9 Best Hotels in Singapore for 2025 | International Traveller

The trick to the perfect Singapore trip, is finding the perfect Singapore hotel.

More than any country I’ve ever been to (and I’ve travelled around Europe), nowhere made me want to pack my most stylish outfits and spend my days lazing with a cocktail by a luxurious pool more than Singapore. And that meant discovering best hotels in Singapore. Only leaving to experience a taste of the city’s famed dining scene.

And this is coming from a chronic itinerary over-stuffer.

Upon arrival, I discovered I had made the correct choice. Like many Asian countries where it’s simply too hot to function during the day, sunlight hours are for taking to the shade or cooling off in a body of water.

And the style here is not just a figment of the movies, it’s undeniable and varied. Not to mention, with its storied history and unique merging of several different cultures, each corner provides a different slice of the Singaporean experience. The best way to experience it all? By selecting hotels in different suburbs and spending a few days exploring each after the sun begins to set and the city comes to life. Trust me, it’s worth hotel hopping for.

Singapore offers a huge variety of accommodation choices, but these were my picks for the best hotels in Singapore.

1. Grand Hyatt Singapore

Best for exploring: Orchard Road
Address: 10 Scotts Rd
Website: hyatt.com/grand-hyatt/en-US/sinrs-grand-hyatt-singapore
Cost: $$$ – $$$$

The bustling streets of Singapore are part of its appeal, especially on the famous Orchard Road, but there’s still nothing like having your own, private garden oasis to retreat to when you need a break.

Despite being amongst it all on Orchard Road – Singapore’s iconic shopping and entertainment district – it all melts away once you step foot inside Grand Hyatt Singapore. Which is probably why it refers to itself as a wellness haven.

Cozy and refined, the hotel décor is a mix of warm earthy tones and lush green spaces. Particularly unique for the centre of Singapore, the Terrace Wing is crafted as a quiet, outdoor haven with landscaping that feels a world apart from the urban jungle outside, and the peaceful sound of a cascading waterfall drowns out street noise.

While not on a rooftop, the pool area continues the guest’s journey to calm, surrounded by yet more landscaped greenery with spacious cabanas almost hidden beneath the plant life for a peaceful place to relax the day away.

wellness pool at Grand Hyatt Singapore — Find an oasis in the middle of the Orchard Road area.

2. Andaz Singapore

Best for exploring: Kampong Glam
Address: 5 Fraser Street
Website: hyatt.com/andaz/sinaz-andaz-singapore
Cost: $$$ – $$$$

If you can’t get enough of the Hyatt umbrella, the five-star Andaz Singapore offers colour and comfort, where Kampong Glam, Little India and the Bras Basah Bugis arts and entertainment hub meet (and an easy 20 minutes to Changi Airport).

The vibrant alleyways and shophouses of this local area are what inspired the design of Andaz. Famed interior designer André Fu of André Fu Studio incorporated subtle, locally inspired techniques, decorative details, furniture, art and fabric into the hotel’s design. The result? An oasis from the bustle outside, that still feels authentic.

And yes, a gorgeous rooftop pool is perfect for taking in the Singapore skyline until it’s cool enough to go out and explore it up close. Not to mention complimentary coffee, tea, iced tea and light refreshments in the Sunroom.

Andaz Singapore rooftop infinity pool — Relax in style until the sun goes down.

3. Mandarin Oriental, Singapore

Best for exploring: Marina Bay, Chinatown
Address: 5 Raffles Ave
Website: mandarinoriental.com/en/singapore/marina-bay
Cost: $$$$ – $$$$$

The iconic image of Marina Bay and its Merlion statues are the first to come to mind when speaking of Singapore. And since first opening in the 80s, the five-star hotel Mandarin Oriental has been part of that image.

