Rates
Standard rooms start at 238 Singapore dollars, about $190, at 1.25 Singapore dollars to the U.S. dollar.
Basics
In the center of Singapore's financial district, where cars and pedestrians jostle one another in a mad rush, is a squat, inconspicuous temple that dates from 1824. Step through its heavy wooden doors and a calm washes over you - making this one of the most unusual entrances to a Singapore hotel. (In fact, the temple, now a museum, is closed for renovation for 10 months; guests may use the Amoy Street entrance until then.) Singapore's Far East Hospitality Group opened this 37-room boutique hotel spread out over several old shop houses in November 2013. Naming it for the city-state's Fukienese people, who hailed from Amoy, China, the company wove in Chinese-themed detailing throughout the hotel. Rooms are named with Fukienese surnames like 'Chen' and 'Huang'; employees don traditional Chinese cheongsams. Most lovely, though, may be the experience of looking out your window to gaze upon an old temple awash in a morning storm.
Location
On narrow Telok Ayer Street, in the Central Business District and bordering bustling Chinatown, the hotel is 10 minutes by train or car to Orchard Road, the downtown shopping area, and 30 minutes from the airport. The closest Mass Rapid Transit station is steps away, and the hotel is attached to Far East Square, a 'heritage' mall, nestled among a warren of historic shop houses.
An airy affair whose charcoal paneling, gauzy cream curtains, white bedding and sleek red shutters were a sharp contrast to the gritty hubbub of the financial district. This split-level space, with the bedroom separated from a long bathroom by two short steps and a frosted glass wall, had old Chinese touches such as a Ming vase-style porcelain side table and embroidered gold cushions. But it was also loaded with modern comforts: large flat-screen TV, alarm clock with docking for an iPhone 5, a coffee maker. And all snacks and drinks, including local brands like Tiger beer and Yeo's chrysanthemum tea, in the minibar were free.
Breakfast
Guests now can enjoy Japanese and international in-room dining from the hotel's recently opened JIN restaurant, but this wasn't available during my May stay, so our only meal option was a free breakfast served in the bright, glass-ceilinged lobby. Cereals, pastries, fried noodles, chicken sausages, cold cuts and fruit were rounded out with British-style black teas and coffee or cappuccino from a snazzy D.I.Y. machine.
The Bathroom
Sleek, with cream and charcoal décor punctuated with Asian-style detailing such as a white porcelain sink painted with blue flowers and wood-slatted shower flooring. Toiletries bore Chinese touches too: The lotion's scent, for example, was inspired by yuan zhi, or senega root, an herb used in Asian drinks to calm the spirit.
Amenities
Fairly bare-bones. We got free Wi-Fi, access to 2,300 newspapers and other publications via a complimentary PressReader app the hotel encourages you to download, and a fruity mocktail at check in. Service was outstanding in unexpected ways, though: While I was embroiled in a long phone conversation in the lobby, the thoughtful receptionist took note and immediately brought over a glass of chilled water, even pulling over a table to set it right by me.
Bottom Line
A charming - and calming - Chinese-inflected boutique experience in the heart of busy Singapore.
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