There're some things we like about this weekend breather here at Robertson Quay.
There're some things that we don't.
I can't say that they affected our stay here entirely.
But I'll say that I'll reconsider, and recalibrate, if someone throws forth the suggestion to breathe here again.
Robertson Quay is not an awkward place.
Popular among expatriates and locals, the zone holds some of the most desired addresses this side of town.
It might due her proximity to the River.
It might be due to the fact that she lies just on the outskirts of the Downtown Core and so you get the best of both worlds.
From Robertson Quay it's possible to walk to (the restaurants of) Clarke Quay and Boat Quay in thirty minutes (faster if you're on a bike). It's also possible to get to Great World City shopping mall in fifteen. The distance to Orchard- if you go by Clemenceau Avenue and River Valley Road- isn't that far either, and if you go by Havelock Road you'll reach the areas of Tiong Bahru, Outram, Henderson and Queenstown in no time.
She's rather central- this place- by car and bike, but perhaps a little bit different if you- like me- prefer public transport.
Because there's no MRT in the area, and the nearest bus stop is about ten minutes away on either side.
The closest supermarket is at Great World City, and whilst that basically means you have to manage your grocery shopping, it's not so big of a deal if you're merely on a weekend breather.
That is, if you haven't brought a grill and intend to have a self-cooked dinner of sorts there.
It didn't matter so much to me that the nearest supermarket was a distance away.
But it did matter to me that little fridge in the room wasn't chill enough to chill even a can of Coke had I purchased one from the convenience store downstairs.
That being said, I liked the room.
Especially the staircase.
Because the heartlander me takes a fancy to loft rooms and staircases and I wouldn't mind having a proper stint in one.
M Social is known for her loft rooms.
It's the kind of space where you go if you want to take a breather, celebrate a birthday, or just chill out with a couple of friends.
I'm not sure if most rooms in M Social have their beds on the ground floor and the TV, sofa area upstairs, but my room was.
Didn't make much of a difference, save for a lot of careful carrying up and down the (unfamiliar) flight of stairs.
I liked how the bed was close to the windows though.
Even with the blinds partially open I could look up through the tall glass to the sky outside.
I don't think I closed the curtains the entire time when I was there either.
Our breather this weekend at Robertson Quay included a casual walk along the river to Clarke Quay where we had an early dinner at one of our favorite Thai food places- SOI 47.
I've probably taken pictures of these dishes before, but no harm done, I took them again.
There's very little that can beat a dish of green curry beef (with rice), fried spring rolls and sweet tasting Moo Ping.
We didn't explore very much the area after that, even though we did check out parts of Robertson Walk, and some of the little streets behind.
There was more walking the next day, I'm glad to say.
It's, after all, not in my psyche to not explore the surroundings of an area, no matter which area it is there.
Next morning after breakfast we walked about the area a little bit, looking across the river waters to a hotel opposite, as well as the bridge one has to cross in order to get to the Havelock Road side.
I loved how the shadows of trees played across the little patches of grass near the pavements.
I also loved seeing doggies big and small on their morning walks with their pawrents.
They were obedient- most of them- never mind their breed- save maybe for one shihtzu who decided it a good thing to make friends with a toy poodle and barked in an albeit friendly way.
The sight of all these dogs made our alfresco breakfast a more interesting one.
The food's not too bad, by the way.
One doesn't get elaborate offerings, but there're scrambled eggs, there's a omelet making robot somewhere in the restaurant, and you've got the usual servings of sausage, bacon, hash browns, cheese, cold cuts, salad, fruits, toast, cereal, yogurt, milk, butter and jam.
There were dim sum offerings too.
I know I took a bit of scrambled egg, some dragonfruit, a little pastry, some siew mais, and a single pancake with butter.
I think I helped myself to some cheese and hash browns too.
Later that afternoon we headed across another bridge- this one with a most unusual name that I cannot remember- and entered the estate of Jalan Kukoh- which, in actual fact, lies just across the river high atop a hill and which necessitates a climb.
I'm not sure if I can say we had a great time there but we saw certain things, got a couple of mozzie bites (unfortunately) and grasped a little bit of understanding there.
Curiously enough there wasn't very much that we did after, but we walked along the road towards Great World City and had a marvelous time in the newly renovated supermarket there.
I don't know if we'll be back to the Robertson Quay area (or to this hotel) for a while.
Maybe we will, maybe we won't.
Or maybe we'll check out some of the other hotel properties in the area over there.