After a busy week in an extremely busy city, my club deluxe king room at the Intercontinental Hotel Robertson Quay in Singapore was an oasis of calm and serenity. It’s spacious and sleek, and the views from the floor-to-ceiling windows are not your everyday Singapore skyline.

I’ve stayed in many luxury hotels in the Lion City and most of them do have that same amazing Singapore view. No matter which angle you’re looking at, it’s an impressive jumble of skyscrapers and construction alongside Hindu temples and colonial shophouses. And if you’re lucky, you’ll have some water below you as well.

ROOM WITH A DIFFERENT VIEW

I chose this hotel based on its high ratings especially from business travelers. It was also not in the usual area. In fact, until I stayed here, I’d never heard of Robertson Quay. However, I liked what I saw when I finally got to my corner room. I had a river on one side and signs of real life in nice apartment buildings on the other.

This is certainly not one’s idea of Crazy Rich Asian Singapore. And this isn’t a bad thing either. It was rather nice to be away from all the glitz, glamour, endless shopping malls and brand name stores, and yet to be only ten minutes away from all these by taxi.

This is distance and access at the same time. I can confirm that many places worth seeing or being seen in, including Singapore’s top private club, are just an elevator ride down and then a few steps away.

Some of the most iconic upscale leisure areas like Clarke Quay and Boat Quay, too, are even actually walking distance. I booked a private walking tour with the hotel concierge one morning and I ended up buying dried tea balls and eating the ubiquitous popiah in a hawker market in under an hour — all on foot from the hotel. But I’ll save that for another story.

THE PERFECT BUSINESS TRIP HOTEL ROOM

In other words, this room is the perfect antidote to the adrenalin-fueled excitement of Singapore. For busy business travelers, it’s also a tonic for stress. There’s nothing better after a long day than a lobby and lounge with that feel of exclusivity.

From a user viewpoint, the room gets high marks from me. For one thing, the bathroom is palatial by Singapore standards and filled with so much natural light. This is actually much more appreciated by business travelers than one might think, because this tribe calls hotels “home.” And it has a view.

You’ll be surprised at how few hotel rooms actually have bathrooms with one, and it’s understandable. A view is prime real estate in this city and most hotel and apartment developers reserve it for the living room or the master bedroom. But here at the Intercontinental Hotel Robertson Quay, I had a lovely view from the bathtub and the shower cubicle.

EVERYTHING’S IN PLACE

Then there’s the interior design. Most Singapore luxury hotels tend to go Colonial heritage style or to favor a light contemporary design as we are on an island that’s on party mode 24/7. However, the Intercontinental Robertson Quay is all about dark neutrals, reminding me of a well-tailored gentleman’s suit.

Nothing is either overdone or underdone, and there is not one unnecessary item in the decor. And yet, you have absolutely everything you need including all the great toys like flatscreen TVs with cable access and a Bose sound bar. And a very interesting guide book to Singapore. Nice touch with than one.

Not every hotel can say that they have bucked the trend and done so perfectly. However this one certainly can.

WHAT WE LOVED

• The overall sophisticated ambience is a soothing antidote to the general hectic vibe of Singapore.
• In a city full of tourists, this is a great hotel for business travelers.
• It’s a short walk from driveway to hotel room door, and you’re unlikely to have to fight your way through crowds getting there.
• Wonderful assortment of restaurants and cafes in this neighborhood, and most of it are local hangouts so you get a feel of the real Singapore.
• The Club Intercontinental business lounge is a great work and chill place because it has an indoor area and also an outdoor area. So you can meet your Singapore contact over a drink inside, and then answer emails on the terrace outside for a bit of a holiday vibe.
• In case you’re in the mood to get out of visitor mode, just head down to the Publico restaurant, the hotel’s contemporary Italian restaurant. It’s always teeming with locals here for the pizza. Make sure to book ahead, though, just like the locals.

