singapore staycation

Hotel Review: Hotel Fort Canning – Relaxing Getaway in the Middle of Singapore’s CBD

January 21, 2019 by Bino Leave a Comment

Hotel Fort Canning is one of the most atmospheric boutique hotels in Singapore. Sitting prettily on a hill right in the middle of the city’s bustling CBD, the property has all the trappings of a heritage hotel even though its history as a place for lodging is fairly recent. The building housing it dates from 1926. It used to be the administration building of the British Far East Command HQ but was later occupied by the Japanese during World War II. The area surrounding the hotel, Fort Canning Park, is also known as the place where Singapore was surrendered to the Japanese in 1942.

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Hotel Review: Orchard Rendezvous Hotel – Family Rooms & Free Minibar

October 19, 2018 by Bino Leave a Comment

Orchard Rendezvous Hotel was officially launched in September 2018 as part of a rebranding exercise of the former Orchard Parade Hotel that underwent phases of renovations between 2015 to 2018. As one of the more recognizable landmarks in the Orchard Road stretch, the newly refurbished hotel now carries a palpable botanic theme, taking inspiration from the site’s past as a pepper plantation. The hotel even had an orchid specially bred for its launch – the Vanda Orchard Rendezvous.

I was invited by the hotel to experience the revamped rooms and facilities. If you are looking for an affordable hotel in Orchard Road, this is probably one of your best bets. Depending on the day, the Orchard Rendezvous Hotel can rival the Yotel Singapore as the cheapest hotel along Singapore’s main shopping stretch, with more spacious rooms to boot!

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Hotel Review: JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach – Trendy Club Rooms & Compelling Dining Concepts

September 9, 2018 by Bino 1 Comment

JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach probably stands as somewhat of an oddity when pitted against the other JW Marriott properties around the world. The rooms carry a highly trendy look, with an immaculately white shade interspersed by the shine of stainless steel. Indeed, the thought that this is not your usual JW Marriott is palpable even from the time one steps foot into the lobby, with its semi-industrial finish juxtaposed against Peranakan elements while the loud colors emanating from the giant LCD screen serve to arrest the senses.

It was not long ago when the property stood as the independent South Beach Hotel. With no affiliation to any major chain, it was not doing as well and as such the management was handed to Marriott Hotels, where it subsequently became the JW Marriott Hotel Singapore South Beach. Business has been brisk since then. During the weekend I stayed at the hotel, the property was running at full capacity. I had deliberated extending for another night but could not get any available room out of the booking portals.

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Hotel Review: Conrad Centennial Singapore – Newly Renovated Rooms & Two Types of Executive Lounges

June 17, 2018 by Bino Leave a Comment

Conrad Centennial Singapore recently underwent a progressive refurbishment that encompassed the guest rooms, executive lounge plus a couple of new facilities by the swimming pool. I have personally stayed in this property quite a few times and always found the deliberately high beds one of the most comfortable among hotels in Singapore. Last week, the hotel invited me over – this time to experience what the newly renovated rooms and executive lounge have to offer.

Centennial Suite

centennial suite at conrad singapore

For this particular stay, I was billeted in one of the hotel’s popular Centennial Suites. Measuring 63 square meters, think of it as a luxury one-bedroom condominium unit. Unlike some of the suites in newer hotels, this particular one comes with genuine partitions between bedroom, living area and bath. Most of these suites are also situated as corner rooms at either ends of the building so chances are, your bedroom will directly face the Fountain of Wealth at Suntec City.

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Hotel Review: InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay – Luxurious Residential-Style Living

June 16, 2018 by Bino 1 Comment

InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay opened in October 2017 after taking over from the old Gallery Hotel in the same site by the Singapore River. Unlike its Peranakan-influenced sister hotel in Bugis, the newer InterContinental hotel – and the second of the brand in Singapore – carries a pronounced residential-inspired concept in keeping with the expat-oriented neighborhood surrounding it. This particular InterContinental hotel is only 10 floors high and was designed by the award-winning firm, SCDA.

Along with the other IHG hotels in Singapore, the property was running a weekend staycation promotion (valid until 30th December 2018) with added bells and whistles such as an extended check out time (til 4pm), breakfast for two, free parking and even complimentary usage of board games in-room.

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Hotel Review: Novotel Singapore On Stevens – Free Minibar & Fantastic Infinity Pool

December 17, 2017 by Bino 1 Comment

Novotel Singapore on Stevens is the latest property of Accor Hotels to open in Singapore, cementing this chain’s status as the largest in the Lion City with over a dozen hotels. The new Novotel property is located around 2 bus stops from Orchard (take the #190 bus from the Orchard Station bus stop to be exact) making the location within a residential neighborhood good for a nice escape without losing the city center convenience.

The Novotel Singapore on Stevens is part of a mixed use complex developed by Oxley Holdings. The building includes the Mercure Singapore on Stevens next door as well as a couple of restaurants and bars in the lower floors. It is the second Novotel property in Singapore, the other being the Novotel Singapore Clarke Quay.

Shuttle Service from Novotel Singapore on Stevens to Orchard Road and Singapore Botanic Gardens

It is worth noting that Novotel Singapore on Stevens provides complimentary shuttle service between the hotel and Orchard Road. Departures occur every half hour from 10AM to 9:30PM daily with the drop-off point being the DFS Galleria at Scotts. The hotel also provides free shuttle service to the Singapore Botanic Gardens with departures at 7:30AM, 8AM, 8:30AM and 9AM from Mondays to Fridays.

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Hotel Review: Andaz Singapore – Stylish Hyatt Hotel in Bugis

December 7, 2017 by Bino 3 Comments

The Andaz Singapore opened in October 2017 as the first Andaz-branded property in Southeast Asia and just the 17th worldwide. This upscale and unabashedly stylish brand under the Hyatt Hotels group has long attracted a set of travel-savvy and discerning clientele and I had been curious as to how the brand would be interpreted in Singapore. The Lion City has just two Hyatt hotels – the other being the Grand Hyatt Singapore which is a Category 5 Hyatt property.

I recently went for a staycation at Andaz Singapore to see how things materialized – and I must say I was impressed. 2017 has been a pretty monumental year for hotel openings in Singapore, with the likes of Sofitel Singapore City Centre, InterContinental Robertson Quay and Yotel Singapore opening their doors in the span of a few months. Of the properties that opened lately, I have to say that Andaz Singapore is the clear winner in terms of design.

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