August-September 2018

TRAVEL

ANDAZ SINGAPORE

T here’s a buzz about Andaz Singapore (opened late 2017), and I’m not referring to thedistinctivehoneycomb patternon the building’s towering glass-and- metal façade. This is the first Southeast Asian instalment of Hyatt’s luxury boutique brand, which launched in London in 2007. Designer André Fu will be well known to HongKong readers; his past projects include the Upper House Hotel. He also designed Cassia restaurant in Singapore’s Capella resort, where Donald Trump andKim Jong- un had their famous catch-up recently. If those two had met at Andaz Everything feels a little different. The 25th- floor lobby is far from traditional, consisting of open tables with laptops, like an Apple store, and bowls of retro-style snacks dotted around the place. The staff dress in semi-casual gear – a collaboration with a local clothing brand called In Good Company. Trendy touches continue in the room. To enter mine, I waved a key-card across an antique post-box. A pair of flip-flops in my closet was stamped with the words “Stolen from Andaz Singapore”. (They must have readmymind!) And an in-roomnewspaper, The Andaz Times , featured neighbourhood maps, hawker recommendations andmore. It’s very nicely done. Also nicely done was my grass-fed rib-eye at 665°F, Andaz’s 38th-floor steakhouse. I went there after enjoying “Andaz Lounge Hour”, a daily session of complimentary beers and wines available to all hotel guests from 5 to 7pm in the lobby level’s Sunroom bar. Who doesn’t love a free tipple in a place like Singapore? More eating options abound at Alley on 25, also on the lobby level: barbecue at Smoke & Pepper, seafood at Icehaus, baked items at The Green Oven, just to instead, it would have made for interesting television.

name a few. This is also where you come for breakfast, and the variety of eateries meant I could skip the usual eggs, toast and juice (they’re all available, of course) and instead opt for a spicy curry. Never too early for a hit of heat, in my book. The other F&B outlet of note isMr Stork, on the hotel’s highest floor (level 39) – storks are thought to bring good luckwhen they nest on top of buildings. The views, naturally, are a knockout. For something different, try the Ruby cocktail, served in an elephant-shapedmug and featuring lemon, ginger, mint, vermouth and Sri Lankan arrack .

infinity pool on level 25 (in which I spent the bulk of my stay), or, frankly, the hotel’s 342 guestrooms. My room’s vista took in the Singapore Flyer, Marina Bay, Sentosa and, beyond, the sea. I liked how the super-comfy bed faced straight out to the floor-to-ceiling windows, too, so I could lie there drinking it all in. Speaking of drinks, there are plenty to be had in the complimentary mini-bar, and the room has every other amenity you might need. I’m told that “ andaz ” is a Hindi word meaning “personal style”. It’s an appropriate name – this hotel has loads.

The panoramas are no worse from the gym on level 28, the outdoor

+65 6408 1234 andazsingapore.com

107 AUG-SEP2018