Dazeliciousss

An impulsive booking of a S$69 Malaysian Airlines roundtrip flight to Kuala Lumpur got me searching for a place to sleep for the weekend. While I was planning to stay at Sleeping Lion Suites again (great value), I decided to try out Lloyd’s Inn KL instead since it was of similar price after using a 50% OFF (excluding taxes) DBS coupon on Expedia.

Newly opened in April 2024, Lloyd’s Inn KL is within walking distance from The Exchange TRX and its MRT station, close to popular spots like Doña Bakehouse and Hai Kah Lang seafood noodles. The entrance is along the quieter Jalan Kamuning, which is steps away from the Pingmin weekend night market.

A set of lifts connect the ground floor to the lobby at Level 5, where I was promptly checked in (RM200 deposit and RM20 tourism tax were charged) and directed to another set of lifts that go up to Level 15.

The Room

My Standard Room (Room 1103) was located close to the lifts on Level 11. Together with the room keycards, I was given a piece of dark chocolate as a welcome gift during check-in.

The entry level room is rather spacious, with full length windows that make it feel more roomy. A king sized bed sits on the wooden platform, which doubles up as a seat for the long table by the side. The television does not come with an interactive system, but you can login to the Netflix app with your own account.

The king sized mattress is on the firmer side, though not as firm as the ones I had in Penang. Pillows are also of a comfortable medium firmness. Bathrobes hang on a rack that acts as an open wardrobe. The right side facing the bed has access to a universal power socket and a USB charging port. The left side does not, though it is near enough to the 2 Type-G power sockets by the table.

Flip-flops can be found under the bed in a compartment with the luggage rack ridges. The other two drawers contain the laundry bag and electronic safe.

The entrance to the bathroom is marked by the amenities corner and sink area. Toiletries are nicely packed in a pouch, and they provide both a bar soap and a residential bottle of hand wash (usually it’s one or the other since they serve the same purpose).

Nescafe Gold coffee sachets and Harney & Sons teabags are complimentary, along with two cartons of drinking water that are replenished daily. The mini fridge is kept empty, but I felt that it was not cold enough. A little design mishap: the drawer containing the hair dryer is slightly blocked by the hand towel handle of the sink.

There’s a note on the bathroom door to keep it closed at all times, because part of it is outdoors with plants. One bad thing about the exposure is that there were large ants coming from outside, mostly leaving me alone but somehow congregating on my bathroom door. Another bad thing is that it does get hot here due to KL’s weather, but the good thing is that there won’t be shivers after coming out of the shower.

The hand held had a strong water pressure, but the rainshower’s pressure was too weak to use. Another issue I had was with the temperature control as the water became way too hot even with a slight turn of the knob.

Facilities

There’s an aesthetic Dipping Pool on Level 5, just in front of the hotel reception. It’s a little too public to properly swim, though I have seen families just chilling in there with their kids.

The Social Pod is meant to be a co-working space on Level 15, but I guess it can also be a social space to mingle and hang out. There’s a coffee machine here, but I don’t know if it’s in operation because I came up at night when everything was turned off.

The Food

Breakfast is served at Opeum Bistro on Level 5 from 6.30am to 10.30am daily. From what I see, breakfast is included in all the room rates.

You can help yourself to the small selection of bread, pastries, yoghurt, overnight oats, cereals and fruits along the self service line. Drinks are limited to black coffee, Harney & Sons tea and juices.

Choose between a Western or Asian dish for your main course, where the menu changes everyday. You are limited to a single serving, though I’d say the portion is hearty enough. I had the British Breakfast on Sunday and the Chicken Pesto Sandwich with Streaky Beef on Monday, both of which tasted pretty good. The Asian options I did not choose were Laksa and Mee Rebus respectively.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Lloyd’s Inn KL was a comfortable stay at a reasonably good location and price point. One thing that surprised me was the wear and tear in the room: nothing too serious, but a little more than I’d expect from a new property. The inclusion of breakfast is a plus, though there’s plenty of good food around anyway.

My experience with KINN started when I came across KINN Capsule, one of the more aesthetic and well-maintained capsule hotels in Singapore. At under S$70 per night, the CP value is high when you factor in the morning light bites, as well as the physical and mental health tie-ins.

If capsule living is not for you, then the individual rooms at KINN Studios will offer more privacy. This sister hotel occupies a 4-storey heritage building at 69 Keong Saik Road, putting it close to Outram Park MRT and a little distance from Chinatown and Tanjong Pagar.

The hotel lobby is home to brwd / KINN, the in-house cafe. No complimentary morning light bites are served at KINN Studios, but residing guests can enjoy 20% OFF at brwd. Those who book the Rise & Dine package can redeem their 2 pastries and 2 drinks here as well.

While brwd mostly operates as a takeaway kiosk, there is a seating area with a couple of tables behind the lift. Compared to KINN Capsule, it would seem that the lobby here is not designed to be a communal space to chill, but rather a space for quick consumption. After all, guests have their own rooms to return to.

The Pantry is located on the ground floor, where guests can use the filtered water dispenser and microwave, as well as a dine here.

The main reason why I am here is because I won a one night stay in a Hideaway Room from one of KINN’s Instagram giveaways. This is also why there isn’t a price stated above; this room usually starts at S$150.

There are 23 rooms in this cosy property, and only 3 of them are Hideaway Rooms. As a result of bad planning on my part, the rooms were fully occupied on the weekends so I could only redeem it on a Friday, heading down after work to check in at about 7pm (the usual check-in time is 3pm). All rooms are keyless here, so I got to choose a 4-digit PIN for the Igloohome lock on my door. I also received an information card with the passcode for the main door and pantry (for after hours), as well as points of interest in the area.

