Diary of an Internet Addict

I had the opportunity for a quick weekday getaway at Ramada Hotel this week.

Ramada Hotel is one of the handful nestled in central Singapore, away from the touristy Orchard area. It is located at Zhongshan Park, not to be confused by its sister hotel, Days Hotel, located just on the opposite side of the Park.

Ramada Hotel is located beside Zhongshan Mall and is accessible through it as well, which makes it pretty convenient. Sadly, will Zhongshan Mall is full of eateries, there are no halal ones, and if you’re looking for it, you will have to go to 21 on Rajah restaurant at Days Hotel or hop on a shuttle to Square 2.

One of my biggest fears about the hotel was that the room would not look as it would in the hotel’s homepage. Perhaps it has some dingy smell with yellowing tiles and cracked sink or something.

But no! I was pleasantly surprised to find that my room was in fact, much better than the photos.

Mandatory toilet shots

The room came with toothbrushes. I can’t tell you enough how happy I am when I stay at a place that provides toothbrushes. You will likely have to wrestle with the toilet flush.

We got the 11th floor, and we had a decent view of the area around us. In my excitement, I did not take a photo of it (as usual). The pool was pretty decent as well. Even though it had just finished raining, the pool’s temperature wasn’t that cold.

For more pictures: http://www.ramadasingapore.com/photo-gallery.aspx

The mattress was pretty comfy, and for some odd reason, there was a cushion on each bed, in addition to two pillows. Not that I’m complaining.

What’s in the room

There was complimentary “coffee and tea-making facilities” which meant that there’s Nescafe, teabags, and electrical pot. There were two bottled drinking water, and one bottled water in the fridge. No mini bars in the room, but you can head to the supermarket at Zhongshan Mall to stock up on your definitely cheaper snacks.

The toilet has the usual shampoo-conditioner-showergel set, with the other mini kits like shaver and mini bags. There’s also my mandatory toothbrush-toothpaste set.

Food

Zhongshan mall has a lot of eateries at reasonable prices. There are no halal options but if you cross the park to Day’s Hotel, around 30 sec away – there’s a halal restaurant called 21 on Rajah. Further down Ah Hood road is the JOM, where Fix Cafe is located. Fix Cafe offers halal food and is pretty decent though a tad pricey (because cafe food).

Otherwise, you can take the shuttle to Square 2 mall or Velocity@Novena which has fastfood and other eateries.

Cost

We had to pay around $211 per night, which was slightly expensive considering the size of room we were getting. It could be the location though.

All in all, I think it’s worth a try if you are looking for a central area to just relax and nap.