Banyan Tree’s first Singapore resort offers an immersive escape shaped by biophilic design, conservation and rainforest living.
Singapore has always been adept at threading nature through the urban fabric, but Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree takes the idea further. Set within Mandai Wildlife Reserve in the island’s north, the resort swaps the familiar city skyline for tangled greenery and the still waters of Upper Seletar Reservoir. Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, River Wonders, Bird Paradise and Rainforest Wild all sit close by, making this new rainforest retreat a base for exploring Singapore’s wilder side.
Banyan Group may be Singaporean, but Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree is its first resort on home soil and its 100th property globally. Opened in late 2025 and designed by Singapore’s WOW Architects, the 338-room resort occupies 4.6 hectares and has been conceived to sit beneath the surrounding canopy rather than compete with it.
That restraint is evident from arrival. Hanging vines soften open-sided spaces, while concrete bears the textures of tree bark. The five levels echo the layers of the rainforest, rising from forest floor to canopy, with murals, lithographs and colours shifting accordingly. Even the 300-seat Meranti Ballroom takes its cue from nature, with a centrepiece inspired by the unusual Bridal Veil Stinkhorn mushroom.
Service follows the same relaxed rhythm with the environment providing much of the theatre. Monitor lizards have been known to move through the lobby, while troupes of monkeys pass through the surrounding vegetation. Here, guests are visitors in their habitat rather than the other way around.
Rainforest Living
Of the 338 rooms, 314 occupy the main building, while 24 freestanding Treehouses form the resort’s most distinctive accommodation. Our 36-square-metre Rainforest King feels calm and tactile, using muted greens, timber tones and natural textures rather than resorting to obvious jungle motifs. A mural stretches above the bed, while wildlife lithographs add a stronger sense of place.
The best feature is the relationship with the outdoors. Floor-to-ceiling windows open fully, allowing the sounds and humidity of the rainforest into the room. It changes the atmosphere immediately. Bathrooms are contemporary and functional, while rainwater is harvested and reused for flushing. Yet it is the outlook that dominates, with the canopy stretching towards the reservoir.
For maximum immersion, book a Mandai Sanctuary Treehouse. Inspired by the seed pod of the Purple Millettia, the elevated structures sit among the trees with rounded protective forms and private patios overlooking Upper Seletar Reservoir. Inside, a king-size bed faces the greenery, while the layout offers considerably more room to linger. Even the private Treehouse pool pavilion continues the biomimicry, its woven form curling around the water like a bird’s nest suspended above the foliage.
Dining In The Rainforest
Forage is the culinary highlight. The intimate speciality restaurant overlooks Upper Seletar Reservoir and follows a harvest-to-table philosophy led by Chef Marcus Tan, incorporating herbs and microgreens from the rooftop edible garden alongside sustainably sourced produce. The current menus are shaped by seasonality, allowing the ingredients — rather than elaborate technique — to lead.
The setting becomes particularly atmospheric during our dinner when a tropical storm rolls across Mandai. Lightning repeatedly illuminates the reservoir beyond the glass, giving the meal an almost cinematic backdrop. Inside, beneath a mirrored ceiling, mushrooms grow inside glass cases. Despite the theatricality of the space, the food remains measured, with carefully composed courses such as Black Cod and Pigeon that never feel overwhelmed by the drama outside.
Planter’s Shed is the more casual all-day option, presented as a contemporary glasshouse with timber furniture, woven details and broad views into the greenery. Breakfast and dinner are buffet-led, supplemented by live cooking stations and roving tableside service, with Singaporean flavours sitting comfortably alongside international staples. Botanica completes the line-up with nature-inspired drinks and light bites in the lobby.
Rest And Recreation
The rooftop infinity pool is the showstopper. Positioned on level five, it looks across Upper Seletar Reservoir and the forest canopy, delivering one of Singapore’s most unusual hotel pool views. No skyscrapers fighting for attention, just layered greens, open water and the sounds of wildlife from the nearby Singapore Zoo.
The 24-hour gym provides cardio equipment, free weights and strength-training stations, but wellness is better expressed at Banyan Tree Spa. Three treatment pods take inspiration from the protective scales of the Sunda pangolin, their sculptural forms embedded into the landscape. Treatments draw on Asian massage traditions, natural oils, herbs and spices, while wellness programming extends to experiences such as essential-oil creation.
Families are equally well served. Rangers’ Club combines games and toys with nature-led activities, while its outdoor playground hides slides within oversized tree-stump forms. Elsewhere, Banyan Tree Gallery feels less like a conventional hotel shop and more like a compact design space showcasing locally inspired one-of-a-kind products.
The Verdict
Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree succeeds because sustainability is embedded into the building rather than marketing greenwashing. It became Singapore’s first resort to attain Green Mark Platinum Super Low Energy certification, while salvaged timber has been reincorporated into furniture, fittings and coat hangers, and mature trees were retained wherever possible. Bark from felled trees has even informed impressions in the concrete, turning remnants of the site into part of the architectural language.
It remains a sizeable modern resort, and its proximity to Singapore’s wildlife attractions makes it particularly appealing to families. Yet the building never loses sight of its setting. Nature climbs the architecture, calls from the canopy and occasionally wanders across your path, as if the entire property has been reclaimed by nature.
In a city known for futuristic skylines and immaculate urbanism, Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree offers a serene sense of place. It is easily one of Singapore’s most distinctive stays, not because it tries to recreate the rainforest, but because it understands that the real thing is already outside.
Where: Mandai Rainforest Resort by Banyan Tree, 60 Mandai Lake Road, Singapore
Contact: www.banyantree.com