Chilling in a jacuzzi, barbeque grill, tai-chi lessons in the morning, swimming pool,shopping – all ingredients for a perfect long weekend staycation getaway in Singapore and this is exactly what the Singapore’s Shangri-La Hotel’s iconic Garden Wing offers right in the heart of the city!

Located five minutes away from world‑renowned Orchard Road, the new Garden Wing has 158 nature-inspired guestrooms and suites.  Nestled amidst 15 acres of lush tropical greenery, all Garden Wing rooms feature a large balcony with verdant views of Shangri-La’s famed gardens or the swimming pool.  The Premier Balcony Suites at the Garden Wing are perfect for family getaways and gatherings – not just because of the spaciousness of the room but also the various amenities e.g. BBQ grill, jacuzzi as well as a fresh supply of fruits and nespresso packs (always a hit with the heavy coffee drinkers!).

The Premier Balcony Suites at the Garden Wing offer the ultimate retreat with an outdoor Jacuzzi and a private barbecue grill on the large balcony.  The balcony can easily accommodate more than 10 people and there are lots of seats – be it the cushions or the benches.  What’s perfect about barbequing here is that it is relatively clean as you will do the cooking over an electric grill – no charcoals and fire-starters to mess with!  You have so much space that you dont have to worry about the oiliness or the smell of your cooking wafting into the room (just shut the doors tight and you will know when you haven’t as the indoor air-conditioning shuts down when the balcony door is open).

The outdoor Jacuzzi is even easier to setup – just remove the top canvas cover and soak in the jacuzzi – the water had been pre-filled and all you have to do is press a button to start the whole jacuzzi experience!

The bathroom and toilet is very well-equipped with everything e.g. lit magnifying mirror, a Japanese-style heated toilet bowl, volume control (so that you can hear the TV even when you are soaking in the bathtub or in the toilet), his and her sinks and of course the Bvlgari toiletries!

A walk-in closet leads in to the bathroom and the wardrobe space is very generous for a hotel – do make use of the complimentary shoe shine service while you are there (as the Shangri-La staff did a very good job in shining my leather shoes!)

For a preview of the entire Premier Balcony suite, check out this video:

The Garden Wing’s main design element is nature.  Fitting in with this theme are inspiring holistic experiences available exclusively for Garden Wing guests.  Daily t’ai chi demonstrations by a teacher takes place in the three-storey Garden Atrium from 7:30 to 8 a.m.  In the evenings, the resident koi master conducts a koi feeding ceremony at the waterfall at 5:45 p.m.  Even without these activities, it is a pleasure to just enjoy the tranquillity of the hotel’s cascading waterfalls and koi pond.

The new Garden Wing epitomises the best of resort-style hospitality.  It is the ideal choice for families and couples in search of a weekend get-away without having to leave Singapore.  Services such as complimentary Wi-Fi access throughout the hotel, usage of the hotel’s vast meeting and banquet facilities as well as scheduled complimentary shuttle bus services to Orchard Road will appeal to both corporate and leisure travellers alike.

The scheduled shuttle bus services are very on-time right to the minute (get the timetable from the concierge) and they bring you to many of the hottest shopping areas along Orchard Road e.g. Takashimaya, Ion Orchard and you can also drop off at the Orchard MRT station to expand your shopping areas!  For corporate travellers, the Shangri-La Hotel offers shuttle services to Science Park, Vivocity, Orchard MRT and other areas in the morning – there are multiple routes to different areas.

To celebrate the launch of Shangri-La‘s new site at www.shangri-la.com, whose feature is its stunning photography, Shangri-La has also launched the “#LovingtheMoment” Instagram initiative in an effort to encourage people to share their favourite moments with one another through photos.

So if you are in a Shangri-La Hotel using Instagram, don’t forget to tag your picture #LovingTheMoment.  It will show up on http://instagram.shangri-la.com where other guests have also captured their favorite moments in the various Shangri-La around the world.

Check out this post: http://www.passportchop.com/asia/singapore/shangri-la-instagram-lovingthemoment/ for some of PassportChop’s favorite #LovingtheMoment Instagram pictures.