This property has been on my list ever since it re-opened following the extensive renovation in 2023 – I mean the property looks drop-dead gorgeous and such an improvement from its former life which I tried in 2021. The experience wasn’t bad but there wasn’t any denying that the hardware needed a refresh.
And of course, Hau65. Who says no to free flow Ruinart bubbles all day?
Address –5 Raffles Avenue, Singapore 039797. Website.
Contact – Tel: +65 63380066. Email: mosin@mohg.com.
Location – The property is directly connected to Marina Square which provides some sort of shopping + F&B choices so rain or shine, your staycay is not impacted (unless you are booked to swim). The nearest MRT station is probably Promenade (CC4/DT15) but it is a good perhaps 10-15mins stroll via Marina Square though a sheltered underpass.
Price – $625++ for a Marina Bay View Room booked via Hotelux’s fantastic promotion ‘Fan Club – plan head’ for a 15% discount off room rate, daily breakfast at Embu, a guaranteed room upgrade is accorded upon booking (from the Sea View room), and $135 F&B credit during the stay. Not bad at all a rate I think! Knocking a further $120 off using my Amex offer was a win too heh.
A dummy check showed the same room going for $1,260++ for my dates. UGH.
Pre-arrival – no pre-arrival email but I reached out proactively to ask for Haus65 details alongside a few requests, all of which were acknowledged and duly noted. Rather fuss free and quick response from the team to boot.
First impressions – I have never stepped into the property post-refurb and wow, the new sight really impressed me! The vibrant colors of iconic green with muted classy tones was so nice, and of course the cheery tembusu tree setup. Everything worked.
Check In – I arrived to a relatively empty lobby slightly past noon and attended to immediately. It was unfortunate that the staff who attended to me seemed somewhat untrained though – she did not offer check in option at Haus65 nor bring up any Haus65 benefits until I asked for it, and she also forgot to mention the free mini bar until I overheard another guest speaking about it and asked about it. A rather non-event start to this much anticipated staycay. Boo.
I walked away to my room holding the requested welcome letter, a very pretty key card, and a welcome drink voucher for 2 drinks to be redeemed at MO Bar which I believe is a Fans of MO benefit which is not supposed to stack with Hotelux benefits so I assume it is accorded out of goodwill which was a nice surprise.
Room – My Marina Bay View (34SqM), 2209, was a lovely space and I quite adore this new look!
The space starts off a luggage space to the left, with the cupboard space following that length – a wardrobe containing bathrobes etc and a separate space containing the safe box, shelving spaces, and cute rather large tote bag which is only for use during the stay.
The bathroom space is weirdly angular but I suppose it has to follow the bones of its former life.
Double sinks with adequate countertop spaces, separate toilet and a standing shower makes up this space. Toiletries were Barcelona brand NaturaBisse which I’ve never seen before but whatever it is, it works and smells heavenly.
Sitting in one corner is the bathtub accompanied by smaller stash of the toiletries and a loofah.
The main bedroom space is a square of lovely shades of blue and comes with a super comfy king bed with 2x bedside tables with its own power points and selected lighting controls.
This is complemented by a chilling corner with a cosy couch + single seater with a coffee table. There is also a small dressing ledge nook designed into the space beside the wall-mounted TV with more power points so yays to not fighting for cable space.
Special mention to the mini bar which is surprisingly stocked when it’s all included – especially with alcohol too! This offers more than enough snacks and liquids to keep one occupied on top of looking so pretty. Rose, beers, sparkling water sure kept us quite entertained when not in Haus65.
Later that afternoon, some sweets were delivered to the room in view of the special occasion – those pralines were rather delicious.
Haus65 (website) – this is MO Singapore’s interpretation of a club lounge and marked as my KPI for the staycay. Super excited after reading so much about it!
Haus65 Benefits:
- Exclusive access to the members-only Mandala Club.
- Champagne breakfast from 6:30 to 10:30am.
- Delectable afternoon tea from 2 to 4pm.
- Evening cocktails with hors d’oeuvres from 5 to 7pm.
- Selection of Champagne, wines, spirits and beers, available until 7pm.
- Complimentary in-room minibar throughout the stay.
- Laundry or pressing for up to two pieces per day (non-accumulative).
- Access to MOFIT Wellness classes.
