Strand Hotel: Best Budget Hotel in Singapore for a Family of 6

Strand Hotel: 
Best Budget Hotel in Singapore for a Family of 6

I always find it a great challenge to find a hotel with rooms that can accommodate a family of 6. Maximum capacity in most hotel rooms are usually 4 persons. I suppose most hotels presume that a family usually consists only of a couple with 2 kids. So most family rooms only have a maximum capacity of 4.

In my experience, it's always cheapest to get 1 family room good for 6 rather than to get 3 rooms good for 2 persons, or 2 rooms good for 3 persons, etc. So I was so happy to find Strand Hotel.

We just arrived from Singapore and this is my review of Strand Hotel.

Why I Love the Strand Hotel

Location

1. The hotel is just across Kopitiam food court and 7 eleven. 

Updated August 2015: The Kopitiam food court across Strand Hotel is already closed. There are no plans for reopening it.

Both Kopitiam and 7 eleven are open 24 hours a day so anytime you become hungry you can just walk across and buy food. At 7 eleven, you can also buy ezlink cards for use at the MRT, the bus and Sentosa express. If you have remaining load in your ezlink cards before leaving Singapore, you can use it the remaining balance to purchase products at 7 eleven. 

My tip: Make sure to make the purchase using the ezlink card after 7am. That's the only time the 7 eleven store allowed to use the ezlink card.   

2. The hotel is very near the MRT Bras Basah station and 2 bus stops


View Larger Map


Check out my post on Changi Airport Transportation Options to Strand Hotel

3. The hotel is very near the hippo tour bus stop.

If you decide to take the Hippo Tour hop-on hop-off, you can take the yellow line that stops at the bus stop along Bras Basah, beside the Rendezvous hotel. The Rendezvous hotel is beside Strand Hotel. You can buy the ticket in the bus when you hop on the yellow line bus.

My tip: Do the whole route of both the yellow and red line first. 

First Suggestion: Ride the yellow line at the bus stop beside Rendezvous hotel, get off at Suntec. Ride the hippo tour red line at Suntec and do the whole route, and get off at Suntec. Ride the hippo tour yellow line at Suntec and get off at the bus stop beside Rendezvous hotel. You're done. You have toured Singapore without effort.

Second Suggestion: go directly to Suntec City to start the tour. What you do is to walk to Bras Basah Station, take the MRT circle (yellow) line going to Harbour Front and get off at the next stop, which is Esplanade. The Esplanade station is at Tower 5 where the Hippo Tour Desk is located.

See the tour map: http://www.ducktours.com.sg/hippo.php

4. The hotel is short walking distance from the National Museum of Singapore

Take note that the big, white structure with a dome that you see when you're outside the hotel and along Bencoolen Street is the National Museum of Singapore. It's very short walking distance from the hotel. At the National Museum, we were able to see the original painting of Starry Night of Vincent Van Gogh and at least 4 Monets, 3 Cezannes, and a Renoir at the Dreams and Reality Exhibit. The paintings are on loan from the Orsay Museum, Paris. Better check out what's on at the National Museum when you arrive at Singapore.

Directions: Walk along Bencoolen Street going towards Bras Basah road, cross Bras Basah Street and continue walking along Bencoolen Street until you arrive at Fort Canning Road. Cross Fort Canning Road and walk towards the entrance of the National Museum.

See the website: http://www.nationalmuseum.sg/

5. The hotel is near three (3) Catholic Churches

When in another place and if our trip falls on a Sunday, we usually look for a Catholic Church where we can attend Mass. The ff. Catholic Churches is near the hotel (in order of proximity from the hotel):

• St Peter and Paul Church located at the back of the Singapore Art Museum: for location and mass schedule, see here
• Cathedral of the Good Shepherd: for location and mass schedules, see here
• St. Joseph's Church: for location and mass schedules, see here 

6. The hotel is walking distance from:

Orchard Road: after exiting the hotel entrance, you turn right and walk along Bencoolen Street till you reach Bras Basah road. When you reach Bras Basah Road, turn right. Walk along Bras Basah until you reach Orchard Road. See the map above.

