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First time at Singapore: hotel location

First time at Singapore: hotel location

Old Sep 24, 2015, 3:00 pm
  #1  
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First time at Singapore: hotel location

First time visit to Singapore. Because using my Hilton HHonor points for my stay, choice will be Hilton Singapore or Conrad Centennial Singapore.

My question is not about the hotel itself. My question is the location of the hotel.

Looking to do some tourist sightseeing. Going out for dinner in the evening and somewhere to hang out for drinks afterward. For meals and places to have drinks, my preference is local flavor. Is location of one hotel better than other for these purposes? Or location of these two hotels do not make much difference as far as my purpose is concerned?

Appreciate your thoughts.
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Old Sep 24, 2015, 3:20 pm
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Originally Posted by AlwaysAisle
First time visit to Singapore. Because using my Hilton HHonor points for my stay, choice will be Hilton Singapore or Conrad Centennial Singapore.

My question is not about the hotel itself. My question is the location of the hotel.

Looking to do some tourist sightseeing. Going out for dinner in the evening and somewhere to hang out for drinks afterward. For meals and places to have drinks, my preference is local flavor. Is location of one hotel better than other for these purposes? Or location of these two hotels do not make much difference as far as my purpose is concerned?

Appreciate your thoughts.
The Hilton is on Orchard Road, right in the centre of things and close to the Orchard MRT station. Its a good location.

I am not familiar with the Conrad but it looks like it is closer to Marina Bay, a little out of things (but with Singapores excellent MRT and taxi infrastructure, not a real issue).
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Old Sep 24, 2015, 8:30 pm
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I just returned from the F1 race weekend and burned a bunch of my points at the Marriott Tang Plaza which is right on top of the Orchard MRT station. I also did a bunch of sightseeing and based on my experience you would want to be closer to Orchard MRT as there will be plenty of places to wine, dine and shop just stepping out of the hotel and not needing to jump on the subway to taxi. Both hotels are presumably close enough to the North-South line so easy to transfer at Dhoby Gaut to hit Clarke Quay for a nightspot and other things closer to the Central Business District. Depending on how "local" you want, I hit up Lau Pa Sat and Maxwell Street hawker centres several times.
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Old Sep 25, 2015, 9:02 am
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First, everything is "local" in Singapore, merely a cheap taxi or MRT ride away. The Orchard Rd. location will suit well. You didn't mention when your visit will occur, but if is approaching Christmastime, Orchard Rd. goes all out to decorate.

Local meals would tend toward hawker centers or local eating centers, perhaps to some well known non-western restaurants. There are threads here on that topic. Trust your concierge and cabbie to steer you toward good eats.

Regarding local color for drinks, you'll have to be more specific about what kind of atmosphere you are looking for. There's everything from Chijmes bars aiming at the local trendy crowd to Orchard Tower establishments servicing an entirely <ahem> different trade.

Last edited by JHattery; Sep 30, 2015 at 11:18 am
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Old Sep 25, 2015, 10:57 am
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Advice - if you want 'local', avoid Orchard road. It is glamorized soulless shopping mall.
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Old Sep 25, 2015, 11:24 am
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Thank you very much for all the useful information. Sounds like Hilton Singapore will be my choice. I said local flavor but I pretty much guessed both Hilton Singapore and Conrad Centennial Singapore are not located at residential neighborhood where locals live. I guess I was implying which location will require less traveling for tourist sightseeing places, evening dinner, and after dinner drinks.

As for dinner I am type of a person open to any kind of food, when I am traveling I like to try out local cuisines, looking for good food but nothing fancy, the place I do not have to dress up. For after dinner drinks I am not looking for clouded noisy bars where people in early 20s hang out. I am looking for somewhere I can sit down and enjoy some drinks at the bar, but not dead empty place where I am the only person.

I appreciate all your useful information.
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Old Sep 25, 2015, 1:59 pm
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Originally Posted by invisible
Advice - if you want 'local', avoid Orchard road. It is glamorized soulless shopping mall.
+1

Originally Posted by AlwaysAisle
Thank you very much for all the useful information. Sounds like Hilton Singapore will be my choice. I said local flavor but I pretty much guessed both Hilton Singapore and Conrad Centennial Singapore are not located at residential neighborhood where locals live. I guess I was implying which location will require less traveling for tourist sightseeing places, evening dinner, and after dinner drinks.
I was going to reply earlier but the problem is the Conrad isn't exactly in the best location either for what you want - but I reckon it's the better of the two!

You've got the Singapore Flyer and Gardens by the Bay within easy reach. There's the Marina Bay Sands complex if that floats your boat, Raffles hotel, Lau Pau Sat and a bunch of other hotels around the Marina. Then you can also get the river taxi from the Promenade up to Clarke Quay.
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Old Sep 25, 2015, 5:27 pm
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Originally Posted by JHattery
...Orchard Tower establishments servicing an entirely <ahem> different trade.
Alight, I looked up and found out what is offered at Orchard Tower That is not what I had in my mind for this trip, but likely to is out of my budget anyway

I went to Red Light District at Amsterdam and it was not what I expected. So much like tourists attraction, not seedy at all, streets were filled with tourist strolling around. Couples young and old were walking around to take in a scene. Felt totally safe to wonder around the area.

Orchard Tower is nothing like that once Sun goes down?
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Old Sep 25, 2015, 8:23 pm
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Originally Posted by AlwaysAisle
That is not what I had in my mind for this trip, but likely to is out of my budget anyway
You can always try Geylang....
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Old Sep 27, 2015, 11:26 am
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Originally Posted by AlwaysAisle
Alight, I looked up and found out what is offered at Orchard Tower… That is not what I had in my mind for this trip, but likely to is out of my budget anyway…
That being said, there is a bar in the back building of Orchard Towers, Harry's I think? Has outdoor seating, decent beer pricing, usually live music, and a "minimal" amount of the type of "merchandising" found in other OT bars. Decent place to grab a Tiger and watch the weirdness of the world walk by.

