Singapore Style- Hotels

NEW MAJESTIC

The New Majestic, a funky boutique hotel which merges heritage with design, is housed in a conservation shop house built in 1928 and was masterminded by visionary Loh Lik Peng whose obsession with art, fashion and furniture collection is evident throughout the hotel. Each room is a unique oeuvre created by different artists, movie directors or designers and each space expresses it’s personality through the quirky furnishings and artworks within.

To give you an idea of the spirit of the hotel, one room cheekily named “The Pussy Parlor”, has a velvet and gold throne from a 1983 beauty pageant, a neon light and a fuchsia deconstructionist bedcover designed by none other than Issey Miyake. Another room, called “The Mirror Room”, has a massive plasma TV, mirrors everywhere, including on the ceiling, and an antique bronze bathtub. The plaque outside the door says “Watch and be watched”. The Wayang room, designed by film director Glen Goei, was inspired by the films of legendary director Zhang Zimou like “Raise the Red Lantern.” This romantic room has red silk walls, hanging lanterns, customized calligraphy panels and dark wood floors. Some rooms, in a voyeuristic twist, have glass-encased tubs which you can see from the bed and the rooms on the corners of the hotel have refurbished antique bathtubs from the UK located on an outdoor deck!

Not only are the rooms fascinating, but the lobby is filled with collectible chairs, the Majestic restaurant is a Chinese fine dining establishment with a retro feel and the Majestic bar is a hip watering hole for the graphic design and expat set. There’s also a wading pool, a small but well-equipped gym and wireless Internet in the room. The plush Ploh bathrobes are perfect to cozy into after a long soak and the Kiehl’s amenities add a touch of fragrant luxury to your hotel experience. The hotel staff is warm and very helpful.

Every detail was taken into account at the New Majestic- making this hotel great choice for those seeking a unique design sojourn in Singapore.

*Look at the rooms on the Internet and book the one you want in advance to avoid disappointment or discomfort (Some of the color schemes or paintings may not be for you). The staff can also show you around the hotel to see which room you want, or you can request to change rooms during your stay just to get a different experience. The hotel is in a pretty sleepy location, but luckily it's only steps away from the MRT.

31- 37 Bukit Pasoh Road
Tel +65 6235-2498
Fax +65 6235-1416
http://www.newmajestichotel.com/
MRT Outram
 

THE SCARLET

The Scarlet Hotel is a luxurious Euro-chic gem of a hotel right in the heart of Club Street and at the cusp of all the interesting sights in Chinatown.

The Scarlet is an unapologetically sexy hotel. Using the signature red that reflects The Scarlet’s name, and combining it with opulent gold and sophisticated black, the hotel’s décor is senual and sophisticated.

The shamelessly uninhibited style that dares to be different, is followed through in the 80 rooms including 5 individually-themed suites, each with a tantalising name – Splendour, Passion, Opulent, Lavish and Swank. Filled with refreshing and inspiring in-room amenities, The Scarlet’s guests can relax and unwind in untold comfort, with the hotel’s vivacious staff offering services, focused exclusively on the individual.

The Scarlet boasts three restaurants and bars, whose names are as uninhibited as their surroundings and catering to different moods. Try Desire, a seductive enclave offering cuisine with a creative edge; or Breeze, an alfresco-style terrace bar and restaurant with a panoramic view from quaint terracotta rooftops to the pulsating city.

There are different types of rooms, but we recommend going for the deluxe level and up as a few of the rooms don’t have windows.

33 Erskine Road
Singapore 069333
Tel +65 6511 3333
Fax +65 6511 3303
http://www.thescarlethotel.com/
MRT-Tanjong Pagar

NAUMI

This charming boutique hotel is just across the street from Raffles and is centrally located to nightlife, shopping, dining and sightseeing. The design of the hotel is cheerful with modern yet retro furnishings.

The overall look of the hotel is somewhat feminine. There’s even a ladies only floor for those with religious restrictions or for ladies concerned with being harrassed! The ladies only floor has special amenities such as facial toner and other beauty products but is otherwise identical to the other rooms. All rooms are extremely comfortable and have a soothing and happy color scheme. Aside from the most basic room, all the others have big tubs in the bathrooms.

