Ahh yes, the room rates at Mandai Rainforest Resort is on the higher side but it’s interesting enough so I booked a stay at Mandai Rainforest Resort over the weekend to celebrate Mr N’s birthday. We manage to snag tickets to the Singapore zoo as well so that was nice.
Managed to check-in early for at the resort and ngl navigating to the resort’s carpark took some work. Thankfully I read some reviews prior and some guests did share that you have to follow the coach route further into the compounds to reach the reort’s carpark and that’s what we did. Was welcomed with refreshing drinks at the lobby and ngl the landscaping team did such a fantastic job. I loved the entire vibe of the resort, you couldn’t even tell that you are in Singapore?? It did give Bali vibes ngl
I booked the Sanctuary Double Double room for $570/night~
When we entered the room we noticed how spacious it was. I suspect you can fit up to 4 pax in there and if you do , that’s about estimated $100 ish per pax? That’s more affordable I suppose. The room was well-equipped with toiletries, fridge and coffee machine; I think the highlight is definitely the shower facing the river view; I mean it would have been nice if there was a bathtub but I suspect only the premium suites have bath tubs though. Initially, N commented that the TV was oddly positioned at one side of the room which was not great but I managed to discover that the TV was actually mounted on a movable swivel and it allows you to extend the TV out and swivel it to the direction you prefer 😀
We dropped our stuffs and walked 10mins to Mandai Zoo where we entered for free as part of N’s corporate benefits 😉 Apparently, he hasn’t been to the zoo in donkey years so this was quite interesting for him. He wasn’t a fan of the heat and outdoors but oh well’s he has no choice HAHAHA We did agree that we might go Aussie next year since it is much colder compared to the scorching heat in SG. We spent almost 2 hours at the Zoo and finally we went back to take a quick nap before checking out the rooftop pool. The pool was scattered with guest but we did soak in the water a bit and enjoy the rainforest view that it was overlooking.
Surprisingly, both of us did not get any mozzie bites during our time at the zoo and the hotel which is pretty great. After our mini pool intermission, we had dinner at the resort’s restaurant locaked right at the basement. It was buffet style and they had a lot of local delights like Hainanese Chicken Rice, Laksa, Roasted delights, Mee Goreng and even Garlic Naan and Butter chicken! We stuffed our faces partly cause we were famished from soaking in the pool prior and my personal favorite was the Butter Chicken HAHA In fact, I got so full I actually vommited some of my food out because I ate too fast I guess.
After dinner, we took a stroll at the rooftop “Discovery Forest” and managed to catch sight of the sunset overlooking the pool and also the private suites which looked like clams. Ngl, they look pretty unreal and just so pretty somehow. Mind you those suites costs 1.2KSGD per night and I just can’t bring myself to book it LOL We can just admire it from afar then 🙂
Proceeeded to chill in our bedroom with a movie and that was also when I discovered their special pillow menu which you can ask for to be delivered to your room. There were 4 types of pillows to choose from: Maternity, Firm, Contour and Latex. I chose Contour and N chose Latex~ In the midst of the movie we did call for room-service as well, some wine to end off the night and after which we turned in for the day. N’s snoring kept me awake the entire night and I almost wanted to beat him up JK 🙂 *Makes a mental note to myself I will only opt to sleep in separate rooms from now on* Yup, that’s gonna be my dealbreaker cause I treasure my sleep way too much.
The next morning, we woke up at 9am to grab breakfast which was included in the package and boy was the restaurant crowded. The spread of food for breakfast was as good as what we had for dinner; They had dime sum, cereals, porridge, local delights like curry chicken, breads, and some salads as well. I learnt my lesson and ate slowly this time round. Went back to our room to pack up and left the resort shortly after.
Even though it was a short staycay, the experience was pretty good and for the price point I think it would be reasonable for families and friends to consider as part of their day trip to any of the zoos. The selection of resutaurants nearby was also pretty good like Xiang Xiang, Sushiro, KFC, Starbucks etc. We definitely enjoyed our time there but perhaps not in a long time since I doubt I will go to the zoo anytime soon HAHAHA Ngl when I saw parents lugging their kids at the zoo with their tired faced I felt kind of sorry for them but hey that’s “enjoyable family time” albeit a fking hot one.
That’s all for my staycay, here’s a short video that encompasses everything I did there (minus the buffet cause sister forgot to film that part LOL):
Lots of Love,
D
theniecextn. 
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