Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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CHOOSING YOUR HOME AWAY FROM HOME
What appeals to y ou? A big, flashy , internationalist palace or a small, homier place?
Hyatt, Sheraton, Hilton, and InterContinental are just a fe w of the international chain
hotels you will find in S ingapore. For the most par t, these city hotels ar e nondescript
towers—though Swissôtel The Stamford has the distinction of being the tallest hotel in
Southeast Asia, with 71 floors. A fe w exceptions stand out. The Shangri-La, operating a
highly reputable luxury hotel chain in Asia, has a property near Orchard Road with gor-
geous landscaped grounds and a pool area, making it truly a resort inside the city. Mean-
while, Shangri-La's Rasa Sentosa Resort and the Sentosa Resort & Spa on Sentosa Island
are out-of-the-way but hav e a r eal “get-away-from-it-all” ambience. I n addition, a fe w
hotels offer charming accommodations in historical pr emises. The most notable is Raf-
fles, a Southeast Asian classic, and the Fullerton Hotel Singapore, converted from the old
general post office building. B ut y ou need not pay a for tune for quaint digs. B udget
places like Alber t Cour t Hotel and the SHA Villa offer budget r ooms with old-world
charm in great locations.
A ne wer tr end is the boutique hotel. Conceiv ed as par t of the U rban R estoration
Authority's renewal plans, rows of old shophouses and historic buildings in ethnic ar eas
like Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar have been restored and transformed into small, lovely
hotels. Places like the Scarlet H otel and the Inn at Temple Street are beautiful examples
of local flavor turned into quaint accommodations. O thers, like the trendy New Majes-
tic, focus on art and design, with rooms dramatically different from each other and from
the usual corporate tones of tan and beige that pr edominate in the city 's high-rises.
Although these places can put y ou closer to the hear t of S ingapore, they do hav e their
drawbacks—for one, both the hotels and their rooms tend to be smaller than their mod-
ern counterpar ts, and due to building codes and a lack of space, most ar
e unable to
provide facilities like swimming pools, Jacuzzis, or fitness centers.
Although budget hotels have very limited facilities and simpler interior style, y ou can
always expect a clean r oom. What's more, ser vice can sometimes be mor e personal in
smaller hotels, wher e front desk staff has fe wer faces to r ecognize and is accustomed to
helping guests with the sor ts of things a business center or concierge would handle in a
larger hotel. Par for the course, many of the guests in these places ar e backpackers, and
mostly Western backpackers, at that. H owever, you will see some r egional folks staying
in these places.
Note:
The budget accommodations listed her e are places decent enough
for any standards. While cheaper digs are available, the rooms can be dreary and depress-
ing, musty and old, or do wnright sleazy.
Unless you choose one of the extreme budget hotels, there are some standard features
you can expect to find everywhere. Although no hotels offer a courtesy car or limousine,
many have courtesy shuttles to popular parts of town. Security key cards are catching on,
and while in-room safes are standard, many are shifting to safes that incorporate a plug
so you can charge electr onics gadgets while they're locked away. You'll also see in-house
movies and, many times, CNN, ESPN, and HBO on y our TV. Voice mail is gaining
popularity, and fax services can always be provided upon request. You'll find most places
have adequate fitness center facilities, almost all of which offer a range of massage tr eat-
ments—hotels generally do not offer in-r oom massage tr eatments. Pools tend to be on
the small side, and Jacuzzis are often placed in men's and women's locker rooms, making
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