Tom During our recent staycation at The Clan Hotel, we were totally mesmerised by the views from its Sky Gym and Sky Pool at level 30. Located at Cross Street, The Clan Hotel was inspired by the clans and associations in the vicinity where new migrants then, were able to seek help and form communities with. This is also perhaps why, the Chinese name of The Clan Hotel is called 自己人…
About The Clan Hotel
The Clan Hotel is the newest addition by Far East Hospitality. As with Amoy Hotel and Village Hotel Katong, there is a theme to The Clan Hotel – bespoke luxury with a Singapore heritage twist…
Perhaps the words inscribed on the walls of the high ceiling lift lobby says it all
“We are sworn across the seven seas.
We are not bounded by where we come from but where we are destined for.
We are more alike than we are different.
We are stronger together than we are by ourselves. We are our chosen family.
We will take care of you like you are one of our very own.
We are the clan.
四海之内皆兄弟”
And indeed, we were very well taken care of during our stay…
The Clan Hotel Check-In Experience
From our staycation at Ritz Carlton, we knew that the check-in experience would help kick-start an amazing staycation. At the Clan Hotel, we were pleasantly surprised by the details that were thought through by the team…
The lobby of the Clan Hotel is designed to impress. As we exited the lift and entered the lift lobby, we were greeted with high floor-to-ceiling windows that allowed guests to take in views over the Chinatown heritage area. We were promptly greeted by a staff team and led to a seat in the lobby where our check-in would be done. No need to stand and wait at the reception. This was probably because we had booked a 3D2N Premier Room (31 sqm) with Master Series inclusions. Speaking of Master Series, it included
– Welcome amenities
– Customised in-room refreshment
– Complimentary handmade soap selection
– Turndown service
– Pillow selection and the Clan Keeper Services
– Complimentary express apparel pressing (2 pieces daily)
– Shoe spa and shine services
– Curated precinct heritage tour
Although we won’t be utilising the press and shoe spa services, it does feel classy to have these included in your stay. As for the precinct heritage tour, it is only held on Wednesdays and Fridays (4pm) – which we did not have an opportunity to check out. If you have joined the tour, let us know more in the comments section below. One thing that we were looking forward to was the Tea Ritual by the in-house Tea Master. Unfortunately, we were still in the Phase 3 (Heightened Alert) period, the tea ceremony was temporarily suspended…
Nonetheless, we still took in the details of the beautifully-appointed lobby at the Clan Hotel, including this show-case of umbrellas that really caught our attention
Not only are the handles of these umbrellas unique (think figure heads of animals and leather prints), it comes complete with phrases such as
“Two people who share one umbrella, can survive the storm together.”
“Shelter. Protection. Kinship. The Clan Umbrella signifies that we will take care of you like you are one of our very own.”
Soon after, we were approached by Qiu Ni, who knew the exact details of our stay – that we were celebrating a birthday, that late check-out would be requested and thus arranged in advance for 2pm on the last day and even brought us up personally to our room for a quick tour. We were also given the menu to pick our breakfast for in-room dining the next morning as well. Time slots were also available for us to book 1-hourly slots at the Sky Pool and Sky Gym. Unfortunately for us, the hot tub was still closed. Otherwise, we were told that soaking in the hot tub under the night stars, was an memorable experience not to be missed at The Clan Hotel as well.
For our first breakfast, we chose the Qin Breakfast and the Chef’s Special of Asian style pulled pork with shredded cucumber on English Muffin. Stay tuned to find out how the breakfast was like. But first, a tour of our Premier Room at the Clan Hotel…
The Clan Hotel Premier Room (Master Series) Review
As it was still Phase 3 Heightened Alert (aka P3HA during COVID-19), the rooms were thoroughly cleaned and disinfected prior to each stay. As a mark of having undergone a stringent cleaning process, each room would be “sealed” after cleaning as shown in this picture…
Because of this, Qiu Ni invited us to tap our room key to enter. With the action of entering the room, the “seal” was broken with a little rippling sound that initiated our stay officially at the Clan Hotel. What an unique and novel idea! Our first impressions of the room was “Wow, wow, wow!”. Of course, in our minds. Take a look at this view…
We were told by Qiu Ni that the room was specially picked for our celebration with views not only over the Chinatown enclave but also a sliver of sea view as well…
We were then showed the handmade soap selection that were prepared for us. According to Qiu Ni, guests would usually be given a choice of one of the three soaps. As it was a birthday celebration, we were given all 3 soaps of Relaxing Lavender, Refreshing Peppermint and Exfoliating Lemongrass and Eucalyptus…
A really nice touch for the birthday occasion! 😊 We also added 2 requests for additional pastries for our in-room breakfast as well as daily newspapers. Both were acceded by Qiu Ni and team! After Qiu Ni left, it was time for us to prance around, bounce on the bed and check out the rest of the room…
There are a few nice touches to the room. First, we checked out the toilet and we recalled Qiu Ni’s introduction of the drinking water purified by Hyflux filters. Instead of plastic water bottles, the installation of filtered water is indeed a smart and eco-friendly decision.
