Singapore — WE HAVE TO CONFESS: we’re AirBnB virgins. So we thought sharing our first would be worth your time and would also help you snatch a good deal on your next trip.

Travelers would agree that accommodation is one of the first things we consider. More often than not, hotel expenses eat up a big chunk of our travel budget, much more when we’re spending a week or two in this city-state, considered one of the most expensive countries in Asia.

At a glance, Singapore can easily intimidate travelers on a budget. The standard of living is high, most hotels aren’t budget-friendly, and food is quite expensive compared with nearby Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand, among others. So saving big on hotels is necessary.

Solo travelers who don’t mind backpacking won’t have a problem: a good hostel costs a fraction of a hotel. Things are different for those traveling for business or with family, especially with oldies and kids. Hostels don’t promise the comfort some travelers need.

Facing that dilemma on our recent escapade, we browsed, for the first time, the popular traveler’s savior: AirBnB. True enough, AirBnB saved us from both spending big on accommodation and resorting to a hostel. Since we travel for leisure and business, we carry important documents and several large luggage, so a hostel was never an option.

A Nice Abode in Singapore

Trying AirBnB for the first time wasn’t bad after all. Through a promo* from SUN Cellular, we got a huge discount on a nice place in Loyang Rise, a decent residential area near the airport: P2500 off the total cost of our stay.

Big, clean, and quiet, the place offers the comfort of a home. It’s a few minutes’ walk to the bus stations and a few minutes’ bus ride to Tampines and Simei stations (Green Line). While in Singapore, easy access to the MRT is a huge blessing: it’s the fastest way to get around and not that expensive. Try riding cabs all throughout and you’ll know what we mean.

Its proximity to the Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, the jump-off point to our next destination, Bintan, Indonesia, also helped us decide.

Since we took the 4am flight from Manila, which takes around four hours, we arrived much earlier than the noontime check-in. The caretaker welcomed us with cold tea and let us stay in their nice sala while our room was being prepared. Minutes later, we were welcomed into a room larger than what was posted on the site, complete with a double bed with a pretty good mattress, a working table, nice closets, a TV, and a pretty cool bathroom and shower.

Saving on Food and Water

Another good thing about an AirBnB stay is saving on food and water. The kitchen is pretty complete, so guests can cook their own food. We didn’t cook during our entire stay, but the idea is nice.

Having heard sad stories from travelers who complained about the lack of free safe drinking water at their hotel or place of stay in Singapore, we gave much weight to having hot and cold drinking water in ours. It’s a big deal for budget travelers. A big bottle of mineral water in Singapore costs P67 or SGD$2. If a person drinks 3 bottles a day, that’s around P200 saved per person per day, or P2,000 over a 10-day stay.

What makes it personal is that I’m a coffee person. Coffee lovers will understand that hot water is a basic need, especially without a coffeemaker.

Late risers as we are, a comfortable sleep after a tiring day of meetings and escapades is manna from heaven, and always a measure of how pleasant a stay is. At least for us.

Staying in this home for the first five days before our quick break to Indonesia, we not only maximized our budget for the 10-day trip but even thought of coming back.

*Note: The promo, open to SUN and SMART subscribers, runs until March 31 and is valid for travel before December 2016. To avail, text SUNAIRBNB to 2488 or SMARTAIRBNB to 2855 to get a promo code needed at checkout. It’s good for a minimum spend of P8,000. More details for SUN and SMART.

Photos courtesy of Kim.