All posts tagged: Hotel review

REVIEW: Andaz Singapore, Luxury Room

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I first encountered the Andaz brand on a work trip to Shanghai several years back. Not knowing it was a Hyatt brand until I checked in then, I was instantly taken in by the swag that the brand displayed. One of the quirky thing that caught my attention (along with many other things) was the key cards that Andaz Shanghai offered – a series of bright solid coloured, text-only card that looked like an element from the periodic table. Now to the main point of this review – Andaz Singapore. The hotel’s landing in Singapore was first announced in January 2015 by Hyatt, and its opening was very much looked forward to by Hyatt fans. Andaz Singapore is the very first Andaz property to open in Southeast Asia, adding to a worldwide portfolio of less than 20 Andaz-branded hotels. The hotel, as with many new downtown developments in Singapore, is housed in DUO, a mixed use development by the fringe of the city. The hotel provides direct connection to Bugis MRT, and you are minutes …

REVIEW: W Taipei, Wonderful Room

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tl;dr: If you need to try a W Hotel in the city for the first time, this is a good choice Small but very comfortable rooms by W’s standard Great proximity to shopping areas at City Hall and Zhongxiao Road Full spa facilities, including jacuzzis, steam rooms, sauna and even a cold plunge pool Small pool surrounded by Kitchen Table and Woobar, not a fantastic location On-property signature restaurant serving up Chinese cuisine Over the weekend that I was in Taipei, I took advantage of W Taipei’s Super Sunday special offer to bag another stay, in order to requalify for my SPG Gold next year. A little more about the promotion: This is not listed on Starwood’s website, but instead have to found on W Taipei’s offer page itself. When I reserved, the going rate was about NT$5,800 for a night’s stay with breakfast, which is arguably one of the cheapest rate you can get a W hotel stay at. Definitely worth the splurge even if you are usually a budget traveller. W Taipei is …

REVIEW: Metropolitan by COMO, Bangkok (Metropolitan Room)

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The Metropolitan by COMO in Bangkok is one of my favourite hotels in the entire city. Despite it being a boutique chain of hotels with no affiliation to any of the major hotel chains (read: no loyalty perks), this remains one of my most memorable hotels for its simplicity in design, comfort and excellent service, making me feel right at home. About COMO COMO Hotels and Resorts is a chain of luxury properties across the world, and they believe in providing “luxury travel experiences with personalised service in elegant properties, each individually curated to reflect its location.” There are 14 COMO properties around the world, with over half of them in Asia. You will notice a trend in the locations they choose for their resorts: most are idyllic or exotic destinations, such as the two resorts in Bhutan and several beach resorts including Phuket and Bali. And I bet you didn’t know – the COMO Hotels and Resorts is part of the COMO Group, which is owned by Singaporean Christina Ong. Some other well known …

REVIEW: Eastern & Oriental Hotel, Penang

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Having not been to Penang for a while, I left the choice of hotel to friends whom I was travelling with. We ended up with Eastern & Oriental, or better known as The E&O, one of Penang’s finest luxury hotels. A quick Wikipedia search will tell you that this is a combination of not one, but two remarkable properties (Eastern Hotel & Oriental Hotel, hence its current name), founded by the Sarkies Brothers in 1884. So who are the Sarkies Brothers and what’s the deal with them? They were Armenians who settled in Southeast Asia and became famous hoteliers of the 1880s, having built several luxury properties across Asia, including Singapore’s very own Raffles Hotel. Location, location, location The E&O is located in the heart of George Town, along Lebuh Farquhar right by the sea. The closest landmark is Fort Cornwallis, while the famous food streets are either within a 15-minute walk away. For reference, Lebuh Armenian, where most of Penang’s famous murals are, is about a kilometre away. Gurney drive is also a short …

REVIEW: Conrad Centennial Hotel Singapore, Deluxe Twin Room

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In a terrible need of a retreat this week, I checked myself in to Conrad Centennial Singapore for a 2D1N stay this weekend. Conrad Centennial Singapore is a 507-room property built in 1996, with its most recent renovation made 10 years ago in 2007. The property has a range of rooms from Classic rooms to the Presidential Suite. Located in the heart of the city, the hotel is conveniently located near the Downtown Core, within walking distance from key shopping malls such as Suntec City, Raffles City, Marina Square and Millenia Walk. For those attending conferences at Suntec City convention centre, this will be a great choice of hotel. My choice of dungeon for this stay was the Executive King Room. The room I originally booked was supposed to be on the 27th floor, but as I requested for a change to a twin room during check-in, I was then given a room on the 13th floor as it was the only twin room available at that point in time.   Executive benefits included free …