Boutique Hotel Vagabond Staycation Review
In recent years, we can see uprising trend of economy class or budget hotels (on average room rate of $120 & below) on a sharp decline in the Singapore scene while brights spots sparkles out from the Luxury segment (average room rate of $300 & above). This can only prove one critical point. Foreign visitor & potentially even our own locals are demanding for MORE! Be it for quality or services! Arguably, it could well be because of the scarcity of such Luxury rooms. Even more so for a luxurious 5-Star Boutique hotel amidst the sea of 3-star boutique hotel scene in Singapore.
This brings me great pleasure to introduce one of the most exclusive 5 star Boutique hotel in Singapore which we had the privilege of being offered a one-night stay review: Hotel Vagabond. What thrilled us further was the fact that it is also ranked number 1 on TripAdvisor among all 306 hotels in Singapore earlier in April! I must say our expectation were raised a few notch the moment we knew about it! So was this Boutique hotel able to meet that mark? Let’s see..
Hotel Vagabond strategically resides in the heart of Singapore’s most popular shopping district, Bugis. It is owned by Mr Satinder Garcha (Currently ranked 48th on the Forbes’ Singapore rich list).
Hotel Vagabond niched itself in one specific theme: Art.
His exquisite taste for Art is reflected the choice of interior designer he worked with: renowned Interior Designer, Jacques Garcia. He is most known for his contemporary interior design works of Paris Hotels & restaurants e.g. Le Méridien hotels, the Royal Monceau à Paris, Hôtel Costes and Costes restaurants and the restaurant Fouquet’s.
The exterior might not seem anything much apart from its name ‘Hotel Vagabond’ spelled in huge fonts on a 3 storey high red brick wall. But I assure you that you will be left in awe the moment you take your first step into the ‘Lobby’. Apart from being artistic, the hotel concept is very much into Openness. Why do I say that? You wouldn’t see a fixed ‘Lobby’ (hence the inverted commas) nor ‘Dining’ area. Everything is blended together into what they call it as the ‘Salon’! Even the reception is housed behind a rhino made of shimmering brass! It gives a fresh breathe of perspective on what makes a hotel. One of the signature artifact in this Hotel is their Golden Trees (below).
Don’t you agree its a great spot to have your first #potd ?(hashtag in IG for ‘PictureoftheDay’)
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There is another one located right in the middle of the Bar area! Can you guess how many of these Golden Banyan Tree there are in the hotel? 6! See if you can spot all 6 of them because I could at best find 5 in my best attempt! This is literally my first treasure hunt in the hotel!
For cocktail lovers, there is a good variety of artisanal and wholly original spin of cocktails concoction which will most definitely blow your mind away! So much so if you were to successfully finish all of them in one night, you would probably reenact the entire ‘Hangover’ movie scene in the streets of Singapore. Dear foreign visitors of our Lion City, please try not to do that as Singapore is a city that has stringent rules & regulation. So don’t try! If you have that urge to try, I would suggest to keep it within the Hotel as their motto implies an open invitation: ‘If you must get into trouble, do it at the Vagabond’! *Joking*
The Golden Banyan tree isn’t the only interesting artifact that lurk around the first floor of the Hotel. One other noticeable artifact is this Gigantic Elephant sculpture which flank both side of the lift!
TI never once felt so ‘distracted’ by the decorations of a Hotel lobby till I came to Hotel Vagabond. I was so busy wondering around in awe that I almost forgot about checking into the room! Lol!
This is definitely my favourite hangout spot around the entire hotel: ‘The Salon” (as I mentioned previously). Even if you are not an artiste, you are bound to feel a sense of inspiration welling up within you once you enter the Salon with walls peppered with beautiful abstract art pieces! I have never seen this many art pieces at the Lobby of any hotels in Singapore!
