PUBLISHED November 10th, 2018 06:00 am | UPDATED July 25th, 2024 01:34 pm
The Scarlet is by no means new. The 80-key property first made its debut in the December of 2004, taking up a row of pre-war shophouses in Chinatown to become Singapore’s first luxury boutique hotel — and later one of the city’s two hotels under the Small Luxury Hotels of the World brand alongside Naumi. Nine years later, the property’s public spaces and accommodations underwent a massive makeover, and here we are, admiring its poise and classiness in anticipation of our stay.
Space & Location
Off Erskine Road next to Maxwell Food Centre and Ann Siang Hill, a stay here offers instant access to Singapore’s city center and all the pleasures of being in a historic enclave — for exploring old temples, markets, and speciality stores that have been around for decades.
Stepping into The Scarlet is a stark transition into a foreign, romantic world. Its bold design is uninhibited to the point of being opulent, but yet, the concept works. Bright jewellery-inspired colours and a iconic blood red palette are strewn around the interior, particularly the long windy corridors to your room.
The tall lobby is all sorts of flamboyant: glistening chandelier, shiny beaded wall, and plush seating upholstered in Pierre Frey designer velvets. It’s a refreshing adventure for the senses, which is more than we can say for many other hotels out there.
Rooms
The fun thing about The Scarlet is that while there are six key tiers on offer — Standard, Deluxe, Executive, Executive with Balcony, Premium and five Suites — no two individual rooms are the same. Maybe one’s a bit longer, has the bed on the other side, or has a skylight instead of a window. Our Premium has a bit of an L-shape and looks out past the hawker centre towards Tanjong Pagar. The walls, furnishings, and luxurious drapes are a rich glow of coral orange and varying shades of red, juxtaposed with an ornate black floral design headboard. If you like high ceilings, you’ll enjoy the bonus space from the sloped ceiling — a feature unique to shophouses like this.
Moving on to the white-washed bathroom (pleasantly spacious too), you get a rain shower stall and a relatively deep bathtub with bath salts, as well as a loofah — which is always welcome. The Scarlet uses its own in-house ‘Flair’ bath amenities with a pleasant floral scent, and we have no complaints about that.
Like many high-end hotels nowadays, there is a Handy phone in every room that provides you with all the digital mobility you need while exploring the neighbourhood — not a big deal for locals, but free internet, right? Snacks and non-alcoholic drinks in the minibar are complimentary as well.
Facilities
The nature of the building’s structure means that having a swimming pool is all but impossible. Still, the medium-sized circular jacuzzi called SODA is quite the indulgence, as water jets massage those stress knots away. Plus, it looks particularly pretty at night. We don’t know why you’d work out on a staycation, but there is FLAUNT, a small gym on the ground level with free weights, weighted machines, a treadmill, and a multi-functional cardio trainer.
F&B
Casa Tartufo on the first floor is where traditional Northern Italian specialities are served. It is also in this warm space, decked out in homely Italian-inspired décor, that a buffet breakfast is served. The spread is modest at best, but the selection of cold cuts from Huber’s Butchery, crispy bacon, sausages, and pound cakes are fabulous. True to its name, dishes like a Burrata stuffed with truffles ($45) and Foie Gras Ravioli with Parmigiano and truffle fondue ($34) come out for lunch and dinner. At night, the rooftop bar Aria offer classic cocktails, wines, and a selection of Sicilian-inspired snacks.
The Scarlet is located at 33 Erskine Rd, Singapore 069333. Room rates start from $380 per night. For reservations, call +65 6511 3333 or email to reservations.sg@thescarlethotels.com.