Clarke Quay, Singapore — GREETED BY SWEET smiles as we checked in at this beautifully reviewed hotel on this side of the city-state, we knew instantly we were in for a great stay.
We’re spending our last six days here at Fragrance Hotel Riverside, one of Singapore’s go-to hotels, especially for travelers and businessmen. This isn’t our first time in Singapore, but we’re just as excited as if it were.
Not our first time here, but we’re equipping ourselves with these guides from the hotel lobby to make the most of our stay in Singapore.
Located by the famous Singapore River, hence its name, Fragrance Hotel Riverside enjoys good reviews from those who’ve decided to call it home while in this Southeast Asian nation, known as one of the most progressive countries in Asia. The hotel is popular for its friendly, hospitable staff and its great location.
Being in Clarke Quay — a central area easily reached by public transport, MRT (Circle and Purple Lines) and buses — without spending much on your hotel is quite a deal. Clarke Quay is known for a nightlife you can’t find anywhere else in Singapore. This is where ‘business after office hours’ happens, with a great food scene and fantastic bar strips ready to give visitors an experience to remember.
Kim, getting emo by the bridge at Clarke Quay.
This blogger playing at Clarke Quay while a family of tourists takes their group photo (left), and other tourists stroll and sit by the riverside to watch the bars’ beautiful lights as dusk settles in (right). The boats cruising the river add even more color to the already vibrant scene on this side of the city. – Photo by Kim Rhollins Lorezo
While Singapore is already a top destination for Asian travelers, for many Western travelers, it’s often the country to “stop and cool down” after weeks of exploring neighboring Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Cambodia, among others. Unlike the unique, exotic experience those countries offer, Singapore is more modern, with transportation and communication facilities well ahead of its neighbors. Since ‘cooling down’ is such an important phase after weeks of traveling the region, and before the last leg home, a good hotel is essential when in Singapore.
A word of caution, though: when you choose to stay here, expect exactly your money’s worth, no more, since hotels in Singapore cost considerably more than in other Southeast Asian countries given the local standard of living. Fragrance Hotel Riverside isn’t a five-star-and-up hotel, but a three-star one with service worth boasting about, as its staff clearly take their commitment to guests to heart. At least, that’s what we believed and experienced.
The Stay
If this room looks good enough for you, then the Superior Room, the cheapest of their rooms, is the one to book. It has no window, but who needs one? We certainly didn’t.
Since our purpose for this visit was a mix of business and leisure, we just needed a hotel room for a good night’s rest at the end of every tiring day of meeting people and experiencing this city (which, by the way, doesn’t wind down until 3am). This turned out to be an excellent choice: the Superior Room, complete with a double bed, a shower/comfort room, a mini-bar, and ample space for our luggage, was good enough for two. Having stayed at a lot of hotels in the same price range in Singapore, this has been, by far, the best choice. Plus, we saved on transportation, since it’s just a 3-5 minute walk to the MRT and bus stops, with the famous Chinatown just 10 minutes away on foot.
If you’re traveling solo or in twos, like we were, a Superior Room should be enough. But if you need a bigger room or one with a balcony, go for either the De Luxe Room or Family Room, the latter good for traveling with a kid, since it accommodates three guests.
You can stock the mini-bar in your room with drinks. For coffee lovers like me, coffee and tea sets are also provided.
Enjoy your own coffee and tea sets, and don’t hesitate to bring extra coffee or tea sachets if you’re a coffee drinker like me.
Should you skip breakfast on your booking, just walk around for good food. Cheaper options (less than SG$10) are available along the main road or in the food court inside the nearby mall, Central Clarke Quay, just a stone’s throw away. For more premium restaurants, head to Clarke Quay for whatever suits your palate.
Tours are also offered through a tenant at the hotel lobby, and for everything else, a 7-Eleven sits right beside the hotel.
Swim in, Hit the Gym
Most of the time, guests are out exploring the city, so this pool becomes your own personal playground whenever you want some down time.
Read your favorite book before diving into the pool, or just soak in the Singapore air poolside. You decide.
For its price and location, Fragrance Hotel Riverside is already a good deal, but what makes our stay even better is its swimming pool and gym. They’re nowhere near as grand as those at five-star hotels, but for us, they serve their purpose well.
An early morning or midday dip is one small luxury we appreciated a lot. Kim and I decided to give it a go on our third day, since our schedule wasn’t too tight. A night swim was never really in the cards, since we were mostly out at night. Call it an age gap. For the gym buffs, that little room full of weights is already a real treat when you’re away from home, right? Yes, it’s part of the amenities guests get to enjoy.
Fragrance Hotel Riverside may not give everyone the same complete, satisfying experience the big hotels here provide, but it’s more than equipped to satisfy travelers looking for what a stay is really about: a warm welcome, good service, a bit of comfort, a few extra things to do, and a good mix of experiences in a foreign land, away from home.
Other photos grabbed from Fragrance Hotel’s website. Check them out at www.fragrancehotel.com.
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