In January 2026, I checked into the Sanctuary Room at Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree. Nestled within the Mandai Wildlife Reserve along with other national zoological attractions such as the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and Bird Paradise, the 338-room resort is a 30-minute drive away from Orchard Road, Marina Bay Sands and Singapore Changi Airport. The opening marks the Banyan Group’s 100th resort and is of special significance, being the local luxury hotel brand’s first Singapore property.
Guests at the resort can follow the Liana Walkway (accessible via an elevator at the car park) to access other Mandai Wildlife Reserve attractions (i.e. Singapore Zoo, River Wonders, Night Safari and Curiosity Cove) as well as a bus berth where guests can take complimentary bus rides to further attractions such as Bird Paradise and Rainforest Wild ASIA which are about five minutes away. There are also other public bus services available to MRT stations such as Springleaf MRT Station, Choa Chu Kang MRT station and Khatib MRT station.
The Liana Walkway also connects guests to the Dining Alley which houses F&B concepts such as Sushiro, Song Fa Bak Kut Teh, Xiang Xiang Hunan Cuisine and pizza concept Roberta’s.
Banyan Tree is managed by Accor, with other Accor properties in Singapore including Sofitel Singapore City Centre, Mondrian Singapore Duxton, Fairmont Singapore, Raffles Hotel Singapore, Raffles Sentosa Singapore, Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa, Swissotel The Stamford, Pullman Singapore Orchard and Pullman Singapore Hill Street.
The UTW (“Under Ten Words”): Escapist Rainforest Sanctuary For Families and Nature Lovers Alike.
Must Dos: Enjoy the breeze from the open windows of your room, have champagne and mimosas during breakfast at Planter’s Shed, have a meal at Forage, take a dip in the rooftop pool (or if you’re fancy and living in a Treehouse, the Treehouse private pool), try to track down wildlife.
* The extraordinary status accorded to children in this article warrants a special sobriquet for them: chewren (always italicised).
MANDAI RAINFOREST RESORT BY BANYAN TREE
Designed by WOW Architects (The St. Regis Maldives, Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas), the open-air resort takes inspiration from the rainforest’s natural layers, with guest rooms falling within four levels of “canopy” and the rooftop level (swimming pool, Discovery Forest and rooftop bar lounge spaces) being the “emergent layer”. The design of the resort seeks to minimise impact to the surrounding environment, with the 12-metre-tall Rain Tree and Indian Beech Tree at the entrance being retained in their original locations and the walkways of the resort weaving and meandering around large mature trees in the area.
Room categories are based on view with single/double bed and family room configurations – Retreat rooms have garden views, Rainforest rooms face lush greenery and Sanctuary rooms overlook the Upper Seletar Reservoir. The resort’s most iconic accommodation are the Treehouses, dramatic reservoir-facing accommodations at both ends of the resort designed to resemble Purple Millettia seed pods and residents of each treehouse cluster (West and East Blocks) having exclusive keycard-controlled access to its own private pool. While the West Block’s pool is set on the ground level, the East Block’s private pool is housed within a photogenic bird’s nest structure perched on the edge of the rainforest with stunning views of the waters beyond. The East Block treehouse cluster is the resort’s most Instagrammable setting, so you can expect plenty of slow-motion strolling, floppy hat-nodding and skirt-twirling in the area.
(The card readers for the East Block and West Block private pools are highly sensitive and prone to damage, so you may expect one or two occasions whereby you require staff assistance for entry.)
There is plenty to do within the resort itself, with or sans chewren. The hotel offers a variety of guest activities, both complimentary (e.g. pilates, nature walk, body scrub-making) and payable (Kopi Craft, World of Birds, cocktail masterclass, body balm-making). Wellness facilities include a fitness centre, a rooftop pool with jacuzzi jets as well as the Banyan Tree Spa which offers treatments based on Asian traditions using in-house spa products. The Banyan Tree Gallery retails a variety of souvenirs and artisanal craft products as well as spa products, while the Colugo Room on the basement level is a gallery space which details the inspirations behind the resort’s design elements as well as provides information about the types of wildlife you may encounter in the vicinity. I picked up a brochure which had pictures of various bird species on one side as examples of birds you are likely to see onsite (e.g. Pacific Swallow, Long-Tailed Parakeet, Yellow-Vented Bulbul etc), and on the other side were multiple QR codes linking you to audio files depicting the cries of specific birds you are more likely to hear than see at the resort. If you like, the staff at the lobby would be happy to regale you with information pertaining to the resort’s locations with the highest wildlife sightings (monkeys in the West, wild boars in the East).
If you do have chewren, the Rangers’ Club will have plenty for the ‘ickle ones, from board games and toys to a Nintendo Switch console and an outdoor playground with design inspired by the Cannonball plant.
SANCTUARY KING
Boasting beautiful views of Upper Seletar Reservoir past idyllic swaying vines outside your window, the 36sqm Sanctuary King delivers what it promises on the tin, offering a genuinely calming respite from the vicissitudes of urban life. While the air-conditioning is programmed not to go below 24°C as part of the resort’s eco-friendly efforts, the ceiling fan with adjustable fan speed ensures the room can always be kept cool and well-ventilated. For the full rainforest experience, the sliding windows can be fully retracted (with an automated safety mosquito screen lowered) for greater immersion into the sounds and feels of the surroundings. My stay coincided with a period of extended rainy weather, and cosying on the couch by the carpeted window-side area with the windows fully retracted with the rain outside made for quite the atmospheric moment.
