We had an awesome experience the last time we had a staycation at a boutique hotel. So now, for my birthday, we chose to stay in another of Far East Hospitality’s hotels. This time, it’s Oasia Hotel in Novena.
Jane booked a Club Room. It has a bath tub (which the kids love and one of our main criteria in choosing a hotel room) and Club Lounge privileges. We stayed on the 23rd floor which is just a storey above The Living Room (the Club Lounge). We were there on a weekday, Thursday to be exact.
Although it’s a birthday staycation, it’s actually more of a surprise for the kids. They knew about it just that morning. We packed early, had brunch and prepared for our trip. We had 2 pieces of luggage, one medium-sized for all of our things and a Trunki for Lia’s soft toys and Ate’s books.
We arrived just in time for the 2 pm check-in and was immediately led to our room. Let me take you on a little tour.
THE LOCATION. Situated in the heart of the city, Oasia is easily accessible from Novena MRT, and even connected to Novena Square by a link bridge. And being adjacent to the shopping malls means being near to restaurants, and basically, everything you need.
THE LOBBY. The main lobby was simple but the wood cladding and natural stone face for the lift lobby are both very impressive. The lifts were fast, silent and steady.
THE ROOM. The hotel room is
small but packed with everything one will need and more. Light-colored wood
panels cover most of the walls and above is a drop ceiling along the perimeter
of the room. The floor is not carpeted but there is an area rug around the bed.
The window has a full panoramic view of the cityscape and can be covered with
either sheer blinds and/or blackout shades for privacy and glare control and each may be operated via switches near the bed. The only artwork is a mosaic of upcycled, probably old or “made-to-look-old” wooden cornices and wood scraps. There is a built-in desk, and a rickety swivel chair (that needs
replacement, by the way.) The wall sconce for the desk light may look cool when
new but at this point needs an update as well.
And as a birthday celebrant, I was presented with a complimentary cake. It was delicious!
There was also a Nespresso machine, complimentary TWG tea bags, Perrier bottles, mineral water, and even coconut water. So the drinks were fairly covered.
THE TOILET. Covering almost a third of the room's floor space, the toilet and bath is masculine and modern. Granite tiles clad the area wall to wall, and the floors have the same surface treatment. There is a tub and a separate rain shower. The toilet seat is sadly cramped in a corner and usually blocked by the swing door. A sliding door would be a better option, to say the least. The bed can be viewed from the shower and vice versa while a roller blind may be manually drawn for privacy. The vanity is huge with adequate counter space. A speaker on the ceiling is also provided for music or if you don't want to miss the audio of what you're watching (or in my case, what my kids are watching) on TV.
THE LOUNGE. "The Living Room" as they call it is located on the 22nd floor. The lift lobby is more beautiful than the rest of the lobbies for obvious reasons. It is where cocktails and refreshments are served for patrons occupying the Club Rooms and Suites. It is decorated casually with drinking glass chandeliers, wood flooring, exposed beams, and glass shelves as dividers.
Further onward is the swimming pool area. We were fortunate that when we visited, there are no other visitors using the area so we enjoyed the pool all by ourselves. What a delightful bonus treat indeed!
The downside, however, is that the place has only one exit, and one has to go through the lounge before you can reach the lift lobby to your room so we made sure we had fresh and dry clothes before we came there and definitely before we exit.
By the way, there is also a swimming pool area and gym on the 8th floor and a cafeteria near the main lobby.
THE SERVICE. Whatever little details the hotel failed to notice was overshadowed by the hospitality shown to us by The Living Room staff. A special shoutout to Ms. Letitia for her excellent service for going beyond the call of duty to make us feel important and welcomed. Even the cleaners were courteous and well-mannered.
Overall, we had a great time at Oasia Hotel Novena. It can be a place for families to stay, unwind, and enjoy the what the hotel and the city have to offer.
