One of the activities that has begun to catch on in Singapore apart from eating is actually having a staycation. And that's just what I did in a recent week spurred by a friend's earlier invite to another staycation. Since it was a last minute decision (I booked moments before check in), I chose Dorsett Singapore as my hotel of choice just because they had a SG50 promotion happening. This meant I only had to pay $164 for a standard room, and that was a steal for a hotel located in the city.
Dorsett Singapore is relatively new, and as a result, the hotel room is really tiny. I had the standard room with no bathtub or seating area available. All the room had was just the bed and a view of Tanjong Pagar. It is a decent enough hotel stay if you don't intend to be in the hotel very long, but use it to rest and to explore the area. Plus of course, being a new hotel, everything is also newer and less worn. Dorsett Singapore seems to be more of a boutique hotel, and if you are after a proper business hotel, I would recommend the Carlton City Hotel or Amara Hotel nearby. But I must say, it is a definite deal that make the hotel staycation in Singapore worth it.
The great thing about having a staycation in Singapore is that you don't have to spend all that time shuttling to the airport and destination, and especially when you have little time to spare, just grabbing an overnight bag, and plonking into a hotel of choice - your holiday has basically begun. I also like to use such opportunities to slowly explore an area, where you would normally just hurry through.
In previous years, Clarke Quay was a favorite haunt for me. This time, I decided to stay at Tanjong Pagar, to explore at leisure the shophouses nearby. Dorsett Singapore is located in an area seeped with history with many little eateries just a street away. Just next to the infamous Keong Siak Road, where it once used to be a seedy area, but have since transformed to a dining area. Even though there is a tired vibe in that street, it provides you with good dining options if you want to be away from the crowded Orchard Road on a Friday night. Moving up to Tanjong Pagar Road, you wonder if you are in another country. Known in Singapore as the Korean area, you witness shophouse after shophouse of Korean restaurants lining the street, mostly BBQ shops or fried chicken shops. If you veer off to Duxton Hill, you might find yourself in a very expat centric profile with quite a few watering holes to hang out at. And if you need your fill of local fruits and local hawker food, head over to Tanjong Pagar Complex, which is just opposite Amara Hotel. Turning back to Everton Park, you get to see how most Singaporeans live today in their HDB flats. The area is also home to quite a few cafe joints, hence perfect for a jaunt in the morning for a caffeine fix.
What appeals to me in Tanjong Pagar, which is primarily a CBD working area, you see shophouses of the old and modern interior decor of the new, and that makes it an interesting walk about especially if you are into architecture, design, and Singapore history. And with every turn of a street, you get to experience a different vibe which makes it a whole lot more intriguing than just shopping the streets of Orchard Road.
Dorsett Singapore is relatively new, and as a result, the hotel room is really tiny. I had the standard room with no bathtub or seating area available. All the room had was just the bed and a view of Tanjong Pagar. It is a decent enough hotel stay if you don't intend to be in the hotel very long, but use it to rest and to explore the area. Plus of course, being a new hotel, everything is also newer and less worn. Dorsett Singapore seems to be more of a boutique hotel, and if you are after a proper business hotel, I would recommend the Carlton City Hotel or Amara Hotel nearby. But I must say, it is a definite deal that make the hotel staycation in Singapore worth it.
The great thing about having a staycation in Singapore is that you don't have to spend all that time shuttling to the airport and destination, and especially when you have little time to spare, just grabbing an overnight bag, and plonking into a hotel of choice - your holiday has basically begun. I also like to use such opportunities to slowly explore an area, where you would normally just hurry through.
In previous years, Clarke Quay was a favorite haunt for me. This time, I decided to stay at Tanjong Pagar, to explore at leisure the shophouses nearby. Dorsett Singapore is located in an area seeped with history with many little eateries just a street away. Just next to the infamous Keong Siak Road, where it once used to be a seedy area, but have since transformed to a dining area. Even though there is a tired vibe in that street, it provides you with good dining options if you want to be away from the crowded Orchard Road on a Friday night. Moving up to Tanjong Pagar Road, you wonder if you are in another country. Known in Singapore as the Korean area, you witness shophouse after shophouse of Korean restaurants lining the street, mostly BBQ shops or fried chicken shops. If you veer off to Duxton Hill, you might find yourself in a very expat centric profile with quite a few watering holes to hang out at. And if you need your fill of local fruits and local hawker food, head over to Tanjong Pagar Complex, which is just opposite Amara Hotel. Turning back to Everton Park, you get to see how most Singaporeans live today in their HDB flats. The area is also home to quite a few cafe joints, hence perfect for a jaunt in the morning for a caffeine fix.
What appeals to me in Tanjong Pagar, which is primarily a CBD working area, you see shophouses of the old and modern interior decor of the new, and that makes it an interesting walk about especially if you are into architecture, design, and Singapore history. And with every turn of a street, you get to experience a different vibe which makes it a whole lot more intriguing than just shopping the streets of Orchard Road.
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| View of Tanjong Pagar - the old and the new |
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| Local fruits seller at the nearby Tanjong Pagar Complex |