The staff at the reception walked alongside with me to my room. The Hideaway rooms are tucked away in the “attic” on the fourth floor, but the lift only serves up to the third, so the rest of the journey has to be made via a flight of stairs. I resided in Room 402, the middle of the three.

The 11sqm room feels immediately tight, and this isn’t entirely due to the lack of space – I’ve stayed in my fair share of compact rooms. Whatever little space feels even less due to the slanted roof ceiling and the lack of windows, both of which are features of the heritage building that don’t quite work as an advantage. While the room is good for two, I would say that it fits one better.

The queen sized mattress is firm enough for support and comfort, while the pillows are of medium firmness. It is convenient to have two universal power sockets and USB/USB-C charging ports beside the bed, though I wish there was a small ledge behind or on the side to place my devices.

The light switch by the bed isn’t a master switch, so you still need to ensure the other switches are turned off before tucking in. When the lights went out, the complete darkness made it low-key feel like I was trapped in the attic. This is more of a personal preference, but I would have liked a dim night light installed under the bed.

The front of the room has a SMART TV installed, along with three hangers on the mounted hooks.

The work desk works if you need to get some work done (like me), with sufficient universal power sockets and USB/USB-C charging ports for your devices. There’s a kettle and some cups if you would like to consume the complimentary Nescafe coffee or jasmine green tea, as well as two water bottles to fill up at the pantry downstairs. The electronic safe and mini fridge occupy the shelves under the desk.

In line with KINN’s focus on mental wellness, the room comes with a wellness kit that includes journal prompts, podcast recommendations and somatic exercises. There’s also a pocket guide in collaboration with Safe Space.

Moving on to the bathroom (watch the step!): the sink takes centerstage, with the toilet bowl on one side and the shower area on the other. It’s a little misleading to hang the floor towel on the handle, since it can be easily mistaken for a hand towel. I didn’t find a hairdryer, though it is entirely possible that it’s hidden under the sink as I did not think of pulling the handle.

Toiletries and dental kits are provided in KINN branded packaging. The Visage hand soap comes in a large bottle and smells great.

The toilet bowl comes with a bidet, while the shower area comes with a hand held (no rainshower head) and pleasant-smelling Visage bath amenities. Note that the water heater has to be turned on manually, and it will take 10-15 minutes to warm up. The water pressure is strong, which is usually a good thing, but because there isn’t a proper cubicle or divider, the toilet bowl area tends to get wet as well.

To be honest, KINN Studios left me feeling a little disappointed. The usual checkout time is 11am, but I ended up checking out at 9.30am because there wasn’t any reason to stay longer. There’s nothing wrong with the hotel as a place to spend the night, but it doesn’t have the charm nor the value-added benefits of KINN Capsule. The Hideaway Room is quite a curious experience, but I would consider this attic more claustrophobic than cosy.

Perhaps it’s a little harder to stand out as an ordinary hotel, which is why I think their newest flagship hotel is more promising: KINN Habitat features a mix of capsules and rooms, along with morning light bites, communal areas and events. It will be interesting to see how much this integration can improve the experience of the private rooms.

Momentus Hotel Alexandra has taken over the spot of Park Hotel Alexandra, which was where I had my most disappointing staycation. I am glad to report that the rebranding has tremendously improved the experience, particularly where the club lounge is concerned (flashbacks to being the only guest at the restaurant, sipping white wine and eating chicken wings).

The hotel is situated at an interesting location beside IKEA Alexandra, along with a few malls and hawker centres in the vicinity. There are no MRT stations within walking distance (though there are bus stops that will bring you to one), so the hotel provides a complimentary shuttle bus service to/from Harbourfront and Outram Park MRT every hour.

Compared to its predecessor, the renovated lobby looks much brighter and welcoming, despite the rainy day. There’s a Hattendo store at the lobby selling their signature cream buns, but sadly it was closed during my stay (half day on Saturdays, closed on Sundays). The check in process was friendly and efficient, with no deposit taken since my room was booked using a Trip Stay Voucher.

The Room

The Momentum Club Rooms (Room 1901) occupy the upper floors of 17 to 19, though you would want to be on Level 19 like I was for the convenience of being on the same level as the Momentum Club Lounge.

The 24sqm cosy room has been given a modern makeover, with the outdated carpet replaced by wooden flooring. I liked that the interactive system on the television comes with built-in Chromecast support for both mobile devices (QR code) and laptops (link).

The queen sized mattress is on the firmer side, while the pillows are of medium firmness. Each side of the bed gets access to a universal power socket and a USB-C charging port (more signs of modernity).

The work desk has been replaced with a mini sofa and coffee table for more casual vibes. The amenities corner is stocked with The 1872 Clipper Tea Co. teabags and Nescafe coffee sachets, just as they were before the rebranding. Even the mugs and glasses look the same, but the kettle is definitely new. More universal power sockets and USB/USB-C charging ports can be found here.

Club rooms come with a complimentary minibar that includes snacks, soft drinks and beers. I wasn’t informed about this perk during check-in and only found out after scanning the QR code to access the Vouch digital concierge. You can also make housekeeping requests via this digital concierge if you don’t want to speak to someone on the phone.

This room gets a heartland view of Queenstown through its full length windows, as well as a peek of the infinity pool on Level 7 below.

The wardrobe is located right by the entrance and houses the bathrobes, electronic safe, iron/ironing board, umbrella, torchlight, foldable luggage rack, hairdryer, laundry bags and bedroom slippers.

