Tanjong Pagar

Oasia Hotel Downtown, Singapore by Far East Hospitality

★★★★★

Oasia Hotel Downtown is the hotel to pick if you want a striking, distinctly Singaporean building without paying Marina Bay prices. It is the tower you notice from the street in Tanjong Pagar: a tall block clad in a red aluminium mesh, up which climbing plants grow, so the whole facade slowly turns into a vertical garden. Designed by the Singapore architects WOHA and opened in 2016, it is one of the best-known examples of the city's "garden in the sky" architecture, and the idea continues inside. The hotel occupies the upper part of the tower, with its lobby and public spaces set in open-air sky gardens around 30 metres tall, cooled by breezes and filled with tropical planting, so arriving feels like stepping into a jungle courtyard high above the city. There are 314 rooms, designed in calm, soft tones with large windows, and the higher categories look out over the port, the Tanjong Pagar skyline or the city. On the 27th floor are two rooftop swimming pools surrounded by greenery, with Club guests getting an extra infinity pool on Level 21 next to the Club Lounge, which serves breakfast, all-day refreshments and evening cocktails and canapes. On the ground floor, The Marmalade Pantry serves breakfast and all-day dining and CIN CIN is a craft gin bar, while OSO Ristorante on the top floor is the special-occasion Italian. The location is excellent for food lovers: Tanjong Pagar MRT is about two minutes' walk, Maxwell and the Chinatown hawker centres are a short stroll, and the Tanjong Pagar and Duxton bar and restaurant streets are on the doorstep. It is calm, design-led and good value for what it offers.

The design rewards a little time. The sky gardens are open to the air, so expect the tropical climate in the public spaces rather than air-conditioned atriums; that is part of the point, and they are pleasant early in the morning and in the evening. The rooftop pools are a peaceful place to swim with skyscrapers around you, and the 24-hour gym is well equipped. Rooms are restrained rather than flashy, with good beds, rain showers and blackout curtains; the hotel is popular with business travellers during the week and with couples and families at weekends.

Choosing a room: standard rooms are comfortable for a couple on a short stay, while the Club rooms are worth considering if you will use the lounge and the Level 21 infinity pool, since breakfast and evening drinks are included. Ask for a higher floor for the better views. Breakfast is served from early morning, but with Maxwell Food Centre and the Tanjong Pagar coffee shops nearby, many guests eat out at least once.

Location: 100 Peck Seah Street, Tanjong Pagar. The MRT puts Marina Bay, the Civic District and Orchard Road within easy reach, Outram Park is about a kilometre away for the north-east and Thomson lines, and Chinatown, Duxton Hill and Keong Saik Road are a short walk. For a first trip that balances budget and style, or for foodies who want hawker centres on the doorstep, Oasia Downtown is one of the smartest choices in the city.