Help us get to our hotel
December 22, 2010 12:54 AM   Subscribe

We're going to Singapore on the 24th and are staying at Marina Mandarin Oriental hotel. All I could dig up was that it was ten minutes from the City Hall MRT. How do we get to there from the MRT? Or, since we're four people who will be going there, would it be cheaper to just take a cab from the airport?
posted by drea to Travel & Transportation (7 answers total)
 
The MRT station will have a map showing the buildings in its vicinity. This should include the hotel. You can also consult the staff at the station (sitting in the glass-walled box at the turnstiles) for directions.

Cabs to and from the airport carry a surcharge on top of the regular cab fare. Having said that, if you are splitting the cab fare four-ways, and have a lot of heavy luggage, it might be a cosier and more convenient way to get to your hotel. I'd opt for taking a cab myself.

I've lived in Singapore my entire life; feel free to MeMail me if you have any other questions.
posted by nihraguk at 1:05 AM on December 22, 2010




It's probably only $20-$25 for a Taxi, or about $3 on the MRT.

The MRT is cheap, quick and efficient. The walking route from the MRT station to the Hotel will be something like this.

If you're going to be travelling by MRT a lot it's worth getting an ez-link card. They cost a small deposit ($7?) and then you top up the credit, more info here.

The route on the MRT is very easy, it's the one line between Changi Airport and the City Hall stop. It's very easy (and well signposted) to get to the MRT at the Airport. Be aware you will likely have to change once at Tanah Merah - it's just a case of getting off the train and moving across 10 meters to the other side of the platform and getting onto the other train, as the line splits there. Everything about the mass transit in Singapore is clearly signposted, so there's no danger of getting stuck - and don't be scared of asking for assistance, as a general rule everyone is friendly and willing to help.

Enjoy Singapore!
posted by Simon_ at 1:26 AM on December 22, 2010


Or more accurately (didn't look at the map properly) - the walk is this
posted by Simon_ at 1:39 AM on December 22, 2010


The MRT is lovely (you might want to buy a Tourist Pass if you're only there a few days) but City Hall is one of the busier stations and it has a lot of exits so you might want to get a taxi to your hotel just the first time, until you've got your bearings. Taxis are heavily regulated (and heavily air conditioned) in Singapore and I've never had a problem.
posted by alby at 1:56 AM on December 22, 2010


Grab a taxi - it'll be about $25 SGD, tops (or $30-35-ish if you're lucky enough to get one of the plush Chrysler 300C taxis).

The walk from City Hall MRT to the Marina Mandarin doesn't look all that long, but it's a crowded schlep through an underground mall (and it will be nightmarishly crowded the day before Christmas) followed by popping back up to street level and walking along the street for ten minutes in thirty-degree heat and 90% humidity.

Plus, you'll be dragging your luggage all the way - getting it through the crowds and the turnstiles at City Hall will be misery.

A taxi's definitely the better bet.

(That said, the MRT's by far the easiest way to get around the city once you're there. Clean, fast, easy, and reliable... gotta love it. Don't miss the zoo and the Night Safari!)
posted by The Shiny Thing at 2:04 AM on December 22, 2010


Definitely take the taxi - it's cheap enough to split 4 ways and the airport isn't far from the city. As other posters have said above, it'll be about SGD$25 max.

Once you're there, certainly take the MRT to most places, however if travelling in a group of 4 I would not hesitate to jump in a cab to get most places - it's much faster and pretty cheap! (I've taken lots of groups of friends to Singapore before).

Have a wonderful time!
posted by shazzam! at 12:32 PM on December 22, 2010


« Older Help this newly-arrived student acquire internet...   |   Ideal body stats and how fast to attain them Newer »
This thread is closed to new comments.