Hotel Review: Pan Pacific Orchard (Singapore) – Rebuilt Hotel With Striking Multi-Terraced Architecture

Roughly 4 years after they demolished the old Pan Pacific Orchard, the same property undergoes a new lease of life with a striking new building taking its place. The new structure, which was designed by renowned architecture firm WOHA, features a vertical setup with lush, tropical elements throughout. From afar, the building looks like jenga blocks assembled on top of each other.

Even though the current version of the Pan Pacific Orchard is spanking new, this is a property that I have fond memories of. I remember doing staycations in the previous incarnation of the property. I remember how great the service was and the nice room upgrades they gave to GHA Discovery members. I also remember going for dinners at the previous all-day dining restaurant called 10 on Claymore and rushing out to grab takeaways at the Thai eatery in nearby Orchard Towers for supper. Pan Pacific Orchard counts the likes of voco Orchard, Four Seasons Singapore, Yotel Singapore Orchard Road and Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza as its neighbors. 

When the hotel reopened its doors after being rebuilt, I was most curious to check it out again. This was to be no typical hotel, as I would soon discover. I was greeted with a semi-open lobby – similar to what one would expect from a resort. Seeing staff members dressed in suits reminded me that this is still a 5-star hotel, after all.

Pacific Club Room with Balcony

The Pan Pacific Orchard has a couple of room categories, with the most popular ones being the rooms that come with a balcony. For this particular instance, I was upgraded to a Pacific Club Room with Balcony from a Deluxe with Balcony. The size and layout are totally interchangeable with the Deluxe Room with Balcony and Premier Room with Balcony – the only difference is that the Pacific Club is in a higher floor. 

Pan Pacific’s tech-forward hard product was evident from the moment I entered the room. I no longer had to rest my keycard on a slot to activate the power – it’s now activated through motion sensor. 

In contrast to the typical hotel room layout, the Deluxe Room with Balcony / Premier Room with Balcony / Pacific Club Room with Balcony comes in a squarish layout which allows for plenty of naturally light even in the far corners. 

At 30 square meters inclusive of the balcony, the room is moderately sized. To further increase guests’ impressions of the size, the sink is made to integrate seamlessly with the bedroom. Those who prefer more privacy have nothing to fret as sliding doors across two corners can conveniently seal off the bathroom if desired. 

The complete set of toiletries were neatly stored away in a small drawer by the sink. Toiletries here are the dispensing type and come from Diptyque. 

The hotel does not provide bottled water in the room. Instead, a water dispenser is situated in the minibar area. There’s also a Nespresso machine with 4 capsules provided, including decaf options. Tea comes from TWG. 

Due to the room’s squarish layout and spacious gap between the foot of the bed and TV, the sitting area consisting of a couch and lounge chair is situated directly in front of the bed rather than beside it. If you wish to watch TV and don’t want to hop on the bed, you’d need to move the rather heavy lounge chair which seats 1 to face the TV. The sofa, while moveable, is situated right underneath the TV by default and is too weighty to be casually moved by guests. In keeping with newer hotel room layouts, there is also no conventional work desk. Instead, guests can work on the multi-purpose coffee table with power sockets situated close to it. 

One of the highlights of the room is the balcony which looks out to one of Pan Pacific Orchard’s themed terraces. The balcony is designed in such a way that it spans just half of the room’s entire width, with the balcony taking on a squarish shape. This is wide enough for an L-shaped sofa cum day bed which provides for additional seating or just an area to laze away while enjoying the natural breeze. 

Curtains are setup for privacy across the two open sides of the balcony and these can be turned up or down simultaneously depending on the guests’ preferred level of privacy. I never turned mine down as I enjoyed the natural light peering in as well as the cool breeze passing through my 19th floor balcony. However, do note that the balcony’s curtains are pre-programmed to go down every time someone enters the balcony so you’d have to manually turn it up if you want to enjoy the open view. 

Facilities

As mentioned previously, the hotel has at least 4 themed terraces and these terraces serve as activity / facility areas for the hotel. One floor directly below my room is the cloud terrace which houses the hotel’s outdoor events space. On the 11th floor is the garden terrace which houses a wide grass patch, a sky garden, the inhouse bar called Florette as well as the club lounge. At the ground level is the forest terrace, a verdant space where reception is situated.

My stay did not come with club lounge access as I was upgraded to the Pacific Club category solely on a room-only basis. However, I had a look at the outdoor space which is also open to non-club guests. 

On the 5th floor is the beach terrace and this is where the swimming pool as well as gym are located. The swimming pool here aims to imbibe a resort kind of feel, complete with an irregular, wavy shape, beige tones surrounding the pool and a partially submerged bar. It is huge and it is entirely possible for guests to swim laps here if they wish.

The fitness area boasts of both indoor and outdoor spaces. The indoor gym is modest in size but comes equipped with a rather comprehensive array of exercise machines. The outdoor space has monkey bars and a TRX machine.

Breakfast at Mosella

The morning meal is served in Mosella, the hotel’s restaurant serving Mediterranean cuisine. During the time of my visit, the property was not running on full capacity yet so it was easy to find seats. I love the glass walls of the restaurant which allow for plenty of natural light to come in.  

One can expect a good variety of both local and western staples for breakfast. There are dedicated corners for hot food such as nasi lemak, eggs, bacon and has browns. I found the pastry section notable for offering cakes and puddings that I don’t normally see for breakfast in other hotels. There is also a delightful selection of cold cuts as well as yogurt and muesli. 

Mosella has a self-service coffee machine from which guests can obtain coffee with a number of settings to dispense black coffee, espresso or latte. There is also another, more sophisticated coffee machine a few steps away which is out of guests’ reach. I suspect this bigger coffee machine is used by Mosella during their lunch or dinner service. I am lactose intolerant so it’s good to see that they offer non-dairy options as well. I was gladly given a cafe latte with oat milk, although it did take a bit more time to be made during the rather busy morning service. 

Verdict

The rebuilt Pan Pacific Orchard fulfills a gap where Orchard Road hotels are concerned. Despite the prevalence of lodging options and also due to the high density nature of the precinct, most properties in the area seem to be styled as cookie-cutter business hotels. Pan Pacific Orchard breaks that mold. As a full-fledge Pan Pacific property, business travelers will have their needs taken cared of here but leisure travelers are given an added treat with a resort-like feel right in the heart of Singapore’s main shopping drag. The architecture is unique and the 4 themed terraces will give guests plenty of room to “play.” The property is not particularly huge so don’t come here expecting for a wealth of inhouse dining options unlike in the flagship Pan Pacific but Mosella more than fulfills its role as a hotel restaurant with its delicious Mediterranean fare.

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