Bugis Junction: after exiting from the hotel entrance, walk along Bencoolen Street till you reach Bras Basah road. When you reach Bras Basah road, turn left  and walk along Bras Basah Road till you reach Victoria Street. When you reach Victoria Street, turn left and walk along Victoria Street till you reach Bugis. See map above.

Arab Street: from Bugis, a little walk further and you reach Arab Street. See map above. 

Raffles Hotel: after exiting from the hotel entrance, walk along Bencoolen Street till you reach Bras Basah road. When you reach Bras Basah road, turn left  and walk along Bras Basah Road till you reach Beach Road. Turn left at Beach Road. See map above.  

Raffles City: after exiting from the hotel entrance, walk along Bencoolen Street till you reach Bras Basah road. When you reach Bras Basah road, turn left  and walk along Bras Basah Road till you reach North Bridge Road. See map above.

Suntec City: you can walk to Suntec City. But it's easier to walk to Bras Basah Station, take the yellow line to Harbour Front and get off at the next stop, which is Esplanade (if you want to get off at Tower 5, where the Hippo Tour starts) or get off at Promenade (if you want to get off at Tower 4, where Carrefour is located)

Merlion: not really walking distance from the Merlion but the bus that goes straight to the Merlion can be taken at the bus stop near Kopitiam. Bus 131 goes straight to Fullerton where you can walk to go to the Merlion.

Rates (Updated rates as of November 2014)

Single/double                           S$160 Net
Triple                                       S$200 Net
Family of 4                               S$240 Net
Big family room for 6                S$380 Net

For every additional person is S$40 Net S$50 net

Maximum capacity of the family room is 7 persons

• Note: the rate of S$240 for the family room is good for 4 persons. The family room has a maximum occupancy of 7 persons. Therefore, if 5 persons will occupy the family room, your rate will be S$240 + S$40 = S$280. If 6 persons will occupy the family room, your rate will be S$240 + S$40 + S$40 = S$320. If 7 persons will occupy the family room, your rate will be S$240 + S$40 + S$40 + S$40 = S$360

All room rates include government taxes and complimentary breakfast.

To change your room bookings or to make a cancellation, you need to inform them 2 weeks 72 hours before arrival. For cancellation less than 72 hours before arrival, they will charge you 1 day room rate.

There is no downpayment but they require a credit card guarantee to confirm the booking. You need to make a downpayment when you arrive at the hotel to check-in.

My tip: Pay for your hotel room in full upon check-in so you don't carry a lot of cash with you while sightseeing.

Room

The family room is spacious, has a high ceiling, with a lot of closet space. Even if you fill the maximum capacity of 7 people in a family room, the room has still enough space for everyone to comfortably move around.

Toilet & Bath

Toilet and bath are separate, which means they have separate doors. Even if you have 7 people in a room, they won't have problems using the toilet. One can use the toilet while another uses the bath. This is a very smart move of the hotel to separate these two.

This photo of Strand Hotel is courtesy of TripAdvisor

This photo of Strand Hotel is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Beds


This photo of Strand Hotel is courtesy of TripAdvisor

The beds are full sized mattresses, even the roll away beds. For a family room for  6, we were given 2 queen sized beds and 2 single beds.

Complimentary Breakfast


This photo of Strand Hotel is courtesy of TripAdvisor

You are given breakfast coupons which you claim at the reception everyday, on the day before breakfast is to be served. 

The complimentary breakfast consist of a set meal of 2 hotdogs, 2 slices of bacon, scrambled eggs/2 fried eggs. Then in addition there is a buffet spread of pancakes/french toast, noodles (pad thai or chinese pancit), cereal, toast and jam/marmalade/butter, coffee, tea, juice, water.

