Orchard Hotel Singapore Review: A Romantic Hotel With A History

The Orchard Hotel has been active as a hotel since the late 1950s, and has reinvented itself over the years: it’s been home to chic pop stars in the 1960s, a vibrant tourist town in the 1970s, and a stylish venue till today. Its latest incarnation is a hothouse of beautiful Chinoiserie prints, elegant furniture and reimagined dining venues, with a rich history. As part of the new two-day, one-night Romantic Indulgence Room Package, we spent a night here in the Signature Room, dined at the Bar Intermezzo, and got back in touch with charming old Singapore.

Want to go a little further? Check out our Mondrian Hong Kong review.

The Orchard Hotel: A Glamorous History

The hotel began with just four storeys and thirty-four rooms in the 1950s, with the famous Golden Venus: a legendary nightclub and tea-dance (afternoon dance) room that saw emerging pop and rock acts of the 1950s and 60s. If you wanted to be seen somewhere, it had to be the Venus: stars were made, artists signed, lovers met and hearts were broken. As Singapore grew connected, the Orchard Hotel soon hosted plenty of tourists looking to make acquaintance with the Far East. The old building was demolished in 1978, which gave way to the twin-towered structure of today. With 656 keys, an iconic location on Orchard Road, and revitalised restaurants and facilities, the Orchard Hotel is both refreshing and adorably retro.

There’s a certain glamour in older Singapore tourism (think: the Singapore Girl’s signature kebaya) that the Orchard Hotel absolutely nails. The entire hotel is beautifully moody, with a clear Chinoiserie inspiration. On certain floors, the hallways are decorated with floral wallpaper: dark wooden cabinets full of delicate teacups, scrolled paintings. It takes us back to an older, more elegant era of travel, as if there were still so much to be discovered.

^{The lobby at Orchard Hotel Singapore}

Location and Facilities At Orchard Hotel Singapore

The Orchard Hotel is directly linked to Claymore Connect, a small shopping mall. It’s right next door to the famous Orchard Road shopping street, and is incredibly accessible via the Orchard MRT station. You could spend a day at the boutiques, or you could visit the Singapore Botanic Gardens just a short distance away. The hotel is also remarkably close to stylish neighbourhood Tanglin and dining destination Dempsey Hill, home to cafes, restaurants and bars: all perfect spots for date night.

The swimming pool is comfortably sized and surrounded on several sides by the buildings on Orchard Road: this leaves it shaded, like an outdoor terrace, but well-lit. With plenty of lounging areas, there’s also a poolside bar, shallower areas for relaxation, and a calming atmosphere. The Orchard Hotel has a storied history, but when it comes to facilities it’s absolutely a modern hotel: there’s a fully-equipped fitness center, wi-fi, a business lounge with meeting rooms, a club lounge if you’d like a light tea, and cucumber water on tap in the lobby.

_{The Signature Room at Orchard Hotel Singapore}

Rooms At Orchard Hotel Singapore

We stayed in the Signature Room, which owes its feverishly luxurious look to famous interior designer Pierre-Yves Rochon. Embroidered cushions, heavy wood furniture, rich colours and Oriental motifs: this room was almost too pretty to live in. The Signature Rooms are themed in three colours, and we got the Blue: our room was covered from floor to ceiling in white-and-blue porcelain, rich textiles, and repeating patterns. The floors are carpeted, the windows let in a beautiful dim light, and the door, decorated with a carved doorknob, shuts heavily. In the bathroom, which was also themed, we found a bath with salts, a coconut bath bomb, and a sachet of rose petals.

We were greeted with a bowl of fruit on the table, a very good brownie cheesecake, and the personal in-room assistant Aiello in place of a traditional telephone handset. Aiello is contained in an alarm clock-sized device, is voice-activated so you don’t have to leave your bed, and connects seamlessly to the front desk and in-room dining if you wish. (At the moment, though, it only responds to voice commands in English, Mandarin or Japanese.)

_{The Orchard Cafe}

Three Dining Concepts, Craft Cocktails, Unique Fusion Dining

The Orchard Hotel is home to three dining concepts: the signature Cantonese restaurant Hua Ting, the all-day dining restaurant Orchard Cafe, and the Bar Intermezzo. Across all three restaurants, you’ll be able to sample fine dining, Singapore-inspired cuisine, retro-Western dishes, craft cocktails, and much, much more.

Bar Intermezzo, a charmingly Art Deco-themed lobby bar, now has a selection of classic cocktails with a tropical twist and a bold new menu. It’s got an intimate ambience and the energy of a finer age of travel, with murals on the walls and hints of nature in its decor. In tribute to Orchard Road’s plantation history, the bar offers fresh fruit-forward cocktails like the Orchard Sling, a fusion of the Singapore Sling and sangria, and its lighter beer-infused cousin the Claymore Sling. The Kasturi Sour, made with kasturi lime syrup and Rebel Rye bourbon, has a classic flavour profile with a Southeast Asian twist. The bar also stocks an extensive selection of spirits, liquors and wines from around the world. 

^{Bar Intermezzo}

We had Bar Intermezzo’s Romantic Indulgence Room Package menu, in both halal and non-halal varieties. The non-halal menu includes a delightfully buttery Boston Lobster Bisque and a main course of Pan-Roasted Chicken Ballotine, served with truffle mashed potato and pan-seared foie gras. The halal menu, which has more Asian influences, perfectly reflects the retro-fusion vibe of the hotel. We started with an Asian-Inspired Red King Prawn Cocktail salad, wonderfully tangy and paired with micro-lettuce. The main course blew us away – a Slow-Cooked New Zealand Rendang-Infused Lamb Chop, with blue pea rice, that was legitimately one of the best lamb dishes we’d had to date.

For breakfast, we headed to the Orchard Cafe, where a glossy buffet room greeted us: there were the typical continental breakfast options like pastries, eggs and chicken sausages, but also stations dedicated to Singapore’s rich food culture. Live noodle stations, a selection of dim sum, aloo masala and a live paratha station sat next to each other, with a salad bar and a massive wall of doughnuts not too far ahead. There’s also a small selection of traditional regional cakes, like the walnut cake and kuih lapis.

Orchard Hotel Singapore: For Your Next Romantic Getaway

The Orchard Hotel brings the glamour and romance of old Singapore straight into the modern day. With revitalised facilities, elegant designer furnishings, and three dining concepts to choose from, it’s perfect for a private getaway to beauty and indulgence.

Book the Dive Into Romantic Indulgence - 2D1N Couple Staycation with this link.

For more benefits, sign up as a MyMillennium member to enjoy perks from The Millennium Way, which include greater online savings, complimentary perks, and up to 30,000 MyPoints (worth USD 150) when you book an accumulated nine nights. (This offer is valid till 31 March 2026.)

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