Singapore Hotel
 

We are going to be in Singapore for 4 nights at the end of January .It is our first visit there and I would like some advise on where to stay. We like to walk( I know it will be hot and humid) and love good food. We would like to try food stalls etc. in additions to seeing the main sights. We also would like a nice outdoor pool for mid afternoon breaks.The Shangri-la has a prepaid rate that is within our budget, but I am concerned about the location. We are not big shoppers and will visit Orchard Rd, but will not spend a lot of time there. Would Marina Bay area or near Chinatown or CBD be better choices? Thanks for your thoughts!

You want to be a short walk from an MRT station. I love the location of the Fairmont, but there are many hotels that meet this criteria. Singapore is a pretty small (area-wise) city, any activity you are interested in will be a short distance.

In March we stayed in between the Jalan Besar and Lavender MRT stations and found the location convenient for our first time visit. Our hotel, The Hotel Vagabond, did not have a pool but would be otherwise recommendable. Personally I would want to be closer to Chinatown and other neighborhoods than where the Shangri-la sits; and especially closer to an MRT station.

I devoted considerable research time to the question of "where to eat;" and in the end felt that it was time well spent. My trip report is appended here if you are interested. https://www.fodors.com/community/asi...yssey-1651202/

Would the Parkroyal on Pickering or the Sofitel So or Sofitel Central be better locations for sightseeing walking and eating?

Providing links would be helpful. I've been vacationing in Singapore for 20 years but, off the top of my head, don't know where those hotels are located.

https://www.fodors.com/community/asi...apore-1657063/

Happy Travels!

I think any hotel will have pluses and minuses. Taxis are readily available and attractions and opportunities to sightsee on foot often require a taxi or MTR ride wherever you start from.

The Shangri-La has spacious grounds with a lush pool area, so it's a wonderful spot for a tropical break in the afternoon. The downside is that it's a slog to the nearest MTR station (or even to Orchard Road). It's probably only 15-20 minutes but it always seems longer because of the heat and humidity.

I like the Four Seasons because of its ambience (lowkey sophisticated-comfortable) and its location near the MTR and the Botanic Gardens (as well as Orchard Road). It has two outdoor pools. Both are pleasant, but on the smallish side.

Although I've stayed at a lot of hotels in Singapore, I agree with Marmot on the Four Seasons. It's by far my favorite of the hotels that I have stayed in there and I've been staying there ever since my first stay. And all of the rooms have now been renovated. I was given one of the renovated rooms on my 2017/2018 trip although all of the rooms weren't finished then. I was asked for my opinion of the new renovation. On the 2017/2018 trip, I had 2, separate, long-term stays there and thus 2 different renovated rooms. The owner of the hotel is a Singaporean and I've been told drops by and sometimes works out there.

Happy Travels!

Guenmai, any thoughts on the Westin? I’m asking since I’m a Starwood member. The Four Seasons sounds wonderful! Thanks.

Sorry, but I haven’t stayed at The Westin.
Happy Travels!

Food stalls in parking lots at night used to be a Singapore legacy. Most have been relocated to central (and perhaps more hygienic) covered courts, or -- hard for a foreigner to accept -- shopping malls. Yes, gourmet food courts. A rule of thumb I heard long ago was to go to the stalls which had big line-ups, showing approval by the locals.

curiougeo, I've not stayed at that Westin, but I don't like the location. As a Starwood member, you are spoiled for choices in Singapore: I just did a search on the Marriott site (since Marriott bought all of the Starwood properties) and there were 15 hotels listed, although two of them are across the bridge in Malaysia.

Some affordable hotels near Marina Bay

• Naumi Liora Hotel
• The Porcelain Hotel
• Ibis Singapore

I stayed at the Carlton Hotel last February. Loved it. Outdoor pool was sooo nice. Easy walking to many sites. It is near the metro to get to Marina Sands and the botanical gardens. We prepaid a rate that was very good and included breakfast, which was very good.

for my visits in the next couple of months we will stay at the new Marriott Courtyard Novena and the Marriott South Beach. a few years ago we stayed at the Interconental and it was great.

You can look for a hotel in Chinatown area. here you will find the great mix of luxury hotels alongside cheap rooms in budget. You would have an easy walk to the CBD and Clarke Quay, where you can room about & enjoy trendy nightlife & great food as well.

Tatiana, you say "You would have an easy walk to the CBD and Clarke Quay" by staying in Chinatown, but for anyone not acclimated to the tropics, it would be a horrible walk.

Amen to that. We love to walk but can't cope with long walks in the heat and humidity. The best tip I was given for my first trip to Singapore: learn to navigate the linked walking routes through the malls and office complexes. For example, from the Mandarin Oriental over by Marina Bay, we would walk through the malls in air conditioned comfort all the way to Chijmes for dinner (also handy if it's pouring outside). They are interesting walks in many ways, there's a whole mall-life subculture with restaurants, cafes etc. The routes are signed but the signs aren't particularly large or obvious, you do have to look for them.

Another hotel option close to Chinatown and with mass transit practically on the doorstep: The Oasia Hotel Downtown Oasia Hotel Downtown, Singapore | Business District | Official Site The club level can be surprisingly affordable and has its own very good, large pool and lounge area. Bonus: the pool and lounge area are 90% covered, so you can swim and relax in comfort in the afternoon without needing a bucket of sunscreen and you can even swim if it's raining outside (but not during a thunderstorm, of course). Kids under 18 are not allowed in the club level pool; there is a rooftop pool for all guests. The club level also includes a good breakfast setup in its own dining space, coffee, tea and non-alcoholic beverages all day and happy hour in the early evening. It doesn't compare to the fabulous club level experience we had at the Mandarin Oriental (which has, arguably, the best hotel outdoor pool in Singapore) but it's still very good, especially for the price.

I have also been to Singapore thrice in my life and I hope that I visit it again. The place where I stayed was really amazing. It went by the name of 'Hotel Indigo'. The stay was amazing and there were several good places around that are must visit if you are planning to visit Singapore. There are certain educational tours and zoos you can visit if you are with your family and you can get yourself indulged in a lot of activities with kids. Singapore has been a really amazing experience, every time I visited there.

Take a look at some of these

The Warehouse Hotel, river front with fine dining.
The Warehouse Hotel Singapore - The Warehouse Hotel

The Grand Copthorn also in Robertson Quay
https://www.millenniumhotels.com/en/...rne-waterfront

A Shangrla property, Hotel Jen with a rooftop pool off Orchard Road
https://www.hoteljen.com/singapore/o...gateway/about/

The Peninsular Excelsior
https://www.peninsulaexcelsior.com.sg/