Review: Mandarin Oriental, Singapore

Published Mar 6 2025, 7:53 AM, Updated Mar 6 2025, 7:53 AMThe Mandarin Oriental, Singapore, was beautifully renovated and reopened in September 2023. It is set right in the heart of Marina Bay and is directly connected to Marina Square, with shopping and restaurants.

Location

Mandarin Oriental, Singapore boasts an enviable location overlooking Marina Bay, one of Singapore’s most iconic settings. Guests are perfectly positioned to explore the city’s attractions, from the futuristic Gardens by the Bay to the historic charm of Chinatown, Little India, and Kampong Gelam. The hotel is also a stroll Suntec City, Singapore Flyer, Esplanade Theatre, and Raffles City and is 20 minutes from Changi Airport by car.

The nearest MRT station is Promenade, is connected to Marina Square by a sheltered underpass, and is around a 10-minute walk from the hotel.

Style & Character

We love the thick turquose carpet that has been rolled out over the black stone pavement at the entrance to this hotel. The Mandarin Oriental logo shines out from this rug like a Hollywood star. Beyond the carpet is a friendly dorman who welcomes guests into the foyer.

Your welcome includes a refreshing towel and a cup of tea. It takes place in the boutique-feeling lobby, a circular room with a glorious golden orb-shaped feature ceiling and a modern chandelier dripping down. One wall showcases the most beautiful flower mural, much like a colourful garden. I might be a bit girly, but I thought it was just magic.

It’s easy to see the work that Jeffrey Wilkes of DesignWilkes has put into the meticulously reimagined interiors. Classy florals are everywhere, blending Peranakan-inspired motifs, lush greenery, and contemporary aesthetics. The design elements reflect Singapore’s unique cultural tapestry, with nods to the island’s black-and-white houses, colonial history, and the concept of the “Garden City.”

Beyond the lobby is a gargantuan central lobby with more colourful flowery carpets, giving the space a tropical feel. From here, you can take one of the glass lifts that will elevate you to your room.

Service & Facilities

The hotel’s wellness offerings are impressive, with a luxurious spa, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and a serene 25-meter outdoor pool surrounded by bushes and greenery overlooking Marina Bay. For a more exclusive experience with views over the bay, you can book a private cabana, or you can simply enjoy one of the superbly comfy and complimentary striped loungers that relax under white parasols, beckoning guests to laze on them. For families, a dedicated children’s pool and thoughtfully curated kid-friendly activities ensure that even the youngest guests feel at home.

Rooms

The hotel’s 510 rooms and suites are sanctuaries of comfort and style. The rooms start at about 34 sqm and offer hugely high, breathtaking views of the city, sea, or Marina Bay. The decor of each room type is unique. Marina Bay-facing rooms have cool blue tones, blue cushions, and blue textured wallpaper with botanical prints. Rooms that look out at the South China Sea have warmer tones.

Our room faced the city and was decorated with turquoise cushions and turquoise foresty botanical prints on the textured wallpaper. The turquoise modernised and invigorated the room’s look, bringing colour and a natural, foresty feel into this city center room. The rest of the room was dressed in classy but muted browns and tans, with two olive sofa seats by the window. Droopy lights hung over the side tables on either side of the bed, leaving the entire side table worktop to lay your stuff out on. Our Luxury Travel Diary family thought that the design of the rooms was very sensible and particularly loved the large inset area by the door and eardrobes to place your luggage.

Spacious bathrooms at the hotel, some with separate stand-alone bathtubs, have walk-in showers, double sinks, and plenty of countertop space. There’s a big mirror placed behind the stand-alone baths, which adds a feeling of space to the bathroom, and the wood finishes of the cupboards both in the main room and in the bathroom look like bleached driftwood, giving a natural feel. The toiletries are by the Barcelona brand NaturaBisse, a delicious-smelling luxury brand.

The pinnacle of luxury is found in the Presidential Suite and the Royal Marina Bay Penthouse, the latter being the largest penthouse in Singapore, offering an unparalleled vista of Marina Bay and beyond.

HAUS 65 Club Lounge

The newly unveiled HAUS 65 club lounge on the 21st floor offers lounge areas, a library, and a wine room. The Mandarin Oriental, Singapore’s club lounge is reached through majestic glass double doors. You can enjoy a Champagne breakfast from 6:30 am to 10:30 am if you have club lounge access. Afternoon tea from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Evening cocktails with hors d’oeuvres from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm. A generous selection of Champagne, wines, spirits, and beers is available throughout the day until 7:00 pm. Cocktails include the Gin Martini, Lychee Martini, and the Singapore Sling.

