Here's one for all you motorheads out there. You probably knew even before we did that 2008 sees the Formula One return to Singapore, and on top of that it's going to be the world's first night-time F1 Grand Prix.
The real experts also know it's one of just three anti-clockwise circuits out there, which is bound to make it even more exciting (or at least trickier).
So you've got a few choices. Slum it with the rest of the race watchers or shell out some cash and stay at the fancy Fullerton Hotel, which has an F1 Experience package going for S$2000 (US$1450) a night, with a minimum stay of four nights from September 25-29.
F1 lovers at the Fullerton will get access to an F1 dedicated champagne and cocktail lounge on qualifying day and race day too, along with exclusive access to the rooftop viewing platform overlooking the track.
A few other freebies are thrown in: champagne in your room when you arrive, WiFi, daily champagne breakfast and a complimentary minibar--but don't get too excited since that doesn't include the alcohol.
Singapore's such a common layover that finding a good hotel there is quite important--if you're recovering from a long haul flight, you need a comfortable bed and a decent breakfast to help you on your way. A while ago a reader gave us a tip about the Fullerton Hotel. Located in the historic 1928 Fullerton Building, the hotel has been operating since 2001 and was relatively quickly named the Best Hotel in Asia in the Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards 2006.
The Fullerton Hotel used to be a post office, but now it's 400 rooms of luxury. The rooms and suites feature historical names like Post Master, Governor and Presidential, and have views over the city, the river or the sea. Guests report that the rooms are spacious and the pool is reasonably large--an important factor in Singapore's heat.
In contrast to oh-so-much of the rest of the world, the small but hi-tech country of Singapore is doing reasonably well in the WiFi stakes. And that makes us happy because, unlike other WiFi pioneers like Estonia, Singapore is a really useful hub where tons of travelers stop for a night or two, as well as being an interesting holiday destination in itself.
WiFi is rife in Singapore: a government plan has put thousands of WiFi spots across the city, which is of course relatively easy when your city (and country) are as small as Singapore is. The result is that there are also plenty of hotels that offer WiFi access, sometimes for free, although disappointingly not always in guest rooms.
At the Singapore Marriott Hotel, for example, which has recently been promoting itself as a destination for medical tourists, WiFi is available in the public areas and meeting rooms, but you have to settle for high-speed broadband in the guest rooms. We hate cables! The famous Raffles Hotel doesn't even bother to mention to prospective guests will have WiFi access or not: presumably we're just supposed to be dying to have a cocktail in the bar, like everybody wants to do at the Raffles.
One Singapore hotel that's not doing too badly is the Singapore Hilton, which offers free in-room WiFi access to guests in rooms from the Deluxe Rooms and above. Hopefully the rest of the Singapore hotels will be following suit--but if your hotel ends up being one without WiFi, just ask around and find out about all the other WiFi spots nearby, and you won't be long without a connection.
We are suckers for a room with a killer view. We find that we are even more likely to forgive some minor hotel inconveniences if we can stare out the window at something pretty--yeah we are that shallow. Let's help out our fellow hotel mavens by uploading rooms with killer views to the HotelChatter/Flickr photo pool, or by sending the photo along to us. We will feature our favorites in this space from time to time. Remember to tell us the name of the hotel and the room number of the hot view.
We're not quite sure if this is a Killer View or just a really interesting one: it's taken from a hotel room in the Conrad Centennial Hotel in Singapore.
What you're looking at is the Suntec roundabout in Singapore. It's special because from 2008, there'll be a Formula One auto race held in Singapore, and this roundabout will be a part of the Singapore Grand Prix. There's a plan to hold it a night, if they decide the lighting will be safe enough for competitors (and spectators); now you know at least one of the hotels you should book into for a F1 view.