- Complimentary chauffeur driven HAUS 65 Car.* (we later found out this is only avai on weekdays)
The space itself is huge and nicely adorned in its current green floral tones but still kept very oriental and classy. The space starts with a manned desk where the kind Jeff gave such a warm welcome and invited us to pick a seat of our choice. The abundance of natural lighting makes taking good pics quite hard though.
There are 2 almost mirror-sections to the huge lounge each equipped with plenty seating so I shall photo spam a little as I think the space is so lovely.
The F&B area is a dedicated cosy space offering light bites and free flow of Ruinart champagne (my new love), wines, spirits and beers until 7pm – plenty enough for even seasoned livers. I saw pastries and fruits off-hours too.
A printed drinks menu is also presented upon being seated and guests with Haus65 access can order anything they want – the price list is for Mandala Club members who use this space but pay ala carte for their consumption.
The drinks on the menu were also displayed in the fridges – guests are not supposed to self serve but I suppose having a visual makes choosing a drink easier (or is it harder?).
No guessing what I started with! I also did try the wines but I didnt fancy them so back to bubbles it was after my short foray.
Delectable Afternoon Tea – 2 to 4pm
Soon it was afternoon tea time and the F&B were presented plated instead of a buffet or tier format. While the scones and savories were not bad, I thought it would have been classier if they had a printed menu of what’s on offer.
Evening ocktails with hors d’oeuvres from 5 to 7pm
This was a slight disappointment to me as it was a local food theme during my stay which meant I had the likes of satay and cereal prawns for dinner. While they were tasty, I was expecting a more international approach especially for a Saturday night. The rest of the food was fine though and we were able to make a dinner out of the spread – the usual cheeses, cold cuts, soups, salads, sushi and atas fruits (yay to yellow passionfruit!).
During evening cocktails, I also tried a mojito and a negroni which were both not to my liking. The wines suffered the same fate. I thought it was a shame that we didn’t have access to MO Bar’s cocktails offerings which is another signature of the property – too much to ask?
Champagne Breakfast – 6:30 to 10:30am
Haus65 guests can enjoy a quiet and elegant breakfast affair here, with a small buffet set up for taking. Obviously a much smaller selection than the main restaurant but the peaceful ambience is a win.
There is also an ala carte menu to order from – not sure if its unlimited but don’t think they will say no if you order seconds. I made the right choice by ordering the Homemade Dim Sum (from Cherry Garden) and it was awesome! And of course it had to go with more bubbles (don’t judge).
Breakfast at Embu (6:30am – 10:30am) – I also hopped by to partake in the lively ambience and also because I haven’t been to this spot at all. The tembusu theme carries on throughout this pretty space – lots of green screes and plenty of fake foliage to look at. Seating options were vast and equipped with plenty spaces to accommodate groups pf varying sizes.
The spread was large and offered everything from local, asian, western, international etc and I liked the fact that the sections are spread out to help even out the crowd. Service was prompt but coffee was weak though.
Other F&B
We couldn’t make it to Cherry Garden so we had to use our SGD135 dining credits to order food from the in-room dining menu to dine at at Haus65. The prices were crazy high and 2 orders of mains (Fish&Chips and Chicken Breast) overshot the budget by $10. And they were really bad – bland and uninspiring. BOO.
We also redeemed our MO Bar welcome drinks by ordering 2x cocktails to be delivered to our room – and both were not good too. What happened to the excellent ones I tried before??
Facilities – wellness facilities were located on level 5 so I hopped by the Swimming Pool (7am-10pm) first to and it seems slightly refurbed, with the same lovely view of the Bay.
The Fitness Centre (24hrs) was okay-sized but well equipped especially when they have an outdoor area where my beloved rower is. Yay.
Other Stuff – complimentary wellness and fitness classes for in-house guests. I saw this for my stay but the schedule could be subject to changes.
Service – service at Huas65 was in general quite warm and welcoming, but were a little lacking in proactively offering top ups for alcohol which I felt was sorely missed for a 5-star property, especially when self-service was not an option. We were always address by first names though and made to feel like valued guests most times. Due to the special occasion, the team proactively helped us to take a picture and later presented us with a printed copy of it alongside a small cake to mark the occassion.
Check Out – Seamlessly done at Haus65 where I reluctantly said goodbye to Ruinart bubbles.
In suammry,
A really lovely property post-refurbishment and I did not regret my choice. Haus65 was the KPI for this stay and the unlimited bubbles surely made their mark (also on my weighing scale). I’d of course recommend signing up for their loyalty programme, Fans of MO, which gets you extra benefits during the stay. Its free, so why not?