READ MORE ABOUT THE INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL ROBERTSON QUAY HERE

Some photos courtesy of the Intercontinental Hotel Roberston Quay

The post If a Singapore hotel was a well-made suit appeared first on TRAVELIFE Magazine.

In an island full of so much cool and stylish, is there actually a side of Singapore that is more hip than the rest? Apparently there is. And these days, it’s in the neighborhoods around Robertson Quay, with its great restaurants and outdoor cafes along the river, just a hop and a skip from the financial district and from the Orchard Road area.

This area is lovely to walk in, and on weekends it’s practically Style Central;. Most of the dining establishments around here are booked, and it’s a nice variety of upscale places, private clubs and also the kind of digs where you can pop up in torn jeans, a white t-shirt and a dog. Or a bike.

AWARD-WINNING BUSINESS HOTEL

So I checked into the Intercontinental Hotel Robertson Quay, which is one of the best regarded business hotels in Singapore. Somewhere between exclusive boutique property and efficient establishment with everything a guest might need for a temporary workplace, it’s intimate and exclusive — just the right size for travelers wanting easy access and yet at the same time privacy. You get out of your taxi and it’s straight up the elevator to a beautiful lobby that’s multi-purpose and yet it’s just a little bigger than a shopping mall corridor.

In fact, from the corner of my eye, I spied someone in a bathing suit about to jump into a pool behind a glass window just several feet away from me, as I was handing my passport at the check-in counter. I couldn’t believe it. So I had to ask: “Is that a swimming pool over there?”

I guess the hotel team gets asked this a lot, because the lady at the counter replied with a smile and without skipping a beat: “Yes, ma’am. That’s our swimming pool.” Don’t start getting ideas of a fancy resort pool in your head, though. This is the kind of perfectly decent lap pool that does the job perfectly for busy people who need to do their daily laps or to sit out in the sun between meetings.

In other words, how fun. The check-in counter, the pool, the lobby where coffee and tea is also served, and the hotel’s fabulously crafted business lounge are all within walking distance of each other. So technically you can get get a meeting, a cocktail and your exercise laps all done within half an hour. if you’re one of these travelers who like to power through their days.

MAKING WORK FUN

I’ve already mentioned how fabulous the Club Intercontinental business lounge is, if you are a traveler with work to do in Singapore. But let me do so again. I held so many meetings here over breakfast, snacks and cocktails — and the atmosphere must’ve been appropriately conducive because I certainly got a lot done and with fantastic results.

They serve guests with access to this lounge a mean complimentary breakfast. Meanwhile, in the evenings, it’s a bevy of original cocktails and bite-size appetizers so attractively laid out that you’ll find yourself practically eating dinner.

At the same time, the Intercontinental Hotel Robertson Quay’s corner king studio room is the perfect refuge from the hustle and bustle of one of Asia’s most exciting cities. It’s as sleek and business stylish as its lobby. But I’ll save that for another story.

WHAT WE LIKED

• Easy access to Orchard Road and the Financial District.
• Riverfront location with cool shops, boutiques and restaurants. And a great jogging track.
• One street away and it’s all residential so it’s not some commercial cocoon. Real people live here. Albeit well-paid ones.
• If you’re tired of wasting time walking through large and crowded hotels, this one’s for you. Everything is only a few steps away. In fact the pool, the lobby and the business lounge are all in one floor.
• Spacious rooms with river views or residential views. The bathrooms are palatial by Singapore hotel standards.
• The hotel hosts the hip and happening Publico Ristorante. This place is packed on weekends as everyone’s lining up for pizza, so best to book in advance.
• The hotel rents bicycles and organizes walking tours too so business travelers with a spare hour have their plate full with interesting things to do.
• No major shopping center in sight. For us this is great because the vibe changes completely when you take a hotel out of visual sight of a commercial mall.

READ MORE ABOUT THE INTERCONTINENTAL HOTEL ROBERTSON QUAY HERE

Some photos courtesy of the Intercontinental Hotel Roberston Quay

The post The hip side of Singapore appeared first on TRAVELIFE Magazine.