Singapore

Days Hotel at Zhongshan Park Singapore: A Review

February 17, 2013 by Bino 1 Comment

Singapore has been breaking records as of late in the tourism sector. Month after month, there’s been record numbers of tourists and record number of arrivals in Changi Airport. It’s no wonder that a respectable room in an international chain hotel these days costs at least SGD 200. Even 3-star hotels here are known to almost touch the SGD 200 mark. As such, it really is a breath of fresh hair that new entrant, Days Hotel at Zhongshan Park, of the Days brand which is well-known for great value lodgings in the US and in selected international markets, has given the local hotel scene a bit of pricing disruption with its competitive SGD 128++ rates. Currently, Days Hotel at Zhongshan Park has the CHEAPEST room rates among international chain hotels in town.

the unmistakable logo

A few weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to try out the “product” through a weekend stay in the said property. The hotel itself has not been opened long — it’s been operational for hardly 2 months. It sits along the well-known Balestier Road, on a piece of land that has been redeveloped with a park as well as a neighboring 4-star hotel that’s due to open later this year.

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Ritz Carlton Millenia Singapore Staycation – A Review

January 17, 2013 by Bino 7 Comments

There are certain brands that are so powerful that the mere mention of its name requires no further explanation. I suppose that when it comes to the Ritz Carlton brand, most people come in with a certain impression, a certain expectation of what this brand represents. For many, the Ritz Carlton is considered to be at the apex of hotel chain brands, one that is timeless, synonymous to luxury, and providing impeccable service. Recently, I was fortunate enough to be invited by Ritz Carlton Millenia Singapore for a weekend staycation dubbed as “Time to Getaway.” I was of course very delighted to be able to stay in this hotel, and like many, I also had my own impressions about the brand which did not deviate from the perception of the general public.

Given that this brand is so easily recognizable, I decided to do something different during my stay. I decided to start from a clean slate, without any preconception of utter plushness or the thought of having hotel staff at my beck and call. I wanted to base my overall experience from scratch.

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Review of Capri by Fraser Changi City, First Hotel-Residence Concept in Singapore

September 23, 2012 by Bino 19 Comments

Not many Singapore brands have made it big in the world stage. But in the hospitality space, there are quite a few successes. Frasers Hospitality is one example, being one of the most successful hospitality chains coming from Singapore. They are recognized as a world leader when it comes to serviced residences with properties across three continents. I still remember my stay in Fraser Place in Seoul over three years ago. Although we were there for a holiday, we opted to stay in a serviced apartment – a temporary residence usually reserved for expats or long-term stayers. It was a delightful experience, the room space was noticeable bigger than a standard hotel room and it came with a kitchen as well as all the amenities that one would expect from a functioning apartment, all for the price of a hotel room.

the hotel’s facade

Now, Frasers Hospitality has taken this concept to another level with a new property in Singapore called Capri by Fraser. Styled as a “hotel residence,” it aims to address certain gaps of conventional hotels by offering elements which are usually found only in serviced residences. Over one weekend, I was fortunate to be invited over to Capri for a sponsored stay in order to personally witness this innovative proposition.

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A Glimpse of the Subcontinent in Singapore’s Little India

June 3, 2012 by Bino 6 Comments

Of the three major ethnic quarters of Singapore, it is perhaps Little India which is the most localized and authentic. Whereas other ethnic quarters have given way to chic boutiques and funky bars, Little India remains as a true enclave of the local Indian community. More recently it has also become the defacto hangout place of many foreign Indians and Bangladeshis which adds a bit more authentic feel of the Indian Subcontinent to the district.

a slice of the bold colors that India is known for

I was recently invited by omy.sg to an afternoon workshop called “Photos make your blogs go Pop!” where they gave tips on photo-taking for bloggers. I thought the subject matter was helpful, and I did appreciate the time the speakers took in giving photography tips. There were a lot of great tips shared, such as using photos to tell a story and the ways to present them. Still, I was more fixated at being one of the first people in Singapore to test out Panasonic’s newest GF5 camera through a photowalk. I’ve had a Lumix LX3 for over 3 years now and am quite impressed by their range of cameras.

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Bukit Timah Hill – Conquering Singapore’s Tallest Peak

April 1, 2012 by Bino 6 Comments

Few major cities in the world can lay claim to having relatively undisturbed tropical rainforests lying within the metropolis. Places like Rio de Jaineiro and Mumbai come to mind. There is another city, which very few people outside of it would include in the list I just mentioned. Surprise, surprise. That place is Singapore.

the long and winding trail…

Despite dubbing itself as a “Garden City” and filling almost every road, bridge, overpass and even airport with greenery, no one would usually make the logical leap and think of finding jungles here as well, much less an authentic one. The zoning of new land leaves less open ones as years go by but one place has remained untouched despite the rapid urban development and limited space – a nature reserve called Bukit Timah. Now measuring a mere 1.64 square kilometers, this was once part of a larger forest where tigers and many other indigenous animals used to roam.

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Singapore’s Chinatown: A Street By Street Look

March 24, 2012 by Bino 14 Comments

At first glance, having a Chinatown in a city where the population is three quarters Chinese seems rather… redundant. In Singapore, however, unlike in other traditional Chinese enclaves, the area seems to function more as a bastion of things past, a conservation area, rather than as a living, breathing mixture of establishments and houses genuinely catering primarily to the local Chinese community.

the massive buddha tooth relic temple at night

This is the second of three entries being done on the country’s ethnic quarters (the previous one was on Kampong Glam). This time, we zoom in on the city’s Chinatown which is loosely defined as the area immediately west of the financial district. This is the area that was historically set aside during colonial times for the burgeoning Chinese population in the island, though as we now know, the Chinese eventually comprised the majority of the island’s population and settled elsewhere as well.

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Kampong Glam: Wandering Singapore’s Arab Quarter

January 30, 2012 by Bino 9 Comments

Singapore’s small size belies the cultural diversity evidenced by its traditional ethnic quarters. This entry will be the first of hopefully three parts – with this first one covering Kampong Glam, a traditional Muslim enclave which has seen recent gentrification due to its proximity to the downtown core.

the sultan mosque – you can’t miss it!

One need not go far to witness something resembling more of the Near East in this Southeast Asian tropical island. In Kampong Glam, minarets and hookah joints prevail over churches and coffeeshops. To be sure, it feels foreign while still maintaining the orderliness and efficiency that Singapore is known all over the world for.

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Discovering Singapore’s Outlying Islands

December 24, 2011 by Bino 5 Comments

all aboard!

… and I’m not talking about Sentosa here. What most people don’t realize is that Singapore isn’t just made up of just one island (or two, if you count Sentosa). Believe it or not, this tiny city-state is actually made up of 63 islands — most of them being uninhabited! I had the chance to check out some of these islands last year with friends and it showed me yet another side of Singapore that I hadn’t known previously despite living here for several years.

A short ferry ride from the Marina South Pier via Island Cruise (SGD 15, roundtrip, inclusive of stops) transports one from the hustle and bustle of an ultramodern city to tiny, mythical tropical islands lined with lush palm trees and some of the best beaches in Singapore. The ferry ride took us to three of the more well-known southern islands (aside from Sentosa). First stop was the larger St. John’s Island – a great getaway for those planning for a swim and/or a picnic.

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