The intelligent toilet comes with seat warmers and even an remote-controlled bidet. There are even sensors that switch on a light as you walk past.
As for coffee, there is a nespresso machine with 4 capsules (that are refillable) as well as the in-house tea selection of “The Ritual” as well as “British Breakfast”. As the tea ceremony could not be done at the lobby upon arrival, we were given the opportunity to do it on our own in the room…
The Nanyang Ritual tea is a Oolong selection scented with undertones of musk and wood, specially curated for the Clan Hotel by Pryce Tea. It is served with a Bak Kut Teh cookie (which is…erm…let’s just say some food should stay true to its original form…) and Tau Sar Piah, which is one of the best we’ve had in a while.
As part of the Master Series selection, we were given a choice of 5 drinks and/or snacks…
This time, we chose 4 Orient Brew by the Clan Hotel and a snack (British Smoked Cheese Crackers). The Clan Beer seems to be the most expensive item on the menu. Technically, you can go with all 5 beers as well 😋
In addition to the comfortable King-Sized Bed (where we had views of the sea), you could also choose from the list of pillows from the pillow menu including Comfort-U Body Pillow (for pregnant ladies), Sidesleeper Pillow, Latex Pillow and Micro-Gel Pillow. We chose the sidesleeper and it was indeed quite comfortable – the only nagging question was why it did not come with a pillow case…🤔
As for the rest of the room, there was a UV sterilizer that allows sterilizing of items such as your wallet and phones as well as a COVID-19 pack that includes hand sanitizers and masks. We also liked the shape of the Clan Hotel pen with its cap in the form of a chinese brush as well as the Audio Pro speakers that easily connected to our phones (via bluetooth) for high quality sounds.
Soon, it was time for lunch and because it was still P3HA, dining out was not allowed. Thankfully, Grab had a self pick-up deal with 25% off and we had lunch from Yin Ji Chang Fen (银记肠粉) right next door at Far East Square!
This time, we had the signature prawn rice rolls as well as the beef noodle and beef porridge. The rice roll steamed with cloth and topped with its secret soy sauce was silky and smooth while our favourite was the beef noodle with its deliciously tender braised beef. The beef porridge was meh, can give it a miss.
In and Around The Clan Hotel – Chinatown
As we had a 3 days 2 nights staycation at the Clan Hotel, we decided to spend our first day in Chinatown and the heritage precinct. Here are some of the iconic sights that we took during this walk from the Clan Hotel…
There was so much street art in and around the Chinatown precinct, just walking distance from the Clan Hotel! We were able to take in sights from the heritage walk, buy some traditional hand-made bak kwa and even got our foot massage ($25/hr) at Chinatown as well! After our walk, we headed to People’s Park Food Centre to bring back some local hawker delights to pair with the Clan Beer. Yum! In the evening, we booked for a 10pm slot at the Sky Pool and we headed up for the night views…
The water was…coooold…brr…
However, the views were amazing. After a short dip to allow our bodies to reach homeostasis, it was a really nice time of chilling and enjoying the Singapore Skyline by the Sky Pool of The Clan Hotel. It was unfortunate that the hot tub was closed during our stay but we’ll be back to try it out next time 😀
An “incident” happened during our night session. As it was P3HA, all visitors had to book their slots and there were only 6 guests allowed at the pool at any one time. When we entered the pool area, there were already 6 of us. A couple left and another couple entered. So we thought it would be just the 6 of us. At about 1030pm, another couple came and this triggered a check of rooms by the attendant. This was when we started to wonder if Qiu Ni really did register our slots for us. Thankfully, she did! Disaster averted!
After a nice warm shower using the Relaxing Lavender handmade soap, it was time to turn in for a relaxing deep sleep…ah…
The Clan Hotel In-Room Breakfast
The next morning, thanks to Qiu Ni’s arrangement, our newspaper was hanging by the door when we woke up. 😄 Also, we noticed that the staff really does respect our privacy. We had actually placed the DND sign and even though the staff had brought the breakfast to our door step, they didn’t ring our bell. Instead, they informed room services who called us to check first before we opened the door for our breakfast to be brought in. Wow!
We thoroughly enjoyed both breakfasts – with views in the comfort of our rooms. In particular, the cherry tomatoes were so sweet and the scrambled eggs were expertly done to attain the fluffy texture. As for the pulled pork, the asian-styled sauce was a nice change as well. Overall, a great start to another day of staycation at the Clan Hotel!
Oh, remember our request for pastries in addition to the breakfast? Qiu Ni did call us again and informed us that instead of pastries, they were able to provide kaya toasts. Enjoyed the crisp toasts with our latte. 😋
After a snack on the Kim Joo Guan bak kwa, we headed out to enjoy the Marina Bay side of the staycation…
In and Around The Clan Hotel – Marina Bay
The Clan Hotel is not only close to Chinatown, it is also a stone’s throw away from the Singapore River. On day 2 of our staycation at the Clan Hotel, we started our walk down Singapore River at the UOB Plaza. You’d also recognise the iconic Fat Pigeon Statue…
Thereafter, we also checked out the other Singapore attractions such as the Merlion, Marina Bay Sands and they have also added a nice Chihuly sculpture next to Fullterton Bay Hotel…
The walk continue to take us past the helix bridge to Marina Square, Suntec City and finally back to the Clan Hotel via Chinatown. A really nice walk with breaks in between – bubble tea breaks that is!