Having emerged from a six-month overhaul in 2023 by Kuala Lumpur-based practice DesignWilkes, the newly refurbished hotel shook up its original neo-futuristic design by American architect John Portman and added inspiration from the city itself. And you can feel it. From the iconic atrium being coloured “50 shades of clay" as a nod to Singapore’s roof tiles, to the all-day dining restaurant, Embu, which feels like you’ve stepped right into Singapore’s jungle (but make it trendy and add air-con).

suite at mandarin oriental marina bay singapore hotels — Stay in a magnificent room.

Then, there’s club lounge HAUS 65. Access to this incredible space is reserved for guests booked into a suite or Club Marina Bay Room, and so worth it. Enjoy exclusive privileges: from daily Champagne breakfast and tasty afternoon tea, to special wellness classes and access to a complimentary chauffeur-driven car.

Add in the onsite spa, fitness centre, gorgeous outdoor pool and even more onsite dining options (the degustation at Cherry Garden was a delight), and I must confess I wasn’t tempted to step foot outside for my entire stay.

Honestly, from entrance to suite, it’s a stunning hotel.

rootop pool at mandarin oriental marina bay singapore hotels — Gaze upon Marina Bay from your room, or the rooftop pool.

4. The Outpost Hotel

Best for exploring: Sentosa Island
Address: 10 Artillery Ave, Sentosa Island
Website: theoutposthotel.com.sg
Cost: $$-$$$

Sentosa Island could certainly be done in a day, but to really soak up this odd (in all the best ways) part of Singapore, an overnight stay is called for.

While I’ll openly admit I was originally attracted by the pools (yes, more than one), there was plenty to keep me hooked after hanging up the beach towel.

Casually fun and stylish is really the best way to describe this hotel, with impeccable service. Not to mention adult-only spaces that make for a peaceful solo retreat or memorable romantic getaway.

You’ll find two dining options onsite, the casual 1-Altitude Coast Bar found on the adults-exclusive pool deck and day club for casual all-day nibbles and drinks. Or Sol & Ora for a heartier meal, selected from its menu that combines Latin and Mediterranean influences.

As for the location, it’s right next door to Universal Studios. But Sentosa Island is kind of like its own big theme park – with everything from light shows to beaches to perfume-making workshops to aquariums.

The Outpost Hotel lobby on sentosa island, best hotels in singapore — The playground of Sentosa Island is begging to be explore.

5. Naumi Hotel Singapore

Best for exploring: Downtown
Address: 41 Seah St
Website: naumihotels.com/singapore
Cost: $$$

Modern, artistic style is the name of the décor game at boutique Naumi Hotel Singapore. Its 73 guest rooms range from minimalist with earthy tones, to architectural shapes and bright pops of colour. Furnishings and decorations were handpicked from designers around the globe, including B&B Italia, Poltrona Frau and Zanotta. Specially commissioned Singaporean art brightens the walls.

Colourful rattan armchairs spread across the wooden deck of the rooftop pool, covered with cushions large enough to lie on. The poolside Cloud 9 Rooftop Infinity Pool (and more comfortable seating options) sits under a deep veranda, perfect for all-day lounging. And watching the sunset over the city.

Set within the core Downtown area, a world of restaurants, bars and clubs await just outside the door (most notably Chjimes Heritage Building and Raffles). And the reception staff here are the friendliest I experienced anywhere.

Naumi Singapore, best hotels in singapore — Spend all day swimming, then head out at night. (Image: Karlie Place)

6. The Vagabond Club

Best for exploring: Little India
Address: 39 Syed Alwi Rd
Website: hotelvagabondsingapore.com
Cost: $$$ – $$$$

If you’ve ever yearned for the days of speakeasies and underground jazz clubs (or even if you haven’t), The Vagabond Club – a Tribute Portfolio Hotel – is the place to itch that scratch. Housed inside an Art Deco building from the 1950s, the hotel and onsite bar and restaurant were transformed by illustrious French architect and interior designer, Jacques Garcia.

