When traveling as a family, an apartment or villa usually tends to be a slightly easier option than a hotel. Access to a decent kitchen, more space and somewhere for Mum and Dad to sit (other than on the bed in the dark or – true story – on a towel bale, eating noodles in the corridor outside) once the kids are in bed are all factors that make a private property an enticing prospect if you’re holidaying with kids.

I was recently contacted by The Hideaways Club, a private property investment company that has a number of gorgeous chalets, villas and apartments in locations around the world. The Classic Collection features villas and chalets in what I guess can be described as more typical holiday destinations, such as Tuscany, Phuket and Bali, while the City Collection features luxury apartments in London, New York and, yes, Singapore. The timing serendipitously coincided with a trip with friends to Legoland Malaysia, and so we extended our visit by a few more days in order to soak up the sights and sounds of the Lion City from a more comfortable base than our usual digs.

Based within a five-minute walk of the restaurant-lined Robertson Quay, The Hideaways Club’s Singapore property is based within The Trillium apartment building. This modern complex has a huge outdoor pool and spa, a full gym, tennis courts and a children’s playground – in short, just about everything that you’d want in terms of facilities when staying with kids. The complex is also directly opposite Great World City, a shopping centre that has a large Cold Storage supermarket in the basement along with Amazonia – no, not the infamous Wan Chai bar, but a popular indoor play centre.

The apartment itself is absolutely stunning – as the lift doors open, you step straight out onto a large outdoor terrace, complete with full dining table and panoramic views over the city. Another, smaller terrace with lounge chairs looks over towards downtown Singapore and Marina Bay Sands, and is a lovely spot to enjoy sundowners (we may have embraced this on more than one occasion during our stay).

The luxurious living and dining room provoked a “Wow! This is a FANCY flat” from Master T-T, and we were all inclined to agree.

More exciting still was the fully tricked-out kitchen which was a rare treat after the typically tiny Hong Kong fridge-and-hob spaces we’re usually subjected to. (I’ve said it before – I miss my London dishwasher more than some of my friends and family).
The three bedrooms were plush, comfortable and again, ideal for two mums travelling with young kids. The boys shared a twin room, while Miss J and I both had our own generous space to relax. Cots and highchairs can be arranged for those travelling with little ones, but as Baby T-T was happily parked at home with Daddy, I didn’t have to share this time (hooray!).

The boys immediately staked their claim over the smallish (actually a decent-sized single by HK standards) office, declaring it their playroom for the remainder of our stay – this worked out well for everybody as it kept the Lego, cars and superheroes out from under our feet.

A special mention goes out to the apartment’s bathrooms, which were numerous (one per bedroom), large, decked out in gorgeous creamy marble with Molton Brown toiletries and – in my master suite – complete with a drenching rain shower and a vast sunken bath. Yes, a sunken bath, perfect for relaxing with a book and a glass of wine, perhaps while listening to classical music.

Of course, the two boys had other ideas, and so I found my lovely restful soak commandeered by two loud, splashy children who refused point-blank to leave this marvellous novelty tub, and therefore me, until they finally had to be straight-jacketed in towels and packed off to bed so I could have a turn. It’s fair to say that the sunken bath has popped up in conversation on a number of occasions since our visit and Master T-T is now firmly of the opinion that every flat should have one as standard. I very much agree.

As well as the apartment’s obvious charms, club membership includes access to your own personal concierge and the lovely Emiko was on hand to greet us on arrival. As well as showing us how everything worked, she had even stocked the fridge for us prior to our arrival and also had loads of great tips on what to do during our stay. As we’d all visited Singapore a few times before, we opted for a mix of sightseeing and lounging by the apartment’s beautiful pool (mums)/hurtling in and out of the shallow section yelling until totally exhausted (kids).

I can absolutely see the attraction of The Hideaways Club if you’re looking for an investment that also offers you access to some truly lovely properties when you travel – particularly with kids. Just make sure you get to the sunken bath before they do.

The Hideaways Club, 116 Kim Seng Road, #26-06 The Trillium, Singapore 239433.

For more information on various membership options, visit The Hideaways Club website www.thehideawaysclub.com

Please note that this stay was by invitation – thanks to The Hideaways Club for hosting us!