Six Senses plants its first flag in Singapore with the Six Senses Duxton, an oasis of luxury nestled within several conserved heritage shophouses in the city's buzzing downtown.
Location
Tanjong Pagar, the heart of Singapore’s lively business district, seems at first an unlikely seat for a Six Senses property. The brand is known for its relaxing wellness stays – a far cry from Six Senses Duxton’s busy surrounds of restaurants, pubs, cafes and offices.
But within eight restored heritage shophouses in this bustling district, the hotel transports visitors to a plush and cosy sanctuary. It is located between the Outram Park and Tanjong Pagar train stations, and 200m from its soon-to-open sibling, Six Senses Maxwell.
Rooms
The intimate property houses just 49 rooms, each uniquely designed due to the conserved layout of the building. This makes for interiors that pay homage to the heritage of its location, which dates back to the 1860s.
The Skylight Suite, in which I stayed, features a lounge flooded with natural daylight that mimics the open-air courtyard of traditional shophouses. The 41m2 room exuded a lush and calming vibe with its black-wood furnishings and brown parchment-like wallpaper, which I learnt is a reproduction of a 1800s document from the designer’s personal collection.
To call the mini-bar as such would be inadequate; the counter is stocked with alcohol in medium-sized bottles and an impressive range of local and regional goodies, including Singapore’s famous salted egg fish skin snack.
On the top level, the Duxton Duplex Suite incorporates a spacious loft concept with spiral banister stairs reminiscent of olden houses, and looks out to a striking view of neighbouring shophouses and buildings.
F&B
Yellow Pot is Six Senses Duxton’s sole F&B option, a combination of a 50-seater restaurant and 20-seater bar. My modern Chinese dinner was extremely sumptuous, and every dish – from the seared pork cheek with cumin to the wok-seared organic beef tenderloin – left me wanting more.
The dishes washed down well with the hotel’s signature non-alcoholic beverages. My favourites are the Kaifeng Chrysanthemum Cordial and the Apple Cinnamon Tonic, concocted with the hotel’s own filtered sparkling water.
In line with the hotel’s dedication to sustainability, its dishes and drinks contain neither MSG nor GMO, and ingredients are personally sourced from local and regional suppliers by the chefs. Such ‘clean’ eating also ensured that I was filled up without the feeling of bloatedness.
Facilities
The Duxton property is the smaller of Six Senses’ two projects here. The humble space occupies just eight shophouse space, and its elongated lobby features a host of lounging and working spaces, both communal and private.
Murray Aitken, general manager of Six Senses Singapore, shared that one of these lounges will soon be converted into a traditional Chinese medicine consultation room, where one physician will be stationed to provide guests with a basic diagnosis.
Service
The hotel also offers other wellness experiences, including a visit to a nearby family-owned tea house, outdoor yoga on Duxton Hill, as well as a calming and immersive singing bowl experience.
Staff members are warm and attentive, especially in Yellow Pot where they were happy to describe the dishes in detail, and chatted with guests about their day.
I was also offered a turndown service that included treats such as a jar of soothing Tiger Balm and an adult colouring page, which made for a therapeutic evening.
Verdict
At the end of my stay, I felt completely refreshed. The hotel has even inspired me to adopt more sustainable day-to-day practices.
No. of rooms 49
Rates From S$332 (US$243)
Contact details
Tel (65) 6914 1428
Email reservations-duxton@sixsenses.com