Haus65 guests can also enjoy complimentary in-room minibar throughout their stay, laundry or pressing for up to two pieces per day (non-accumulative), access to MOFIT Wellness classes, and a complimentary chauffeur-driven HAUS 65 Car on weekdays, which drops guests off at any destination within two kilometers of the hotel.

Guests with Haus65 access can order anything from the drinks menu in the lounge, but if you gain access as a Mandala Club member, you pay for your alcoholic drinks.

The club lounge is vast and thoughtfully divided into sections. The lounge’s warm earthy tones of orange, khaki, and green blend with a rust-toned carpet, matching botanical-print wallpaper, green chairs, and dark wood flooring, creating a grounded yet sophisticated ambiance.

A manned reception desk sits near the entrance, framed by pergola-style partitions and roofing, subtly defining the space. The décor strikes a balance between natural warmth and modern elegance, enhanced by whimsical chandeliers and a mix of seating arrangements.

The buffet area, also set beneath soaring ceilings, serves light bites, Ruinart champagne, wines, spirits, and beers until 7:00 pm, offering a refined dining experience with breathtaking city views.

Breakfast here is good, although the buffet is much smaller than downstairs. It has cheeses, hams, cold smoked salmon and mackeral, bread, pastries like croissants, and honey straight from the comb. There is also an a la carte menu in the lounge, which is really good, and you can pick and choose what you like from this menu. I have included this menu in our full review of the HAUS 65 Club Lounge at the Mandarin Oriental Singapore.

Review: HAUS 65 Club Lounge At Mandarin Oriental, Singapore

Reviews

HAUS 65 is the newly refurbished club lounge on the 21st floor at the Mandarin Oriental, Singapore. It is one of the most stylish and best club lounges in Singapore. The Mandarin Oriental, Singapore boasts an enviable location overlooking Marina Bay, close to the futuristic Gardens by the Bay to the historic charm of Chinatown, Little India, and Kampong Gelam and just 20 minutes by car from Changi Airport by car.

While the breakfast is good here, if you book your stay via our luxury travel concierge, one of our many complimentary perks for you is the full breakfast downstairs at the Embu restaurant from 6:30 am to 10:30 am, which has more variety and is busier. The club lounge breakfast is more peaceful, but you might find it fun to try the breakfast downstairs for a change of scene.

The food is delivered at mealtimes, and there are plenty of pastries and fruits in between meal times. The afternoon tea is noteworthy and delivered on separate plates. You can choose a sweet plate of scones with chocolate cake, jam, and cream, or savory options include mini avocado sandwiches, mini chicken sandwiches, etc.

In the evening, the food is Asian in style with prawn dishes, skewered kebab-style meat, fried fish, big bowls of hot noodle dishes, and a cold salad buffet with cheeses, hams, salad items with dressings, soup, and sushi. There is more than enough to fill you up, along with cake for pudding.

Food & Drink

Beyond the club lounge, the hotel’s culinary offerings are headlined by Cherry Garden, which serves Cantonese delicacies with a modern flair, and Dolce Vita, a refined Italian restaurant with panoramic city skyline views. For an immersive Japanese experience, Zuicho delights with its kappo-style dining, while Morton’s The Steakhouse offers classic American steakhouse fare.

The Lobby Lounge offers an elegant afternoon tea experience for lighter fare, while The Mandarin Cake Shop tempts guests with handcrafted pastries and confections. The MO BAR, with its curated cocktails and stunning city views, and BAY@5, an outdoor lounge overlooking the bay, provide perfect spots to unwind in style.

The all-day dining restaurant Embu features an array of international and local flavors in a lush, green setting. If you book your stay via our luxury travel concierge, one of our many complimentary perks for you is the full breakfast downstairs at the Embu restaurant from 6:30 am to 10:30 am. Tropical leaves almost engulf Emby restaurant and dripping with foliage, which drapes and spills off the ceilings and out of pots and flowerbeds. It’s like eating in an international but external tropical garden.

The breakfast buffet has a vast array of food, including a colossal bread counter with muffins and donuts. Cold dishes include fruit, salad, and cold cuts with a hot Western and an Asian breakfast section. Hot food stations include egg options and numerous bowls of Indian curry. Other Asian dishes include butterfly Pea Rice, Pandan Chicken, and Fish Otah. You can make a right mess of your pallette if you mix breakfast dishes from around the world. Curry may seem like a strange breakfast item to Westerners, but you can be pretty adventurous in Asia.

Conclusion

The reimagined Mandarin Oriental, Singapore, has the best club lounge in Singapore and has been beautifully modernised. The botanical floral designs throughout make the entire hotel feel like a natural haven in the city and the pool is a wonderful place to hang out. Since its refurbishment, we think this Mandarin Oriental is one of the best luxury hotels in Singapore.

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Image(s) courtesy of Mandarin Oriental, Singapore.

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