Andaz staycation review: value-for-money staycation in Singapore

I did a staycation at Andaz hotel Singapore late last year after snagging a pretty good deal for their deluxe room off Klook, which was further discounted with a Citibank credit card promotion. The one-night stay set us back by $252, and came with breakfast for two and SGD100 F&B credit.

Note: This stay was done in November 2020 during phase 2 of Singapore‘s re-opening. Some arrangements and operations might have changed since the time I visited.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links to Klook. I may get a commission if you purchase through my links but they are at no cost to you.

About Andaz Hotel Singapore

A brand under Hyatt, Andaz incorporates local flairs and touches to its guests’ experiences and all the hotels under the brands have a unique design that integrates with the local fabric. I haven’t been to other Andaz hotels but my stay in Andaz has been peppered with touches of local artifacts and culture, from the interior to the amenities. Local fashion label, In Good Company, designed the staff uniform.

Andaz Singapore opened its doors in 2017 and you can expect the facilities and furnishing to be relatively new. The theme of the hotel echoes the dynamics of the neighbourhood; shopping malls such as Bugis+ flank the hotel on one side and the ever-eclectic Haji Lane is on the other. Designed by Andre Fu, the same creative mastermind behind Fullerton Bay hotel and Hong Kong’s St Regis, the interior is classy, modern, vibrant yet still manages to be incredibly accessible; the kind I would want for my house if I had the money. 😛

Check-in

Enough of the introduction, let’s move on to the actual staycation experience. I’ve read and heard horror stories at check-in in Andaz prior to my actual stay but it was all smooth sailing. We stated in a pre-check-in email that we would arrive at 1 PM and when we arrived, there was just one family before us and our check-in was swiftly processed by the friendly staff. Our room was already available, so we got the keys to it slightly earlier than the official check-in time at 3 PM.

Andaz’s lobby is at level 25 but with the Covid situation, they shifted their operations to the first level to ensure that all guests register before proceeding further into the compound. The staff showed us to the lift and we took it up to level 25, a common level where the pools and restaurants are situated, before transferring to our level. More on restaurants and facilities later.

The corridors were warmly lit and welcoming. There were these strange green blobs that felt like stylized bonsai gardens and they somehow managed to be adorable and classy at the same time. Intriguing.

Andaz deluxe room with city view

I always wished that hotels had room types that were friendlier to understand but clearly it wasn’t the case at Andaz. The full name of the room we stayed in was King Bed with City View, Deluxe.

Room interior and furnishing

The open closet was to our left as we entered the room. We changed into the bedroom slippers, which as a cheeky homage to the local culture, came in the form of the white flip-flops with blue straps, fondly remembered as the grandfather generation’s slippers. Unfortunately, it was extremely uncomfortable since the style was more demanding in terms of fit as compared to the usual fluffy hotel bedroom slippers. It was snug and a painful fit for me. Give me the usual slippers anytime.

On the right, we had the mini-fridge and Nespresso machine, which was stocked with a variety of drinks and a paltry serving of potato chips (the smallest packet no less), and kit kat. Minibar was complimentary so I shouldn’t complain. Subsequent refills are chargeable.

They separated the main rest area from the entryway with wooden doors painted in a complementary bright yellow, reminiscent of those found in shop-houses.

The deluxe rooms are 42 sqm², just 4 sqm² bigger than their most basic rooms. Rollaway beds are only available in the deluxe rooms. Other than that, there is no obvious difference in amenities between the two room types though the additional space afforded the deluxe room a longer and more unique layout.

The bed was tucked in one side of the room with two orange lamps on either side; extremely homey. The bed was soft and pretty comfy but the pillows felt slightly deflated.

The other side of the room featured a lounging area with a chaise and a modest round table. The TV swings out so you can watch it from the sofa or from the bed. As with many other hotels, they have a small selection of cable channels that somehow always suffer from intermittent poor connection. I’m just waiting for hotels to get onboard to Netflix or allow us to project from our devices wirelessly.