The bathroom is fitted with a filtered drinking water tap by the sink, and the hotel branded toiletries can be found inside the wooden drawer. The full set of face, hand and bath towels are provided.

The shower cubicle comes with a rainshower head and hand held, but the water pressure was just passable. I do love the APPELLES bath amenities though, especially the Willow Bark body wash, and I wish they had one of these by the sink as hand wash instead of a soap bar. The toilet bowl is of a comfortable height, but it does not come with a bidet.

Facilities

The facilities are located on Level 7 and they are pretty much similar to how they were during the Park Hotel Alexandra days. That’s not a bad thing, because the Infinity Pool was one of the few things that salvaged that staycation. The pool is open from 7am to 10pm, with the larger one 1.2m deep and the smaller one 0.9m deep. Unfortunately, it was raining during my stay so I did not manage to use it.

The Gym can be accessed around the clock via the room keycard. It is minimally equipped with cardio equipment, a compound machine and free weights.

Club Benefits

After all the comparisons between Momentus Hotel Alexandra and its predecessor, this section is brand new because I never got to experience Park Hotel Alexandra’s real club benefits. It’s a low bar to beat but I’m happy to report that the experience was satisfying, and even more so thanks to the friendly and attentive service from Ivan in the club lounge. He addressed me by surname, made sure my Prosecco glass was always filled, and took the initiative to extend a 3pm late check-out without me requesting for one! This was extremely appreciated, considering that the usual check-out time is 11am.

The Momentum Club Lounge on Level 19 provides a lovely view of the neighbourhood, as well as lush greenery (the Southern Ridges, I suppose) in the background. The main lounge is connected to a casual Roof Terrace area with sofas and egg swing chairs.

The lounge is open from 7am to 10.30pm daily, during which you can enjoy all day refreshments: Nespresso coffee and The 1872 Clipper Tea Co. tea in a variety of flavours, juices and soft drinks (I wish there were “healthier” options like Coke Zero), as well as dried fruits and local snacks.

Evening Cocktails are served from 6pm to 8pm, with free flow alcoholic drinks and a decent selection of canapés – I love food served in mini plates because it makes it so much fancier haha. There isn’t an official drink menu so I’m not sure if they offer fancy cocktails (I was satisfied with Prosecco), but Ivan did make a good glass of G&T.

Breakfast is served from 7am to 10.30am in the lounge. While the quality was good, I found the variety a little lacking even for a club lounge (and in my opinion, the youtiao didn’t make much sense without porridge or soy milk). You can get eggs cooked to order, but there will be a 10-15 minute wait since the eggs are cooked downstairs. A top up fee is required to dine at the main restaurant, which I assume would have a wider selection of dishes.

Final Thoughts

Momentus Hotel Alexandra was a decently comfortable stay with a modern room, lovely pool and a solid club lounge (but the breakfast can be improved), yet nothing really stood out to me apart from Ivan’s hospitality. Perhaps it’s an interesting stay in a novel location, but at this moment I’d find it difficult to justify a return.

Return stays generally come with expectations, and thankfully my third time at AMOY Hotel did not disappoint. This cosy boutique hotel is a not-so-hidden gem at Telok Ayer that pays tribute to the area’s heritage. While nearby sister property The Clan Hotel incorporates this in a luxurious and modern manner, AMOY takes the homely route in preserving its rustic charm. I mean, the entrance is through a museum that used to house a temple!

As I strolled up to the reception, I noticed that the hotel lobby was decorated with Christmas lights that nicely blended in with the oriental elements. Miza quickly got me checked in (prepaid and no deposit required) and passed me a handwritten welcome card, as well as a teapot of their signature Memoirs of AMOY tea. Upon learning that I enjoyed this tea cold, she suggested that I could also brew it in my room and chill it in the mini fridge, which I did.

I had a nice conversation with Miza about my previous stays here as she brought me up to my room. Along the way, I noticed that the once transparent lift windows have been plastered with a wall of surnames, a design that is congruent with the rest of the hotel.

The Room

Having stayed in Room 308 during my first and second stays, I was excited to learn that I was assigned a different Cosy Single Room (Room 305) this time, because every room here has its own unique configuration that preserves the architecture of the conserved building.

This room extends horizontally, with the bedroom occupying one side of the room and the bathroom occupying the other. There’s no clear division unlike the two floor separation of Room 308.

The single bed comes with an oriental bed frame, fitted with a mattress and pillows of medium firmness. There’s a universal power socket, USB charging port and reading lamp at the head of the bed.

The in-room minibar is complimentary and includes two packets of chips and four canned drinks. Nespresso coffee capsules (no decaf options) are provided, but tea lovers can enjoy the British Breakfast and Memoirs of Amoy teabags from Pryce Tea. No bottled water or filtered drinking tap available, but there is a clean kettle should you need to boil some.

The work desk sits right in the middle of the room, where there is a universal power socket, USB port and plenty of type G power sockets to charge your devices (some are under the desk). While the television is also installed here, it can be tilted out to face the bed so you can enjoy your shows in comfort. The television does not have an interactive system nor supports screencasting, so you would be limited to the local and cable channels as printed on the list.

The luggage rack and open wardrobe occupy the space beside the sink, where you can also find the torchlight, electronic safe, hairdryer, laundry bags, a pair of bedroom slippers and a copy of the Bible.

One of the highlights of this room for me is the pretty bowl shaped sink! The hand wash and body lotion come in residential bottles, while an extra bar of soap is still provided. Toiletries are in plain packaging, except for the AMOY branded sanitary bag.

