Pan Pacific Orchard is arguably Singapore’s most photogenic hotel right now, and one of the more talked-about openings in recent years. WOHA Architects’ signature greenery-draped terraces have made it a fixture on Instagram and travel lists alike.
But does the actual stay experience hold up to the hype? We stayed one night on a credit card portal package that included dining credits to find out.
Booking
Pan Pacific Orchard participates in several premium credit card travel programmes, including American Express The Hotel Collection, The Edit by Chase, and Capital One Travel’s Premier Collection. These typically stack benefits like property credits, daily breakfast, room upgrades, or late check-out on top of your existing hotel status.
The catch: rates through these portals tend to run higher than booking direct. Whether the perks offset the premium depends on what benefits you’d actually use. Run the numbers before booking.
Location
The hotel sits just off Orchard Road, with Orchard MRT about a ten-minute walk away.
Finding the entrance was more confusing than it should be, given how visible the building itself is. The access points are via Claymore Road beside Royal Plaza on Scotts, or through the rear exit of Palais Renaissance. Once you’ve done it once, it’s intuitive, but the first visit requires a little trial and error.
Check-in
We arrived around 3pm to a busy lobby and waited a few minutes before a staff member came to assist. Once attended to, the process was efficient. The staff member presented a card showing our GHA Discovery Dollars balance and walked through our GHA Titanium benefits.
We were upgraded from a Deluxe King Room to a Beach Terrace Balcony King Room. Some reports online mention upgrades to the Pacific Club, but that didn’t happen for us. Regardless, an upgrade to any terrace room is still a meaningful improvement, but do manage expectations accordingly.
The room
The Beach Terrace Balcony King Room comes in at 30 sqm. It is compact, but par for the course on Orchard Road. It’s a step up from the 25 sqm Deluxe King we originally booked. Serviceable for a night or two, but less so if you’re travelling with two full-sized suitcases or sharing with someone who also needs to unpack.
Space around the bed is tight but workable. Storage is limited to a small wardrobe near the entrance. Fine for a short stay, restrictive for anything longer.
Mirrors line the bedroom wall and do a reasonable job of making the room feel larger. Curtains and blackout blinds are controlled electronically from wall panels.
The bathroom follows an open-plan layout with a retractable divider between the sleeping area and the wet zone. It’s a design choice that reads well in photos but is less practical in reality, especially if you’re sharing the room.
The shower can be fully enclosed with a sliding door when needed, but the toilet area still lacks complete privacy. There is no bathtub, which is not surprising given the room size.
Toiletries are by Jo Loves, replacing the Diptyque amenities that were previously used. Toothbrushes and other basic items are provided in the room.
Coffee options include Lavazza instant coffee sticks, as well as Nespresso capsules, while tea is from TWG. Water is drawn from the in-room filtered tap and stored in refillable glass bottles, part of the hotel’s consistent sustainability focus.
The minibar is chargeable, and the fridge is frankly too small for storing anything that needs refrigeration.
There is a small desk and a fixed sofa along the wall, though using the sofa partially blocks the television.
The highlight of the room is definitely the balcony. Ours was on level 10, overlooking the beach-style pool below with its terraces and greenery. There is also a small outdoor sofa bed, which could be used for lounging, though it is not air-conditioned.
It is not the biggest space, but it feels like a private little lookout, especially when the evening lights come on and the pool area glows softly. It is the kind of spot where you could easily sit for an hour with a coffee just watching the scene below.
Privacy is limited since the neighbouring balconies are fairly close, although the zip blinds help create a more enclosed feel when needed.
Facilities
Swimming pool
The swimming pool on level 5 is the centrepiece of the hotel. It is large and resort-styled, and definitely one of the most photogenic hotel pools in Singapore.
There is a separate lap pool to one side, and some rooms have direct pool access at a higher rate.
The lighting at night makes the area look even better.
Garden terrace
One of Pan Pacific Orchard’s most distinctive design features is its tiered, greenery-filled terraces. They are all visible from the street and instantly recognisable as the WOHA signature.
The Garden Terrace on level 11 sits beside the Pacific Club lounge, and is one of the more pleasant spots in the hotel to simply sit and take in the layered vertical garden that defines the property’s facade. It doesn’t photograph as dramatically from up close as it does from outside, but being inside it gives a different appreciation for the scale of the greenery.
Gym
The gym is located beside the pool and overlooks the beach-style pool. Equipment selection is good with a mix of machines and free weights. It was not crowded during our stay, and cold towels and water were provided.
Executive lounge
We did not have Pacific Club access. Some areas on level 11 are accessible only by walking through the lounge, which gave us a look at the afternoon tea setup.
The lounge is nicely designed with both indoor and outdoor seating. Whether it is worth paying for depends on how much you value the lounge experience in a city where dining choices are plentiful.
Dining at Mosella
Our rate included a US$100 credit that could be used for dining or spa services. We used it for dinner at Mosella, located on the ground floor. As GHA Titanium members, we also received a 25 percent discount when charging to the room.
We ordered the hamachi crudo, octopus, miso cod, and burnt cheesecake with ice cream. All the dishes were well prepared and nicely plated.
Prices are high if paying outright, so using credits or status discounts helps. For solo diners, Eatigo sometimes lists offers that can make dining more affordable.
After stacking the credits and discounts, we still had some value left, which we used the next day for a chocolate tart before checking out.
Breakfast
Breakfast at Pan Pacific Orchard is served at Mosella, the hotel’s restaurant, and it was noticeably busy during our Sunday morning visit given the huge line to enter.
The buffet spread is extensive, covering Asian, Indian, and Western selections with a good variety of options.
Pastries stood out, especially the toast, almond croissants, doughnuts, curry puffs, and banana muffins.
There is also a cereal counter with nuts, seeds, and chickpeas, along with hot dishes like sausages, roasted potatoes, and steamed buns.
A live station serve laksa and fishball noodles cooked to order, which adds a nice local touch.
Drinks are another highlight, with TWG tea served by the pot and barista-made coffee available on request rather than from a machine. However, with the restaurant running at full capacity, drink orders took time and staff were clearly stretched trying to keep up.
The juice counter also struggled to keep up with the crowd. At one point, there were no glasses available. Staff eventually restocked, but it was clear the breakfast team was operating at its limits.
The main challenge was simply how crowded it was. The restaurant was packed, and staff were doing their best to keep up with the flow of guests.
Service was reasonable given the circumstances, though it was clear they were stretched thin. The atmosphere leaned more hectic than relaxed, and anyone hoping for a slow, quiet breakfast would be better off coming earlier or avoiding peak hours altogether.
Concluding remarks
Pan Pacific Orchard is visually striking for sure. The architecture by WOHA Architects, combined with the beach-style pool, gives it a resort feel that is unusual for Orchard Road. The rooms make the most of their compact footprint, and the balcony in particular is a genuine highlight, but the bathroom layout and limited storage will not be for everyone.
Where the hotel shines is in its design and public spaces, along with a solid breakfast and enjoyable dinner at Mosella, though both food and drinks are priced firmly at luxury hotel levels. On the other hand, the breakfast experience can feel overcrowded, and the value equation becomes more challenging if you are paying fully in cash without meaningful benefits.
If you can book through a credit card programme or preferred partner rate with added dining credits or perks, Pan Pacific Orchard can be a very pleasant stay and a good way to experience one of Singapore’s most distinctive new hotels. If you are paying standard rates without extras, there are plenty of strong alternatives in Singapore at this price point that may offer larger rooms or a calmer overall experience.
