I will be in Sin on a MR from midnight Nov. 21 to early morning Nov. 26, 2006 due to the pesky 6-day minimum on UA. While looking for cheap accomadations, I found Hotel 81 Palace for 30 USD per night. However, trip advisor says it is in the red-light district although it gives a high rating. I am travelling alone. Does anyone have experience with this hotel of other similiar ones in Geylang area? Thanks for any advice. I already bought my airline ticket and would like to make hotel res ASAP.
Also, if anyone has advice on any good booking site will be appreciated. I am looking at asiarooms.com and asiahotels.com. Thanks.

Well, I personaly wouldn't stay in Geylang. But it all depends what kind of accomodation your are looking for and how much you are willing to spent.
If you are in SIN just because of your MR and nothing else. You might want to consider staying in Johor Bahru instead of SIN, the hotels, food and shopping there are much cheaper then in Singapore and you can take a bus accross the border.
Another option is to take a bus to Senai Airport (Johor) and take an AirAsia flight to anywhere in Malaysia.

might also be able to get a cheap side ticket to Kuala Lumpur or Jakarta where you can get 4 star hotels for $55

There is a pretty decent Hotel 81 in Chinatown. Might want to consider that.

Thanks for your help. I have been to Johor Bohru and KL. So, I was thinking of just staying in Sin with a day trip to Johor Bohru. Do you think Malacca is worth visiting? This is my second trip to Sin so I have already done the sights.

While looking for cheap accomadations, I found Hotel 81 Palace for 30 USD per night. However, trip advisor says it is in the red-light district although it gives a high rating. I am travelling alone.ake Does anyone have experience with this hotel of other similiar ones in Geylang area?

I lived in SIN for several years. Geylang, despite being a red-light district, is not dangerous - far from it. Most of the trade is done indoors and heavily regulated by the Government (read: no organized crime). Conversely, it may be more safe than other areas because there is a lot of human traffic till around 4-5 am in the morning due to, among other things, the presence of well-regarded late-night food establishments in the area. There are lots of residential apartment properties in this area and schools as well.

While I don't recall this particular property (there are lots of Hotel 81s in Geylang - it's a chain), I have stayed at a Hotel 81 in Geylang before. What I always got was typically a small, air-conditioned clean room with double bed, ensuite hot shower and TV. Good, safe, clean, great value and location cannot be beat if you're hungry at night. Depending on which Hotel 81 you are staying, close (5 minutes walk) to either of two MRT stations: Kallang or Aljunied - both are on the line that takes you to Changi Airport. By taxi, Changi is 15-20 minutes away and there are lots of taxis in Geylang.

After staying at the Conrad a lot, I started staying in Geylang at the Palace and have been perfectly happy. You have to be clear with the desk that you're looking for a quiet room, away from the lift. I've felt the safety was fine.

There's a lot of late night food close by and the scene is pretty interesting. Book directly on their web site.

They have an hourly “transit” rate too if you aren't staying the whole night. ;-)

It's actually fine for a cheap basic hotel if you don't mind the neighborhood. I find it "festive". It is perfectly safe. You can book on-line at http://www.hotel81.com.sg/ or else just show up. If one Hotel 81 is booked up there are plenty of others in the neighborhood.