The 41 rooms pair moody dark wooden details with golden accents and distinct touches of red. Bright pops of all colours come in the form of striking paintings adorning nearly every inch of the walls. Take a complimentary art tour after you check in to take a closer look at permanent pieces, current installations and the hotel’s curated Artist-In-Residence programme.

Perhaps its crowning glory, however, is the downstairs Whiskey Library & Jazz Club. Lauded as one of the best whiskey bars in the world, discover 1000 bottles of bespoke whiskies that line the walls as decoration and settle in for entertainment.

From the hotel’s location in the heart of Singapore’s Central Heritage District, take an easy walk to the vibrant streets of Little India and Kampong Glam.

room at The Vagabond Hotel singapore — Surround yourself with art at The Vagabond Hotel.

7. Hotel Indigo Singapore Katong

Best for exploring: Katong
Address: 86 E Coast Rd
Website: ihg.com/hotelindigo/hotels/us/en/singapore/sinki/hoteldetail
Cost: $$

Katong-Joo Chiat is a neighbourhood slightly removed from the hustle and bustle. But as the home of Peranakan Chinese culture in Singapore, the suburb is filled with local flavours, boutique cafes and charming heritage shophouses making it worth a stay of its own. Honestly, my favourite area of Singapore. Enter, the wheelchair-friendly Hotel Indigo.

In keeping with the Indigo brand, this hotel taps into the local vibe with references to the colourful Peranakan traditions and architecture. The hotel’s 131 rooms are decorated with exuberant splashes of colour, patterned tiles and wall murals mirroring that of the local streets.

What’s more, the hotel boasts the best bathroom views of the city, with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out over tightly packed, terracotta-tiled rooftops. Enjoy it from your luxurious rain shower or spacious bathtub. A rooftop infinity pool offers up the same vista with Rooftop 88 offering a short but satisfying nibbles and drinks list.

Hotel Indigo Singapore Katong — Explore the incredible Katong from Hotel Indigo.

8. Hotel Fort Canning (soon to be METT Singapore)

Best for exploring: Fort Canning
Address: 11 Canning Walk
Website: hfcsingapore.com
Cost: $$ – $$$$$

Fort Canning Park itself is an urban oasis and a popular place to visit on its own. However, 18 hectares of it is reserved for guests of the luxurious Hotel Fort Canning. Take a step back in time to before Singapore became so developed and busy, in one of the 86 guestrooms and suites.

Built in the early 20th century, this heritage boutique hotel started life as a British military administration site. Today, it’s very much modernised, but still retains its colonial glamour in the architecture and décor. It offers spacious and elegant rooms with lush views of the surrounding greenery.

Despite its close proximity to the centre of Singapore, a stay here is like escaping to a tranquil, manicured jungle retreat. Something that is particularly appreciated when relaxing by the spacious in-ground pool.

The hotel will be closing for renovations in April, and reopening under the name METT Singapore.

Hotel Fort Canning (soon to be METT Singapore) best hotels in singapore — Find continental glamour in peaceful surrounds.

9. Raffles Singapore

Best for exploring: Raffles, Bras Basah Bugis
Address: 1 Beach Rd
Website: raffles.com/Singapore
Cost: $$$$$

An icon of the island city-state, it would be remiss of me not to include Raffles Singapore as one of the best hotels in Singapore.

Ever the grand dame of Singapore, classic touches – like the intricate white-washed façade and colonnades, turbaned doormen, gorgeous light-filled lobby, personalised butler service and charming British colonial-style rooms – meet newer elements – like modernised bathrooms and state-of-the-art technology.

Of course, just as famed as the hotel, are the restaurants held within the building’s walls. A before-dinner drink at the sumptuous gold and dark wood Writer’s Room bar is a must (yes, I made it a Singapore Sling). While an Indian feast at Tiffin, sitting outside with an iconic view over the harbour, is the perfect way to spend an evening.

the Raffles Room at Raffles Sentosa, Singapore — Partake in an afternoon tea at the elegant and intimate Raffles Room.

