Hotels

Review of Holiday Inn Express Singapore Orchard Road

November 2, 2013 by Bino Leave a Comment

A new entrant in Singapore’s mid-priced hotel category is Holiday Inn Express Singapore Orchard Road, an offshoot brand from the Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG ). The brand itself has been around for quite some time, with many similar properties in other Asian countries (and even in America, Europe, etc) that aim for the “no frills” concept. The Holiday Inn Express Singapore Orchard Road is the group’s first Holiday Inn Express branded hotel in Singapore, with another budget hotel in the works in Clarke Quay.

my room at holiday inn express singapore orchard road

The hotel hosted me for two nights during a recent weekend. Holiday Inn Express Singapore Orchard Road is located right behind Orchard Road itself, with popular shopping malls such as Paragon and Ngee Ann City only around 3 to 5 minutes walk from the hotel. I must say that staying here made me feel like a tourist all over again, with Orchard Road being oh so close. The location is definitely unbeatable!

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Review of Hotel Clover 5 Hong Kong Street, Singapore

October 17, 2013 by Bino 5 Comments

During a recent weekend, I was hosted by the freshly opened Hotel Clover 5 Hong Kong Street, located just in between Raffles Place and Clarke Quay. This strategic location is very popular among the backpacking crowd, with many hostels in the vicinity. More recently, full-fledged hotels have also moved in but so far Hotel Clover 5 Hong Kong Street is the only boutique option in the area. The Hotel Clover brand is relatively new but rapidly expanding not just in Singapore but also overseas as a chain of boutique of hotels. In fact, during the time of my stay barely 3 weeks after the hotel opened, I was told that they’re constructing a new one next door!

deluxe room at hotel clover at 5 hong kong street

Due to skyrocketing hotel prices in Singapore – where even rooms in 3-star hotels can cost upwards of US$ 200 per night – boutique hotels have become a worthwhile alternative for lodging. Hotel Clover 5 Hong Kong Street is well-placed under this category and they’re going out in a big way with many hotels opening island-wide. And in keeping with the tradition of boutique hotels, each property is set to have its distinctive motif.

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A Stay in Shangri-la Makati – A Review

October 5, 2013 by Bino 6 Comments

Shangri-la Makati is a hotel that I’ve known ever since I was a kid. In a couple of ways, it’s been host to many memorable events. I’ve been here several times for dinners with friends, colleagues and family in Circles, birthdays, weddings and other parties in their ballrooms. Many friends and relatives had their wedding reception here. I remember being awed the first time I witnessed the grand lobby more than a decade back, with the imposing staircase on either side and the center piece that changes every few days. If there’s one trademark about Shangri-la aside from their impeccable service and long buffets, it’s their grand lobby which they’ve replicated in properties all over the world.

the grand lobby of shangri-la makati… not airbrushed, it really looks like that

During one of my recent trips back home to Manila, I had the pleasure of once more being hosted by Shangri-la, this time in the Makati property. Built during the Asian boom in the early 90s, the hotel is now in its 20th year. It has always been known as a premier venue not just for lodging in Manila but also for events and conferences. This time around though, the hotel has been facing competition from new offerings that’s cropped up in the most recent economic boom. There’s now a Fairmont next door, and elsewhere in Manila there is a Marriott, a Hyatt Regency, a Pan Pacific and some other hotels that are due to open in the next coming years. It was only as recent as a decade back when Shangri-la seemed to be one of the very few truly 5-star hotels in the city.

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Capri by Fraser Changi City Turns One!

September 2, 2013 by Bino 1 Comment

Time sure flies fast. It’s hard to believe than this month marks one year since my staycation at Capri by Fraser Changi City, the first hosted staycation I’ve ever had. While a line of staycations have come after that, the very first one remains to be one of the most unique hotel concepts I’ve experienced (I still remember the gaming consoles and exercise machines they have in the laundry rooms). And I am not alone in saying this. Today, Capri by Fraser Changi City is one of the highest rated hotels of its class, having garnered consistently top-notch reviews from travel and booking websites.

Coinciding with the one year since my most enjoyable stay in Capri by Fraser Changi City, the said hotel is likewise marking their first anniversary this same month and they have prepared an exciting line up of activities and promotions to mark this occasion.

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Review of the Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur

May 5, 2013 by Bino 3 Comments

This post is written by fellow blogger, Tianhao, from TH Nomad. Seems like he had an extremely wonderful time during his stay at The Majestic Kuala Lumpur!

Think of Kuala Lumpur and the image that springs to mind are of the soaring twin towers amidst other modern skyscrapers. With rapid industrialization, traces of her British colonial history are gradually fading into oblivion. However, the Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur is attempting to change all that. This newly opened 5-star hotel is a beautiful restoration of the old Hotel Majestic, which was a gathering place for the colonial elite, unrivaled in its prestige and luxury back in the colonial days. Today, a stay in the Majestic wing allows one to experience a touch of the colonial heydays, including having a personal butler attached to the room! Recently, I was fortunate to be invited to stay in this iconic hotel.

the hotel facade

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The Ultimate Staycation at Shangri-la Singapore Garden Wing

April 13, 2013 by Bino 4 Comments

Considered to be an institution in the Singapore hotel scene with over 4 decades of experience in pampering leisure and business travelers, the Shangri-la Singapore is also considered to be the ultimate hotel in a way. I have been to this hotel several times in the past but didn’t realize until recently just how ginormous it is until once recent weekend. I was fortunate enough to be hosted by Shangri-la Singapore to experience their trademark hospitality through a staycation. To say it was impressive is an understatement!

The hotel actually consists of 3 wings, with each being highly differentiated from the other, practically like a 3-in-1! The “flagship” tower is of course, the Tower Wing which houses over 400 rooms including Shangri-la’s well-known “horizon club” rooms with lounge privileges. A step up from that is the exclusive Valley Wing which suits discerning guests to a tee with its private entrance and rooms adorned with chandeliers. Over the years, the Valley Wing has been the hotel of choice of many heads of state whenever they are in town. The third wing is the Garden Wing, an urban resort concept that made me forget that I was in the middle of a bustling city! It was a smooth start to another staycation in Singapore.

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Days Hotel at Zhongshan Park Singapore: A Review

February 17, 2013 by Bino Leave a 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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