The chic lobby of Hotel Mono, Singapore, sets the tone.
THE PLACE
A week doesn't seem to pass without a new boutique hotel opening in Singapore, with the island state's stock of traditional shophouses providing the perfect foundations for such a style of establishment. The small lobby, a chic monochrome marvel with a bucket-style chair inlaid into the bottom of a staircase, sets the tone, as it were, for this 46-room hotel, a love-it or hate-it statement of a world that is all black and white. Opened late last year, Hotel Mono is built within six shophouses with the accommodation floors feeling a little maze-like due to the developer's resistance to gutting the interior. This means that no two rooms are identical (and good luck finding yours).
THE LOCATION
Hotel Mono, Singapore.
Literally in the middle of Chinatown, you'll find Hotel Mono on the shophouse-lined and restaurant-filled Mosque Street, named after the early 19th-century Islamic place of worship at one end. A minute or so away is the Chinatown MRT underground station with this part of Singapore also being one of its most pleasantly walkable neighbourhoods.
THE ROOM
At 17 square metres, my "double-plus" room, faithful to the black and white theme, is small and minimalist (read: basic). In an effort to keep the nightly tariffs to a minimum there are no bathrobes and only decidedly ordinary instant coffee. One of the hotel's most effective and minimalist design features is a signature black metal bar that acts as a coat hanger, light fitting and sculptural piece.
THE FOOD
Hotel Mono has no restaurant and you'll need to head out for breakfast, too. Yet this is Singapore where it's difficult to have a bad meal and even harder here in Chinatown with its plethora of cheap and authentic eats. A few streets over from the hotel is Chinatown Food Street with a canopy-style roof allowing diners to eat regardless of the weather. If you're an early starter in search of a decent coffee it may pay to sleep in since this corner of Singapore hardly gets going until about 10am.
STEPPING OUT
Chinatown, with its vibrant atmosphere, largely undisturbed heritage architecture and immense food offerings, is one of the best places in Singapore for visitors to stay. Even though taxis are plentiful, inexpensive and efficient, the MRT is the best way to access the city's other attractions, such as the National Gallery of Art, Gardens by the Bay and Marina Bay Sands. Retail therapy is never far away and near the hotel is a mid-range shopping complex, the Oriental Plaza, full of restaurants, cafes and shops.
THE VERDICT
Hotel Mono succeeds as much as it disappoints. The black and white design philosophy is strikingly impressive and Instagram-friendly – warning: if you arrive wearing a coloured shirt you risk feeling a bit like the design equivalent of a party pooper. But the lack of imagination beyond the monochrome ethos makes the hotel feel a little, well, beige though, for the price, it represents excellent value in what has become the most expensive city in south-east Asia.
ESSENTIALS
Doubles start from $S160. Hotel Mono, 18 Mosque Street, Singapore. Phone +65 6326 0430. See hotelmono.com; yoursingapore.com
HIGHLIGHT
Despite its reputation for having destroyed its heritage architecture, Singapore still abounds in captivating traditional shophouses, which form the basis of Hotel Mono.
LOWLIGHT
The unapologetically minimalist approach extends to the in-room amenities, of lack of them, such as an espresso machine, nowadays near mandatory in this style of hotel (and a sense of fun wouldn't go astray either).
Anthony Dennis stayed as a guest of the hotel.
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