Hotels and heritage: A staycation idea to celebrate art

SINGAPORE – Pablo Picasso said the purpose of art is to wash “the dust of daily life off our souls”. I personally prefer snuggling up in a warm bed, with a particularly violent episode of Game Of Thrones and a glass of sparkling Ribena. So why not do all the above with a brief staycation at Singapore’s own art-themed hotel?

Hotel Clover The Arts, a new establishment on South Bridge Road, is a stone’s throw from Clarke Quay MRT Station and the Singapore River. Each of the boutique hotel’s 44 rooms boasts its own theme, and each room is designed and painted by local students and professional artists. You can rest easy against a mural of Singapore’s iconic dragon playground in Toa Payoh, for example, or the Singapore River, and feel good you’re supporting our arts scene this way. (Strangely, some other rooms are slightly more incongruous, such as those featuring a family of pandas or Mount Fuji.)

The latter room was where I stayed. The room came with a comfortable king-size bed and a wonderful view of the Central Business District, although the plastic tree by the window — installed, perhaps, to accentuate the “pop-up effect” of the graffiti style painting on the walls — was a tad disturbing. While I could have packed some Japanese food from nearby Central to make believe I was in Japan, I settled for some good old pork ribs and rice at Song Fa Bak Kut Teh just a street away. The hotel’s convenient location also meant I could take a nice stroll along Singapore River before heading back to enjoy the view of the night sky from its rooftop terrace. Yoga classes and art sessions are also held up there (it recently conducted one on batik art), but I’d think twice about yoga — no thanks to inconsiderate birds doing their business up there.

Of course, some might wonder if the hotel is more expensive than it should be, especially since some of the superior rooms don’t have windows; and my Arts King room did not come with any luxe amenities for its rack rate of S$567++. Breakfast offerings, which were served buffet-style, also failed to impress with their selection of eggs, hash browns, mee tai mak and UHT milk.

Still, it is a good option for those who want a convenient and comfortable place to chill at after a night out at Clarke Quay; or if you want to cosy up to artists and their works. We couldn’t possibly begrudge the price of that. HON JING YI

An Artsy Singapore Staycation package offers rooms at 15 per cent off the best available rate, with breakfast for two and special gifts. Email enquiries [at] hotelclover.com or call 6439 7088 and quote ‘An Artsy Singapore Staycation’. Available from Aug 1 to 30.