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Floor-to-ceiling windows took up two sides of the room, looking out to the effervescent Bugis district. Andaz thoughtfully installed automated curtains to make it easy for guests to toggle their privacy with the choice of day blinds and opaque night curtains.

Bathroom

Before I go on further: Andaz has two main categories of accommodation: the rooms, which includes the basic rooms and this deluxe room, and the suites. Andaz Singapore does NOT have bathtubs in all their rooms. Only their suites come with bathtubs.

Our deluxe room comes with a well-separated wet and dry area. The rich earthy tones continue into the reasonably-sized bathroom; it wasn’t exactly big but Andaz did a good job and organized the space practically. The vanity has an inbuilt sink that extends into a dressing area. Andaz even thoughtfully tucked a stool under the dressing area and provided a small face mirror. A sleek lit round mirror hangs on the wall, completing the vanity.

Shower and toilet facilities are pretty basic. I’ve seen some feedback on how the toilet should have come with a bidet but that’s not really common in Singapore so I’m not too hung up on that, HOWEVER, the water pressure needs to be singled out. It’s not pictured but they do have a rain shower attachment. The water pressure was so bad and maybe comparable to just a light drizzle; I almost feel like they shouldn’t have bothered with it.

Andaz Singapore dining

Breakfast at Andaz Singapore

We enjoyed our breakfast at level 25. Most of the Andaz restaurants are situated on level 25 and in the mornings, guests are seated across all their restaurants and served the same breakfast menu. With the safe-distancing measures in place, breakfast self-service buffets were replaced by à la carte buffets, and perhaps in an attempt to not overload their staff, they have limited each guest to just one serving of the main course. Guests can still order unlimited servings of other dishes.

We tried the kaya toast that came with soft-boiled eggs and dim sum and also the eggs benedict (did a special order for my vegetarian husband). Both were pretty good. Also ordered a bunch of other food items to taste. I would say that the food standard is better than average but the ambience and service brought the overall experience up a notch. The area that we sat at was brightly lit by the natural sunlight and it was just a glorious setting to start the morning. Service was prompt, friendly, and zealous. Service staff gladly accommodated our request to change seats as the air-conditioning was too cold at the original seats.

Dining at Andaz Restaurants

Our stay came with SGD100 credit and a 25% discount on the à la carte menu. If you use the credits strategically, you could spread it out and use it across different meals.

Andaz Singapore has several dining options including:

• Alley on 25 – their most accessible restaurant serving a variety of dishes
• Mr Stork – a rooftop bar with coveted teepee seating
• 665°F – known for its steak.

Alley on 25

You can order à la carte or indulge in one of their specials. Tuesdays are for free-flow pizzas and pilsners at $39++ per pax. On Wednesdays and Thursdays, Alley on 25 hosts a kitchen party which offers a small selection of food that you can order unlimited servings of. At $50++ per pax, you could order dishes like their signature fried chicken, Margherita pizza, and even cheese platter. The kitchen party also comes with unlimited wines, beers, and soft drinks.

We opted for à la carte for our dinner on the night we stayed to take full advantage of the 25% discount and dining credits that came with the Klook package. We went vegetarian and ordered their impossible burger and mushroom risotto. The impossible patty was good but the sauce could be better instead of something as rudimentary as ketchup. We enjoyed their mushroom risotto which had a dash of balsamic vinegar, balancing the savoriness with a bit of acidity. Ended our meal with their signature Pandan cake (note: not vegetarian as it contains gelatin) and it was incredible. Nice, fragrant, soft, and moist chiffon enveloped in a creamy thick layer on the outside.

Mr Stork

We didn’t eat here but still went up to see what this popular rooftop bar was like, especially the teepee huts which required minimum spend ($150 and $200 for a group of 1 to 4 on weekdays and weekends respectively). I can see the appeal of the teepee huts but gosh, they look very uncomfortable and inconvenient for a hearty meal. Light snacks and drinks will suit the teepee customers better.