Originally Posted by AlwaysAisle
I went to Red Light District at Amsterdam and it was not what I expected. So much like tourists attraction, not seedy at all, streets were filled with tourist strolling around. Couples young and old were walking around to take in a scene. Felt totally safe to wonder around the area.
Geylang is actually somewhat of a family area. Some of the best eating to be had in Singapore is in the eating houses of Geylang. Rather surreal nestled amongst a legal redlight district.

Originally Posted by AlwaysAisle
Orchard Tower is nothing like that once Sun goes down…?
Orchard Towers inside, and on the sidewalk outside, is definitely not a family friendly area come evening. You'll see. Right across the street from the Hilton.

For eating, focus on hawker centers and eating houses. I'd personally avoid Newton, as it is overpriced, and too focused on costly seafood so not enough variety for me. Maxwell, next to Chinatown across from the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple/Museum, is quite good. Lavender was excellent late night, but I think it has been closed for redevelopment. Lau Pa Sat is decent. Tiong Bahru is also a good bet. My go-to hawker centers were Zion Riverside and Bukit Merah View. I really enjoyed East Coast Lagoon Food Village (different than East Coast Seafood Village, although it is also quite good). Wonderful waterfront location and wide variety of good food. Taxis for return can be a challenge, so get a local SIM card to be able to text for a taxi.

Try a kopitiam for breakfast or a break/snack. Kopi-C and kaya toast is a nice pick-me-up. There are several chains, as well as local independents. ToastBox is one that very popular.

For lunch, consider a wet market that also has a hawker center. These will be in local neighborhoods. I used to do my shopping on Saturdays at Bukit Merah View and grab lunch as well.

Restaurant dinner options would be - authentic Peranakan fare (ask concierge for recommendations for restaurants), No Signboard Seafood in Geylang or at East Coast Seafood Village, Apolo Banana Leaf for decent Indian in Little India (don't go on Sunday, combine with a visit to Mustafa's).

If you're interested in tailoring, message me. Found best quality tailoring in Singapore compared to other sources in Asia. Priced a bit higher, but excellent quality compared to BKK, HKG, PVG, ICN, etc.

Last edited by JHattery; Sep 27, 2015 at 2:46 pm
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Old Sep 28, 2015, 5:17 pm
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Thank you for great information! I was not thinking about tailoring on this trip. Just out of curiosity, does Singapore have quick tailoring like at Hong Kong where suites can be ready in a day or two? Also, how is the price?
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Old Sep 29, 2015, 2:11 am
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Originally Posted by AlwaysAisle
Thank you for great information! I was not thinking about tailoring on this trip. Just out of curiosity, does Singapore have quick tailoring like at Hong Kong where suites can be ready in a day or two? Also, how is the price?
You can find it here, but I would not recommend. Prices are according to living standards in Singapore - 10x and more you'd pay in Vietnam.

My wife made a dress for herself, for $400 and it ended up not the one she wanted. Tailor not only refused to refund, but refused to alter it - saying that you should be coming next day, not after two weeks. So, lesson learned for $400.

After that my wife found one Vietnamese tailor girl here. She takes orders, send them to Hoi Ann, where it is made/fixed/etc, send back to Singapore and delivered to customers. 2-3 times cheaper than local prices.
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Old Sep 29, 2015, 8:01 am
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Just like Hong Kongers, Singaporeans cross the border for lower cost tailoring.
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Old Sep 29, 2015, 10:55 am
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Originally Posted by invisible
You can find it here, but I would not recommend. Prices are according to living standards in Singapore - 10x and more you'd pay in Vietnam.

My wife made a dress for herself, for $400 and it ended up not the one she wanted. Tailor not only refused to refund, but refused to alter it - saying that you should be coming next day, not after two weeks. So, lesson learned for $400.

After that my wife found one Vietnamese tailor girl here. She takes orders, send them to Hoi Ann, where it is made/fixed/etc, send back to Singapore and delivered to customers. 2-3 times cheaper than local prices.
Originally Posted by tentseller
Just like Hong Kongers, Singaporeans cross the border for lower cost tailoring.
For a westerner visiting SIN on a short stay, getting things done by a tailor you've had recommended to you is a good deal. Yes, you can cross the causeway and get cheaper, but that adds immensely to the logistical complications. A good tailor, not one of the shills in Chinatown offering a same-day suit mind you, but a decent reputable tailor, will offer multiple fittings to avoid the dress problem recounted above. And the added cost to be able to fit in at least 3 visits to a tailor, perhaps 4, whilst only spending 3-4 days in SIN make working with a Singapore-based tailor far more practical.

And keep in mind, the cost of a well made made-to-measure suit in SIN is typically on par or cheaper than the costs of an off-the-rack suit in the USA plus necessary alterations.

Is a SIN tailor the optimal choice for locals? Probably not. For visitors, probably.
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Old Sep 29, 2015, 10:57 am
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Originally Posted by AlwaysAisle
Thank you for great information! I was not thinking about tailoring on this trip. Just out of curiosity, does Singapore have quick tailoring like at Hong Kong where suites can be ready in a day or two? Also, how is the price?
I would not do same-day tailoring. You won't get the quality you want. Unless you are looking for a gimmicky suit, flashy throwaway shirts, or a comely SIA stewardess sarong kebaya knockoff for your special lady friend.
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