Before heading to Singapore, be sure to read our five-minute guide to getting around once you’re there.

After youth-led protests in 2025, this year Nepal elected a 35-year-old former rapper as Prime Minister. In a country where tourism is its biggest industry, what’s next for travellers?

In 1986, Nepal changed its clock. It had used India Standard Time since 1920 so, to differentiate, it wound its clock 15 minutes ahead of, not behind, its big-brother neighbour. Boss move. “Nepal is strongly opposed to the idea that our identity is connected to India,” says Community Homestay Network (CHN) guide Bikal Khanal.

Tharu dance is traditionally set to hand drums. (Credit: Kate Lewis)

Today, Nepal is the only independent country with a 45-minute deviation to universal time; an oddity that’s become a symbol of national pride. The quirk is nearly as endearing as Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan airport where carved varnished wood and shiny red bricks rule. One sign points to a ‘Travelator’ and another to a ‘Grievance Handling Desk’ while visas are noisily stamped at customs for US dollars, cash only. When am I?

Spot the endemic Nepal gray langur. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

The 15 or 45 minute anomaly sees me tap out completely on timezone calculations. Why bend my brain calculating if it’s quarter to or quarter past elsewhere when I’m in the honking here and now of Kathmandu where the air is high-altitude crisp, the prayer flags flutter and the street dogs howl?

How tourism is changing in Nepal

Bardiya National Park is rich with wildlife. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

India is not the only association many Nepalis would like to shake. With eight of the world’s 10 tallest mountains, including Mount Everest and Annapurna, Nepal has long attracted mountaineers and trekkers, and expedition numbers are continuing to rise.

Tourism is one of the country’s biggest sources of foreign currency, so this growth is not negative, per se. But according to Ang Tshering Lama, who co-founded Phaplu Mountain Bike Club, being reduced to a mere trekking destination is limiting.

“Trekking is just one layer of our identity,” says Ang. “When it becomes the dominant narrative, it limits how we’re seen and how we see ourselves.” Nepal’s recent success, however, in diverting trekkers to less-trafficked areas such as Manaslu mofuntain, where visitor numbers rose by 117 per cent last year, offers hope that tourism can diversify even more radically.

Local men in Bhada village. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

The founder of CHN, Shiva Dhakal, wants that change. “The whole idea of the Community Homestay Network is to promote experiences outside of trekking,” he says. “Community tourism changes lives and helps kids stay home instead of coming to the city or migrating to the Middle East.”

Ang grew up seeing people leave, “not because they wanted to but because there weren’t enough opportunities to stay”, he states. Yet from remote villages to living traditions; food, art, music and emerging subcultures, “there’s so much that’s not being seen.”

CHN is opening some of those doors. It doesn’t own, or fund, any homes. Rather, it promotes homestays to travellers on a single, slick platform, while fostering entrepreneurship in places where women, marginalised castes, Indigenous people and the youth stand to benefit the most.

A new generation demanding more

Dalla Town Hall, where volunteers discuss anti-poaching tactics. (Credit: Bheem Thapa)

The future prospects of next-gen Nepalis can no longer be ignored. On a Kathmandu tour with 33-year-old guide Monica K.C, we pass buildings torched in the September 2025 ‘Gen Z protests’, including the Supreme Court and Parliament House. Seventy-two people died. “They were anti-corruption protests,” says Monica. “Politicians’ children are living a lavish life but the airports are crowded with youngsters leaving to find work.”

We stop in ‘little Tibet’ at the wondrous sixth-century Boudha Stupa. “The wheel of life is Buddhism in a nutshell,” says Monica. “Things such as hate, ignorance and anger keep you rotating around the wheel, so you must follow the principles of Buddhism to detach. If you can’t, there’s no nirvana for you.”

