”

The interiors were designed by Mr Colin Seah, 44, founder of award-winning multidisciplinary firm Ministry of Design, who also did the branding.

The design mixes cheekiness with clever functionality. For example, hallways to the rooms are plastered with house rules such as “Your mom ain’t here, clean up after yourself”.

Instead of a key card, guests are given wristbands so there is a lower chance of them losing their keys.

The bunk beds are like cubicles where guests can draw the curtains for privacy. There are also lockers in the cubicles for valuables. Guests can hop on free bicycles provided by the hostel to explore the area.

Promotional prices start at $30++ for a single bed in an eight-bed dormitory and go up to $50++ for a single bed in a four-bed dormitory with an ensuite bathroom.

This story was originally published in The Straits Times