Oasia Hotel Downtown, Singapore

Location

The Oasia Hotel stands out in a sea of concrete and glass buildings in the middle of Singapore's business district.  It is what has drawn me to check it out when I was passing by it the last time I was in the country.

The hotel is a few steps away from Tanjong Pagar MRT station, exit left and you won't miss the hotel. Any property that is that close to the train station in Singapore is convenient.  For your late night craving, there is a 7-11, a 24-hour Fair Price and a 24-hour McDonald's and McCafe.

Check In / Out

Upon entering the hotel, the Marmalade Pantry greets you and a small concierge desk.

Front desk is located on the 12th floor.  If you booked a club room, the club lounge and the front desk is on the 21st floor.

We were given glasses of coconut water while they were checking us in.  The room wasn't ready at 1pm when we got there so we headed out to a nearby mall.

Room

I liked the sleek metallic doors.  I don't do justice to it on the photo below.

The room size is adequate.  The bathroom is to my right, the wardrobe to the left and then the main bedroom.  The A/C controls are also by the bedside table which was really convenient as you don't have to get up to adjust the temp.

Room View

From our window, we can see Sofitel hotel and rows of what appears to be shophouses and residences.  It looks so peaceful and organized.

Room Amenities

As with most hotels, they provide guests with a mobile phone to keep you connected.  You can't tether from it, though.  I tried.

It also has probably one of the biggest TVs that I have seen in a hotel room.  Best of all, it's internet TV so you can watch YouTube videos direct.  It would be great if they also had Netflix installed.  I'm asking for too much. :P

Refreshments on the minibar are free and are replaced daily.

It doesn't end there, coffee and tea provided are also top notch.

Apart from the usual robes, they also have a yoga mat if you feel like relaxing in the garden on the 21st floor.

To make your stay truly relaxing, there's a pillow mist provided.  How thoughtful is that?

Bathroom

The bathroom is small but there's a tub and a big enough shower area.  Three of the bathroom doors slide open so if you're staying alone and want to enjoy the TV, you can.

On our 2nd day, we received double the number of bathroom amenities.

Breakfast

We opted to have breakfast twice downstairs at the the Marmalade Pantry.  How can you not?  Look at how beautiful the space is.  Selection is limited but enough to keep you satisfied unless you're looking for rice, in which case, you'd be disappointed.

Hotel Amenities

There's a gym and a spacious garden on the 12th floor where the lobby is but I can't find the photo that I took of those.  There are two identical pools on the 27th floor, one shaded, one not.  Take your pick.

The floor has a beautiful open concept toilet.

Club Floor

Quite common if you book a club room, you get access to a club lounge with cocktails served in the afternoon before dinner.

What makes Oasia's unique is that apart from the lounge where refreshments and snacks are served all day, you also get access to a separate pool!

The entire club floor is very spacious with several lounge chairs scattered all over.  Quite surprisingly, the area is also very breezy so it's perfect for just relaxing and catching an afternoon nap.  It makes you feel that you're in a resort instead of a hotel in the middle of the city. 

The best part, you also get to enjoy the food and cocktails right by the pool.  

Perks:

We booked direct and received a couple of perks.  We get 2 pcs of clothes laundered daily plus a complimentary early check-in OR late check-out.  We opted for the late check-out of up to 4PM and it made a whole world of difference.  Our last day was not spent running around trying to get everything packed while getting ready. 

Finally, that's not all you get.  You actually also get a free lounge access at Changi Airport so you can enjoy a few drinks and snacks while waiting for boarding.   

Oasia Hotel Downtown

100 Peck Seah St., Singapore

Diamond Indulgence

I signed up for the Diamond Indulgence program almost a year ago, this is Diamond Hotel's paid membership program offering several benefits and having had a wonderful experience at Corniche and The Cake Club before, I decided to try and check out what Diamond Hotel has to offer. 

First off, the sales associate, when she was still trying to sell the program to me, specifically mentioned that she will be assisting me with reservations when I'm ready to use any of my vouchers. She also mentioned that vouchers can be combined.  Let me tell you, not true. The following week when I texted her to check on available dates for check-in she replied by giving me the hotel's trunk line. 

Net price: Php 6,500

Inclusions (as of Feb 2016): 

*No free night

• 3 Special Occasion Certificates - voucher entitles holder to a 50% discount on food bill valid for lunch buffet at Corniche when dining in a table of six to twelve persons 

• 2 Complimentary Second Round of Drinks at the Sky Lounge

• Complimentary Bottle of House Wine when dining with a minimum spend of P2000

• 50% Discount at Yurakuen

• Lunch or Dinner buffet at Corniche for 2

• (4) 500 peso cash certificate valid only for dinner at Corniche

• 2 Member for a Meal certificates

• Buy One Night, Get One Night Free (only on Deluxe rooms) certificate

• Buy Two Nights, Get Third Night Free (only on Deluxe rooms) certificate

• 50% off on Rack Rates certificate

• Three Days Trial Workout (must be consecutive)

• Massage at P900 pesos 

• Card also entitles the member to 50% discount when dining with one guest at the hotel restaurants and 20% discount at the Lobby Lounge and The Cake Club at Power Plant Mall. 

