Opening its doors early in 2023, Citadines Connect Rochester Singapore is a 135-room hotel in Rochester Park in Singapore’s west. We gave it a whirl for a staycation weekend recently and found it not only a comfortable place to stay, but also a relaxing one.
A location with a difference for a Singapore hotel
If you’re a first-time tourist to the little red dot, you’ll likely want to stay close to major attractions – Marina Bay or Sentosa, for example, or Orchard Road if you deliberately came with an empty suitcase.
Others have different accommodation needs. They might be visiting for work or a conference, for example, or to see the kids or grandkids. Or they might live here and be looking for a fresh staycation spot. And that can mean eyeballing a range of locations for the ideal place to stay.
That’s where Citadines hotels by Ascott come in super handy. There are currently seven of these dotted around Singapore, including in spots where you don’t find many accommodation options. They include Mount Sophia, Balestier, Fusionopolis, Raffles Place and others, with another slated to open next year at Singapore Science Park.
About Citadines Connect Rochester Singapore
The latest in the collection is Citadines Connect Rochester Singapore. This hotel in west Singapore is some distance from the centre of the city, but that was part of the appeal. Maybe it was the view from the floor-to-ceiling windows of our Premium Room – a sparkling swimming pool giving way to groves of trees and a handful of old black-and-whites. (Deluxe Rooms have their own direct access to a landscaped sky terrace.) Or it might have been the nature-themed design – this starts at reception, with a lush vertical garden, and continues throughout. Either way, the guests in the shared work space near the lobby certainly looked happy tinkering on their laptops. We also spied Aria, the hotel’s resident robot, rolling past at a sedate pace.
Things to do and places to eat in Rochester Park
If work isn’t calling, there’s plenty to do. The aforementioned pool is a winner, surrounded by more greenery and curved moulded loungers. It’s beside a well-equipped gym, open 24 hours. Star Vista and Rochester Mall are a five-minute walk away, with dining and services galore, and Holland V is a little further up the road. Green spaces are also close. For instance, you can be walking or jogging on the Rail Corridor in no time. Heading further afield in Singapore? Buona Vista MRT station is next door.
The hotel’s all-day restaurant is called Woop Woop – the name means the same in Australian slang as “ulu” does here in Singapore, so we’re guessing it’s a cheeky play on the non-central location. It opened shortly after our visit, so we made do with the Honesty Bar in the lobby for snacks, and the Grab & Go breakfast offered each morning and featuring noodles, pastries, yoghurt, juice and coffee.
Citadines hotels’ in-house programmes
Keep an eye out for the hotel’s brand signature programmes, such as “For the Love of Coffee” and “activ∞” (“activate”). In the past, these have included activities such as yoga classes, exploring neighbourhood cafés and even the Japanese ritual of “forest bathing”. If you weren’t already feeling zen from the mellow vibe given off by Citadines Connect Rochester Singapore, that will surely do the trick!
Citadines Connect Rochester Singapore is located at 1 Rochester Park.
6434 7988 | bit.ly/CCRS
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