I stayed in a $290-a-night tiny home on an island 5 miles from Singapore. It was smaller than a parking space.

• On a recent trip to Lazarus Island, a Southern Island in Singapore, I stayed in a 139-square-foot home.
• The one-night stay at Tiny Away cost $290. BI covered the cost of my trip.
• I enjoyed being close to nature but got hungry when my preordered microwave meal never arrived.

Growing up in Singapore, I thought I'd seen most of my country — a city-state just slightly smaller than the size of New York City.

But after a 20-minute ferry ride to Lazarus Island, one of the eight Southern Islands in Singapore, I felt like I was in another country.

The island, which is just 47 hectares big, has one convenience store, a water sports center, and two accommodations. That's it.

During my three-day visit in August, I stayed at a tiny home by Tiny Away for one night.

Launched by a Singaporean tiny home startup called Big Tiny in May 2023, Tiny Away features five tiny houses that measure around 139 square feet each — or slightly smaller than an average parking space.

Adrian Chia, the cofounder of Big Tiny, told me Tiny Away aims to provide guests with the opportunity to stay in unique accommodations while being close to nature.

"Being close to nature doesn't mean you have to rough it out. You can have hotel-like amenities and facilities during the stay," he said.

The homes are also fitted with sustainable features. They are made with eco-friendly materials, mainly powered by solar panels, and include a compost bin.

After cleaning fees and tax, the stay costs 380 Singapore dollars, or around $290 a night — comparable to the rates of some 5-star hotels on Sentosa, Singapore's nearby island resort.

The home felt spacious despite its small size.

When I arrived, I was impressed that so much could fit into a 139-square-foot home.

The home didn't feel claustrophobic, thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows, which provided a view of the Singapore Strait. With air conditioning, guests can feel connected to nature while being sheltered from Singapore's humid climate. It was 89 degrees outside during my stay.

The room included a queen-sized bed, a sofa bed, a small kitchenette fitted with a microwave, and a sizable bathroom.

Each home on Tiny Away has a theme based on a time period, and the room I selected was 1980s-inspired. It featured mid-century furniture and retro decorations, like vinyl records from the '80s as wall art. These decorations added a sense of novelty to the otherwise bare interior.

"We wanted to showcase to guests that each tiny house can have its own unique character," Chia said when I asked about the rationale behind the theme in early August. Different eras of Singapore's growth are represented in each home, he added. Besides the retro 1980s home, there is a 1900 home, which resembles a traditional black and white colonial house, and a 2017 home.

But as I settled into the space, I spotted a mosquito buzzing around. As soon as I smacked it away, I spotted another zipping around the room.

They were everywhere. When I stepped outside, my legs became an all-you-can-eat buffet for mosquitoes. As a result, I spent most of the afternoon indoors.

Thankfully, the space inside was comfortable. It was also clear that the staff had tried to alleviate the mosquito situation by providing a can of insect repellent and a small portable bug zapper — which, unfortunately, was not entirely helpful.

Still, I knew I was defeating the purpose of the stay by being cooped up. After dousing myself with insect repellent, I took a short stroll to Lazarus Beach, which was only a three-minute walk away.

Although it was a weekday, all five homes were booked.

While walking to the beach, I met other guests — a couple with their cavalier and their friend, who brought her cocker spaniel. The group had booked two homes to celebrate the cavalier's birthday.

The cocker spaniel's owner, who is in her 30s and works in banking, said the accommodation was spacious enough for her and her dog.

"The concept of this place is to unplug from busy life and be close to nature. It's a good message. The way the unit is placed, you can constantly be looking out at nature," she said.

And although every room has a TV with a Netflix subscription, she tried not to watch it. Instead, she brought a book. "I'll try not to think about work," she said.

Across from my home, there was a family with two young boys. While swatting mosquitoes away, the father, a doctor in his late 30s, told me he had learned about the accommodation through local media. As the place was popular, he had to book it months in advance.

He enjoyed the island's peacefulness and said the beach was kid-friendly, with gentle waves and fine sand. Still, he felt that the tiny home was too small for his family of four.

"I'll definitely be back again with my wife, hopefully when our parents can take care of the kids," he said.

Word to the wise: There are limited food options on the island.

The island has a convenience store, but it's closed on weekdays. Guests can preorder ready-to-eat microwave meals for $6 — which I selected — or bring their own food.

But when night fell, my food had not arrived. After contacting customer service, I learned that the staff had forgotten about my meal and had headed back to the mainland at 6 p.m.

Luckily, each room was stocked with snacks and instant noodles. As I poured hot water into my chicken-flavored cup noodles, I felt a world away from being on the mainland, where you can find food options at any hour and have them delivered within minutes.

In the morning, I woke up to the clucks of a common house gecko and birds chirping in the distance

I intended to spend my morning exploring more of the island.

But this time, it was not mosquitoes that kept me in. Dark clouds loomed over the tiny homes, and soon, there was a heavy downpour.

By the time the sky cleared, it was 11 a.m., and it was almost time to check out.

Staying in the tiny home allowed me to recharge.

The tiny-house movement is huge in the US, but it's still fairly new to Singapore. Tiny Away is currently the only option for those who want to try tiny house living without going abroad.

That said, Tiny Away doesn't have an exclusive hold on Singapore's alternative accommodation market. For one, there's a glamping resort on Lazarus Island that offers stays for a similar price to Tiny Away. And on mainland Singapore, in addition to the standard range of hotels you'd find in most developed cities, you can find everything from a hotel made of shipping containers to a capsule hostel.

Prudence Lai, a consultant who specializes in travel and loyalty at market research provider Euromonitor, said travelers have become more interested in experiences since the pandemic. When they travel, they want to feel like they have experienced something real, she said.

"Accommodations with unique local and even cultural experiences embedded in their offering gain traction amongst travelers looking for a memorable stay," she told me.

"Travelers are also increasingly looking to explore destinations while acting like locals," she said.

If that's the case, travelers are looking in the right place with Tiny Away: Since it opened, the resort has run at an average of 90% occupancy, Chia said — and most guests are locals.

Many guests say they never realized how peaceful it is to stay on Lazarus, Chia said: "They always enjoy the fact that it allows them to leave their phones and laptops behind and recharge themselves."

I felt the same. My room had WiFi, but the connection was unstable. I didn't need it anyway, as I found myself enjoying the view of the sea and the forest instead of checking my phone for notifications, as I usually do at home.

Given its premium price tag and the range of similarly priced luxury hotel options across Singapore, I wouldn't go back. But Tiny Away strikes me as ideal for guests looking for some solitude or a chance to experience the city-state minus all the high rises. Just be ready to fend off mosquitoes at the doorway and pack some extra food.

Business Insider covered the cost of the author's stay.

September 9, 2024: This story has been updated with additional comments from Prudence Lai.