Review not up yet
RYAN G? OK I'll have a go with mine then.
A. Brief Notes, Location & Access
Singapore gets it's first Tribute Portfolio hotel! The Hôtel Vagabond was opened in ~ Sep 2015 and signed on with *Wood on 1 Nov 2016. The hotel is housed in a row of refurbished shophouses dating back to the 1950.
Shophouses are a common sight in SE Asia, usually comprising a 2 or 3 storey building with a shop on the ground floor and the shopkeeper's residence above. This particular row had a chequered history, if the hotel staff are to be believed.
The hotel is owned by
Garcha Hotels, started by who else but
Mr Satinder Garcha who is quite a character. Besides building luxury homes in Singapore, his hotel group acquired the old Duxton Hotel which will open next year as
The Duxton Club, Singapore's first Luxury Collection hotel.
His wife Ms Harpreet Bedi is the GM of the Hôtel Vagabond and can be seen buzzing around the Exec Lounge most of the day; I had a nice chat with her about the hotels and their plans.
The hotel is located in a rather esoteric area of Singapore, at the junction of Little India, Kampong Glam which is significant in Singapore Malay history, Arab Street and Sungei Road, better known as Thieves Market in the old days. They've started gentrification - Thieves Market is no more and the Rochor river/canal has been cleaned up somewhat and the banks paved with granite and lined with trees and benches.
Transportation is still a bit iffy. The hotel does not provide a shuttle service. It's cab, public bus, or a walk to one of four MRT subway stations, all about 10-15mins away - Lavender (EW Line), Farrer Park (NE Line), or Rochor/Bugis (Downtown Line). For those who drive, curbside parking is readily available for SGD0.60 per hour. The hotel does not provide on-site parking and I didn't see any valets. I would estimate a cab ride from to airport to take about 25 mins depending on traffic.
A new MRT station, Jalan Besar Station (DT Line), will be operational in 2017/18. You can see it on the map - it's the construction site to the NE of the
Wanderlust hotel, which happens to be 1 of 2 Design Hotels in Singapore. The distance is eminently walkable, though the sidewalks are not really wide. Mattress runs anyone?