Robertson Quay / Singapore River

The Warehouse Hotel

★★★★★

The Warehouse Hotel is the boutique choice in Singapore, and one of the best design hotels in Asia. It occupies a row of three warehouses, or godowns, built in 1895 on the bend of the Singapore River at Robertson Quay, when the river was the city's working harbour and these buildings stored spices and goods from across the region. Later the site housed the Warehouse Disco, one of the city's legendary nightclubs, before falling into disrepair. The local hospitality group Lo and Behold restored it and opened the hotel in January 2017, keeping the triple-gabled roofline, the original windows and beams, and adding interiors that play with the building's industrial past: pulleys and machinery-inspired lights hang in the soaring lobby, where the bar is one of the city's best spots for a cocktail. There are only 37 rooms, each different, in dark wood, brass and black, with high ceilings, original features and thoughtful touches such as locally designed toiletries and minibars of Singapore snacks. The rooftop has a small infinity pool looking over the river, and the hotel's restaurant serves modern Singaporean dishes. Robertson Quay is the quiet, residential end of the river, lined with cafes and restaurants, and a riverside path leads to Clarke Quay and Boat Quay in fifteen to twenty minutes. Havelock and Fort Canning MRT stations are a short walk, and the hotel is a member of Design Hotels.

What sets the Warehouse apart is its personality. Staff are young, relaxed and well informed about the city's food and bar scene; the lobby works as a living room for guests and a gathering place for locals; and the rooms feel like a well-designed apartment rather than a chain hotel. Details reflect the history of the building and the river trade, with spices and trade routes referenced in the design. It is a hotel for people who enjoy small, characterful places and want to feel part of a neighbourhood.

Choosing a room: the standard rooms are compact but stylish; the larger rooms and suites, some under the original roof, have more space and dramatic beamed ceilings, and the river-view rooms are the ones to request. Some rooms face the road, so ask for a quieter side if you are a light sleeper. The rooftop pool is small, more for cooling off and views than for swimming laps. Breakfast in the restaurant is excellent and worth including.

Who it suits: couples, design lovers and repeat visitors who know the city and want something different from the big towers. The trade-offs: it is a little out of the centre (taxis to Marina Bay take ten to fifteen minutes, and the MRT stations are a short walk), the pool is small, and with so few rooms it books up early. In return you get the riverside at its loveliest: a morning run or walk along the water, coffee on Robertson Quay, and evenings drifting downriver to the bars of Clarke Quay and back.