PARKROYAL on Pickering, Singapore

A new stay on the edge of the CBD which is equal parts garden and hotel.

This contemporary new hotel in Singapore is just as much a garden as it is a place to kip. The PARKROYAL on Pickering opened recently and has 15,000 square metres of gardens hanging off the walls and in the grounds. The gardens are more than just pretty, they give the hotel incredible energy efficiency and have earned it the highest green rating.

The rooms

The 360-plus-room hotel is on the edge of the Singapore CBD, Chinatown and near the river for some relaxation at Clarke Quay. The PARKROYAL on Pickering is a place where you don’t have to sacrifice comfort for your budget. With a heap of affordable options and deals around, you’ll be living the high life soon. Book into either a Superior, Deluxe, Premier or Junior Suite. All designed with modern furnishings and decor, it all seems like a dream. If you’re feeling a little fancier, there are the Orchid Club Rooms and Suites up for booking. These include the presidential and executive suites, which both have sweeping views of the city.

Parkroyal on Pickering Singapore — Incredible views from your modern hotel suite.

The amenities

Like many hotels, the PARKROYAL on Pickering has a spa, pool and fitness centre. But their pool is infinity styled and comes along with poolside cabanas that’ll give you unobstructed views of the city skyline. Once you’ve finished tanning, walk alongside the gardens in this 300-metre garden walk or, you can pop into the jacuzzi and then steam room. But if you’re wanting to have a ‘treat yourself’ kind of day, the St. Gregory Spa within the hotel will do the trick. Using the top-skincare brands around the world for their treatments, Elemis and Thalion, each only contain natural active ingredients that extremely effective. With Elemis well-being massages, Oriental therapy and Thalion oxygen and radiance facials on offer, your body will feel as smooth as a baby’s bottom.

The food

At the PARKROYAL on Pickering, they pride themselves on a well-cooked meal. They a dine-in restaurant inside the hotel and also offer 24-hour room service. You might think, room service? What’s new? Well, this food is entirely fresh and unlike any other room service you’ve had before. If you’re feeling peckish at one in the morning, order the Char Kway Teow (wok-fried flat rice noodles with seafood and Chinese pork sausage), Nasi Goreng Kampung (seafood and chicken satay fried rice) or the Australian Black Angus Beef Burger to satisfy any of your major cravings.

Lime Parkroyal on Pickering Singapore — Dine in at Lime for an incredible eating experience.

But if you’re around the hotel during the day and want to dine into their iconic restaurant Lime, you’ve made a good choice. Serving a buffet breakfast in the mornings and then dishes a la carte until late, you can chomp down on the freshest food in the area. And for our plant-based friends, they have an entirely vegan-friendly menu as well. Feel like the beyond burger or the fishless fish & chips? Otherwise, if you’re more carnivore than herbivore, the menu is swimming with the best in Singapore. Try their Singapore luxe-sa (laksa) with Maine lobster or the lobster risotto with blue swimmer crab meat and broad beans with citrus mascarpone.

What to do around the area

Gardens by the Bay

We’ve all seen images of the Gardens by the Bay and it has given us serious wanderlust. And now is the time to actually hop on a plane and head straight over. This iconic location is a national garden and a showpiece of horticulture and garden artistry in Singapore. Walk your way through Bay South, East and Central to see all of the beauty that is located inside. And if you start to get a little hungry while ahhing and oohing, The Gardens offer a heap of food establishments to fill you up. With the Hong Kong Sheng Kee Noodle House, Pho Street, and Majestic Bay Seafood Restaurant amongst the mix, you aren’t strapped for choices. Heck, there’s even a McDonald’s in the area.

Cloud Forest

Another area of Gardens by the Bay, the Cloud Forest is a once-in-a-lifetime view for residents and tourists alike. With exotic plants and diverse vegetations, this mist-covered mountain is over 35-metres tall. It’s also surrounded by the world’s tallest waterfall and takes up 153,000 cubic metres. But just a warning, the humidity inside is around 80-90%.

Orchard Road

Orchard Road is renowned amongst locals for shopping, restaurants and hotels. Located only a 10-minute drive away from the hotel, you can find some epic eats and amazing boutique buys. There are over 5,000 retail, dining and entertainment establishments all on this road. Find anything that’ll suit your style, from small boutique stores to high-end brands and street food sellers to expensive restaurants. You’ll be occupied for days here.

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Universal Studios Singapore

Feel like the biggest kidult in the world and head down to Universal Studios in Singapore. As the only theme park in Southeast Asia, this place has 24 blood-rushing rides and attractions in seven differently themed zones. Try your hand at the Transformers Ultimate 3D Battle Ride or the Revenge of the Mummy, where you plunge into total darkness for that thrill. When you need a little break between each ride, hop over to any of the shows like WaterWorld, Shrek 4D Adventure (trust us, this is a must-do) and Lights Camera Action by Steven Spielberg (a special effects show).

The details

PARKROYAL on Pickering, Singapore

Address: 3 Upper Pickering Street, Singapore

Contact: +65 6809 8888

Wanting to explore more of Singapore? Click here to check out our curated guide with the best stays and experiences.

Wellbeing means different things to different travellers. Here’s how to pick a hotel that gets it right for you.