The Naumi has decent facilities. There's a fitness, cardio, and yoga room which are all spread out on different floors. The staff is also very pleasant and helpful. One of the best things about this hotel is the gorgeous swimming pool area. They have rattan chairs shaped like leaves and the view over the old rooftops of the Raffles and the city skyline is amazing!

This hotel is ideal for the business or leisure traveler.

41 Seah Street
Tel +65 6403 6000
Fax +65 6403 6010
http://www.naumihotel.com/
MRT-City Hall

THE QUINCY

This newly opened boutique hotel, while tucked away on a private hill, is within 5 minutes strolling distance down to the heart of Orchard Road. While the Naumi seems feminine, there's something masculine about the Quincy. The stone colored walls, anodized steel facade and tiled floors in dark grey may have something to do with that. Nevertheless, the hotel is handsome and chic without being too frilly or flashy.

The most interesting thing about this hotel besides it's proximity to Orchard Road, is the fact that it's all-inclusive and affordable! All inclusive means you get three meals a day included in the price of the room.

This makes The Quincy a great option for busy business travelers or for visitors who are just exhausted after a long hard day of shopping! This all-inclusive scheme seems to be working quite well as the hotel has been running at a very high occupanct rate since it opened 7 months ago.

There's a well-equipped gym and a very small swimming pool as well as a steam room and sauna.

22 Mount Elizabeth
Singapore 228517
Tel +65 6738 5888
Fax +65 6510 1938
http://www.quincy.com.sg/
MRT- Orchard

RAFFLES HOTEL

Romantic and luxurious the Raffles Hotel is a place of history and elegance. This huge complex sprawls over on big city block and comes complete with many different bars , restaurants and luxury shopping arcades.

If you want to be a classic tourist, go to the Long Bar, drink a Singapore Sling and throw some peanut shells on the floor or go to the more stylish Martini Bar and reserve a table on the verandah. The brunch or afternoon tea at Tiffin Room is a must!

The rooms are decorated in classic European colonial style with dark wood floors, oriental rugs and drapery. This hotel is great for people who want a historical 5 star experience and have the cash to burn.

1 Beach Road
Tel +65 6337 1886
Fax +65 6339 7650
http://www.raffles.com/
MRT- Raffles Place

THE HANGOUT@ MOUNT EMILY

The hangout at Mount Emily is a cheap and cheerful hostel not far from the trendy Dempsey road area. It’s a homey place which is no frills, all fun.

There’s a few communal areas where you can ‘veg out’ with other travelers. There’s a big row of computers so you can stay wired and connected. There’s also a nice room where they serve a decent breakfast buffet in the morning. Most impressively, there’s a great rooftop where you can sunbathe or lounge with your fellow global nomad.

There are dorm rooms available as well as individual double rooms in a happy orange color scheme.

10A Upper Wilkie Road
Tel +65 6438 5588
Fax +65 6339 6008
http://www.hangouthotels.com/
MRT- Dhoby Ghaut

PERAK HOTEL

The Perak Lodge is a safe, clean and comfortable hotel in little India which is walking distance from the hip shopping area of Arab Street and Haji lane. The hotel is close to a mosque and early in the morning and in the afternoon, you may hear them singing the melodic call to prayer. It’s quite charming and atmospheric. All around the neighborhood are dinky Indian restaurants and interesting shops selling Bindis and temporary Henna tattoos. This hotel is reminiscent of places in India, basic- with lots of wood and marble. There are pleasant decorative accents in the common areas such as Buddha statues and paintings. The rooms themselves are spotless as are the common areas.

The breakfast buffet is also basic- white or wheat toast with eggs, instant coffee and orange flavored water but they do sometimes have really yummy Singapore noodles. This hotel is great for people on a budget who want to be near shopping in Haji Lane and Bugis Junction. It’s also an interesting place from which to explore the exotic Little India and the Arab quarters.

12 Perak Road
+65 6299-7733
Fax: +65 6392-0919
http://www.peraklodge.net/
MRT- Little India

http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js">