The main draw of the program for me was the fact that I was told that I can combine the certificates which would allow me to save on dining or room reservations because of the cash certificates but that is not the case.  I do not care much for the beverage benefits as I'm not much of a drinker.  In order to take full advantage of the benefits, you must be staying pretty close by to the property.  

I also tried to book a room more than a month in advance but I was told that the Deluxe rooms, the only category allowed for members to use, were all fully booked.  I can upgrade to a Premier room but I would have to shell out an additional 11,000 for two nights.  So, no.  The difference by the way is that the Premier rooms are newly renovated rooms.

I had to make do on the only weekend that would work for me and the hotel even if I had no reason to check in just so I can use the voucher before it expires.  I won't write a separate review. 

• Deluxe room is spacious but is very dated.

• Bathroom is luxurious and clean.  Water pressure is strong and the heating consistent. 

• Wifi is limited to three devices but is reliable and very fast. 

• Location is not great.  Robinson's Place Manila is about a 5-minute walk away but it is not a plesant walk.  There are convenience stores nearby and a Pancake House and Starbucks right by the hotel.

• I booked a non-smoking room but was given a smoking one when I was checking in at 1PM as there were no available non-smoking rooms yet.  I was informed that I can transfer later within the day if the smell was too strong.  When I called at around 7PM asking to be transferred, I was told three times that there were no available rooms.  When I told them that I wish to just check-out instead because I was getting a terrible headache, they called me back a few minutes later with my new room keys. 

• The hotel has a smart casual dress code which does not allow you to wear flip flops at any of their restaurants even during breakfast which was very inconvenient.  I would understand dinner but come on, breakfast? 

Overall, I would say that the membership package is not worth it.  If you're looking for a hotel membership, you'd get better value signing up for the AccorPlus membership.  This gives you one free night plus no dress code at the very posh Spiral. 

L7 Hotel Myeongdong

Location

We lucked out on the hotel's location as it is literally about 5 steps away from the Myeongdong subway station (take exit 9).  If you're visiting the city for the first time, you'd want to be near the train station so you can easily move about.

The hotel is also a few steps away from the famed Myeongdong shopping street.

There's also an Aritaum that's connected to the hotel lobby to jumpstart your shopping adventure.

Finally, the airport shuttle bus stop is also a few steps to the right of the hotel. This saved us a lot of money and unnecessary stress trying to get to the airport.

Check In / Out

We arrived at around dinner time so the front desk located on the third floor was not busy.  Checking out was pretty efficient as well.

Room Size

The room size was a little small so we were surprised to see a tub in the bathroom.  Great use of space and is perfect for a hot soak after a tiring day.  We also liked that they have a heated toilet seat.

The room also has a small window that you can actually open if you want to get a breeze of the cool air outside.  

There's a sufficient number of ports and usb charging outlets as well.

I also particularly liked the magnetic instructions that you stick outside your door.

Hotel Amenities

We loved how modern the feel of the hotel is with the muted colors and the stark yellow contrast throughout the entire hotel.

The hotel has a rooftop bar and what makes the bar unique is that they have a foot spa.  The really cold air, cold drinks, amazing views and a hot foot spa are a combination that's certainly unique and heavenly.

The hotel also has a laundry area that we used so we get back home with clean clothes.

They also have an ATM shop, essentially vendo machines selling all kinds of souvenir items, snacks and cute items located on the 4th floor.

They also offer tours within the area via their yellow tuk-tuk. Details and rates are available on the hotel's website (link below).

There's also a business center right by the front desk.

Breakfast

Breakfast is served at the gorgeous Villa de Chalotte on the 2nd floor.  I took pictures of the restaurant without realizing that I forgot my camera didn't have a memory card that day, so sadly, I'm not able to share any photos here.  They have a decent selection, not a lot, enough to get you going.  They don't change the menu so we ended up skipping breakfast for a couple of days.  Paris Baguette is next door and Angel-In-Us Coffee so don't fret.

Staff Courtesy

Their staff speaks good English so we had no issues trying to communicate with them.  Everyone was very helpful from the hotel staff on the ground floor who has a welcoming smile and goes out of his way to press the elevator button for the guests to the front desk staff who bid us a very nice farewell down to their housekeeper who was very cheerful.  They also make up your rooms early in the morning.  We'd go down for breakfast and get back to an already made-up room.

If you're visiting Incheon and you intend to explore the city and shop, L7 Hotel Myeongdong is the perfect hotel for you.  Room rates are reasonable, location is perfect, amenities are up to par, and service is excellent.

L7 Hotel Myeongdong