Address – 21 Carpenter Street, Singapore 059984. Website.

Contact – Tel: +65 6373-6988. Email: reservations@21carpenter.com.sg.

Location – the property is in a somewhat central location, opposite The Central and Clarke Quay MRT Station (NE5) which gets you anywhere you need to be. Otherwise, it can be a 10-15mins walk to Chinatown area for those who prefer.

Price – 44,000 Marriott Bonvoy points booked for an entry-level Urban Luxe Room which was still acceptable as otherwise it would have been a cash rate of SGD300+

Pre-arrival – nothing happened here as in-app chat is not available for Design Hotels and since it was only a short stay, I figured I didn’t need alot of stuff sorted too.

Getting there – The property is connected easily via Clarke Quay MRT station (NE5) so no issues getting here at all. If you are getting here via a car, there is no ‘drop off’ point as the property is a shophouse location so you basically drop off by the road. There is also no staff to assist with luggage so bear that in mind if you are travelling heavy.

Check In – I arrived 12pm on a weekend and I was informed that I had been accorded the Heritage Suite – what a pleasant surprise given the elite benefits here are a bare minimum. So of course I was okay to wait (the room is not ready then)!

The public areas of this property are quite nice I thought, especially the lobby as there is a comfy seating area complemented by free iced lemon water – huge tall ceilings with some natural lightings make this shophouse property feels much more airy than it is too.

About 1 hour later, I received a whatspapp message from the front desk informing that the room was ready and they had placed my duffel bag into the room for my convenience. I also got their very cute squarish key card with their rather artsy logo – great start!

Room – My Heritage Suite (38-40SqM), 305, felt very pleasantly un-shophousey when I stepped in. Perhaps my experience with shophouse properties have been that of dreary colors and industrial vibe stuff so the Suite was completely different, in a nice way.

Dressed in light red / pink and beige tones, I find the color scheme to be quite soothing with no signs of its age. The hallway opens up to a block of living space in which sits a couch + coffee table facing a mounted TV, then another set of sitting area with chairs right behind. There were also 2x ceiling fans in the Suite which adds a bit of ‘fresh air feel’ if need be.

At the back along the wall is the quite pretty cupboard which comes with shelving space, the min bar, and interestingly enough, a wash basin area too. The tea cups provided are quite cute and I liked that they offer bacha coffee sachets and TWG tea bags, though only a kettle instead of a proper coffee machine. Complimentary water is offered in glass bottles which can be replenished upon request.

Beside this space in an open-concept layout is the bedroom area with very narrow bedside tables (BOO) and snail-like charging points (BOOOOO) – but comfy firm bed though.

The last of this Suite is the generic wardrobe which worked like it should – I was though very impressed with the Dyson hairdryer with a full set of attachments (I can only imagine how often they go missing hence the note placed with them).

As well as the cosy bathroom space with a single sink (but enough countertop space), toilet and shower space. Standard amenities are provided, and toiletries are Smith & Co branded. I loved the fact an entire set of Dyson hairdryer with attachments are provided too.

Welcome amenities of turmeric sweets were placed alongside a welcome note in the living area upon arrival which was a nice gesture.

Breakfast – Kee’s at the lobby level serves breakfast from 7:00am-10:30am and is chargeable at $42++ per pax for walk-in and $35++ for in-house guests when added to the room prior. The space felt like a very nice restaurant for a date night with some cosy seatings and soft dark lightings.

Looking at the ala carte menu with prices attached, I think adding breakfast for $35++ is fair value for a first try.

The spread is understandably small but felt like a quality spread of fruits, salads, yoghurt, breads, and cold cuts. This is accompanied by the ability to order eggs served to the table. I tried the fried egg which came with bacon and asparagus – the egg was okay (I had asked for only 1 egg instead of 2), the asparagus quite nice, but the bacon was fried to death. Coffee is also only okay – not as strong as I would have liked to counter the greasiness of the plate.

Facilities – limited amenities here but they do have a Rooftop Infinity Pool & Lounge on level 9 – a really small area and the pool looks like its for IG purposes only since it looks out to MBS. This area turns into a lounge of sorts in the evening I believe.

There is also a Garden Terrace on level 3 – seats in a literal garden terrace to chillax in, better at night when the weather is kinder.

I also read reviews mentioning access to Peak360, a boutique gym with café opposite the hotel at Clarke Quay, and free Linus bicycles for in-house guests but these were either not mentioned to me or benefits nerfed.

Check Out – the front desk kindly accommodated my request for a 2pm late check out which meant I essentially had an almost-24hr staycay. Fun times!

In Summary,

a short staycay to satiate my curiosity about this property and happy to have checked it off!

By the way, a quick shout out about what to eat (ie what I liked for food un The Central next door):

• Chia Puddies (https://www.instagram.com/chiapuddies.sg/?hl=en)
• OniBamp (https://www.instagram.com/onikimbap/?hl=en) – AWESOME RICELESS KIMBAP!
• Bar Chor Mee (https://danielfooddiary.com/2025/10/18/clarkequaybarchormee/)