4 perfect staycation spots for your 2018 countdown party

Photo courtesy of W Singapore – Sentosa Cove.

 

It’s the year-end and you’re psyched about making this New Year’s Eve (and Day) unforgettable and Insta-worthy – particularly since it’s a long weekend this year.

But as promising and exciting as it always is, celebrating with fireworks in Singapore typically comes with having to deal with the stress of huge crowds, packed public transport and soaring taxi prices just to get to your venue and back home.

A staycation may be the answer. You get to enjoy all the fun of a mini getaway without the fuss of traffic. With a whopping total of more than 400 hotels in Singapore, the options are endless. But to get the biggest bang for your buck (and the most likes on your social media feed), you need to be well-placed and close to the action. Here are four boutique hotels – each with unique offerings and in the party precincts of Singapore for a memorable New Year’s Eve break.

For the coolest and most connected celebrations

 

Part of a group and can’t decide where to party? Take your pick at Robertson Quay, which has a myriad of F&B and entertainment options that range from intimate to opulent and jazz to rock.

Your best perch to catch all this action is M Social Singapore, a 293-room boutique hotel conceptualised by famed French designer Philippe Starck. Designed for the trendy and tech-savvy, it’s the first of his ‘Democratic Design’ concept, highlighting social spaces, a self check-in kiosk, and rooms with tech-driven features such as a butler-style robot. Upon check-in, you are handed an internet-enabled smart phone loaded with tips to the hottest bars and restaurants in town.

 

 

Rooms are chic and luxuriously appointed with statement features such as chapel-like pitched roofs and glass-encased duplexes. You can have an intimate party at the Loft Terrace room, which is stylish and spacious.

Start your night with dinner at Robertson Quay (Super Loco, Les Bouchons) or nearby Mohammed Sultan road (Shabestan, Esmirada). You can then cross the river to Clarke Quay (Get Juiced, Attica, Zouk) to shimmy till 2018.

Location: M Social Singapore, 90 Robertson Quay, Singapore 238259,

Rates: Starts from SGD 255

For quirky fun in a charming enclave

 

Looking for an atmospheric and memorable way to celebrate? Head down to Telok Ayer in Chinatown, where office blocks sit cheek-by-jowl with terraced shophouses and centuries-old places of worship. By night, the street is transformed and teeming with restaurants and bars.

 

 

Your best staycation option is AMOY Hotel, a quaint boutique hotel whose lobby is an annex to Fuk Tak Chi, Singapore’s oldest Buddhist temple and now museum. The 37 single and deluxe rooms are intimate and enchant with their light Oriental touches such as opium day beds, sumptuous Chinese silk brocade cushions and wall calligraphy.

Have your last dinner of 2017 at any of the F&B outlets nearby (The Market Grill, boCHINche and Senso), then park yourself at the watering holes on Ann Siang Hill (Beaujolais, Operation Dagger and The Screening Room rooftop bar) to usher in the new year.

Alternatively, splurge on a modern Mediterranean dinner at Artemis Grill, where, only five minutes away and at 40 floors above, you can catch the fireworks over Marina Bay. 

Location: AMOY Hotel, 76 Telok Ayer Street, Singapore 048464

Rates: Starts from SGD 328

For the sexiest spot to watch fireworks

 

What’s a New Year’s Eve bash without some pyrotechnics? Watch it in style with the best front row seats at Cloud 9, the rooftop bar of Naumi, a seductive 73-room bolthole located in Singapore’s Civic District.

 

 

While Naumi caters to a discerning and designer conscious clientele, it also offers fun décor with whimsical art installations. Standard rooms are impeccably appointed with open-plan bathrooms, plus Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360 and Apple TV consoles.

Should you choose to head out, book your dinner at the hotel’s Table by Rang Mahal restaurant and top up to gain access to Cloud 9’s countdown party (subject to availability). If you are feeling adventurous, check out the entertainment and dining options at the new South Beach Avenue (Atmastel, Alchemist Beer Lab), Purvis Street (Salted & Hung, Gunther’s) or Chijmes (IndoChine, Whitegrass). If you fancy grazing on Asian fusion bar snacks like Chilli Crab Waffle Fries while you watch the fireworks, hightail it to Loof, the rooftop bar at Odeon Towers.

Location: Naumi, 41 Seah Street, Singapore 188396

Rates: Starts from SGD 358

For hip and luxurious beachfront revelry

 

If you fancy kicking off the New Year in your bikini or surf shorts while grooving to a pulsating soundtrack, your best bet is Sentosa. And there’s no place as luxuriously outlandish as the W Singapore – Sentosa Cove.

 

 

Framed by the One⁰ 15 Marina with million dollar yachts and the shimmering South China Sea beyond, this 240-room hotel is a temple to hedonistic pleasure. Book the Extreme WOW Suite for a party with your entourage – there’s a gold-tiled private lap pool, Jacuzzi tub, full size bar and a turntable with stacks of vinyl for you to play DJ.

However, the hottest ticket on the island is the hotel poolside, which is open 24/7 and features underwater piped music.

Elsewhere on the island, there’s the Siloso Beach Party where there will be fireworks and performances by local and internationals DJs. New Year’s Day brunch options abound at nearby Quayside Isle (Greater Lot by Cedele and Joe & the Juice) and around the island (FOC Sentosa and Coastes) but be sure to book ahead.  

Location: W Singapore – Sentosa Cove, 21 Ocean Way, Singapore 098374

Rates: Extreme WOW Suite starts from SGD 8,495

 

Whether you prefer a shindig in your suite or bar/club hop the night way, a staycation lets you focus on the important stuff like what to wear, where to dine and having a great countdown. So sit back, have a great time, ring up room service and recover in style. Happy New Year!