So, when a friend and I booked with a travel agency, we decided to drop the package we originally wanted (which included lodgings and transfer to and from the airport) in favor of better accommodations. After a few days of figuring out which place would be the best for what we intended to do - shopping, walking around, and going to Sentosa - we booked Hotel Mi (Bencoolen).
Checking In
The Room & Facilities
The Location
The Price
Final Thoughts
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| Captured via Google Maps |
Checking In
What's great about Booking.com is that upon reservation, they ask for your card details to be used for payment, and you can either pay as you're booking the room or on the spot when you arrive at the hotel. We chose the latter, and check in was a breeze. The front desk just needed the card we used to reserve on the site, our passports, and our signature for policy agreement and other hotel documents.
I had also requested a few hours' extension online and followed-up at the front desk. They said they'd let me know the morning of our check out date.
The Room & Facilities
It was a no-brainer for us to choose a twin room with two separate beds, and because we also wanted our budget to go mostly towards shopping, it was a quick pick. The room was easy enough to find, and as a standard, we were escorted to our room by the Bellhop.
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| Photo from Hotel Mi's website |
I've been to more expensive hotels, but for the room's asking price, it was totally a steal. The basics were there (like a comfy bed, an electronic safe, hot water and coffee station, wifi, an open closet, a clean bathroom with a bidet and towels) and it was a nice place to stuff your things into while you're out exploring the area. (The following images were copped from Hotel Mi's listing - we were too tired from the flight to actually take proper photos of the room.)
The air conditioning was also very nice, and had a pleasantly subtle hum that was enough to lull me to sleep. I love cold rooms, but since my friend didn't like the cold too much, we had a compromise. All in all, the stay was wonderful, and we immediately felt at home that first night.
The Location
On our first night, we had planned to go out and explore the city, but the flight really did a number on us so we opted to go to the nearest 7eleven and grab some snacks instead. It was just a few minutes' walk from Hotel Mi and as we walked along, we noticed a lot of other cafés, restaurants, and places we could have breakfast in for tomorrow.
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| Captured via Google Maps |
It was also a quick walk to the train station, so the place really was the best for what we wanted. Hotel Mi was also very close to The Orchard and the malls that I wanted to visit, so it was again the best location for me for the price.
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| Captured via Google Maps |
Hotel Mi was also right next door to a bubble tea place called SocieTea and they had wonderful options for whatever you wanted. Loved their cups too!
The Price
We finalized our booking around a month before our stay, so we were able to get lower rates than usual (I think). Here are actual shots of the booking:
As you can see, Php 12,228 (already including the taxes and fees) isn't such a heavy expense when split between two people.
For the price, Hotel Mi met our expectations and gave us a comfortable stay in Singapore. When I go back (hopefully next year, after the pandemic's over), I'm definitely booking this hotel again.
Final Thoughts
All in all, Hotel Mi is a great choice for either long or short stays if you have business in Singapore. It's not as expensive as the bigger, more popular hotels, but it's comfortable, worth the price, and situated in a nice neighborhood that's close to the train station. If the National Museum was open at the time, we'd have walked over to it as well.
The Vlog
Stay tuned for posts on what we did and where we went to! Ciao!
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