581 Orchard Road, Singapore
My last staycation during Singapore's Phase 2 of Reopening was at Hilton Singapore (5*), thanks to the corporate discount that I was entitled to. The ageing hotel was built in 1970, a year older than its competitor,
Grand Hyatt Singapore (5*). With a rooftop swimming pool, it's got a total of 423 guest rooms.
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SIN: Hilton Singapore [Phase 2 of Reopening] <YOU ARE HERE!>
SIN: Changi Beach Club [Before COVID-19]
SIN: Village Hotel Changi [Before COVID-19]
The hotel is located next to Far East Shopping Centre, which I often mistake for Far East Plaza. It's directly facing the Royal Thai Embassy.
I was glad that I had my staycation in early December 2020 on a weekday. Just a few days later, the news mentioned that there were very long queues at the lobby where people had to wait for hours for check-in.
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| Is that a phoenix? |
The hotel houses the reputable D9 Cakery, known for its artisanal handcrafted pattiserie.
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| The cakery offers islandwide delivery service with a minimum of S$80.00 nett spend. |
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| Which is the best Yule log cake have you ever eaten? |
If I remember correctly, I was assigned a room on the 19th floor.
The Hilton brand is taking cleaning and disinfection very seriously. Calling it the Hilton CleanStay programme, it's building on "[its] already rigorous cleaning standards to provide complete peace of mind when you stay" at any of its properties, specifically parterning with Reckitt Benckiser that produces Lysol and Dettol.
I booked a Deluxe Room, which measures 32 square metres.
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| The bed is comfortable, but the pillows are way too soft for my liking. |
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| I think I should invest in an ergonomic desk chair for myself. |
I shall reveal that I actually stayed in a Premium Room instead as I was given a free upgrade. Having the same floor area as mentioned above, such rooms are located on the 17th to the 19th floor. Also, there's a Nespresso machine. Yay!
If you fancy a bath tub, you need to book an Executive Room of any of the suites.
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| Also, there's no bidet spray installed. |
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| I love the aroma of Crabtree & Evelyn products. |
Here are two photos of the view from the room.
Spanning two storeys, The Shopping Gallery is where you can go on a shopping spree for luxury goods.
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| I reckon it must be very popular among the riches before there were lots of shopping malls around. |
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| There's a florist too. It's called Fleur Connection. |
The photos above were actually taken during my visit to the hotel before the staycation. There was a Christmas tree put up on the second floor last December.
To use the fitness centre and the swimming pool, guests are required to book time slots by approaching the staff stationed in front of the former on the 23rd floor. For the time being, the fitness centre is open from 5.00am to 10.00pm instead of 24/7. Each guest is limited to 90 minutes per session.
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| If only my life can be as simple as train-eat-sleep-repeat... |
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| I think I can count with the fingers of one hand the number of times I've ever used a treadmill. |
Towards the end of my session, I decided to use one of the exercise bikes. Shocking indeed were the conditions inside some Venezuelan hospitals; I thought I was watching a Silent Hill movie. I really hope the Venezuelan crisis can be resolved soon.
I saw a sauna and a steam room inside the changing room. Alas, they were closed and probably won't be open anytime soon.
The swimming pool is located on the 24th floor. It's open from 7.00am to 7.00pm daily. Each guest is limited to 60 minutes per session during the current pandemic.
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| Witnessing sunrise at 7.00am~ |
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| You can see the Royal Thai Embassy from up there. |
Breakfast is served at Opus Bar & Grill. I had to reserve my preferred 45-minute time slot the day before via the QR code printed on the welcome letter.
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| Breakfast was an underwhelming affair. Click here to find out why I'm saying that. |
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| Self-service buffet is still suspended at the point of writing, so you can't help yourself to the drinks. |
Have a look at the Christmas cake display outside the restaurant.
In late October 2020, I dropped by the hotel to dine at Iggy's, a One Michelin Star restaurant that was established in 2004. Do visit my
food blog for the review.
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| Such a modest-looking entrance, eh? |
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| Iggy's has previously made it to the list of The World's Best 50 Restaurants. |
If I have to compare with Grand Hyatt Singapore, I feel that Hilton Singapore loses in many aspects, perhaps save for the fitness centre.
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