They had me at the name, really.

How could a girl like me resist a place called Wanderlust?

My only criticism was out of my mouth before we walked through the door: It’s hard to find, even with a GPS.

We took the train to the Little India station and walked a couple of blocks to what should have been the address. We saw Hotel 81. We saw loads of little restaurants. We saw construction. We did not see our hotel.  The kids and I sat down to wait while Tony scouted the block… and then, one of us looked up, and in very hard to read (but fun and funky) signage, there it was… Wanderlust. Exactly where it should have been, right across the street from where we were sitting. Look for dash letters in monochrome grey on a white and floral tiled front.

Perhaps a picture would help:

Once you find it, you will love it!

Wanderlust Hotel is a boutique hotel in the heart of Little India with three floors of themed rooms, put together by three different designers. The Panatone Rooms are on the second floor are monochromatic capsule inspired rooms. The Mono rooms, on the third floor, are fun and funky mixture of origami and pop-art. The kids stayed in the Mono-Deluxe room, with a glass encased bath tub! That was a big hit! The Whimsical rooms are on the fourth floor and are fantastic. We loved the space themed room. Ez put his “guys” in the spaceship to sleep overnight and we left the stars on all night. Add a deep cast iron soaking tub and it was my idea of heaven.

Many hotels have a free breakfast of some sort, but Cocotte, the on site restaurant, takes it to a new level. In addition to the bread and cereal bar they offered fresh croissants and pain chocolate each morning with a choice of gourmet breakfasts, ranging from vegetable frittate, to bagels with lox, to caramel apple pancakes.

The atmosphere of the common areas is the perfect blend of old-time comfort and vintage chic. The boys loved the fus ball table in the lobby. The chairs were a mix of recovered barber’s chairs and 1950’s era wood and fabric furnishings. The walls were hung with a kitschy mix of Indian henna, spa pants and food label wallpapering and antique tin food package labels from Europe. Somehow they managed to make the Christmas tree and Billy Holliday carols not seem out of place.

Singapore is loaded with places to stay, from dorm bed hostels to the penthouse at the Marina Bay Sands. If you’re looking for a place with charm that blends the local colour of Little India with the creature comforts of an upscale boutique hotel, and is centrally located, may I recommend Wanderlust?

Here are a few of the photos we took while we were there:

If you’re looking for the details, they are as follows:

2 Dickson Road
Singapore 209494

Tel: +65 6396 3322
Fax: +65 6298 2211
Email: reservations@wanderlusthotel.com