Boudha Stupa's prayer wheels — Boudha Stupa’s prayer wheels are used to recite Buddhist prayers. (Credit: Kate Lewis)

In a sun-drenched twist to the usual temple visit, we ascend the stupa’s sloping plinth and roam its whitewashed dome. Tendrils of diaphanous prayer flags stream from a steeple-like structure where the Buddha’s unblinking eyes stare out. No nirvana for you…

bouda stupa prayer flags — Tibetan-style prayer flags embellish the whitewashed dome of Bouda Stupa, a Buddhist temple. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

The dome is delightfully free of guard rails or chiding from security. There is, however, a stern ‘No TikTok’ sign, perhaps in response to the youth’s newly flexed power. The booted-out Prime Minister, K.P. Sharma Oli, was replaced in a resounding election victory in March by 35-year-old Balendra Shah of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) – a former rapper and mayor of Kathmandu. The RSP’s manifesto indicates tourism is a priority, and that Nepal’s cultural identity in areas such as gastronomy will be strengthened.

Boudha Stupa vendors — Vibrant souvenir shops and cafes around Boudha Stupa. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

A more confronting stop awaits at Pashupatinath Temple. Today is Bala Chaturdashi, a Hindu festival where thousands of devotees gather to honour their dead ancestors. Vendors hauling foam mattresses do a lucrative trade as people set up for a night of vigil. This includes burning the bodies of recently deceased relatives on bamboo pyres in the Bagmati River, which flows into the sacred Ganges.

A woman at annual Hindu festival Bala Chaturdashi, in Kathmandu. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

Wrapped in a shroud, the bodies are positioned with their heads facing north to the Himalayas where Lord Shiva resides. They’re covered with flowers and straw and set alight by male family members.

Hours later, the ashes are swept into the river where devotees will take a holy dip the next day. As much as Monica assures us it’s not voyeuristic to watch, I struggle to do so. “Here you see the reality of life because everyone ends up there,” she says, gesturing to the river.

Life unfiltered in the Terai region

tharu woman — Tharu woman and master weaver Parbati Chaudhary in Bhada Village. (Credit: Bheem Thapa)

The reality of life needs processing time, which the western Terai region delivers in spades. The Terai is largely separated from India by the Karnali River and Bardiya National Park, where elephants, rhinos and the elusive Bengal tiger roam.

Once a nomadic tribe, the Indigenous Tharu people are now the largest ethnic group here. “They didn’t know their daily life was interesting for international travellers but they’re starting to understand now,” says CHN founder Shiva.

Take a Jeep safari through Bardiya National Park. (Credit: Bheem Thapa)

We fly Buddha Air to Dhangadhi airport and drive five hours to stay in Tharu homes. The journey to Bhada village is a blur of roadside fruit stalls, traffic-stopping sacred cows and fields sown with wheat, rice, mustard, spinach, cauliflower and potatoes. Nepal’s agriculture feeds only Nepal.

Marigolds are an important part of Hindu rituals. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

“The only thing we export is young people,” says our guide Bikal. As the light dims and we plunge evermore rural, mysterious mounds of compacted hay – some house-sized – loom like the creatures from Where The Wild Things Are. Even our trusty driver gets flummoxed by a dirt road that abruptly ends and we find ourselves hurtling across a paddock.

On arrival, some are ferried to mud-walled cottages greened by gourd creepers, with thatched roofs and rustic-chic mosquito nets. Myself and two others are ushered to the home of corner store owner, mechanic and mushroom farmer Man Kumar Chilaruwa and his wife Rajkumari.

community homestay entrance — A warm welcome at a community homestay. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

They escort us to a bunker-esque back building with steel doors and a folding security gate, behind which is gleaming linoleum, dolphin-printed tiles and a shower cavity that must be gingerly stepped through to reach the toilet.

The ceiling lights emit a rainbow of colours (the bathroom light gets stuck in, frankly, a quite frightening red). We’re nevertheless touched that our hosts invested in all this bling when the average salary is around $275 a month.