Going on holiday to have some kind of operation is still not our idea of a good time, but medical tourism seems to really be catching on: going wherever you can to get a "good quality operation" without a high cost or a long waiting list, and with a bit of bonus sightseeing time thrown in. Singapore's recently been promoting itself as a good place for an op and the Singapore Marriott Hotel has also jumped on the medical tourism bandwagon:
Singapore Marriott is literally located within five minutes walk from the renowned Mount Elizabeth Hospital, in the centre of the city, as well as to other major popular hospitals. The hotel offers a respite for those having surgery to recuperate from and also have their family members close by their side - with all the comforts of home on hand, together with gracious service and hospitality.
The location of the Marriott is very central to all key areas of Singapore, not just the hospitals, but recent reviews suggest that the plus points end there (unless its funky pagoda shape counts). For an expensive, luxury hotel, many guests complain that service is below average and the restaurant food is nothing special. Be warned also at the moment that there is building going on next door, so your resting up period after the hospital stint mightn't be as peaceful as Marriott would like you to think.
Not satisfied with being the first Singapore business hotel to declare itself totally non-smoking, the Royal Plaza on Scotts keeps trying to be special, and it actually seems to be working. The hotel was relaunched last week after a four month makeover came to an end, and so far, experiences there continue to be more than satisfactory.
They're very proud of their "branded customer service" strategy, and they sum it up with a nice geeky acronym:
S.E.R.V.I.C.E. represents the hotel's brand DNA as it looks to deliver service which is Seamless, Empowered, Refreshing, Versatile, Individualised, Charming and Extraordinary.
Recent guests might agree that the "largest shower head they've ever seen" is Extraordinary and most seem to agree that the service is Individualised. On the other hand, Charming might seem a bit out of place in strict, modern Singapore, and we just don't really go for the whole Empowered concept. Just the same, the Royal Plaza seems a solid hotel for holiday or business, with a central location and, wow, a great service acronym.
The pretty Sentosa Island, just a short cable car ride from Singapore, has been spoiled by a lot of construction work recently, but it's all starting to come good. This week the Amara Sanctuary Resort opened its doors for business amidst the tropical gardens of the island. The resort is opening in stages over the next few weeks, including verandah and courtyard suites in a restored barracks building, and deluxe rooms and villas in new buildings.
Singapore has quite a mixed heritage, and the style of the resort is intended to reflect this, according to the CEO of the Amara Group, who said:
Our aim with this property was to create a vernacular style that is quintessentially Singaporean, combining Singapore's architectural heritage, its tropical vegetation and its modern casual-chic style. This site, with its historic colonial architecture and its lush tropical gardens all within easy access of the city centre has given us a unique opportunity to create an authentic Singapore style resort.
When everything's opened there will be a number of restaurant options, including a 13-seat Japanese boutique restaurant called Si Bon, an all day restaurant named Shutters and a fine dining restaurant Thanying featuring Thai cuisine. Accommodation rates run from S$500 to S$2000 (US$330-$1300) but it might be worth waiting until everything's complete and opened before you spend this kind of cash.
Earlier this week, we let you know about the Mandarin Oriental sister properties located right next door to each other in Singapore. We found the Oriental Singapore (pictured above) to be a better hotel than the Marina Mandarin and a reader agreed. So we thought would share his perspective and his tips with you.
As for the Oriental in Singapore, it is definitely way better than the Marina Mandarin. I haven't seen the renovation, but the building (especially the towering atrium) is quite nice. The Oriental has the benefit of being one of the first buildings that went up in the Marina area, giving it waterfront location and as said, the great views over the city. Marina is a nice area to stay, and it's easy to get around Singapore with the public transportation.
The Marina Mandarin is nothing really to write home about (although I will say I have only been inside, not as a guest). A great suggestion close by is the Conrad Centennial - nice, modern building, also some great views to be had, nicely furnished, neutral colors, blond woods, etc. It has made Conde Nast's best business hotel list a few times. Something I would be eager to check out though is The Fullerton, a former post office, which is supposedly very very nice.
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by amandak
