Hotel Recommendation
 

I have a long layover Sunday the 25th - I get in at midnight from Tokyo on UA and then don't depart until about 7PM on MH. Would the transit hotel be a good option here or should I find something in the city?

Hmm... the city is not far from the airport, say a 20 minutes cab ride? So hotel in the city is a better option than transit hotel. :)

I agree with SQ319. Given that a room at the Transit hotel is rented in 6 hr blocks, you would either be checking out early in the morning and spending a lot of time wandering the airport or you would have to pay for 2 6-hr room blocks.

Also, if you are there till the evening, you easily have time to actually go out and see the city. So a hotel in the city would make more sense.

Definitely the City, I'd go for the Marina Bay area, close enough to walk to the river with restaurants etc and China town

Hotel in town and not the transit hotel
 

If touchdown is 12 midnight, doors should open 12:10 am, immigration by 12:20-30 tops (if you're up front), bags should be waiting for you, q for taxi (5 minutes) and you should arrive in hotel in town by 1 am latest. Done it a million times - note surcharge on taxi after midnight.

You can ask for late check out or at worst, leave bags with concierge and enjoy the city. If 7 pm departure, if you leave for airport by 5 pm, you'll still have time to explore a few shops in the terminal.

For folks who have not spent time in Singapore before, I usually recommend staying near the center of Orchard Road (Marriott, Hyatt, etc..) That gives you a great area to go walk around, restaurants, shopping, etc... as well as instant MRT access.

Is the Le Meridien at 100 Orchard Rd workable? Google maps makes it look sufficiently close.

I have not stayed in that section of Orchard and am not sure what right there in that area, but as I recall there is lots of shopping and the like nearby, but it is not a glitzy as the area near the Marriot. The map I pulled it up on makes it look like it is around a mile from the intersection of Orchard and Scotts which is sort of the center of gravity for the big shopping area. e Meridien is pretty close to Fort Canning park which is worth walking around in and has a guided tour of some interesting World War II bunkers which I enjoyed.

No problem staying at Le Meridien if that is where you want to stay in any event. Taxis in Singapore are plentiful (unless it is raining) and cheap so you can move around easily if there is nothing right there that you want to walk around to see.

Some of the folks who have spent more time in Sing will be able tell you more about that particular hotel and the surrounding area.

Le Meridien is old and scruffy, and generally considered one of the worst branded hotels in Sg. The location is alright, but it's a bit of a hike to the MRT (it's pretty much halfway in-between). The shopping malls immediately around it are kinda blah, although the bright lights of Plaza Singapura, Paragon and Takashimaya are not that far away.

All in all, you could do worse (esp. if you're staying on points), but there are more interesting options if you're paying real money. Check out eg. the recent threads on the new crop of boutique hotels around Chinatown, a rather more interesting neighborhood than Orchard.

Bdesmond:

What's your budget, etc. for a 12 hr layover.

Marriott and Hyatt are more centrally located on Orchard but Grant Hyatt is quite expensive. Depending on what you want to accomplish during your short layover, there might be other alternatives to staying on Orchard Rd area.

Tell us more so that we can be of assistance...

Having stayed there a few times, I can attest its better than the branded Hotel 81s in SIN ;)

Yes, its old but its clean. Having an Old Chang Kee outlet in the same building and a hawker centre adjoining the hotel is a big plus for me. And the one way traffic flow in front of the hotel is towards the direction of ECP/airport which makes sense for the OP .....

Excellent value if using points.

I picked the Le Merdien property just because it's Starwood property. I'm not using points - just a long layover on a work trip. I could do a Mariott instead if that would be a better option.

Yes

Marriott is in a fantastic location, accessible to almost everything.

It ain't branded unless I can get miles for staying there. :p

This is a good thread. I am on an MR ex SYD SIN with a one night layover.

I arrive around 1.45pm and depart the following night at 8.30pm. I have also booked Le Meridien because its a Starwood property, although I have read that its not that nice. I was able to get a rate of around $200SD.

So should I forgo the SPG points and try for Marriot??

Is the Marriot area better for sightseeing/reasonable places to eat etc?

Do any of the hotels have airport shuttles, or is taxi the best way to/from airport?

Any other info I should be aware of, post away please :)

I don't know if any of the hotels have their own shuttles. All the times I have stayed, I have always taken a taxi. The taxi are fairly inexpensive and everything is pretty close, so its not too big a deal to pay for a taxi.

Given that your only staying one night and you have elite status with *wood, if the Le Meridian's rate is as good as you can get, then I would probably stick with it for your stay. The Marriott is an OK hotel (nice, clean, Marriott consistent) with a great location. But I do believe the Le Meridian is also on Orchard rd as well, so its location should be pretty good as well.

The Le Meridien is at the end of Orchard Rd while the Marriott is at the start. Shopping at Le Meridien is not as exclusive as around the area of Marriott.

If you want to go to the main shopping area where most of the shopping is (Ngee Ann City, Wisma etc), then Marriott is a better choice.

In terms of eating, there are plenty of food courts with cheap dining options everywhere so that's shouldn't be a problem.

Singapore Stopover Holiday
 

Hiya,

Me and the significant other are on the way back home from Japan via Singapore, for two nights (Dec 28 and 29) using SQ. I'm thinking of using the Singapore Stopover Holiday programme

http://www.singaporeair.com/saa/en_U...tels/index.jsp

Do you guys recommend it? If you do, which one on the list is recommended by you? I'm leaning towards Shangri-La's Traders Hotel...


Thanks in advance.


Sryn

The Singapore Stopover Holiday programme is usually pretty good value. The thing to keep in mind is that the two days you'll stay are weekend nights though - so many of the top level hotels will have cheaper rates available directly at these times (especially in the holiday season). That being said, given the rates work out about SG$170 per night nett for the C group hotels and you get the transfers and other extras thrown in as well, it's a good package overall and difficult to beat. The Carlton and the Grand Plaza Park Hotel City Hall are both good options as well in the same price range.

While I am sure these are decent hotels, for the same price I would definitely go for The Traders which has a very much nicer location and usually retails at a much higher rate. SGD170 is a very good rate for The Traders.

Thank you
 

Thank you for the replies. My agent's looking into it now. I guess that none of the hotels in Group B are reasonably close to Orchard Road, right?


Sryn

That would be correct - and none of them are particuarly well located in general (the Furama City Centre is OKish location wise, but The Gallery, Holiday Inn Atrium and Miramar are well down the river and a hassle to get around from, and the Parkroyal on Beach Road is past Bugis, and again a bit distant from most worthwhile sights). It's *definitely* worth the extra between Category B and Category C for both the improvement of quality of the hotels and the better locations.

Yeah, the difference between B & C ...
 

.. is kind of slight compared to the advantages of C. Thanks again. I hope SQ don't have a quota on num of bookings made under the stopover programme at the respective hotels, cos my agent said that it could be packed. I'm guessing as much, since it is the hols. I'ld also better check out with the hotels directly. Thankx again mate.


Sryn

Marriott is just a hop and skip away from the subway & it is in a great location ^, while Le Meridien is a few blocks away. But since both hotels are on or near Orchard Rd area, then you're fine in either of them.