The toilet bowl and shower cubicles share a sliding door that cannot be locked, while the wall between them is translucent. This isn’t a problem, of course, since this room is meant for single occupancy. Both the rainshower and hand held had a moderate water pressure, decent enough but not too satisfying. Bath amenities from Escape also come in residential bottles.

The Food

If your room rate comes with breakfast, you can choose to dine at either the plant-based Genius Central (8am-11am) or the French-inspired HENRI (7am-11am). Dining is simple: just head to either restaurant and inform them your room number.

Since I tried HENRI during my past two visits (here and here), I decided to go for Genius Central this time, where the service is much friendlier. There’s indoor and “outdoor” sitting – outdoors being the sheltered but sunlit pathway of Far East Square. I had the delectable Potato Hash, a hashbrown with poached egg and other wholesome ingredients. Each breakfast set comes with a choice of drink (I had a freshly squeezed Orange Juice) and two slices of watermelon.

Final Thoughts

There’s something magical about AMOY Hotel that draws me back time and again. The cosy rooms and warm service never fail to impress me, and the breakfast options are delicious even though they are outsourced (and at a better price!). The only downside would be the lack of facilities since they don’t have a gym or pool, but if this isn’t important to you then I would totally recommend AMOY for a unique experience.

Amari Johor Bahru is conveniently located near the causeway, occupying the upper levels of Zenith Mall that is situated across the road from Komtar JBCC (just head towards the Haidilao). It will always be fondly remembered for the S$5.81 room I snagged during the good old days of Traveloka’s EPIC sales, though it would have been good if I had remembered about my second stay too. Nonetheless, I managed to get a 50% OFF Malaysia hotels code on Trip and booked a club room here instead of my favourite (and cheaper) Doubletree.

The Amari brand hails from Thailand, so its properties are known for their signature Thai hospitality. Indeed, I experienced friendly and polite service at the Level 6 reception, as well as being greeted enthusiastically at the ground lobby. I was promptly checked in with no deposit taken and no issues regarding the tourism tax prepaid to Trip (that’s a first!), and proceeded up to my room after admiring the Diwali kolam display.

The Room

I was glad to receive a complimentary upgrade from the Executive King Room to the Junior Suite (Room 1920). My room was located down the furthest end of the corridor, where it shares a partitioned space with Room 1925.

The 28-32sqm room I booked has expanded into a massive 51sqm space, definitely more than what I needed as a solo traveler. The foyer splits the room into two, with the bedroom on the left and the bathroom on the right.

While the motifs and design elements are largely similar to the previous rooms I’ve stayed in, I liked that the floor was not fully carpeted and the wooden tiles made the bedroom feel more warm and cosy.

The king sized mattress is on the firmer side with a comfortable amount of elasticity, while the pillows come in a pair with different levels of firmness. Both sides of the bed have access to a universal power socket and a USB-A charging port.

An elephant painting hangs above the plush purple sofa, which has coffee tables on both ends but sadly no power sockets. The work desk occupies its own space by the window, which gives a view of the traffic along Jalan Wong Ah Fook, as well as Singapore in the far background. Behind the work desk, you can find the pillow menu and more universal power sockets for your devices.

The television has a limited selection of entertainment channels, with most of them being Singaporean and Malaysian channels. There’s an interactive system, though screencasting support is limited to Miracast.

The Junior Suite gets an additional hidden perk of a complimentary welcome minibar (refills are chargeable). Apart from the Segafredo coffee capsules, Dilmah teabags and bottled water, help yourself to the snacks in the drawer and chilled drinks in the mini fridge.

The room also gets a private balcony that is pretty well maintained given the fact that it is outdoors, but I guess the glass panel helps to shield from the weather.

The wardrobe houses the usual amenities: bathrobes, iron/ironing board, laundry bag, torchlight, electronic safe, weighing scale, hairdryer and bedroom slippers.

Moving on to the bathroom, which occupies a space that feels twice as large as the ones in my previous rooms. The bathroom is clean and bright, though one of the bulbs in the shower cubicle suddenly fizzled out halfway through my photo taking.

There’s enough space to install a double vanity, though I would have preferred more table surface instead. The toiletries now come packaged in nice unbranded boxes, while the body balm and soap bar are from Urban Skincare Co.

The toilet bowl comes with an external bidet, and the shower cubicle comes fitted with a hand held and rainshower. Bath amenities are also from Urban Skincare Co. (they smelt nice) and in travel size tubes so you can take them home.

The Junior Suite is one of two room types (the other being the One Bedroom Suite) that includes a bathtub. The tub is clean and pretty well maintained, but I faced some issues with the drain stopper and could not get it to seal completely; thankfully, the drain rate was slow enough to enjoy a soak.

Facilities

I usually omit the facilities section when it is a repeated stay at the same property, but I decided to include it here since the last one was in 2022. That being said, the recreational facilities on Level 8 have not changed much.

The Swimming Pool is open from 7am to 7pm and comprises two sections: the main 1.2m deep pool and a 0.45m pool for children at the side. The Deluxe Pool Access rooms come with a balcony and direct access to the pool.

The vibey Dip Bar is located behind the pool and looks like a nice place to grab a drink or two.

The Fit Centre is open from 6am to 10.30pm and is minimally equipped with cardio and static machines, as well as free weights and yoga mats.

Club Benefits

Guests staying in executive rooms or higher have access to the Executive Club Lounge on Level 20, with benefits as stated in the welcome letter below.

