Nice Singapore Hotel Near MRT

September 27, 2017 11:07 AM

Looking for nice Singapore hotel very close to MRT in a cool nabe. I found One Farrer Hotel for $125 US/night directly above Farrer Park MRT Station. Nice pool, located near little India. Apparently not a great nabe for walking. That's not fatal, but....can I do better?

It's my first time there, and my $425 r/t flight from Newark leaves budget leftover for hotel, rather than AirBnB. This is a week in early November, and I want to pay under $150/night (USD), and be very close to a well-positioned MRT station (that's critical!).

Compared to One Farrer, can I find something more central, and/or near more walkable stuff and/or luxer...without giving up easy MRT access or going over budget?

One concern about One Farrer: this Yelp review indicates they play games with early arriving guests, and my plane touches down at 7:45 am so I'm hoping for kindness there.

I'm also considering a "porch double" at the Naumi Liora in Chinatown for $142 US/night prepaid. Much more walkable stuff nearby, though much less room for the money than One Farrer...and no pool.

"Royal Plaza On Scotts" is $185 US/night prepaid, and I suppose that's ground zero, nabe-wise (smack in the middle of Orchard St), but I can't quite make myself splurge it.

posted by Quisp Lover to Travel & Transportation around Singapore (8 answers total)

If Orchard Road is your #1 neighbourhood of choice, I'm guessing you'd like someplace with plenty of air-conditioned shopping malls? Yotel looks like it will be offering some promotional rates in conjunction with its upcoming opening. But it has a...different.. concept from most hotels, and since it's not officially opened yet there's no way to tell if it's going to be good. Hotel Jen and Grand Park Orchard are of a similar class and price tier as Royal Plaza on Scotts, so possibly worth considering too if a good deal is available. Of the lot, only Hotel Jen has direct *sheltered* access to the MRT as it's situated within a mall that is linked to the underground station.

If you're looking for more than just malls (as you should), Hotel Rendezvous looks like a good option for you. It's in the civic/museum district and is walking distance from Bras Basah station (orange line), Dhoby Gaut station (purple, red and orange lines), as well as the Bencoolen station (blue line) which is scheduled to be operational end October. Might be hovering a little above your budget, but you might be able to get lower rates with some poking around online.
posted by hellopanda at 12:59 PM on September 27, 2017 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks. I have no nabe of choice, I was just using Royal Plaza as a baseline of centrality. If I can find a hotel as convenient to MRT as One Farrer (not merely walkable, but right there), I don't really care where I stay, because I can slip away on a whim. However, nice nabe near hotel would be "nice"....and is missing st One Farrer.

Hotel looks pretty cool! Thanks!
posted by Quisp Lover at 2:10 PM on September 27, 2017

Response by poster: Sorry for autocorrect...Yotel looks pretty cool.
posted by Quisp Lover at 2:21 PM on September 27, 2017

Try hotels in Tiong Bahru. The neighbourhood is Singapore's hipster area with a mix of local and western food (very very good hainese chicken) and there are several decent hotels there within your range. Hotel Nostalgia is good. The Tiong Bahru mrt is a few stops direct to town. There are likely some air bnbs in your range there too. Chinatown is awful, completely worked over into tourist/office/bars with the actual people who lived there gone. I'd try hotels around Bugis MRT instead, the Rochor Rd/Waterloo area is nice and quick to reach town. If you don't mind crowds and like great Indian food, Farrer MRT has a few cheaper options at the start of the Little India area, but it gets more backpacker.

Tripadviser has a map feature where you can choose a budget range and a neighbourhood to scan hotels, so you can search for them near the MRTs suggested.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 2:24 PM on September 27, 2017 [2 favorites]

I've stayed twice at The Scarlet. It's in Chinatown, and next to the Maxwell Food Centre. If you are a foodie, this is your place.
posted by Napoleonic Terrier at 6:20 PM on September 27, 2017 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: So many Airbnbs in Tiong Bahru for under $50! My only worry is that the tropical climate might make me miss having a pool!

Yelpers complain of tiny rooms and hard mattresses at Scarlet. Sounds like not a problem for you, NP?
posted by Quisp Lover at 8:28 PM on September 27, 2017

The rooms were small but it did not bother me. Mattresses were fine.
posted by Napoleonic Terrier at 8:41 PM on September 27, 2017 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Ok, thanks. I'm clautrophilic anyway.
posted by Quisp Lover at 9:11 PM on September 27, 2017