The best wellness holidays aren’t necessarily spent wrapped in a spa robe. Sometimes they’re found around a dinner table in Cambodia, on a hiking trail in New Zealand or after finally beating jet lag on the other side of the world. The hotel you choose is what makes them happen.

1. Easy access to good food

meals from Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20 — Taste delicious meals at Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20.

One of the quickest ways to derail healthy habits on holiday is to spend half of it working out where to eat instead of digging into the culture around you. Thankfully, Novotel has done much of the hard work already, with chefs building menus that lean into the flavours, ingredients and traditions of each destination.

In Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Korkor soup – often dubbed ‘Cambodian ratatouille’ – sits alongside raw blue crab dressed with lime and chilli, best enjoyed with views across the Gulf of Thailand.

In the lovingly chaotic city of Bangkok, the presence of food cranks up the sociability. At Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20, you can settle in with mango sticky rice and stranger-turned-friends beside the pool at Sky on 20 rooftop bar, or bring them along to tackle river prawns and stir-fried crab with holy basil at the buzzing Crab Paradise Dinner Buffet.

Then Novotel Dubai Al Barsha welcomes you with a laidback twist on the level of indulgence the Middle Eastern city is best known for up on Deck Se7en. Looking towards Burj Al Arab, the rooftop lounge has everything from Mediterranean-style dishes like seabass ceviche to Italian prosecco sundowners.

At the other end of the scale, in the hills that surround the Novotel Bali Ubud Resort, calm comes from nature. At Siralada restaurant, Balinese traditions shape the menu while thunder rumbles over the surrounding jungle – proving the setting is as nourishing as the food itself.

While at Novotel Nha Trang, chef Kieu Thi My Hanh and her team showcase Vietnam’s knack for balancing freshness, texture and fragrant herbs. Pho remains a favourite, while seafood salad with pomelo and mango brings those flavours together in one bright dish.

It’s all an approach backed by partnerships with expert food creators such as Alfie Steiner, whose plant-forward recipes prove healthy food should never taste plain.

2. Better sleep options

Novotel Bali Ubud Resort room — Sleep deeply with Novotel.

There are few travel experiences more disappointing than arriving in a new country, determined to seize the day, only to fall asleep fully clothed by 3pm.

For Australian travellers, jet lag is often an unavoidable part of the journey. That’s one reason Novotel runs sleep-focused initiatives that help guests adjust quickly without compromising on health. We’re talking partnerships with Sydney-based sleep specialist Olivia Arezzolo, known for her advice on everything from better sleep habits to beating jet lag, alongside features like pillow menus, in-room yoga content and tailored sleep guidance.

The sooner you’re operating on local time, the sooner you can get back to more pressing matters – like deciding which spa treatment to book.

3. More ways to move

woman hiking around queenstown new zealand — Stay at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside and explore local hiking trails. (Credit: GettyI mages/ naruedom)

Every place in the world has its own way of getting you moving: whether that’s hiking up ice-bitten mountains before a sauna or gentle stretching by the pool before a facial. From fitness centres to spas, Novotel recognises that wellbeing rarely looks the same.

At Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, activity is inescapable. Here, hiking trails, ski fields, bungee jumps, and white-water rafting have made the region famous. The hotel’s location on the shores of Lake Wakatipu means less time spent organising yourself and more time out there experiencing them. To top it all off, you can book a private hot tub for the evening before heading back into the wilderness tomorrow.

Bali, of course, takes a softer approach. At Novotel Bali Ubud Resort or Novotel Bali Nusa Dua, movement is less about conquering a mountain and more about a dance class between the tropical gardens and lagoon pools. Afterwards, the spa takes over, with traditional treatments like a Lulur body scrub: a combination of rice, turmeric, sandalwood, ginger and jasmine that’ll soothe muscles already relaxed by the Balinese heat.

4. Better connections

Kids will love a stay at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh.

One of the best things about travel is that it gives your family stories you’ll be telling for years. Novotel helps create them with activities that bring everyone together, whether that’s trying something new, learning a local skill, or simply spending more time together.

Go for a distinctly Thai twist at Novotel Phuket Vintage Park, where many of the family activities draw on local culture. Kids can try everything from beginner Thai boxing and language lessons to umbrella painting and – a pastime beloved by children the world over – pool foam parties. Everyone is welcome to join in, whether that’s getting splashed, covered in paint, or simply watching their children discover a new side of Thailand during the dedicated Family & Kids Day.

A different adventure awaits at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh. Kids could be perfectly content with discos, drawing classes and new holiday friends, but the Red Sea has other ideas. Sitting on the edge of Naama Bay, days here might involve snorkelling colourful reefs, taking a boat trip to Ras Mohammed National Park or heading into the desert by quad bike or camel for a Bedouin-style dinner beneath the stars.

5. Location is everything

Surin Beach, Choeng Thale, Thalang District, Phuket, Thaiföld — Explore Phuket’s gorgeous beaches. (Credit: Bence Biczo)

Everyone’s idea of wellness looks a little different. With more than 600 hotels across 65 countries, Novotel gives guests the freedom to choose the destination that suits them best. Whether that’s a beachside escape in Phuket, an alpine expedition in Queenstown or a city break in Bangkok, there’s a good chance a Novotel isn’t far away.

All that’s left? Choosing your version of wellbeing.

Discover stays to inspire your everyday at novotel.accor.com.