The lounge is open from 6am to 9pm on weekends and public holidays, or 1pm to 9pm on weekdays. Beverages are available throughout the day, and you can help yourself to the coffee, TWG tea, soft drinks, and bottles of still Acqua Panna or sparkling San Pellegrino. The service in this club lounge leaves much to be desired though, as staff were not proactive in taking drink orders or replenishing the fridge.

Evening Cocktails are served from 6pm to 8pm, offering a light dinner spread alongside free flow alcohol. The alcoholic drinks are quite limited and can only be ordered through the staff, but at least my Gin Tonic was rather potent. The pantry area offers a spread of hot dishes, snacks, bread and fruits, while the main table is filled with petite salads, cheese, crudités and desserts. Food quality was average, with nothing really worth taking a second helping of.

Breakfast is served from 6am to 10.30am. The spread was understandably limited, since it’s usually a tradeoff between variety and privacy when deciding whether to have breakfast in the lounge or at the main restaurant. However, I would expect more attentive service here, which was non-existent since I had to self service for the drinks and there was no a la carte menu to order from.

I ended up heading down to the breakfast buffet at Amaya Food Gallery, where the spread was more extensive and included local options like teh tarik, roti john and prata (second picture), as well as live egg and noodle stations. Sadly, it’s quantity over quality here as I didn’t find any dish particularly enjoyable.

Final Thoughts

Amari Johor Bahru is a favourite among Singaporeans due to its close proximity to the border, and the rooms here are comfortable and affordable. However, the lounge offerings are disappointing and I should have read my own review beforehand. For those looking for a taste of the club life at non-Singapore prices, Doubletree down the road would be a better option.

Sofitel Singapore Sentosa is a resort-style property located on a slightly inaccessible part of Sentosa Island, closer to Tanjong Beach and a distance from any monorail station. They do provide a shuttle bus to and from Harbourfront MRT Exit D (spot the hotel logo) at 30 minute intervals from 7am to 11.30pm, so that was my main form of transport in and out.

Its secluded location does provide some form of exclusivity and tranquility, and it was nice to take a break from the city life and immerse in the lush greenery.

One unique experience here would be finding its resident peacocks, who are free to strut through the entire resort grounds. They aren’t exactly everywhere, but I happened to chance upon one by the pool.

Surfing through online reviews, I happened to notice that Sofitel Singapore Sentosa produces peacock plushies (affectionately known as Louis) as a gift for birthdays, anniversaries and family packages. I wasn’t celebrating anything special, but I decided to try my luck anyway by writing in to request for one. I did not receive any reply and I did not expect much, so I was pleasantly surprised when the receptionist Anna handed one to me along with my room keycard. (Side note: despite a 3pm official check-in time, my room was only ready at around 3.20pm.)

She guided me to the Tranquility Wing (the other wing that is further away from the entrance is the Peace Wing), where my room was located. While some rooms are along outdoor corridors, others (like mine) are located within air-conditioned sections.

The Room

My Luxury Garden Room (Room 336) was located on Level 3 of the Tranquility Wing, which happens to be the same floor as the hotel lobby (“ground level”).

The room opens with an entrance foyer, an empty cubic space that contains a second door leading into the bedroom.

The 36sqm Luxury Rooms are quite an interesting sight – they are not as modern as their sister property in the city centre, instead exuding a kind of dated luxury through gold touches and fancy finishings (and a tacky carpet).

The signature Sofitel MyBed mattress is comfortably springy, perfect for a good night’s sleep (or very slightly because I was sleep deprived, as always). The default pillows are of medium firmness, and there’s also a pillow menu hidden somewhere in the room. Each side of the bed gets access to a universal power socket.

Halfway through my photo taking, the doorbell rang and a staff brought in a welcome letter and some fruits. Also on the table was a QR code that allows guests to make housekeeping requests and order in room dining through the website. I don’t know how reliable it is though, because I never received the pillow that I requested.

What differentiates the Luxury Garden Room from the entry level Luxury Room is the promise of a garden view from the window.

A cylinder cabinet sits at the corner of the room, containing various cups and glasses and an empty mini fridge.

The cabinet is also stocked with Nespresso coffee capsules and TWG tea sachets, complimentary for your consumption.

On first look, the wardrobe doesn’t have door handles, but the doors are covered with sea and flower embellishments that act as knobs.

The right wardrobe houses the bathrobes, bedroom slippers, shoe brush and shoe horn, while the left wardrobe contains the iron/ironing board, electronic safe, torchlight and laundry tray; a physical copy of the pillow menu can be found here as well.

We move on to the bathroom, where there are so many reflective surfaces that I gave up trying to hide from the picture. The deep soaking bathtub is spacious enough for 2 people, but it isn’t the most well maintained.

A filtered drinking tap is installed by the sink as an environmentally friendly replacement for bottled water. A limited set of toiletries can be found in the two-tier tray, though I suppose you can call to request for what you need. I always love it when the hairdryer is connected to its own socket because it is so much more convenient to use.

The shower cubicle is fitted with a rainshower and hand held, both of which delivered a strong water pressure. Bath amenities are from Balmain and come in residential bottles. Meanwhile, the toilet bowl is basic and doesn’t come with a bidet.

Facilities

The Sofitel Pool is pretty large and is open from 8am to 8pm with a lifeguard on duty. The pool is nice and all, but for some reason I kept attracting mosquitoes in this area.

Right behind the pool is a shortcut to Tanjong Beach, accessible from 6am to 10pm daily. Note that it’s a 132 steps descent through a forested area to the main road, followed by a casual walk to the beach.

