Close to Orchard Road’s shopping bustle-but quieter
Orchard Road is the gleaming, glittery, bustling center of Singapore’s shopping paradise. Just a few blocks away is the Orchard Grand Court, a 203 guest room hotel offering comfort, friendly service, cleanliness and convenience.
My dad, who is currently visiting Singapore to revisit where I lived for three years, picked the Orchard Grand Court because of its price and proximity to Orchard Road and the Somerset MRT station. Proximity to an MRT station is a must when scouting out a hotel for a Singapore stay. Singapore is hot–the kind of hot that makes walking blocks and blocks to get to a destination unappealing, and taxis can get pricey or hard to snag when its raining or it’s a busy time of day.
With an MRT stop nearby, this means you can easily get to most places in Singapore.
Being close to Orchard Rd. means being close to several restaurants and food courts where all types of food are just steps away. There are also movie theaters–one of the main reasons I headed to Orchard Rd. for an entertainment fix.
The Orchard Grand Court has other plusses to make it a worthy pick. General guest rooms have coffee/tea makers, complimentary mineral water, a safe, a minibar, an LCD TV with cable and local channels, bedroom slippers, complimentary newspapers (local and Japanese) and a soda welcome drink. Wifi is also free. Deluxe suite rooms include a microwave.
The Taiwan Porridge Buffet
If you don’t feel like wandering out for a meal, dine in the hotel’s Crystal Cafe where the daily “Taiwan Porridge” buffet features several dishes with an Asian cuisine focus.
There’s also a swimming pool, sauna and a fitness room. Guest services include an on-call doctor, laundry service, foriegn currency exchange, taxi service, a tour desk, and baggage storage. Baggage storage is appealing for anyone who has a flight several hours after check-out or who arrives well before check-in. Another positive is the onsite 24-hour supermarket.
My dad has found the staff to be nothing but friendly and helpful, particularly when he was trying to get in touch with friends of ours the other day. The Orchard Grand Court was close to our friends’ gym and proved to be a convenient place for them to connect with my dad so they could take him around for a bit of sight-seeing.
One thing I noticed about the Orchard Grand Court’s location is its proximity to the older architecture of downtown Singapore. Truthfully, much of the glam and glitter of Orchard Rd has meant the demise of much of Singapore’s architectural past but along Cairnhill Road, not far from the hotel, you’ll find a few gems left. Cairnhill Road is one of Singapore’s historic districts.
Because of the various room options, the Orchard Grand Court is one to consider if you’re traveling as a fanily.
Room rates- $208 (Singapore dollar) which is roughly $164 U.S. to $278 (Singapore dollar) which is about $219 U.S.
Orchard Grand Court
131 Killiney Road,
Singapore 239571
Reservations- (65) 6830 2003 / 2005
You can also book online through agoda.com or other online booking sites.
Post courtesy of Jamie Rhein, member of Midwest Travel Writers Association. Photos courtesy of the Orchard Grand Court
