About
I’ve always felt an inexplicable connection to Singapore. The peanut-shell-strewn tiled floor at the Long Bar in Raffles Hotel, the wooden louvered shutters filtering mottled light, and the low shophouses and long arcades of Katong have all left me deeply obsessed with the style of old Nanyang. I’ve described my dream mixed-style home decor to people many times, and one part of that vision is always a quiet Nanyang-style living room.
Andaz Xiamen
Andaz Xiamen has been open for a year and a half, and this Nanyang-style mansion has already become a favorite for many. I’ve always stubbornly hoped that every hotel group would have a sub-brand that showcases local character, and Hyatt’s Andaz and IHG’s Hotel Indigo have now become two of my personal favorites.
The hotel’s location is excellent. Although it’s not on the waterfront, it sits in a prime part of Xiamen Island, peaceful despite being in the middle of the city. Next to MixC, a low wall encloses a neat courtyard, making it feel like an old overseas Chinese family compound or ancestral home.
Trumpet vines peek over the top of the wall, and a walk along Jinbang Road outside leads you into one of Xiamen’s more down-to-earth neighborhood streets. Walk a little farther and you’re also not far from several well-known parks and the botanical garden.
The understated colors of the exterior and surrounding walls don’t feel flashy at all. Instead, the building blends harmoniously into the old neighborhood. The rough, weighty stone gives it a sense of age, as if it had been carefully restored to look old rather than newly built.
Through the main entrance, the arched doorways and corridors that first sold me on the hotel in its opening publicity appear on both sides. The deep arcades and curved arches come from the structure of traditional shophouses, and they’re among the most distinctive features of Nanyang architecture. The lively patterned marble floor tiles are also common in Singaporean homes, and the whole scene instantly felt like a shift through time and place.
These two elements form the visual theme running throughout the entire hotel, reappearing in corner after corner.
The lobby is decorated with bougainvillea, the city flower of Xiamen. Crystal-clear glass ornaments cascade down from the ceiling as if falling into a dark marble basin below.
Head up to the third floor, and when the elevator doors open, you’re met by a lively tropical-style public space rather than the cold restraint of a typical business-hotel lobby lounge. The seating is a bit tightly spaced, but that actually made it feel a little like a common room at Hogwarts.
Signature corridors crisscross both sides. White walls, patterned tiles, greenery, and accent ceramics make the whole space feel bright and cheerful.
Up on the guest room floors, the walls shift to warm reddish-brown and golden-brown tones, which makes the mood feel more relaxed.
The artwork on the walls features quintessential Nanyang shophouses.
The hotel seems to have relatively few suites, or perhaps it’s just a bit stingy with upgrades. After several stays, as a Globalist I was usually upgraded only to a premium room at the corner. Compared with the base room, the corner room is noticeably larger, and the bathroom has a window.
Because of the hotel’s location in the heart of a busy urban area, the room view is basically a “residential building view,” but fortunately the spacing between buildings is wide enough to allow plenty of sunlight.
Inside the room, the wood and rattan furniture still has a light natural tone rather than a darkened patina. Ochre and off-white are paired with geometric carpets and herringbone wood floors. The overall look is simple, bright, and airy, exactly the style I like.
At night, once the room lights are on, the small framed artwork on the walls gives the space a leisurely, refined atmosphere. A lot of the design ideas here feel like they could easily be borrowed for a home.
The drawer-style minibar is generously stocked, and it’s complimentary. It’s one of the most generous minibars I’ve seen.
In addition to the minibar, the welcome gift included a box of pastries from A Ji Zai, a long-established Xiamen bakery. An Andaz x A Ji Zai collaboration certainly feels local, even if the taste was fairly ordinary.
The bathroom, with floor-to-ceiling windows, uses black-and-white terrazzo flooring that also feels bright and lively. The corner room’s bathtub is an oversized circle, probably big enough to fit a whole group of kids.
The brass fixtures at the sink and in the shower look beautiful and substantial, though they get extremely hot if you hold them for too long while the hot water is running.
The custom bathrobes feel excellent: soft fleece on the inside, with a cotton outer texture almost like a quilted jacket. The slippers are thick and substantial, and the Andaz logo on them looks great too.
Breakfast is served at Lakeside 101, the hotel’s Chinese restaurant. In addition to the standard buffet spread, the made-to-order menu is full of Southern Fujian specialties, including authentic satay noodles, Chaoshan beef meatballs, and spring rolls. Western items like eggs Benedict and waffles are also beautifully presented.
On weekends, it can get crowded enough that you may have to wait in line, so getting up early is a good move. You can also choose to sit outdoors, where Xiamen’s early-spring breeze in February and March feels especially calming.
Quite a few Hyatt restaurants like to use the hotel’s street number as part of the name. I’ve also heard that dinner at Andaz’s Lakeside 101 is quite good.
In the evening, the lobby hosts a simple happy hour with a generous spread of drinks, cold dishes, and desserts for all hotel guests, giving the property even more of a resort feel. These days, unless I’m traveling for work, I’m increasingly less interested in buffet-style club lounges and care more about having a strong beverage selection.
The outdoor seating at the More than wine bar has a particularly nice atmosphere once the lights come on at night.
One more fun detail worth noting: the hotel restroom signs have a lot of local character. The last time I saw this kind of Southeast Asian-style restroom icon was at Saigon airport, and somehow four or five years have already passed since then. (That was also when I started paying attention to restroom icons wherever I travel.)
Come to Andaz Xiamen and step into an old Nanyang dream.
Bonus: Xiamen Tianhai Bikeway
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFAJqLA8er8
About the Author
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