Contrary to what you might imagine, there are many pockets of green dotting the landscape of Singapore. As a city-state with a population of slightly over five million people living in a space that is approximately 700 sq km, it is the third-most-densely populated country in the world, according to its 2010 census — which means that even though land space is pretty much at a premium, locals still have access to trees and mini parks wherever they live.

Hotels, on the other hand, are a slightly different matter, with the vast majority being found in the city centre for a more cosmopolitan feel. However, one hotel does have the distinction of being the only one located in a park — Hotel Fort Canning (Hfc), where Fort Canning Park is enhanced with a fashionable boutique hotel that is primed for an official launch in the final quarter of this year

The hotel utilises the building that originally served as Sir Stamford Raffles's first residence in 1822, when he also built Singapore's first botanical garden in the surrounding park. Soon, the house served as served as the residence for the colony's governors, before being taken over by the army and serving as a military training school during the World War II era. Later still, the Singapore Armed Forces utilised it as the Singapore Command and Staff College in the early '70s.

Sadly, the building fell into disuse from 1976, and it remained unoccupied until it began housing the Fort Canning Country Club in 1995. Later taken over by The Legends Fort Canning Park in November 2002, the hotel was recently refurbished and restored by Singaporean architectural company D P Architects and given a soft launch in November 2010.

With a total of 86 stylised rooms and suites, Hfc has large flat-screen HD TVs (complete with keyboard remote), Nespresso/coffee/tea machines, free WiFi, iPod docks and an electronic safe as standard features for every room. There are also six special suites on the first floor with French doors that open up into a small private garden and sun deck.

The Legends Ballroom and Lavender Ballroom seat 460 and 230 guests respectively. Each can be partitioned into smaller function rooms for meetings and dining, in addition to three smaller function rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows that take in the tree-top views of the park and city.

Dining at Hfc is highlighted by an all-day "modern Asian" bistro called The Glass House, which features cuisine from across the region. For those interested in contemporary Italian and Mediterranean food, Gattopardo offers authentic Italian delights in addition to running the Tisettanta Lounge, which specialises in Italian-inspired cocktails and drinks inspired by top Italian designers.

Guests who want to wind down and relax can try the THANN Sanctuary spa, which also provides the all-natural bathroom toiletries for the hotel's rooms. Other facilities include a gym with the latest state-of-the-art equipment and two full-sized swimming pools filled with mineral water treated by a modern filtration system.

At slightly more than 60 metres high, the park — which also happens to be a popular venue for music shows and concerts — is nestled between Orchard Road, the Clarke Quay entertainment hub and the Central Business District. Other than the various heritage buildings and structures within the park itself, The National Museum of Singapore is literally within five-minutes walking distance, as is the Dhoby Ghaut MRT station that will connect you to the rest of the city and island.