Mondrian opened on Duxton Hill in July 2023, making it the brand’s first Asian property
Singapore is a city that’s serious about how it looks; you see it in Changi airport, you see it in the pink blossom lining the motorway, you see it in the greenery spilling out of buildings, and you see it in the Mondrian.
Check-in is on the third floor and the lift opens onto Tracey Emin’s I Longed for You, a neon work running across one wall of Bottega di Carna, the hotel’s Italian restaurant. It’s the first piece of art you see. The building has plenty more.
A bit of context. The original Mondrian opened in Los Angeles in 1996, so the Hollywood DNA is baked in whilst still being rooted in Singapore. LA’s Studio Carter worked with Singapore’s DP Architects on a building that responds to its setting. Twelve storeys, 302 rooms, and five Shophouse Suites rework traditional Singaporean shophouses into something contemporary. The art collection is curated by The Artling, with works by Ian Davenport in reception, Dawn Ng in the lobby, and a pink piece by André Wee on the wall of nearly every guest room. There’s also a six-metre KAWS bronze called What Party at the Craig Road entrance, on the far side of the underpass. You won’t see it pulling up by taxi. You’ll stumble on it on the way out, which is half the point.
The Signature King is compact but well thought out. Bleached timber floors, muted tones, a cloud-shaped bronze minibar that doubles as a sculpture, Malin+Goetz in the bathroom, Lavazza on the counter. The floor-to-ceiling window pulls the whole of Chinatown into the room, with shophouse rooftops in the foreground and the CBD glass behind. A Mondrian tiffin tin of local kueh waits on the desk on arrival.
Breakfast is back on the third floor at Bottega di Carna, which by morning becomes a serious buffet covering both sides of the city. Eastern dishes, Western cooked options, breads, pastries, fresh juices, fruit. A tray of mini chicken pies came out of the kitchen just as I sat down. When in Singapore. By evening it’s something else entirely, built around the philosophy of Tuscan butcher Dario Cecchini, but that’s a meal for the next trip.
The rooftop is the one you stay for. Canyon Club is a 1970s Hollywood-inspired infinity pool surrounded by cabanas, with a view that comes into its own at night. The pool also takes the edge off the humidity, which grips you on arrival and doesn’t let up for the rest of the trip. Indoors, an adjoining bar covers coffees, light bites and cocktails. Downstairs, behind a vine-covered entrance off the street, Jungle Ballroom takes over after dark, low-lit and with a cocktail list that goes deep on Southeast Asian flavour.
The location is the other major win. Maxwell Food Centre is five minutes on foot, which makes hawker breakfasts viable. Satay Street at Lau Pa Sat is a short walk away, and the bars and boutiques of Duxton, Keong Saik and Neil Road are the hotel’s front garden. Maxwell and Tanjong Pagar MRT stations are both close, and Marina Bay is three stops down the line. The Mondrian works. Familiar enough to settle into quickly, specific enough to feel like Singapore rather than a copy and paste brand job.
Key Information
Getting there | Around 25 to 30 minutes by taxi from Changi Airport. Closest MRT stations are Maxwell and Tanjong Pagar, both about five minutes on foot.
Address | 16A Duxton Hill, Singapore 089970
For more information | mondrianhotels.com
