Originally opened in 1971, just six years after Singapore separated from Malaysia to become an independent and sovereign state, Shangri-La Singapore is Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts' first property, one of Singapore’s most long-standing five-star hotels and famous for hosting dignitaries and high-level international summits. It is nestled in the leafy and exclusive Tanglin area, just a stone’s throw from the World Heritage listed Singapore Botanical Gardens and Nassim Road, a quiet, and tree-lined street that is home to some of Singapore’s most expensive real estate.
The Shangri-La is made up of three “wings”, each nestled into a different corner of the 15 acres of tropical grounds and offering a different atmosphere. The oldest, the Tower Wing, is – as the name suggests – a 24-storey tower housing the hotel’s main lobby and most of its dining outlets. Although opened when the hotel was built all those years ago, the Tower Wing is contemporary and stylish, having been treated to an eight-month facelift during 2017 at the hands of Tokyo-based designer Ryoichi Niwata. Niwata took inspiration from the hotel's surrounding greenery as well as the stone and water gardens and this approach is evident through details such as the canopy of thousands of stylised metallic leaves hanging from the lobby ceiling (a creation of another Japanese, artist Hirotoshi Sawada) and the Lobby Lounge’s 9m-tall basalt rock feature wall, which is adorned by real plants that are potted and hung on the wall.
A highlight of the Tower Wing is the Horizon Club lounge (available to club room and suite guests), an expansive space occupying the top floor of the Tower Wing and boasting panoramic views from the floor-to-ceiling windows lining both sides of the building. The Horizon Club lounge offers breakfast, afternoon tea and evening canapes. The breakfast spread is generous and I fully recommend upgrading to the Horizon Club to benefit from a more exclusive dining experience compared to The Line, which is the hotel’s main all-day dining restaurant on the ground floor.
Adjacent to the Tower Wing is the Garden Wing, a lower-rise complex built around an outdoor atrium featuring a real, living and breathing micro-rainforest. The rooms of the Garden Wing, with their wooden flooring, ceiling fans and wide planter-lined balconies, evoke a more barefoot, colonial vibe.
An exclusive address — where diplomats and heads-of-state stay
Rounding out the three wings is the Valley Wing, which is the most traditional of the three and the chosen wing of visiting heads of state and dignitaries, thanks to its private entrance and butler service. The lobby of the Valley Wing is nothing if not stately, decked out in white marble and crystal chandeliers and dominated by a majestic 8.6-meter mural in the Chinese style that is inspired by the mythical Himalayan idyll of Shangri-La, from which the name of the Shangri-La hotel chain itself is said to have been inspired. The Valley Wing rooms are decorated in a traditional style, with carved wooden furniture, patterned upholstered armchairs and sofas, and porcelain table lamps that evoke a classical English sensibility. Guests of the Valley Wing can enjoy an exclusive breakfast in the Valley Wing’s Summit Room, daily afternoon tea at The Valley Wing Lobby Lounge and daily evening canapes at the Valley Wing’s Marble Bar.
“Singapore’s second botanical garden”
The lush, green environs of the Shangri-La are replicated within the hotel’s own grounds, which the hotel proclaims to be Singapore’s “Second Botanical Gardens”. It’s not an unfair moniker: here, soaring tropical palms, a magnificent banyan tree, serene water lily ponds, manicured flowerbeds and well-tended orchids all combine to create a veritable urban resort – not in the sense used to describe those skyline party pool hotspots that are so “in” right now (IYKYK), but in the sense of a serene Equatorial oasis, a respite from the relentless energy of the city outside. There are even some cute aquatic friends (read: turtles) that call it home here!
Dining
Shangri-La Singapore is not just a pretty face and generally matches the standards of its excellent interior design on the dining table. Shang Palace is the hotel’s elegant Cantonese restaurant, known for its refined take on classic dishes and an extensive wine list to match. The Lobby Lounge is a plush yet relaxed space where you can enjoy Singaporean and Malaysian classics from the comfort of a capacious armchair overlooking the verdant greenery outside. Generous portions of local favourites like Hainanese chicken rice, laksa, bak kut teh, assam pedas, and traditional kueh are delicious, authentically prepared and reasonably priced. For Western fare, Origin Grill offers a moody, urban atmosphere and a classic steakhouse menu — think prime cuts from various regions, crab cakes, and bold salads.
