Family-friendly Singapore at Hilton Singapore Orchard - review

This well-located hotel is a great option for families, discovers Carolynne Dear on a recent stop-over in the Lion City

Hilton Singapore Orchard review - the hotel has recently emerged from a multi-million dollar upgrade

The smart and sophisticated Hilton Singapore Orchard is a relative newcomer to Singapore’s Orchard Road strip. It launched in 2022 on the site of the former Mandarin Oriental hotel following a multi-million dollar upgrade of the building. The dual-tower property now stands as the largest Hilton property in the Asia Pacific region, with more than 1,000 rooms, five restaurants and bars, an outdoor pool and a 24-hour gym. One tower remains as the Mandarin Wing, while the Orchard Wing references the hotel’s location at the heart of Singapore’s famous shopping district.

I checked in earlier this autumn on a whistle-stop trip to the Lion City. Smart interiors, attention to detail and great service make this hotel a real find if you’re looking for stylish but family-friendly accommodation in the heart of the action. 

Smart accommodation

Hilton Singapore Orchard review - the rooms are smartly and efficiently designed

The hotel’s 1,080 rooms include 60 suites and almost 300 connecting rooms, ideal for family groups. I checked into a King Executive Room with Executive Lounge access. My room was compact but brilliantly organised and had everything I needed for a three-night stay. The nature-inspired interiors with a sleek green and grey colour palette are a nod to Orchard Road’s past as an avenue on the city limits lined with nutmeg and fruit trees; nowadays, of course, shiny malls and hotels line the strip. 

Children are instantly made welcome at the hotel with a colourful backpack gift containing coloured pencils, an origami set, activity book and plush toy.

All rooms are fitted with energy efficient features like light sensors and in-room motion detection linked to the air conditioning and there was plenty of space to unpack and relax. 

Easy dining

Hilton Singapore Orchard review - tasty sharing plates at Osteria Mozza

But where this hotel really stands out is with its dining offerings. There are five restaurants and bars in total, including Estate for buffet breakfast and all-day casual dining, Ginger Lily lounge for lighter bites and afternoon tea, Chatterbox, a brand founded in 1971 and famed for its Singaporean dishes and particularly its chicken rice, and one-Michelin-starred Shisen Hanton by Chen Kentaro. I was hosted at Osteria Mozza, the only Asian outpost of the one-Michelin starred Osteria Mozza in California founded by US celebrity chef Nancy Silverton. 

The Tuscan farmhouse-inspired space was buzzing even on a Monday night as diners tucked into the Italian-influenced menu with a tasty range of pizzas spilling from the wood-fired oven in the open kitchen. The buzz is convivial and casual and there’s a pretty outdoor dining terrace, although I appreciated the air conditioned indoor area in ever-humid Singapore.

The menu has been curated by Nancy alongside Osteria Mozza’s Singapore-based executive chef, Peter Birks. I was treated to a delicious menu bursting with flavour, starting with a creamy burrata and prosciutto di Parma and a Mozza Caprese dripping with tasty basil pesto and roasted tomatoes. We then moved on to beef cheek ragú with tagliatelle pasta and a freshly-baked fennel sausage pizza. (On weekends children are invited to choose their own pizza toppings and can then head off with the kitchen team to watch them being cooked in the pizza oven). Birks treated the table to grilled Iberico pork with a fennel sambuca and grilled chicken diavola with “devilish” marinated pepper and scallions. We finished with a sweet panna cotta.

Osteria Mozza is a cheerful place with plenty of crowd-pleasing Italian dishes and sharing plates to satisfy the pickiest of little eaters. It's high on my list of ‘do agains’ when I’m back in the city.  

Brilliant breakfasts

Hilton Singapore Orchard review - Estate is one of the best family breakfast locations in town

Breakfast is served in Estate, adjacent to Osteria Mozza, and has one of the most astutely designed breakfast rooms I’ve experienced. The space is vast but has been cleverly divided into smaller eating areas to create more of a boutique rather than a canteen feel. Clever touches included a kids’ station with veggie sticks, milk and sensible cereals, as well as sweet treats, and stacks of melamine toddler plates and bowls. There were also highchairs a-plenty. The choice is vast; there’s a bar area dedicated to juices and smoothies, as well as the to-be-expected cold cuts, cheeses, hot Asian and western options, egg stations, cereals, salads and plenty of pastries. 

Bustling location

The hotel is located at the centre of Orchard Road’s busy shopping district; the Mandarin tower lift drops you right into the action. There are heaps of eateries and shops just minutes away, as well as two MRT stops (Orchard and Somerset), making the hotel ideally placed for a Singapore city stay. 

Hilton Singapore Orchard, 333 Orchard Road, Singapore 238867; bookings online.