the scent of luxury

Even though Mandarin Orchard is still my favorite hotel in Singapore, when I saw Orchard Parksuites for the first time, I fell in love.

The perimeter walls covered in greenery-- I like!

What is this fantastic trellis made of?

I'd never seen orchids arranged this way before.

It's 25 storeys, I think.

The lobby is scented. It smells like a million bucks! It literally smells better than any perfume that I've tested in the department stores lately.

Super high ceilings in the lobby-- I like also!

Welcoming travelers from all across the globe.

The furniture is a little shabby, but I adored the old-world feel.

Chandeliers and a grand piano-- can I live here?

In the interior of the building, near the elevators, is a stupendous atrium. I went up to the 22nd floor and looked down.

So high up, you can't see the fountain on the ground floor anymore.

My favorite part of Orchard Parksuites is the swimming pool. There's a nice sitting area poolside, where you can look up at a patch of sky even though you're surrounded by skyscrapers.

Watch out for the crows.

Too huge to be called a gazebo. Maybe a bandstand?

The apartments' furniture and fixtures are pretty ordinary-- actually, it's very spacious by Singaporean standards-- but the service is impeccable. Breakfast is served in the lobby everyday, or you can cook in your apartment's full kitchen, and housekeeping comes to clean six days a week. You can just sit around and do nothing. Now that's luxury.

Oh, and Orchard Parksuites is right behind Wisma Atria, Ion Orchard and Takashimaya. There's an MRT station, a taxi stand and a bus station. Everything you could possibly need is within a block.

Sayang, if I had won the lotto...