Welcome to my 2nd Singapore hotel review!
Introduction
As Singapore citizens (18 years old and above) were given the SingapoRediscover voucher of a value of $100 to help out the businesses in the travel and hospitality industry, hotels and travel agencies have collaborated with this program set up by the government to encourage more local people to help out during this Covid period. From 2019, tourism dropped drastically due to the virus, it is important for the hotels and tour agencies to continue to survive during this period. All of us hope that things will go back to normal, but looking at the current situation, it will take at least a number of years and hopefully no new variant for the virus appearing. My partner and I had been considering how to clear her vouchers, and we had to decide fast since it was due to expire the end of last year (2021), I cleared mine to give my mum a christmas present stay at the hotel in Resort World (Sentosa) - she enjoyed her stay.
After much consideration, my partner and her mum decided to have an unique experience, a one-night staycation at this hotel in a shophouse style in one of the oldest part of the city, Bugis area. It wasn't cheap as we had to top up after using the voucher. Was it value for $? Read on to find out.
This hotel is located at the heartbeat of the central part of Singapore. It is close to many eateries and shopping malls such as Bugis Junction, Bugis ++, Suntec City, Marina Square and walking distance to orchard road and you can take the train from the nearest station, Bugis to other parts of Singapore, and not to mention a good number of bus services passed by that area.
This is the location of the hotel
For location wise, this is a great venue for tourists, easily accessible to popular tourist's destinations. The hotel room rate is more on the high end side for the small rooms and that is likely due to the location.
This is the preserved traditional shophouses built between early 1800s to middle 1900s and there are around 6,500 of such houses around. They are part of our landscape and very much serve a purpose in our daily lives. There are shops, residential area, hotels and even serviced apartments available for both local and foreigners, an alternative to shopping malls, HDB (Housing Developement Board) flats, landed properties and condominiums.
When you stepped inside the shophouse, you will be greeted by a little restaurant serving western food. There were people having their meals there so I expected the price to be on the reasonable side. There is this food menu which we can order from our room, the price was eye-catching! It was at least double the price of what you get from a normal cafe, so ordering from the room was out of the question for us. We rather walk and explore our food options outside the hotel.
We booked 2 rooms, one of the rooms was upgraded to the deluxe room which is slightly bigger than the standard room. What is great is there is a bar counter which the contents inside is available to us for free. Toilet amunities are provided and even though the room was small, it was cozy and comfortable.
I got the smaller room and my first observation was the dustbin was not empty and the kettle was filled with water and the other room's flooring wasnt good as part of it was uneven. We highlighted this to the hotel staff and hopefully they will see to it.
The standard room
This room has the window but the only view is the street and the opposite building.
The room is small, no more than 2 persons in this room if you ask me. Reminds me of the hotels in Hong Kong!
As a 6 foot 4, I had to curl my leg when sleeping as you can see the length from one end of the bed to another is quite short.
What was available for us?
Coffee maker
The bar counter consists of a few snacks and soft drinks. For the deluxe room, a couple of corona beer bottles were available.
It is nice to be able to drink some coffee or tea before you head out.
The only Corona I enjoy which is the drink not the virus!
Toilet's interior
Shower was great, with plenty of hot water plus shampoo and shower gel available.
The Deluxe room
Slightly bigger room
The bed size is bigger.
The toilet has a window view, but what you say outside is the roof top of another building, so nothing to see.
During our staycation, we explored nearby for some good food, let me share some of the photos over here.
Japanese style steak by Tamago-en
Bella-ville pancake care at Bugis Junction - pretty decent
Location: 10/10
Hotel Staff: 7/10
Hotel room ambiance: 7/10
Cleanliness: 3/10
Bed comfort: 6/10
Shower: 10/10
Condition of the room: 8/10
Value for $$: 6.5/10
Overall rating: 57.5/80
Conclusion
Will I come back again? Probably not as there are other options out there but for those who like to experience a shophouse style of living, this is pretty good. What is the biggest catch about this hotel? I would say the location, its easily accessible to many tourists places and food eating cafes and restaurant are just a stone away. Strong Wifi connection and it comes with a mini bar which is complimentary.
My stay there has been pleasant but not enough to give a full review as the stay was just a night. What I dislike about the hotel you have to pass through the restaurant to get to the hotel reception and unlike my previous hotel stay, there isn't any area to hang around as the lobby is small. The number of amunities is lesser compared to the well established hotels but if you are always on a go, it doesn't matter.
Overall I enjoyed my stay here with my partner and now my next adventure would be my flying trip in May! Stay tuned for it.
Hope you enjoy reading this review, do note that I am not sponsored by the hotel.
Cheers,
Charles
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