PUBLISHED June 15th, 2017 06:00 am | UPDATED July 25th, 2024 01:36 pm
As summer activities – and the school holidays – gain momentum in June, we decided to seek a quieter respite this month, away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life (which is, I assure you, quite hectic).
Located five minutes from Somerset MRT, on a quiet residential street off Kiliney Road, Lloyd’s Inn is a tranquil hotel with lush greenery and a nice pool…yet close enough to urban nightlife and supper if you desire it at the last minute. Barely three years old, this 34-room boutique property boasts of a sleek, minimalist approach to the interiors. It starts at the lobby, which is almost monochrome with white walls, grey floors, and black sofas. Despite the starkness of it, the amount of natural light that floods in during the day makes it a really lovely room to be in.
Check-in was painless and the front desk receptionist took the effort to lead us to our Business Room one floor down. On the way, we passed the outdoor pantry; besides being the designated smoking area, it’s also houses the microwave, an ice dispenser, and a coffee machine. Just note that while you can get ice, they don’t have ice buckets to chill bottles if that’s what you were planning on doing (we had a nice bottle of sake we wanted to have by the pool).
The grey-walled corridors continue to be Instagram-friendly and manage to be uplifting with accentuations of greenery here and there. It’s no wonder that Lloyd’s Inn has hosted its fair share of photoshoots with e-commerce boutiques and international brands alike.
While it’s called a room, our temporary abode (one out of eight room categories) was actually a loft with the bathroom and living space on the ground floor and the bed upstairs. It’s definitely designed for the business traveler with a computer keyboard, a proper desk, ergonomic chair, stationary, and daily delivery of newspapers.
One thing that I really enjoyed about the room was the outdoor shower and toilet; outfitted with a mini stone garden and hanging plants, it made using the water facilities a peaceful and calming experience. The heat and the water pressure of the rain shower was more than adequate so you don’t have to worry about that part of things. A word of caution: really tall people might bump their head against the metal railing of the stairs while using the sink indoors.
The second floor is designed for being a place of rest and leisure, with nothing but the bed and the television (we mean this in a good way). I’m not ashamed to say that I enjoyed sleeping in so much with the blackout shades that I managed to miss breakfast on both days.
Speaking of which, the complimentary breakfast offered by Lloyd’s Inn is available at Kiliney Kopitiam, less than five minutes down the road. It’s a simple Singaporean breakfast of kaya toast and eggs, but if you’re feeling fancier, there’s an option to top up $7 for a more protein-centred breakfast at Freshly Baked on the same road. But really, Kiliney road has so many food options – think nasi padang, ramen, Thai food, ABC boulangerie, real food, hokkien mee at KPO, and the food court at Singtel HQ – that you can satisfy any craving.
The only issue I had throughout the entire stay was the WiFi. As you can probably tell, much – if not all – of my work requires the Internet and when it get patchy, I get really frustrated. That said, everything else was lovely. The small-inn feel of the hotel is genuine and sincere, and the water cooler in the corridor on the ground floor was a nice nostalgic throwback to our school days. I just hope they fix the problems with the WiFi, especially for the folks who book the Business Room.
Lloyd’s Inn is located at 2 Lloyd Road, Singapore 239091, p. +65 6737 7309, e. mail@lloydsinn.com.