Most hotels have lobbies. AMOY Hotel by Far East Hospitality has a 200-year-old temple. To reach reception, you walk through the Fuk Tak Chi Museum, one of Singapore's first Chinese temples, past artifacts from the 1800s depicting the lives of early Chinese migrants. The hotel has transformed a heritage shophouse on Telok Ayer Street into a 37-room boutique property. This is where Chinese immigrants first landed in 1822, making it the backbone of early Chinatown. The rooms are split-level affairs with porcelain sinks and complimentary mini-bars, and if you need more space, you can escape to the rooftop pool at the sister property down the street.
Location: Telok Ayer Street, Where Singapore Began
The historic entrance - Fuk Tak Chi Temple
AMOY Hotel sits on Telok Ayer Street, which translates roughly to "bay water" in Malay, and has a direct connection to Telok Ayer Station via exit D. Before land reclamation reshaped Singapore's coastline between 1878 and 1885, this was a coastal road where boats moored to collect fresh water from a well at Ann Siang Hill, delivered by bullock cart. Sir Stamford Raffles designated this strip as the primary settlement area for Chinese immigrants in 1822, making it the backbone of early Chinatown.
The street became Singapore's main commercial thoroughfare until the late 19th century. Today it's a conservation area where restored two and three-story shophouses stand alongside temples and mosques built by grateful immigrants. Thian Hock Keng, Singapore's oldest Hokkien temple dedicated to Mazu, Goddess of the Sea, sits nearby. Before the land reclamation, it faced the water. Now it's five blocks inland.
The Telok Ayer MRT station is directly across the street. You're minutes from Chinatown, the Central Business District, Clarke Quay, and Marina Bay Sands. Two hawker centers, Lau Pa Sat and Maxwell Food Centre, are within a 10-minute walk.
The Fuk Tak Chi Museum: Your Hotel Entrance
Fuk Tak Chi Museum
The Fuk Tak Chi Temple was built between 1820 and 1824 by Cantonese and Hakka immigrants, rebuilt with bricks in 1825, and dedicated to Tua Pek Kong. It functioned as both a shrine and a community association for the growing Chinese population. By 1995, the Urban Redevelopment Authority awarded it to Far East Organisation for conservation. In 1998, it became a museum housing over 200 artifacts depicting the lives of early Chinese migrants.
In 2000, it became part of the Far East Square development. When AMOY Hotel opened, the museum became its entrance. You approach what looks like an ornate temple facade set among shophouses, step inside past the artifacts adorning the walls, and walk through glass doors into the hotel proper. Time stands still for a moment before the air conditioning hits you.
Lobby and Check-In
Lobby
The lobby isn't grand in scale, but it's far from simple. Turn-of-the-century collectibles fill the space, and the walls display the most popular Chinese names, a nod to the immigrants who first settled this area. The reception desk itself is carved from stone, and a water fountain flows as part of the hotel's unique heritage design, built around an ancient well from the 19th-century temple. In Chinese culture, flowing water symbolizes wealth, abundance, and fortune.
It feels less like a hotel and more like walking into someone's carefully curated home. The staff greet you by name. Your bags disappear. The whole operation runs on personalized service rather than scale, which makes sense when you only have 37 rooms to manage.
Welcome tea
While you check in, you're handed a welcome drink: a custom-blended tea made specifically for AMOY Hotel. It's ice-cold, light, sparkly but not alcoholic, and exactly what you need after walking through Singapore's humidity.
The Cosy Single
Cosy Single Room
The Cosy Single measures 16 square meters and targets solo travelers or anyone who values efficient use of space over sprawl. Each room has a unique layout with an entrance emblazoned with a traditional Chinese household surname. Some have a split-level design: you enter into a mezzanine area with the bathroom and entryway, then descend a few steps to the bedroom below.
The room features a modern oriental bed, dark wood, warm lighting, and Chinese heritage accents like latticework above the work desk. A pretty blue and white porcelain sink in the bathroom adds personality. The shower floor is wood, a nod to the sampans that once dotted the bay, with both rain shower and handheld options.
You get a 32-inch LCD TV with cable, complimentary Wi-Fi, an in-room safe, a Nespresso machine with free capsules, and a complimentary mini-bar stocked with snacks, and soft drinks. There's a hairdryer, ironing facilities, and a laptop-safe. The bed has both microfiber and down feather pillows on a Simmons mattress. Air conditioning is crisp and cold.
The Deluxe Room
Deluxe Room
The Deluxe Room expands to 22 square meters and accommodates two people comfortably. It maintains the split-level layout: bathroom and entry on the upper level, bedroom and desk area down a few steps. The same dark timber and warm lighting create that cozy, old-world Singapore atmosphere, like a treehouse or cubby house tucked away from the world.
The room includes carefully selected furniture, porcelain basins, and the same heritage touches as the Cosy Single. You get a 37-inch LCD TV instead of 32 inches, plus an iron and ironing board. The complimentary mini-bar, Nespresso machine, in-room safe, and free Wi-Fi remain standard. No two rooms are identical due to the heritage building's unique architectural layout, so each space reflects the building's character differently.
The shower features exclusive toiletries and that same wooden floor. The toilet is separate from the shower. Hanging space and luggage storage keep things organized despite the boutique dimensions.
The Clan Hotel's Sky Pool
The Clan Hotel's rooftop pool
You get complimentary access to The Clan Hotel's facilities: the Sky Pool, Sky Gym, and 24-hour shower suites, all located one minute's walk away. The Clan Hotel is Far East Hospitality's modern luxury property, housed in a skyscraper with a completely different vibe from AMOY Hotel's heritage aesthetic.
The rooftop pool offers views over both the Central Business District and Chinatown. Sun loungers are limited, so you'll need to book them in advance through AMOY Hotel's reception team. It's highly recommended to secure the loungers in advance, especially during peak hours. The gym is state-of-the-art, equipped with both cardio and strength training equipment.
An Ode to the Past: The Heritage Experience Package
Chinatown Heritage Centre
From July 2025 through March 2026, AMOY Hotel offers "An Ode to the Past," a three-day, two-night package developed with the Chinatown Heritage Centre and AMACHA, Singapore's first herbal-inspired milk tea house.
You get a two-night stay in either a Cosy Single or Deluxe Room, daily breakfast at Offbeat by Coq & Balls, guaranteed late checkout until 2pm, unlimited Wi-Fi, and access to The Clan Hotel's pool and gym. The package includes a 90-minute character-led private tour at the Chinatown Heritage Centre, where a guide playing a former resident walks you through 19th-century life in the district using curated exhibits and interactive displays.
After the tour, you head to AMACHA, located inside the Heritage Centre, for a beverage and a slice of Kueh Lapis (local layered cake). AMACHA blends Traditional Chinese Medicine with contemporary flavors, reinterpreting age-old remedies as modern milk teas. The concept introduces medicinal properties and health benefits from Asian traditions to a wider audience through drinks that are culturally rooted but universally appealing.
76 Telok Ayer St, Singapore 048464