We had 2 bubble tea breaks at Hey Tea Marina Bay Sands and Bawangchaji at Suntec City. Thoroughly enjoyed the Brown Sugar Boba from Hey Tea but not the Tangerine Latte (which was almost tasteless) at Bawangchaji – avoid it! We continued our walk past South Beach (where we previously visited the Alchemist Beer Lab) and passed by the World War 2 memorial park where you’ll be able to see the Cenotaph…
A solemn reminder of the price of peace that was attained through the sacrifice of these soldiers…
Passing by Chinatown, we shopped a little at Yue Hwa Chinese Products which had revamped itself to be a nice shopping centre – especially so with fewer crowds during P3HA. Thereafter, we made it in time for our next swimming time slot at 6pm (Yes! The day just flew by like that!)
This time, instead of the night lights, we enjoyed the views from the Sky Pool all the way out to the sea at Tanjong Pagar and Keppel Terminals. At about 645pm, the storm clouds had gathered and we were unable to catch sunset for the day. Still, we had a nice time of lounging and chilling by the pool this evening. If you had taken some cool sunset from from The Clan Hotel’s sky pool, do share with us in the comments section below!
As we returned from swimming, there was turn down service where our nespresso capsules and Ritual Tea were topped up along with the Pulse Point Essential Oil – given to enhance your sleep at night…
For dinner, we headed to Lao Pa Sat!
If you remember the sea view photo above, La Pa Sat can be easily identified by its distinctive orange/red octagonal shape. Hence, it is really close by. Another perk of staying at the Clan Hotel because of its excellent location. As there weren’t many stalls open, we had the local staple of Chicken Rice along with a Lanzhou Hand-pulled beef noodles. Both were a little salty but nothing a bottle of Clan Beer can’t resolve 🤗
For shows on the network at The Clan Hotel, we enjoyed “Running Wild with Bear Grylls” where Bear imparts survival skills to his celebrity guests. It combines reality survival TV with interviews with celebrities about their life experiences. Talk about reality TV X (cross or times) celebrity interviews. We also caught “A Quiet Place” as well – which led us to watch “A Quiet Place 2” at the cinemas the next day.👀 👂
Of course, shows are enjoyed with some snacks that we bought from our Chinatown/Marina Bay walk…
The Clan Hotel Sky Gym
The next morning, we started bright and early with a workout at the Sky Gym, located at level 30 of the Clan Hotel…
Although the Clan Hotel Sky Gym is not very huge but because of the amazing views it affords, there is a certain touch of luxe when you do your morning workout here. Just check out some of these views…
What we enjoyed about the workout at Sky Gym is to see the changing hues cast on the buildings as the sun rises. Also, we were thoroughly challenged by the 60 year old instructor who was able to go at such a quick pace in the aerobics video. Definitely worked out a sweat there. You’ll also be able to choose from a myriad of videos from HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) to Yoga – yoga mats and gym balls are available as well.
Soon it was time to hit Qin Restaurant for breakfast!
The Clan Hotel Breakfast at Qin Restaurant
Before heading to Qin Restaurant, we checked out the Terrace at level 4, where there’s a few comfortable sofas for guests to hang out. The main entrance during P3HA to Qin Restaurant is also at level 4. From the picture, you’ll see that there are 2 levels with full height windows inside Qin Restaurant – a really cool design.
As you can see from the Breakfast Menu, it is largely the same as the in-room dining menu. Hence, we decided to go with the ones that we have not chosen earlier – the Continental Breakfast as well as the Chef’s Special (which turned out to be a really nice mexican-styled chilli with kidney beans and peppers)
The portion of smoked salmon was really generous and the chilli turned out to be really appetizing – a nice little fiery ting to it but you could taste the fresh tomatoes as well. And we thought that “Chef’s Special” would be last night’s do-over. Turned out to be a really tasty meal! All in all, the breakfast experience at Qin Restaurant was really slow-paced, something that we needed to really unwind. Sipping on the latte and reading our newspapers (yes, it arrived on the second day as well! Thanks Qiu Ni!) after breakfast was a great way to end off our staycation at The Clan Hotel. Also, you can ask for another portion of toast and more coffee if you’d like 😉
Just before we left, one last surprised remained for us. The staff of The Clan Hotel actually prepared a small chocolate cake, along with a hand-written note to wish us a happy birthday! What a nice gesture!
And here’s a video review of our staycation at The Clan Hotel Singapore
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All in all, we totally enjoyed our stay at The Clan Hotel! The luxurious vibe extends from the hotel’s lobby to the rooms, Qin Restaurant and most definitely the views from the Sky Pool and Sky Gym. Moreover, the excellent location in the heart of the city, allows guests to explore the Chinatown heritage precinct as well as the myriad of food options available in and around the area. Thanks to the team at Clan Hotel for such a wonderful stay. Definitely will be back at the Clan Hotel if another staycation itch beckons to be scratched in the future…
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