It used to be an empty space beside the river.
Then for a long time, and for what seemed like an even longer time, they were digging holes along the banks of the river, blocking off this side and that side, making it such that if you wanted to cross over the other side, you had to make this huge round, and there were bags of sand here and bags of cement there which made it so inconvenient that you completely avoided the river for a time.
But now that's done, and in that space now stands a structure which I happened to watch as they laid the final fittings. One day they were laying the tiles on the fully sheltered driveway. Another day they were placing the glass doors. Still another day the gigantic chandelier meant for the lobby ceiling arrived. Brightened up the whole space, this huge chandelier did, and now it stands like a focal point of illumination welcoming guests that enter.
There're two restaurants. One is on the ground floor. The other is on the fourth, and it's right next to the swimming pool where there're open spaces to chat, smoke, drink, munch on peanuts, bang out emails, guzzle down iced drinks, suntan and basically do everything outdoorsy. There's a food court next door and there're a couple of shops where one can get chocolate, perfume, durian mochi, souvenirs, soya bean milk, ice cream and sushi from a small joint on the outside that looks out onto the main road. Oh, there's the money changer too.
The room, when you see it for the first time, is a place where you can prettify and make it your own for a couple of days. The tables are in square and rectangular shapes with nicely-fitted drawers underneath. On a cute tray, they've placed the hot water kettle, the mugs, the complimentary coffee and tea and stirrers. On the wall near the door, they've placed nooks for your clothes and fixed to the ceiling near the window they've placed a sort of open wardrobe with hangers for the shirts, dresses and blouses. There's a ledge by the window for your knick-knacks that you wish to put out. There's a fridge for the cans of beer and Sprite and Coke and milk and juice and fruits.
The bathroom is just as adorable. It looks basic with little frills, yes, but you'll find a charm to it when you place your personal toiletries- and your toothbrush- out.
It's essentially a blank canvas, that's how I see the decor of the room. Perhaps it might not be what one desires from a hotel. Perhaps it could be more colorful, or more elaborate, or even more thematic, but that's the charm of a neat, structured, simple room as such.
It is a place that blends in beautifully with your living habits.
Whether you're someone who places everything in squares and hangs all your clothes up neatly, whether you're someone who stocks up on fresh fruit and fresh milk and juice and nuts and dried fruits, whether you're the one who wants beer and soft drinks and potato chips in the fridge, whether you're someone who arranges all your electronic equipment with wires criss-crossing the room or whether you're one who feels happy seeing all your things laid out as they are, this is a space that permits that personal expression, that personal vibe.
And this hotel is juxtaposed in one of the most charming neighborhoods ever.
Then for a long time, and for what seemed like an even longer time, they were digging holes along the banks of the river, blocking off this side and that side, making it such that if you wanted to cross over the other side, you had to make this huge round, and there were bags of sand here and bags of cement there which made it so inconvenient that you completely avoided the river for a time.
But now that's done, and in that space now stands a structure which I happened to watch as they laid the final fittings. One day they were laying the tiles on the fully sheltered driveway. Another day they were placing the glass doors. Still another day the gigantic chandelier meant for the lobby ceiling arrived. Brightened up the whole space, this huge chandelier did, and now it stands like a focal point of illumination welcoming guests that enter.
There're two restaurants. One is on the ground floor. The other is on the fourth, and it's right next to the swimming pool where there're open spaces to chat, smoke, drink, munch on peanuts, bang out emails, guzzle down iced drinks, suntan and basically do everything outdoorsy. There's a food court next door and there're a couple of shops where one can get chocolate, perfume, durian mochi, souvenirs, soya bean milk, ice cream and sushi from a small joint on the outside that looks out onto the main road. Oh, there's the money changer too.
The room, when you see it for the first time, is a place where you can prettify and make it your own for a couple of days. The tables are in square and rectangular shapes with nicely-fitted drawers underneath. On a cute tray, they've placed the hot water kettle, the mugs, the complimentary coffee and tea and stirrers. On the wall near the door, they've placed nooks for your clothes and fixed to the ceiling near the window they've placed a sort of open wardrobe with hangers for the shirts, dresses and blouses. There's a ledge by the window for your knick-knacks that you wish to put out. There's a fridge for the cans of beer and Sprite and Coke and milk and juice and fruits.
The bathroom is just as adorable. It looks basic with little frills, yes, but you'll find a charm to it when you place your personal toiletries- and your toothbrush- out.
It's essentially a blank canvas, that's how I see the decor of the room. Perhaps it might not be what one desires from a hotel. Perhaps it could be more colorful, or more elaborate, or even more thematic, but that's the charm of a neat, structured, simple room as such.
It is a place that blends in beautifully with your living habits.
Whether you're someone who places everything in squares and hangs all your clothes up neatly, whether you're someone who stocks up on fresh fruit and fresh milk and juice and nuts and dried fruits, whether you're the one who wants beer and soft drinks and potato chips in the fridge, whether you're someone who arranges all your electronic equipment with wires criss-crossing the room or whether you're one who feels happy seeing all your things laid out as they are, this is a space that permits that personal expression, that personal vibe.
And this hotel is juxtaposed in one of the most charming neighborhoods ever.
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| view^1 |
You've got Tyrwhitt Road in front. There's Jalan Besar Stadium peeking out from behind the blocks. On the extreme right of this view, lies Kallang and then Lavender lies further up. The nearest street here where the housing blocks are is Maude Road, with Kitchener Road next to it, and if you look hard enough, there's just that tiny glimpse of the Jalan Besar Swimming Pool next to the stadium.
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| view^2 |
There's Sungei Road to the extreme left. There's Scotts Road further back. From high up here you can see the Marriott Tang Plaza with her pagoda roof and you can see Mandarin Orchard standing tall and proud. There's a glimpse of Orchard Central with her distinctive panels and there's a whole patch of green somewhere there too. Then there're the structures of Ngee Ann City behind where Sunshine Plaza and of course, Peace Center, a structure which stands out really well.
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| dramatic clouds= drama view |
The shop houses- the quaint ones that make the unique architecture of South East Asia- are right in front along Syed Alwi Road. This is a road that leads to Mustafa Center that leads to Connexion that leads to the area where Goldbell Tower is- in the far, far distance.
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| trying to follow the river's flow |
And all this is just facing one side- the side where I was placed. There's still the other side- the side which faces the city center and the Marina Barrage, and to how the view is, well, I can just imagine it would be more airy, more spacious and equally quirky.