In the coming days, we participate in Tharu traditions such as making moonshine, dancing, weaving straw handicrafts and gold-panning. We’re fed well with staples of rice, mustard greens, lentil pancakes, daal, curried chicken and tomato chutney served on antibacterial saal leaves.

food at community homestay — Dig in. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

Sonara community homestay president Indradevi Tharu tells us river snails are often served, and the boiled and pickled flesh of rats hunted in the rice fields. “Perhaps next time?” we say and all have a laugh.

The power of community homestays

community homestay owners in Nepal — Barda community homestay owners Parbati Chaudhary and Ram Krishni Devi Chaudhary. (Credit: Simon Urwin)

Immersing Western visitors in foreign cultural practices is not new. But with the Tharu, I never get that uneasy sensation that I’m being performed for. Despite being the only tourists, there’s no ‘othering’; just warm, composed and ultra-dignified welcomes. Like we’ve always been here.

“I love to have travellers in my village so I can see the world,” says local woman Parbati Chaudhary. “Why would I travel the world when the world comes to me?”

The graceful acceptance the Tharu offer, as well as the slow pace, works miracles on my frazzled nervous system. One day I even take a nap on a vacant homestay bed.

Sonara community room — An authentic stay in the Sonara community. (Credit: Kate Hennessy)

Roosters strut and goats bray as we sit on the ground in al fresco kitchens, rolling rice flour into cylinders steamed to make dhikri (dumplings). When water is needed, we fetch it using a hand-operated pump as a family of ducks strolls by, side-eying us like curious neighbours.

Animal lovers will delight in Tharu villages. Kind and resourceful inventions are everywhere, such as snacking stations where two posts lean together, with leafy boughs dangling on rope for baby goats to forage from.

CHN’s CEO, Aayusha Prasain, nods knowingly when one in our group says she cried when she left her host, Shayam Chaudhary, in Bhada. Shayam’s 17-year-old son, Prashant, had translated, which deepened the connection.

“Community tourism turns travel into a relationship, not a transaction,” says Aayusha. “It places decision-making power in the hands of local communities, especially women and youth.” Since 2018, CHN has hosted more than 4000 travellers from 52 countries in 408 households, and estimates women’s participation has increased by 381 per cent.

In the Bardiya community, where vexing human-animal conflict has been a balancing act for decades due to elephants raiding crops, long-time homestay operator Salik Ram Chaudhary says young people keep the older ones on their toes.

“We can’t keep homestays stagnant,” he says. “We have to upgrade our service and redefine our product or young people won’t see it as an attractive business. If we can keep evolving with this travelling trend we’re confident the youths will stay and continue it.”

Back in Kathmandu, Monica explains that after the deaths of young protestors in September, a determination had spread to not let their sacrifice be in vain. “We want to keep holding the government accountable,” she says. “We don’t know what situation we’re facing, but we’re ready to face it.”

Interested in Nepal but prefer to experience it in total comfort? Read our guide to luxury travel in Nepal.

The best 9 hotels in Singapore

The trick to the perfect Singapore trip, is finding the perfect Singapore hotel.

1. Grand Hyatt Singapore

2. Andaz Singapore

3. Mandarin Oriental, Singapore

4. The Outpost Hotel

5. Naumi Hotel Singapore

6. The Vagabond Club

7. Hotel Indigo Singapore Katong

8. Hotel Fort Canning (soon to be METT Singapore)

9. Raffles Singapore

Raffles Singapore is a contemporary hideaway in the Garden City

Swissôtel: A Swiss touch in the tropics

Conrad Centennial Singapore: An icon reimagined

Best hotel pool in 2015: Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

These community homestays are changing how travellers experience Nepal

After youth-led protests in 2025, this year Nepal elected a 35-year-old former rapper as Prime Minister. In a country where tourism is its biggest industry, what’s next for travellers?

How tourism is changing in Nepal

A new generation demanding more

Life unfiltered in the Terai region

The power of community homestays

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