The 24 hour Sofitel Fitness gym is a little harder to locate because there aren’t any signboards, but it’s behind The Cliff restaurant near the pool. The gym is decently equipped with a variety of cardio and strength equipment.

Last but not least, there’s a Fish Spa where you can dip your feet into a pool of Garra Rufa for them to nibble on.

Final Thoughts

Sofitel Singapore Sentosa is a good premium option if you’re looking to get away from city life and recharge in nature. I personally had a restful stay, but I have to admit that I am not the biggest fan of the dated design, and the hardware is starting to show signs of its age. That being said, I think I’ll always be a little biased because the lovely team gifted me a peacock plushie to add to my collection :p

Owen House by Habyt was never on my list; I had accidentally snatched a S$50 OFF S$150 midnight coupon on Trip and was looking for a cheaper hotel to use it on, when I realised that the rooms here were going at particularly low prices on some dates. Best of all, the minimum spend was calculated before the special discount, so I managed to further lower the price to below S$60.

I had no idea what to expect when I showed up at the property. A convenient walk from Farrer Park Exit G/H, it is across the junction from City Square Mall and neighbouring with other hotels like One Farrer Hotel and The Serangoon House (reviews are bad for this one).

I arrived slightly before 3pm and was greeted by the friendly guy at the reception. He collected my IC and told me to take a seat at the lobby area, where the (seemingly not in operation) Sunlight and Moonshine bar resides. Shortly after, I was called back to the reception to process my check-in, with a S$1 deposit charged to my credit card and a reminder that checkout is at 11am. Also, the reception is only open from 7.30am to 10pm, but there’s a Whatsapp number for after hours support.

There’s a very important QR code at the lobby that is curiously nowhere to be found in the room. This QR code allows you to make housekeeping requests or room service orders. Since there’s no telephone in the room, it’s either through here or in person at the reception.

In-house guests can also purchase a breakfast set at S$15 nett for consumption at Acoustics Coffee Bar, the cafe attached to the hotel. Alternatively, you can enjoy 10% OFF on a la carte orders by showing your keycard.

The Room

There’s only one lift for the entire building, but it arrived within reasonable time since there are only 7 floors. Keycard access is only required on the ground floor and during after hours (after 10pm). I made my way up to Level 3, where my Deluxe Queen with Balcony (Room 301) is located.

The room adopts a simple, warm and modern design. It is generally kept clean, though not the most polished as there are uneven surfaces on the walls and stains on the floor.

The queen sized bed is fitted with a relatively firm mattress that is in contrast to the softer pillows. Both sides of the bed have access to two Type G power sockets and a relatively empty coffee table.

The television doesn’t seem to be able to play live channels (“please scan channels” is displayed), but it comes installed with apps like YouTube, Netflix (did not work), Disney+ (did not try), and even mewatch for the true blue Singaporeans.

A simple work desk and chair can be found beside the entrance, with three Type G power sockets and two USB charging ports for your electronics. The only thing on the table is the in-room dining menu, which is the same as the menu at Sunlight and Moonshine but with a S$2 tray surcharge for sending it to your room.

A single rail with hangers acts as an open wardrobe, hanging above the other amenities. Two glasses and a kettle are available if you want to make yourself a cup of Boncafe coffee or Dilmah tea. The drawers below contain bedroom slippers, a laundry bag, torch light and hairdryer, while the open slots in the cabinet house the electronic safe and empty mini fridge.

This room type comes with a balcony overlooking the mall across the street, but the hot weather and non-existent view make it a terrible place to chill. The receptionist also advised me to keep the balcony door closed as birds have been known to fly in.

The bathroom is hidden behind a door that does not look like a bathroom door – perhaps more like a connecting door? It is also very minimally furnished with just a residential bottle of hand soap, two body towels and dental kits; I made a request for a hand towel and tissue box through the QR code and the items arrived within 10 minutes.

The toilet bowl has a comfortable height and comes with an external bidet. The shower comes with a hand held and rainshower head, both of which had strong water pressure, but which also meant that the rest of the bathroom got wet easily due to the lack of a divider.

Facilities

Owen House doesn’t have much facilities to talk about since most of the space is taken up by guest rooms. There’s supposedly a Laundry Room at the basement, but I didn’t bother looking for it since the lift only services from the ground floor up.

Perhaps the only spaces worth mentioning are The Pembroke on Level 4 and The Plaza on Level 6. These are both 24 hour co-living spaces equipped with a shared fridge and kitchenette, as well as a drinking water dispenser since there’s no water in the room.

Final Thoughts

I didn’t have high expectations coming into Owen House and I can’t say I’ve been disappointed by the experience. The room works fine, the bed is comfortable enough, and the service at the front desk is warm and friendly. I guess this just isn’t the best location for a hotel (One Farrer Hotel is fine because I never had to leave the property due to the Skyline Lounge), but it might work for someone else who needs to be in the area.

One Farrer Hotel is one of my favourite hotels: the rooms are fine (though suffering a little wear and tear) but a huge part of that is attributed to the Skyline Lounge, where the service is good and the offerings are generous. A minor incident towards the end soured that a little, but we will get to that.

The only thing that deters me from coming back more often is the price, so I was happy to score a lounge-inclusive room for under S$300 after using Trip.com’s S$100 OFF midnight coupon. I made my way to the familiar green apple via Farrer Park MRT Exit A, ust across the road.

As I strolled up to the reception at 1.20pm and stated my intention to check in, I was immediately rebutted with a “check-in time is at 3pm” as the staff took my IC, which was honestly not the best first impression to leave. While true, perhaps the staff could have checked the room availability first before making that statement; it turned out that my room was indeed ready and after a quick S$100 deposit I received my keycard immediately.

