lcuy

You may remember that last week I was booking a ticket to the Boston GTG. I got a little carried away with some great airfares and ended up having a week in Japan, a week in Boston and NYC, and a few days in Las Vegas to attend a wedding.

Husband has never been to Singapore, so I again got carried away and we're now splitting our time into 3 days Singapore and 3 days Japan .

So, in Singapore, I've been comparing the Fullerton, Fairmont, and Berjaya (formerly the Duxton) Hotels. Today a friend who loves Singapore said I should also consider the Goodwood, on Scotts Rd near Orchard. Their web site looks interesting, but I'm wondering if that location will be really crowded and if the walk to the orchard St MRT will be inconvenient in the heat. This friend always takes taxis and likes designer shops, so I'm not sure I trust his judgement. (I love using public transport and shop for local stuff only). Last year, i stayed at the Orchard St Y...that was a nice location, decent room and priced great, but not exactly a couples hotel!

Any wise advice?

This will be happening the first week of October.

Cicerone

The walk from Goodwood to the MTR is not very far, and I think you could handle it in the heat. The hotel is maybe 300 yards from the Orchard MTR, something like a 5-8 minute walk. The hotel is on the same side of the road and maybe 250 yards up Scotts from the Marriott which is on the corner of Orchard and Scotts. It’s about 150 yards up the street from the Grand Hyatt. So really the location is fine if you are OK with being in the Orchard Road area. I am not a huge fan of the area as it is quite touristy, but it is good for the MTR if that is what you want. You might find it somewhat quieter than other Orchard Road hotels as it is set up and back from the road a bit and the rooms don’t look out onto Scotts. The hotel is also just about across the street from Goodwood Hill Road which is a lovely quiet green circular road full of “black and white” colonial-era houses which are worth a look. It’s also a straight shot up Scott’s Road to places like Newton Circus hawker centre. The hotel has a long and interesting history, serves a nice afternoon tea and has an excellent Chinese restaurant, Ming Jang. I have not been in the rooms in many, many years so can’t comment.

I really like the Fullerton and think that is a super location. I would choose it over the Goodwood for location and views. I think that the Duxton is a bit rundown, you might want to read some comments on trip advisor.com about rooms (which I have never seen, but the public areas do not impress). I also think that the area is poorly served by the MTR if that is your criteria, and would be a longer walk to any MTR than from Goodwood Park. I see that Fairmont has taken over what used to be Swisshotel Raffles Plaza (and was originally a Westin many years ago). A nice location; however if you like that area, I would also say to look at the Intercontinental, which has a great location near the Arab Street area, at the Bugis MTR stop, and is walkable to the other ethnic areas like Little India.

Just as a comment, 3 days in Japan seems short. I assume this is not your first trip and you are doing something besides spending 3 days in Tokyo which IMO is not that interesting; as otherwise I would say to skip Singapore and go to Kyoto or a similar smaller place with more traditional Japanese influence.

lcuy

Thanks Cicerone! I think I'll pass on the Goodwood then. I didn't like the Orchard Road shops, and remember it as pretty crowded too. For our three days in Singapore, we've only planning to see the art gallery at NUS, the Botanic/Orchid gardens, zoo w/night safari, Little India, and picking up some specific items on Bugis street for my daughter. And of course, EATING and walking. We've got so much fliying and airport time that I want an uncomplicated visit on the ground!

In Japan, I'm also treating this as a weekend getaway. DH and I have been to Japan many times. Some good food, furo time, and buying snacks to take home will be our only goals. We'll be in Tokyo two days before Singapore and then 1.5 days after. On the second leg we get into NRT from SIN at 6:30 in the morning and leave the following night, so I'm trying to find a ryokan in either Gunma or Izu area for that night. I don't want to be too far from Narita, but do want to get outside Tokyo.

northie

love the Goodwood-it's one of the few places that hasn't been demolished and has history-lovely gardens and pool area and you would never think you were that close to orchard Road an dwithin walking distance of Newtown Circus.

Mango7

Lmao, Goodwood hotel.. Sounds like my kinda place.

lcuy

Thanks again for the input Cicerone, northie and for the laugh, Mango7.

I kept waffling between the Goodwood, and the Fullerton, then happened to see the Intercontinental's web site, It really looked nice, but prices were high even on the sites like asiarooms, agoda, etc, and on the IC site, it didn't say whether the taxes were included or not. I ended up calling the IC reservation center and they gave me a really terrific deal for three nights in a Singapore shop house room, and I can cancel up to the night before.

Could have gotten an even better deal by joining their Ambassador club for $150. That would have given me a coupon for one of my weekend nights for free, plus a minimum one class room upgrade, free internet, pupus and cocktails, etc. . Unfortunately, they mail the coupon for the free night and she wasn't sure I would get it before I left on my trip.

Now on to finding a Ryokan...

Gpanda

At least the Boston portion of your trip is solid. We'll be counting the days. In Singapore, be sure to try the crabs at Eng Seng off of Joo Chiat Rd.

hawaiiantraveler

lcuy, some other places to check out around Tokyo, check the Kanto area

http://www.secret-japan.com/onsen/

When are you getting back to Japan from Singapore?

lcuy

Thanks Andy! I hope to eat several crabs in my short visit...black pepper, chili and just steamed. I have Eng Seng on the list, maybe from an earlier recco of yours.

HT- early on the 7th. Thats a great site for onsen. I plan to play with it tonight.