In fact, we drank & dined with the company of these myriad of art pieces as this is also where the dining area is! I must say it feels as though I am dining in the middle of Louvre Museum! Well, you know that is NEVER gonna happen so Hotel Vagabond is the next closest thing to that! The Salon’s peak period would be during its ‘Lady Boss High Tea’ event that happens from 3pm-5pm DAILY. This is with compliments from the Lady Boss!
The high tea is scrumptious and portion was certainly beyond generous as you can see in the picture below. There were macaroons, chocolate mousse, apple crumbles and many more! The pastries were made fresh & not overly sweetened nor sinful! We slowly enjoyed these pastries while admiring the awesome interior design of the Salon.
If you are a tea connoisseur, you are in for a bigger treat as they have dried slices of oranges & pineapples for you to pair with your choice of tea!
I must say the generosity of Lady Boss paid off well as I see a sea of happy faces at the end of our High Tea session!
In Hotel Vagabond, there are a plethora of room types such as ‘Classic’, ‘Deluxe’, ‘Classic with Shared Terrace’, ‘Deluxe with shared Terrace’, ‘Art Suite’, ‘Junior Suite’ & ‘Vagabond Suite’. This time around, we were allocated the ‘Classic’ room but we manage to catch a glimpse of those rooms with Shared Terraces during our media walkthrough. I must say it certainly is the perfect place for a Birthday celebration, Bachelor’s or Hen’s Night party if you are considering one with a bunch of friends!
I must compliment the hotel for their high level of customer service be it at the reception or within the room. We found a note which re-emphasize this point within our room! Felt as though there is a personal butler in our room!
Well, it was no surprise that the rooms were filled with the same level of ‘Art-syness’ as the Salon. The wall was peppered with framed pictures to strengthen its focus as an Art-themed hotel. Nonetheless, what did surprise us was the fact that these pictures were actually taken single handedly by the owner himself! This man is certainly a charmer with many talents!
Well, we got pretty inspired ourselves and started to embark on our own art piece also known as ‘ The PhotographS in Selfie-tograph’ !
How’s that for a first attempt at Art itself? Lol! Not too bad huh!
Basking the Beauty of Jacques Garcia design and pictures lovingly curated by Satinder Garcha! The best of both worlds happening in one room!
The beds were extremely soft, fluffy and comfortable that promise a good rest after a long day of exploring!
The Bathroom area isn’t exactly very spacious but is definitely enough to accommodate two person in that space!
Rain showers
Even the floorings are beautifully decorated with monochrome tiles!
Just a ring away from the reception. We called them on several occasions even the wee hours for simple requests. It was a pleasant experience as far as this aspect is concern as they were not only prompt but also polite at every single requests!
Love the air of vintage within the room too!
To the mini bar in the room, there are complimentary Nespresso machine with capsules if you need a caffeine boost!
Well, there are also a variety of liquor for those avid drinkers who prefer to stay in the cool comfort of their room while enjoying soothing music (orchestrated by their Artist in Residence) or a movie!
Best part is these movie and music are all complimentary and pre-stored within the television for your pleasure!
If you purchase rooms with breakfast packages, you will be able to enough delectable food in the hotel restaurant. Even though it is not buffet style, the ala carte selection which includes this ‘Full Breakfast Set’ (below) prepared by the hotel restaurant was very palatable! My taste buds resonate the most with the Pork very much because of its excellent texture. I would say you should just walk in to have breakfast at this place even if you do not stay there! At least for once this lifetime! You definitely will not regret the experience of sinking your teeth into the Pork meat!
For getting around Singapore, they have diligently placed maps & recommendations for your reference!
Now for the verdict!
In my opinion, Hotel Vagabond does deserve its title from TripAdvisor. It is easily my favorite Boutique Hotel after having a staycation at quite a few of the top-notched Boutique hotel in Singapore. I love the serenity it offers amidst all the funky art which span from the ‘Lobby’ right to every room!
I will strongly recommend Hotel Vagabond for those visitor who are looking for an artistic small luxury hotel & locals who yearn for a well deserved staycation from the hustle and bustle of city life!