The Room

The Mint Premier Room (Room 1909) is the lowest room category that includes access to the Skyline Lounge, so of course that would be my bare minimum.

The room starts off pitch-black, but the lights automatically turn on and blinds raise up upon sensing your entrance, illuminating the room with natural sunlight from the full length windows.

This is my second time staying in the Mint Premier Room, so the room is quite familiar. You can refer to these other posts to see the Mint Room (usually no lounge access) and Skyline Studio (with bathtub). One slightly annoying thing this time was that there were a couple of flies flying around the room, and a ton of dead(?) ones stuck on the blinds.

The king sized mattress would lean towards the firmer side, though still comfortable enough and not as firm as the ones I had in Penang. The pillows are of medium firmness; I couldn’t find a pillow menu in the room and I suppose you might need to head to The Pillow Lab on Level 18. Each side of the bed has access to a single type G power socket under the table; curiously, one of those power sockets did not have a proper cover.

The amenities cabinet is located beside the bed and comes stocked with illy coffee capsules (for use with the Nespresso machine), TWG teabags and two bottles of drinking water. A variety of glasses and an empty mini fridge are available for your use.

A glass-topped work desk with an ergonomic chair faces the window, so you can work while taking in the city view. The HDMI port on the media panel doesn’t work, which was a shame because the television’s display was glitchy. I ended up connecting my HDMI cable directly to the television to stream from my laptop, but then I faced another problem: the Wifi was a little slow so there was a lot of buffering, and this got worse late into the night.

The walkway to the bathroom runs parallel to the entrance corridor, where the wardrobe (with full length mirrors) and sink area (with a huge vanity mirror) reside.

The wardrobe houses the usuals: bathrobe, iron/ironing board, umbrella, torchlight, electronic safe, laundry bags and bedroom slippers.

The vanity area comes with a single wide sink and toiletries from Fresh Skin Lab on the side. I forgot to take a picture, but there’s a drawer that contains a hairdryer that is already connected to a power socket.

The bathroom is enclosed with a sliding door, but the double-door system can be quite dangerous as I hurt my finger in between the doors on multiple occasions. The shower cubicle is spacious and is fitted with a hand held and rainshower, as well as travel-sized bath amenities from Fresh Skin Lab.

Club Benefits

The most important reason to book a room at One Farrer Hotel is for the club benefits, which most rooms from Mint Premier and above would include. Here is the welcome letter – to think there was a time pre-COVID when the lounge served 5 meals :’)

Club guests enjoy an exclusive usage of the Skyline Pool on Level 18 from 7am to 10pm, sheltered enough to use during rain or shine.

The Skyline Lounge is open from 7am to 10pm as well, with all day refreshments like crackers (papadums are back), coffee, tea and juices outside of meal presentations. I was excited to see that the friendly Joni is still around, and that she remembers me!

Despite the 3pm check-in time, always make it a point to arrive earlier to enjoy the Light Lunch served from 12pm to 2.30pm. Joni mentioned that there’s a different menu everyday, and the overall menu changes every 3-6 months. Here’s the current Saturday menu: assorted sushi, har gow (which was replaced with siew mai towards the end), Chicken Char Siew Puff and Potato Croquette with Fried Bacon Bechamel Sauce. Desserts were Japanese Mochi and Mango Shortcake, as well as jars of cut fruits.

Evening Cocktails is a lively affair from 5.30pm to 8.30pm. Enjoy free flow of alcoholic beverages – no fancy cocktails but Prosecco is available, and Joni suggested pairing it with orange juice (a.k.a. Mimosa). Light dinner is available as as a pairing with the drinks, though they can be quite substantial and carb-heavy: the hot food section had briyani, chicken, lemongrass barramundi and curry vegetables. There were also potato salad, smoked salmon, bread and cheese, as well as ondeh cake and salted caramel macarons.

This was definitely more than enough for me, but I saw that some guests chose to order food from Escape restaurant downstairs, which could be delivered to the lounge. I also noticed some guests eating from bento boxes, supposedly special arrangements to cater to their dietary restrictions.

Breakfast sees a larger spread from 7am to 11am, with a good mix of asian and western options along with pastries, cold cuts and a salad bar. There’s a live egg station and a mini porridge station, with youtiao but very few of other toppings.

My usual routine is to head down to checkout and then request to be tapped back up to the lounge to enjoy one more round of Light Lunch. For some reason, I was feeling lazy and decided to call the reception to ask if I could return the room first but return the keycard later after having lunch in the lounge. The receptionist suggested that I head down to return the keycard first and then return to the lounge after, so I did like I have been doing for my past three stays.

To my surprise, my request to return to the lounge was met with a “sorry, you cannot go back up after checking out” and that “this is a new policy”. This was not the same generosity that I’ve been familiar with, but the staff assured that I could just request for a late checkout in the future to enjoy lunch in the lounge. Nevertheless, thanks to the phone call I made, the staff acknowledged that it was their staff’s mistake and gave me a keycard to return up for lunch.

Final Thoughts

Overall, One Farrer Hotel still delivers on the lounge offerings and Joni (and the rest of the lounge staff) are friendly and stellar as always. However, there may be parts of the service that could use some fine-tuning, and the room is indeed starting to show its age. The urge to return is not as strong anymore, but I’ll still jump onto any good deals down the road.

