Lazarus Island tiny houses: Promotional rates from $199
Those looking for a quick staycation out of mainland Singapore to reconnect with nature can do so in tiny houses on Lazarus Island from May 1, at promotional rates from $199 a night.
The five tiny houses, between 150 sq ft and 170 sq ft in area, will be ready to take in their first guests from May 1 and will be open to the public for booking on the same day, said Mr Jeff Yeo, co-founder of their operator, eco-tourism company Big Tiny. He added that two of the units will be pet-friendly.
The regular rates have not been announced yet.
Plans for these tiny houses were announced by Minister of State for Trade and Industry Alvin Tan on Feb 28 in Parliament. They are the first accommodation built on the island for short-term stays.
They are also part of a series of initiatives by Sentosa Development Corp (SDC) to transform the island over the next three years with a “light touch”, into a destination for visitors to experience its rustic charm. This means the changes will have minimal impact on the environment, the minister said on Feb 28.
Mr Yeo said that more than 600 people have registered their interest in booking the tiny houses, and that the company was surprised and heartened by the positive response.
“We hope to be able to bring them the very exact, if not better, experience that we have been providing our guests in Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Taiwan and Malaysia for the past few years of operating this business,” he said.
To help visitors to reduce their carbon footprint, the tiny houses will be powered mainly by solar energy. They use sustainable building materials such as recycled plastic and wood fibre, and will have a biodigester that converts food waste to compost on-site within 24 hours. Guests will be provided with biodegradable shampoo and body products.
Each unit has a kitchen, can accommodate up to three adults, or two adults and two children, and will have air-conditioning and Wi-Fi.
Mr Yeo told The Straits Times that Big Tiny was introduced to SDC by the Ministry of Trade and Industry, when it was awarded First Mover status under the First Mover Framework by the ministry’s Pro-Enterprise Panel in October 2020.
The framework allowed entrepreneurs with innovative business ideas to use public assets to implement their ideas.
In addition to the tiny houses, there will be other new amenities and attractions on the island, such as a convenience store, overnight glamping experiences and non-motorised water activities. These will be launched in phases from around June.
Members of the public who are interested in a Tiny Away Escape @ Lazarus Island stay can go to escapeatlazarus.com
To get to Lazarus Island, visitors have to take a 20-minute ferry ride from Marina South Pier to St John’s Island. The islands are linked by a causeway.
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