Mr Stork also offers the usual tables and most of the seating overlooks the vibrant city 39 levels down.

665°F

Known for their steaks, 665°F takes up space at the 38th level of the hotel. Not quite a steak person myself, I’ll share what a friend said of the chef’s tasting menu at $110++. The lowdown:

• Lobster bisque was good
• Steak was done perfectly, according to preference but the exterior was charred (could be intentional), so there was a bitter tinge in every bite that needed some getting use to
• Mille-feuille is highly recommended

Andaz Singapore In-Room Dining

We still had leftover credits after our dinner at Alley on 25 and used it on in-room dining. Andaz’s room service menu is conveniently available on request from their Facebook Messenger account and we could order via a link provided. I’m a fan of this ordering method since it means I don’t have to wait on the line or repeat my orders several times over the phone to make sure that the person on the phone got my order right.

Ordered their passionfruit and Pulut Hitam ice cream. The passionfruit one was decent but the Pulut Hitam one was absolutely incredible. Highly recommend.

We still had credits left on the day of checkout and ordered a pizza with the remaining credits. Ordered too late and had to do a takeaway which became our lunch after we got home from the staycation. So essentially, our hotel stay covered 4 meals – dinner, supper, breakfast, and lunch!

Facilities

Swimming Pool

They have an infinity pool on level 25 next to their restaurants, though it’s definitely not as sophisticated or impressive as the one as Marina Bay Sands. It’s a modestly sized pool that overlooks the phenomenal Gateway building designed by architect I.M. Pei.

During this period, there’s a limit to the number of people who can visit the pool at any one time. The booking can be done conveniently over Facebook Messenger and it even shows you the number of vacancies. Each slot is 1 hour long and I believe you can only book one slot per day of stay.

Sunroom

Another draw of Andaz is definitely the Sunroom. The Sunroom is Andaz’s guest lounge and they serve a small selection of complimentary drinks for its guests. They used to offer alcoholic drinks (including their own pale-ale) during happy hour but that has been suspended.

The Sunroom itself is a beautiful space to chill in. Decked with warm wooden beams and pillars across more than half the ceiling towards a feature wall, coupled with large glass and louvre windows, the interior is cozily lit with natural light and absolutely inviting. It’s also one of the free places you can visit for a drink with a view!

Service

Andaz was the first of four hotels I visited for staycations after the circuit breaker and I will definitely say that their service was one of the better ones. The worst was Marina Bay Sands btw.

I feel like the service in Andaz aims to replicate the friendliness you receive from a neighbour, an acquaintance, or the auntie at your favourite hawker stall, rather than the typical hotel niceties. The service of each staff you meet may differ from the next and it might feel like there’s no consistency but every staff we met was welcoming and helpful.

Check-out

Express check-out can be done by dropping your room card in this postbox-like container. Very convenient and fuss-free. An invoice was emailed to me within the same day. This was definitely one of the easiest and most efficient checkout I had.

Overall staycation experience at Andaz Singapore

Definitely a pleasant experience. At $252 including a $100 F&B dining credit, 25% off ala-carte food items AND breakfast, I would say I snagged a super value-for-money deal. We enjoyed the staycation though we won’t particularly look out for deals at Andaz again. Only because it feels too homely. For a staycation, I want to really feel like I’m at a hotel and feel pampered but Andaz was just so cozy and accessible that it felt more at home than I’d like at a staycation. I can see how this decor works for a traveler visiting Singapore though.

Andaz staycation promo

Prices have gone up as Singapore progressively relaxes the social distancing measures and the cheapest package on Klook now seems to be $300. With the Singapore Rediscover vouchers, that’s effectively just $200 if you max out the vouchers.

To use the Singapore Rediscover Vouchers for your Andaz stay, make your bookings via Klook. You can also check out these Klook promo codes to get some discount for your staycation.

Book now on Klook

Check out other suggestions for a staycation in Singapore.