This is my first Round 4 post, and I can safely say that PARKROYAL on Beach Road has been rather consistent in their offerings. This stay came about because I had stayed at Pan Pacific Orchard during my birthday and needed to spend just a little more to hit the S$400 minimum spend for the AMEX S$80 OFF Pan Pacific Hotels Group offer. The prices this weekend were a little lower, and I managed to book the entry level Superior Room at S$235. Courtesy of my GHA Titanium status, I received a 4pm late checkout and a two/three-tier upgrade to the Club Deluxe Room.

GHA Titanium members are also given a tin of Pandan Gula Melaka Cookies as a welcome amenity. This was delivered to my room in person slightly after I finished taking pictures for this post.

A few weeks after booking the stay, I received an email about book direct benefits that include 2pm late checkout (good for those without GHA status) and S$30 dining credits.

Halim, the ground floor receptionist who checked me in, did not tell me about the credits so I had to explicitly ask about them. I also confirmed that it was applicable for in-room dining and proceeded to order the Crispy Chicken Cutlet (it was over fried and too crispy; would’ve loved more sauce).

When settling the bill, I had to once again remind Christina, the lounge receptionist who processed by check-out, about the dining credits and was informed that in-room dining is not eligible but my bill would be waived out of goodwill. I was surprised since I had confirmed beforehand, but also cause I recall it being stated in the website’s T&Cs (snapshot below). This would be the only hiccup to an otherwise lovely stay, but I’m glad I wasn’t forced to pay for it!

The Room

I headed up to Level 6, where my Club Deluxe Room (Room 658) and the club lounge are located. This makes the Club Deluxe Rooms more convenient than the Club Premier Rooms, which are located on Level 7.

As before (here and here), the room opens with a short corridor that splits into the bathroom and bedroom. The wardrobe takes up most of the space, so there isn’t a luggage area unlike their Club Premier Rooms.

The wardrobe stores the electronic safe, iron/ironing board, hairdryer, laundry bags and bathrobes. Bedroom slippers, shoe horn, shoe brush and shoe shine can be found in the bottom slots.

The amenities corner is well stocked with Nescafe coffee sachets and Dilmah tea bags, along with an assortment of cups and glasses to drink from. There’s also a Nespresso machine with four different capsules, one decaffeinated. The mini fridge is thoughtfully left empty for your own usage.

The 35sqm fully carpeted room is definitely on the spacious side, with a warm colour scheme that is pleasing to the eyes.

The medium firm mattress provides ample support for a good night’s rest, while the pillows are softer and squishy, with the additional fifth pillow being a little firmer. The left side of the bed has access to two type G power sockets and two USB ports, while the right side gets two universal power sockets and a wireless charging platform on the alarm clock.

No turndown service was provided, but they did put a lavender pillow mist in the room from the start.

There’s a plush sofa and coffee table by the window, as well as a luggage rack and random art piece. Not much of a view from this room, since it faces the street and overhead bridge towards Haji Lane.

The bright and clean bathroom comes fitted with a filtered tap for drinking water, as well as a built in bidet in the toilet bowl (switch is at the side). The shower cubicle comes with a hand held and rainshower, though the latter is hard to use due to the ledge protruding out of the wall. Bath amenities are from APPELLES and stored in residential bottles; travel-sized bottles of conditioner and skin lotion are provided beside the Vanity Group toiletries.

Club Benefits

Halim did not tell me whether I was eligible to use the club lounge during check-in, so I went to clarify with the lounge reception staff since hotels aren’t obliged to extend lounge usage for club room upgrades. Upon checking, I was told that I can indeed enjoy the club lounge and its meals. Furthermore, I was told that my GHA Titanium status also grants me breakfast at Ginger downstairs, a non-specified benefit that Halim did not tell me about.

The lounge offers cookies and non-alcoholic drinks (coffee, tea, canned drinks, juices; sadly no more Perrier sparkling water) in the afternoon in between meal times. They do provide takeaway cups in case you want to grab a cuppa back to your room.

Alcoholic drinks (wine, beer, simple house pours) join the party during Evening Cocktails from 6pm to 8pm. I love that they are not too strict with the timing as a staff came to take my drink order at 5.50pm, and interestingly she also knew my name without asking me beforehand. Staff were also attentive, proactively topping up my wine and clearing empty plates. The lounge also doesn’t close immediately at 8pm, allowing guests to finish their meal at their own pace.

A simple spread of food is provided along with the free flow alcohol, not too extensive but carb heavy enough to fill my tummy. There were some hot dishes, assorted sushi, salad bar, nuts and cheese, and cakes for desserts. The items get refreshed when they run out: the mac & cheese became (too) spicy seafood pasta, and the sushi was replaced with local kueh. I noticed that another guest got a custom made rice dish from the chef, perhaps due to his dietary requirements.

What’s new during this stay is that the club lounge is now serving breakfast from 7am to 10am; previously, all guests dined at Ginger. I appreciate this option for more privacy, and I liked that they “compensated” for the limited variety with an automatic Nutella dispenser and Yakult that are not found downstairs. There’s also a live egg station that you won’t have to wait too long for (the omelette queue at Ginger can get long while the other egg types are preprepared).

That being said, Ginger’s extensive selection is hard to beat and I decided to head down for Round 2 to fill up on more local delights. (Also partly to verify that I do get to enjoy free breakfast!) Ginger is open from 6.30am to 10.30am, so it can be a better choice if you want to start your day earlier or wake up later.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was yet another lovely stay at PARKROYAL on Beach Road: the room was huge and comfortable, and the lounge had decent offerings (plus breakfast!). The GHA status recognition was great, and to be honest I was relieved because I was kinda riding on it to get the whole club experience. My opinion remains the same: get the club room!