A few years ago, I found myself in a career funk that wouldn’t dissipate. Work felt endless, motivation was non-existent, and months passed without any sign of improvement. 

Pre-pandemic, I would have done what many Singaporeans do in times of existential ennui: Go on holiday. But this time, even the thought of planning one felt exhausting. I didn’t have the mental bandwidth to figure out flights, accommodations, itineraries and, really, just when to go.

So, as a last resort, I booked a three-night stay at M Social, a four-star hotel along Robertson Quay I had previously visited.

AN UNEXPECTED RESET

I was never fully sold on staycations despite its obvious allure of convenience. If I were going to spend hundreds of dollars and use my annual leave, it made more sense to leave Singapore entirely. 

But I needed an instant, low-hassle way to reset – without the stress of overseas travel planning or the excessive fuss and frills (and corresponding price tag) of a five-star hotel.

Unrealistic expectations? I thought so too until I checked into the hotel, with the sole intention to get away from my regular home-to-office monotony. I hoped the environment change would at least inject a sliver of novelty and shake up my mental stagnancy.

After three nights, I broke through my writer’s block, rediscovered my flow, and stopped having intrusive thoughts of quitting my job without a backup plan. I checked out on a productivity high, finally accomplishing tasks I’d long procrastinated.

To be clear, I don’t believe in relentlessly pushing through a rut if your body is screaming for a break. But I didn’t need rest; I needed momentum.

So I checked into M Social during a regular work week, not expecting to turn it into a fruitful “workcation” – a term popularised during the pandemic to describe essentially doing a job from a holiday location. I also didn’t expect to feel more well-rested than I had been on actual vacations in the past. 

What I wanted wasn’t really to fly abroad, I discovered, but to experience the ideal effects of taking such a trip. I wanted to feel rejuvenated, refreshed and recharged.

FINDING THE RIGHT FOUR-STAR HOTEL

Since then, I’ve “tested” other four-star hotels around Singapore to gauge if my productive experience was a one-off fluke – in the name of journalism, of course, though it certainly didn't hurt to work from hotels. 

Each stay cost less than S$200 a night when I booked, and while not all of them replicated the same initial flow state, some delivered exactly what I needed.

Studio M

Even though it’s merely five minutes from M Social’s more-bustling spot near the Singapore River, the Nanson Road property felt far more serene, being tucked among restaurants, offices and private apartments.

The loft-style rooms, with their generous sunlight and the bed and workstation separated by a short flight of steps, created a surprisingly conducive space for deep work and deep sleep.

Furama Riverfront

If you need people around when you work, this hotel is my secret weapon whenever I hit a productivity slump. Its lobby lounge, while not officially a co-working space, seems to be an unspoken one. Professionals camp there all day, creating a focused, communal atmosphere, sans the hefty rent of an actual co-working office. 

While my room itself was unremarkable, being able to retreat upstairs after a full workday was admittedly far more effective than commuting home like I usually do. A hotel stay extends the change of scenery just enough to mimic the mental reset of an overseas trip – without the airfare.

Hotel Clover 769 North Bridge Road

The Kampong Glam boutique hotel’s online photos had me bracing for a throwback to my backpacking days, which I must stress are long behind me. But I decided to trust travellers’ rave reviews about its clean, minimalist rooms and prime location, and they were right. 

For a practical foodie, the hotel was ideal. Affordable, diverse food options were within a five-minute radius, eliminating the mental strain of navigating a new environment, albeit within a familiar country.

lyf Bugis Singapore

The relatively new four-star property on Middle Road that’s replaced the former Hotel G felt less hotel, more university dorm. The trendy spot is described as an “experience-led social living residence” designed to encourage interaction out of one’s comfort zone. Its appeal was lost on my introverted self. 

But my time there wasn’t a total waste, with numerous food spots in the vicinity. It also reinforced a crucial lesson: Even though the rooms were well within my budget of S$200 a night, over-prioritising affordability can lead to trading comfort for cost. On practical getaways, comfort might not entail luxury as we know it, but fuss-free relaxation – arguably sometimes more important than getting pocket-friendly prices. 

A change in environment should fit seamlessly into how you already live, rather than force you into a version of yourself you’re not trying to be, even if just for a few days.

IT’S NOT ABOUT WHERE, BUT WHY

Of course, I could shake things up without a local four-star hotel stay, whether it is embarking on the average holiday abroad or simply doing things differently in my daily life (for free). 

But I reckon I wouldn’t be as rejuvenated – because I wouldn’t have done what I felt I needed. 

The success of such four-star staycations for me wasn’t really about the location, just as the mental recharge of travelling to an exotic island is rarely about the destination if I’m being honest. It is instead about having the perfect solution for what you need at that moment.

After all, luxury means different things to different people. For me, it is the freedom to change my environment whenever I need – even if it's one that’s considered a waste of time and money to others.

The one lasting effect of the pandemic ultimately was that I'd embraced the joy of missing out (JOMO) long before it became a 2025 travel trend prediction. But after my workcations, I realised JOMO is a misnomer – you don’t miss out on anything when you know exactly what you want.

Sometimes, you seek the thrill of escaping to a secluded resort where no one knows your name. And other times, you hope that leaving for an understated hotel at another corner of the country will help you return to yourself.