Undeniably, Singapore is one of the most expensive cities to visit. However, it doesn’t mean that mainstream tourists like us wouldn’t be able to enjoy the place. Having visited Singapore several times, once with family, we planned ahead our stay by scanning Agoda searching for affordable hotels with good reviews. We zeroed on New Cape Inn due to its price, above average reviews and proximity to MRT stations; we booked two rooms. One double occupancy for 100 SGD and paid extra for additional mattress for the second room to accommodate our 3 kids. New Cape Inn is not offering breakfast to its guests by the way.
The hotel is located between East West Line MRT stations EW16 (Outram Park) and EW17 (Tiong Bahru). From the airport we travelled by train and opted to disembark at EW17 station to avoid the highways from EW16 to our hotel. From here we trekked to the hotel with our luggage. The distance is bearable if you have sturdy legs otherwise take public bus from EW17 bus stop and get off at the next station. The ladies grumbly hiked the entire distance while the boys were enjoying the sceneries; any visitors would always admire the cleanliness of Singapore.
We arrived at lunch time in the hotel but since it was Sunday check-in time was 3 pm. We overlooked this matter expecting we’d get our room at 2 pm.
Famished, we left our luggage at the lobby and searched for Hawkers within the area. The wife knew that a public market was nearby; she did her assignment well. A couple of blocks away is Tiong Bahru Market and on the second floor, thankfully, are the Hawkers. We all enjoyed authentic Singaporean noodles and Hainanese chicken. 7-eleven and several cafes dotted the place as well.
Upon check-in we were given RFID card for each room. Aside for room access you can use this card to operate the two elevators. Be aware though that your card will only allow you access to lobby area and your room floor; the wife and I got a 3rd floor room while our kids were in 5th floor. We learned this when my wife tried to visit our kids; both elevators didn’t respond when she pressed 5. Eventually she called one of our kids using our room phone to meet her in lobby area.
The small lobby can barely accommodate a dozen of visitor but you can lounge at the bar/restaurant beside the lobby.
The room is big enough for two guests. Interestingly, the spacious toilet and bathroom wall is made of clear glass. No worries since you can always drop down the blinds inside the bathroom for some privacy. Amenities are standard while towels and beddings are in good condition. A small electronic vault is provided but we found it locked and left it like that until we checked out. Housekeeping is done usually late in the afternoon.
Wi-Fi was good in our room but it was a hit and miss in our kids’ room at the 5th floor so they stayed in our room daily until bed time.
If you plan to use the bus in going to and fro Tiong Bahru station then thoroughly check the bus schedule and route at the bus stop and ensure that the bus LED display is flashing Tiong Bahru. Some buses that pass at New Cape Inn bus stop are not stopping at Tiong Bahru station and vice versa. We took the wrong bus a couple of times and ended up hailing a taxi or taking another bus in opposite direction just to go back to Tiong Bahru station. At any rate, getting lost makes our travel experience memorable since the ladies are always ready to go beast mode, lol.
Albeit the elevator misses and intermittent Wi-Fi in our kids’ room, our experience is generally enjoyable especially during our side trip to Kuala Lumpur for 2D/1N. We left most of our luggage at the hotel and came back finding our room properly arranged and nothing amiss.
The hotel is located between East West Line MRT stations EW16 (Outram Park) and EW17 (Tiong Bahru). From the airport we travelled by train and opted to disembark at EW17 station to avoid the highways from EW16 to our hotel. From here we trekked to the hotel with our luggage. The distance is bearable if you have sturdy legs otherwise take public bus from EW17 bus stop and get off at the next station. The ladies grumbly hiked the entire distance while the boys were enjoying the sceneries; any visitors would always admire the cleanliness of Singapore.
We arrived at lunch time in the hotel but since it was Sunday check-in time was 3 pm. We overlooked this matter expecting we’d get our room at 2 pm.
Famished, we left our luggage at the lobby and searched for Hawkers within the area. The wife knew that a public market was nearby; she did her assignment well. A couple of blocks away is Tiong Bahru Market and on the second floor, thankfully, are the Hawkers. We all enjoyed authentic Singaporean noodles and Hainanese chicken. 7-eleven and several cafes dotted the place as well.
Upon check-in we were given RFID card for each room. Aside for room access you can use this card to operate the two elevators. Be aware though that your card will only allow you access to lobby area and your room floor; the wife and I got a 3rd floor room while our kids were in 5th floor. We learned this when my wife tried to visit our kids; both elevators didn’t respond when she pressed 5. Eventually she called one of our kids using our room phone to meet her in lobby area.
The small lobby can barely accommodate a dozen of visitor but you can lounge at the bar/restaurant beside the lobby.
The room is big enough for two guests. Interestingly, the spacious toilet and bathroom wall is made of clear glass. No worries since you can always drop down the blinds inside the bathroom for some privacy. Amenities are standard while towels and beddings are in good condition. A small electronic vault is provided but we found it locked and left it like that until we checked out. Housekeeping is done usually late in the afternoon.
Wi-Fi was good in our room but it was a hit and miss in our kids’ room at the 5th floor so they stayed in our room daily until bed time.
If you plan to use the bus in going to and fro Tiong Bahru station then thoroughly check the bus schedule and route at the bus stop and ensure that the bus LED display is flashing Tiong Bahru. Some buses that pass at New Cape Inn bus stop are not stopping at Tiong Bahru station and vice versa. We took the wrong bus a couple of times and ended up hailing a taxi or taking another bus in opposite direction just to go back to Tiong Bahru station. At any rate, getting lost makes our travel experience memorable since the ladies are always ready to go beast mode, lol.
Albeit the elevator misses and intermittent Wi-Fi in our kids’ room, our experience is generally enjoyable especially during our side trip to Kuala Lumpur for 2D/1N. We left most of our luggage at the hotel and came back finding our room properly arranged and nothing amiss.
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