I thought I knew what a birthday trip to the zoo looked like. This one was next level

My son issued the decree a few months before he turned five: he wanted to celebrate “in another country”. He wasn’t entirely sure where but knew it should involve animals and a plane ride. I nodded, not wanting to spook him with overt enthusiasm, and began making travel plans.

Some weeks later, our family of four touched down in Singapore, a destination I’d previously considered mainly for its excellent airport, a frequent staging post on trips further afield. But beyond the city’s gleaming skyscrapers and busy theme parks, a different landscape unfolds: mangrove wetlands, nature reserves, tropical rainforest. And, as of last November, a rather good new hotel.

The opening of Mandai Rainforest Resort was a milestone for the Singapore-headquartered Banyan Group, its 100th global operation but the first in its home town. It’s also the first to offer a wildlife destination within a capital city, and the jungle location makes a compelling case for Singapore as the stay, rather than the stopover.

On the morning of the birthday in question, we arrived early at Singapore Zoo, a handy five minutes on foot from our hotel room, for Breakfast in the Wild. Here, a macaw presided over the pancakes and a giant black-and-white lizard, named Oreo for obvious reasons, surveyed the chaos with unblinking authority. Three orangutans clambered across from their enclosure, curious but impeccably well-mannered. (I have attended enough parties for five-year-olds to note that these animal attendees were much better behaved than most small human guests.)

The breakfast is one of myriad immersive experiences across the Mandai Wildlife Reserve, which enjoyed its own grand opening in May following a 10-year transformation. The 126-hectare precinct now encompasses the zoo, the famous Night Safari, three more wildlife parks and numerous nature-based attractions that promote conservation and connection to the natural world.

The new resort streamlines access to all of it. The rainforest setting has been considered in every aspect of the build, a showcase of biophilic design. Treehouse rooms are shaped like giant seed pods, glass-walled suites invite the green canopy inside and hotel corridors open to the elements. It’s as if the 338-room structure has been there for decades, rather than months, thanks to the retention of mature trees and the jungle vines that tumble from every balcony.

Our Family Sanctuary room shows that the hotel inherently understands family travel, with a king bed on one side and a wooden loft bed, roomy enough for two little ones, on the other making bedtimes m