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When it comes to staycations, there are the usual get-away-from-the-city-bustle types and there are the ones located in the city. Normally, I prefer hotels that are away from the crowds but Village Hotel Bugis changed all that.
Formerly known as Landmark Village Hotel (and even before that, the Golden Landmark Hotel), Village Hotel Bugis is located right smack at crossroads of culture - Singapore’s Arab, Peranakan, and Indian heritage districts. Districts that I was looking forward eagerly to explore with the monkies, especially after catching a sight of all the beautiful and colourful restored shophouses from our room.
Oh yes, the room.
The wifey and I stayed in a typical room which matched our expectations. Nothing too fanciful but compact and well laid-out. The beds were comfortable and the room was bright, thanks to the giant windows which offered great views of the Kampong Glam enclave.
And how about the monkies, you ask? Well, they hardly stepped into out room because they were in a different paradise of their own.
Yes, kid-themed rooms just for the little adults!
In addition to the Cars-themed room, I understand there are also Princess Sofia-themed rooms. I think it would be quite the monumental task trying to get the kiddos out of the room then!
In addition to the standard King-sized bed, the room also comes with a sofa bed. So if you have one or two young kids, the kid-themed room will suffice.
A thing to note though, the sofa bed's mattress is a little too hard for the monkies' liking. So the three of them ended up snuggling together on the huge bed come night time.
In keeping with the kid-centric theme, all of the kid-themed rooms come with bathroom toiletries for kids as well.
Facilities-wise, Village Hotel Bugis has all the facilities one would expect from a city hotel – multiple restaurants, gym, Club Lounge and of course, a swimming pool.
Unfortunately, we did not have time to try out the pool so the monkies did the next best thing - running along the perimeter of the pool barefoot. LOL.
Sure, Bugis Junction (and Bugis MRT) is where the shopping is usually done but as we all know, the quirky and intimate shops around the Kamong Glam area are gems waiting to be discovered - from Bussorah Street to Haji Lane.
In fact, the wifey was having such a good time browsing through almost every shop we passed along Haji Lane that it gave me the perfect excuse to
Yes, taking #OOTD shots can be really tiring.
But if you are no fan of shopping (that's me!), Kampong Glam also holds many cultural experiences for the kids too.
A visit to Singapore’s Kampong Glam district isn’t complete without a stop at Sultan Mosque. With its massive golden domes and huge prayer hall, the Sultan Mosque is one of Singapore’s most impressive religious buildings. The main prayer hall can hold up to 5,000 worshippers, and is one of the biggest and most amazing religious structures in Singapore.
Remember to check out the mosque’s dome base, formed out of many glass bottles donated by devotees during the mosque’s reconstruction, and is a great sight to behold. Admission is free but visiting hours are restricted to 10am - 12pm & 2pm – 4pm from Saturday to Thursday and 2.30pm - 4pm on Friday.
Located just a stone's throw away from the Sultan Mosque, do not miss out on visitng one awesome gem which offers visitors a precious glimpse into the past. The Children Little Museum (10am - 10pm daily) houses an impressive collection of memorabilia and old-school toys. From tikam tikam to tin robots to old-style pick-up-stix, there are surprises waiting to be discovered and reminisced especially for us parents.
Entrance fee is a token $2 per person but it will most certainly be an eye-opener for the children, giving parents the perfect opportunity to share what kind of toys and items they had while growing up last time. Check out our previous visit to the museum HERE.
Another place that we managed to visit during our staycation at Village Hotel Bugis was the Malay Heritage Centre.
The centre occupies what was once the royal seat of the Malay Sultans in Singapore, and provides wonderful cultural exposure and learning opportunities for visitors of all ages and interests. Featuring artefacts, murals and multimedia displays across nine galleries, the museum traces the history and material culture of the Singapore Malays, as well as their contributions towards nation-building.
Entry is free for all Singaporeans and Permanent Residents, and weekends are perfect to bring the kids down. The Centre usually organises programmes and activities for families, such as colouring, puppet making, shadow puppetry and even learning to play traditional Malay games such as capteh, main lereng (wheel spinning), congkak (traditional Malay board game), and batu seremban (five stones).
Hungry after all the walking and activities? Head to the famed Zam Zam Restaurant located just beside Village Hotel Bugis for a hearty portion of Murtabak! Which is exactly what we did come supper time. Yum.
I was initially worried that the monkies would be bored from all the walking around but it turned out that they enjoyed learning more about a side of old Singapore that they rarely see. Well, I think the prospect of heading back to an air-conditioned kid-themed room at the end of the day clearly helped too!
Standing tall over the congregation of Singapore's Indian, Malay, and Arab roots. Village Hotel Bugis offers something different from your usual staycation - and something extra in the form of kid-themed rooms to keep even the little ones happy.
Useful Information
Village Hotel Bugis
390 Victoria Street Singapore 188061
Kid-themed Deluxe Rooms: Weekdays - from S$195++ | Weekends - from S$255++
*Valid for room bookings and stays made from stayfareast.com till 31 December 2016.
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1 comment :
Hi, Really love to try to stay at this kid-themed rooms but I couldn't find any kid-themed room option when I enter booking through the hotel website.. Could you pls share me tips on where I should book/ room type? Much appreciated :)
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