The pantry offers Monogram tea and Nespresso coffee-making facilities as well as a water filtration machine and complimentary water bottles for use during your stay, while the minibar was stocked with canned drinks, juices and beers. While the water filtration machine was full upon my arrival, it requires manual refilling.
The bathroom features double sinks, a bidet toilet as well as an enclosed and spacious rainfall shower space which overlooks the reservoir. Bathroom amenities are specially curated products from Banyan Tree Spa. As part of turndown service, the team prepares the ceramic essential oil-burner in the bathroom with a tea light candle and heats up a blend of bergamot and spearmint-scented essential oil, which fills the room with a soothing and uplifting fragrance.
Pro tip: Bring a portable sound system or wireless earphones. The walls of the room are fairly thin, meaning you will frequently hear the sound of footsteps, children and hallway conversation while you are in the room.
DINING
Breakfast is served at Planter’s Shed, the all-day dining restaurant located in the basement level of the resort. The breakfast spread comprises an extensive kids-friendly selection ranging from a dedicated Kids Corner with dishes such as Quiche and Minion Hash (!) to a chocolate fountain (!!) and multiple flavours at the Ice Cream Station and Milk Station; Asian specialties such as Chicken Char Siew Pau, Kuey Teow Goreng, Curry Chicken, Teriyaki Chicken, Korean Spicy Bean Paste Rice Cake and Vegetarian Fried Rice; a noodle station serving Laksa and Fishball Noodle Soup; and, for the degenerates and heroes that are parents of multiple children, a Bloody Mary station as well as Mionetto Prosecco DOC Treviso Brut NV and Rose DOC and a limited allocation of G.H. Mumm Champagne. (Translate: load up those champagne glasses as early as you can.)
The arid Kaya Toast would have benefited tremendously from the addition of butter (and perchance Hainanese kaya instead of the green, artificial-tasting variety), but the Nasi Lemak’s sambal chilli was a uber-savoury, feisty rain of makcik punches, and the Laksa a comforting affair notwithstanding the malnourished prawns involved.
Set on the 4th level and overlooking the reservoir, speciality restaurant Forage serves seasonal harvest-to-table course menus (lunch, afternoon tea and dinner) in a tranquil, cosy setting. Using herbs and microgreens grown in the resort’s own rooftop edible garden, the restaurant strives to reduce waste, and also works with producers such as Toh Thye San Farm for poultry and Ah Hua Kelong who are recognised for their responsible farming practices. We had the eight-course Experience Menu, which comprises dishes such as the earthy Borscht Reimagined (chestnut mushroom, beetroot & gochujang), moreish Yellow Tail Amberjack (tomato & marigold) and refreshing Amalfi Lemon (mint, kaffir lime & cucumber).
Highlights included the Chawanmushi (bafun uni, tiger prawn & kombu) which boasted sweet abalone slices and a robust kombu stock; the luxurious, supple Spiny Lobster (zucchini & coral) which lounged in a bisque-rich sauce; and Tajima Beef Striploin (Jerusalem artichoke & kopi owa) which wore an magnetically alluring truffle coffee sauce.
If you are a Treehouse guest, you can enjoy a la minute breakfast at Forage, with dishes such as Sizzle & Sunnyside (grill beef rib-eye, cage-free sunny side-up egg, golden potato rosti & sautéed mushrooms), Hass Avocado on Toast (pita bread, cage-free sunny side-up eggs, hass avocado mash & szechuan pepper vinaigrette), Nasi Lemak Fiesta (hand-cultivated blue pea flower infused coconut rice, homemade sambal, fried anchovies, roasted peanuts, cage-free sunny side-up egg, cucumber, otak-otak & fried chicken), Stir-Fry Noodles of the Day (wok-tossed with fresh mixed vegetables, savory soy sauce, cage-free sunny side-up & hint of garlic) and Colonial Twist Benedict (cage-free poached eggs, turkey ham, toasted roti prata, curry hollandaise & a hint of aromatic herbs).
CONCLUSION
The general family thrust of the resort – as well as early middling reviews of the property – left me feeling skeptical about its suitability as a getaway destination for adults without chewren. Even during non-peak periods, you can still expect an abundance of rugrats running along the (thinly-walled) corridors, gambolling around Planter’s Shed and, in certainly a first for my eyes, urinating in full view into the plants at the hotel lobby and completing the stream before his father came to shoo him away.
Chewren notwithstanding, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the guest experience. The rooms are thoughtfully designed, with the breeze, bird calls and idyllic setting being things you wouldn’t easily find elsewhere in Singapore. Wildlife and bird lovers would find plenty of adventure to unlock, and the champagne/prosecco breakfast was an unexpected touch, especially for this venue.
Quite the escapist adventure.
Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree
60 Mandai Lake Road
Singapore 729979
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