One of the most intriguing hotel openings in Singapore this year has to be the Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree.ย
This will be the luxury hotel chain’s first property in Singapore โ somewhat surprising, given its homegrown roots โ and unlike most new hotels these days, it’s not another glass and steel monstrosity. Instead, this 4.6-hectare resort is located in the heart of the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, with easy access to the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, River Wonders, Bird Paradise and the upcoming Rainforest Wild Asia.
For those of us accustomed to the urban jungle, it’s the biggest change of scenery we’ll get without hopping on a plane.ย
The Mandai Rainforest Resort is now accepting bookings ahead of its public opening on 2 April 2025, so let’s take a closer look at what guests can expect, as well as the room rates and opening offers.
Overview: Mandai Rainforest Resort
The Mandai Rainforest Resort offers 338 guest rooms and suites, including 24 treehouses. Rooms are split into the following categories.ย
Room Type | Size | View |
Retreat (Twin/King) | 36 sqm | Mandai |
Rainforest (Twin/King) | 36 sqm | Garden |
Sanctuary (Twin/King) | 36 sqm | Reservoir |
Family Retreat | 44 sqm | Mandai |
Family Rainforest | 44 sqm | Garden |
Family Sanctuary | 44 sqm | Reservoir |
Rainforest Suite | 55 sqm | Garden |
Sanctuary Suite | 55 sqm | Reservoir |
Mandai Treehouse | 63 sqm | Garden |
Grand Mandai Treehouse | 63 sqm | Reservoir |
Rainforest Two Bedroom | 72 sqm | Rainforest |
The resort features 314 guest rooms and suites within a five-story building. The entry-level category offers 36 sqm rooms, classified as Retreat, Rainforest, or Sanctuary, depending on the view. The next tier is the Family category, a 44 sqm room that includes a king-sized bed and a bunk bed. Suites, measuring 55 sqm, feature separate bedrooms and living areas.
Of course, the most eye-catching accommodations are the 63-72 sqm Mandai and Grand Mandai Treehouses, the largest in the resort (technically the Rainforest Two Bedroom category is the largest, but that’s just 2x Rainforest rooms with a connecting door).
These treehouses are designed to resemble the seed pods of the Purple Millettia (Callerya atropurpurea), and come with private outdoor patios.
The resortโs design is guided by a deep commitment to biophilia, evident in its architecture, programming, and signature amenities. The resort was designed around the mature trees on the site, while the wings of the resort have been elevated from the ground to accommodate the movement of native wildlife.
Drawing inspiration from the rainforestโs natural layers and Banyan Groupโs legacy of honouring the essence of each destination, the 338-room resort โ designed by the award-winning WOW Architects โ seamlessly integrates with its luxuriant forest scape.
-Banyan Tree
In line with the eco-conscious ethos of this resort, rooms can be naturally ventilated with fully opening windows, and ambient room temperatures are regulated to mirror the cool atmospheric temperatures of tropical rainforests. I do suspect, given the humidity of Singapore and Mandai’s rampant mosquito problem, that you would want to keep the windows shut most of the time.
Rainwater is collected and used for flushing toilets, and rooms are equipped with interactive displays that show power consumption levels and “offer gentle reminders” when usage exceeds recommended levels. That might be a bit more eco-nagging than some people would prefer, but so long as the air conditioning doesn’t switch off unexpectedly during the night (which does happen at hotels which install motion sensors in the rooms), I’m fairly indifferent.
In terms of facilities, hotel guests will have access to a gym and a rooftop pool with unobstructed views of the Upper Seletar Reservoir. There is also a kids club, and a 300-seater ballroom for weddings.ย
The resort will offer two dining experiences: Planter’s Shed and Forage.
- Planter’s Shed is the all-day dining venue that will serve a buffet breakfast and dinner with live cooking stations and tableside service, as well as a la carte lunch.
- Forage is the resort’s fine dining venue, with an omakase menu that uses produce from the onsite rooftop edible garden.ย
There will also be a Banyan Tree Spa, offering such indulgences as detoxifying body wraps and signature massages.ย
Room rates and opening offer
To mark the opening of the Mandai Rainforest Resort, Banyan Tree is offering a special rate called “An Awakening in Nature”, which is valid for stays between 2 April to 30 June 2025.ย
This fully prepaid, non-refundable rate includes:
- 20% off the best available rate
- Breakfast for two adults
It’s rather disappointing that the opening offers aren’t more generous. For a novel concept like this, a little extra incentive could encourage people to give it a try. Offering additional hotel credits to entice guests to explore the restaurants or spa would have been a nice touch, or, given the resort’s theming, perhaps a couple of complimentary park passes.
In any case, the 20% discount reduces room rates to as low as S$328++ (S$393 nett) on some weekdays in April and May.ย
The rates, predictably, increase for the school holiday season in June, and from July onwards we can see the regular non-discounted pricing starting from S$519++ (S$622 nett). The highest rates currently loaded into the calendar start from S$686++ (S$823 nett) on National Day weekend.
Banyan Tree is a member of Accor Live Limitless, and perhaps might be bookable through the HERA luxury advisor programme (formerly known as STEP) in due course. If so, those rates would include additional benefits like a room upgrade, breakfast and a US$100 hotel credit.ย
Conclusion
Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree will open to guests in April 2025, with room rates starting from S$328++. All we have to go by for now are renders, so it’ll be interesting to see what the resort actually looks like once the first few reports start coming in- I’m planning to do a stay here too.
This has the potential to be a very different sort of staycation experience (you don’t really get the away from home vibe staying at a hotel downtown), and I’m just hoping they find a way to mitigate Mandai’s notorious mosquito issues. I get that it’s part and parcel of being one with nature, but no one likes being feasted on!
Are you planning to visit the Mandai Rainforest Resort?
First time come across this HERA.
It’s like HoteLux but without the double dipping hotel points?
hotelux= booking channel that can book HERA, Virtuoso, Impresario and other luxury advisor rate
HERA= luxury advisor rate for accor
Does Accor Platinum have free breakfast?
Disappointing the family rooms only accommodate 3 people
Reach out to the hotel. This seems to be the default setting for rooms, but I’ve travelled with three toddler-aged kids and all accor hotels were always happy for us to stay in a single family room or suite. I think this is likely more to have a rule to enforce against 20 teenagers trying to party in a room