Wanderlust

In its earlier incarnation Wanderlust was more art project than hotel — an Art Deco building in Singapore’s vibrant Little India, transformed into a showcase for a handful of designers operating at the cutting edge of boutique-hotel fashion. In its mature phase, however, Wanderlust has, ironically, settled down; as a member of Oakwood’s portfolio of urban apartments and long-stay lodgings, it’s decked out in a modernist style that’s sharp but not edgy, eye-catching but not attention-seeking.

The majority of its 29 units are equipped with full kitchens, and there’s a laundrette on site for guests’ use. The lofts, as the name implies, spread out across two levels, and even the most compact rooms come with clever storage solutions that make the most of their limited square footage — and modern niceties like rain showers, smart TVs, and bluetooth sound systems are standard.

In keeping with its residential concept (and its self-sufficient loft apartments), Wanderlust does without most of the usual hotel services; its lobby level, however, is home to Kotuwa, a very fine Sri Lankan restaurant, and the surrounding streets of Little India are supplied with dining and drinking venues of seemingly every description.