Amenities

The room amenities includes free wifi (with super fast connection speed), 29 inch flat screen cable TV, coffee and tea making facilities (consisting of an electric kettle, cofee and milk tea), mini ref, in room safe, telephone, free slippers, free toothbrush and toothpaste.

Service

The service at reception and housekeeping is fast and efficient. We asked for a travel adaptor, hair dryer, extra pillows, and tube ice. 

Our room was cleaned everyday with fresh linen and towels. Housekeeping was very fast in addressing a minor toilet problem when we called them.

The reception was very helpful in breaking our money into small bills.

My conclusion: We will definitely stay  at this hotel again and will highly recommend it to friends and relatives.

GET THE BEST RATES FOR STRAND HOTEL HERE

The Secret Lagoon at El Nido

The Secret Lagoon at El Nido

Why see the Secret Lagoon


The Secret Lagoon is hidden within an island with a pristine white beach and crystal clear water. You go there to enjoy the view from the beach, the beach itself and to explore the Secret Lagoon. This is where we had our lunch, provided by the boatmen. It is a perfect place to enjoy your lunch while in the midst of all the beauty of this island. The pictures will speak for itself.

What to expect when you arrive at the Secret Lagoon

The view from our boat as we approach the island

A boat docked on the island.
The lunch table for the tourists is set up underneath the coconut trees.

This is the view from the beach where our boat docked

From where the boats are docked, you walk through these huge rocks
to go to another beach area.

This is the other beach area.
No boats are docked in this area because the water is shallow

We stayed in the beach area where no boats are docked

The sea water is as crystal clear as drinking water.

Our kids playing around in the second beach area.

Our delicious lunch was cooked on the island by the boatmen.
The fish was my favorite because it was so fresh.

We went back to where our boat was docked and ate lunch under the coconut tree.
This is our view as we ate our lunch.

After lunch, we went back to the second beach area
and made our way to the secret lagoon.

After traversing the rocky part of the beach, we reached this hole which is the entrance to the Secret Lagoon.

The kids are about to go through the hole which is the entrance of the Secret Lagoon.

The view of the hole from the Secret Lagoon

Inside the Secret Lagoon

The Small Lagoon at El Nido

The Small Lagoon at El Nido

Why see the Small Lagoon


You experience floating in water surrounded by the majestic cliffs of the Small Lagoon. Some people ride the kayak and explore the perimeter of the Small Lagoon. Other tourists climb the cliffs and jump into the water as an adventure challenge. 

What to expect when you arrive at the Small Lagoon

Heading towards the Small Lagoon

This is what we saw when we arrived at the Small Lagoon. 
Several bancas were docked outside the entrance of the Small Lagoon. 
We're supposed to get off our banca and swim towards the entrance of the Small Lagoon.

Our kids immediately donned their snorkeling gear and life jackets, got off the boat and swam towards the entrance of the Small Lagoon.

This is the hole that represents the entrance to the Small Lagoon

This is the depth of the Small Lagoon

 Inside the Small Lagoon

Some tourists brought in kayaks inside the Lagoon. They have to carefully navigate it through the small hole.

Other tourists climb the cliffs inside the lagoon (see the tourist in the photo above climbing the cliffs), and jump into the water after reaching the summit. 

Outside the Small Lagoon where the bancas were docked.

Where to Eat Bangkok Street Food

Where to Eat Bangkok Street Food

There are a lot of places you can eat authentic Thai street food in Bangkok. But unlike in Singapore where hawker or street food centers are carefully regulated, Thai street food stalls are not. With this in mind, the only measure we had of gauging which street food to patronize is to observe where a lot of the locals eat. We decided that if the locals patronize it regularly then it must be safe. On my end, I can recommend these  stalls because for the 5 days we were in Bangkok, we ate at these stalls and never experienced stomach problems. 

Where to find safe Bangkok street food

Since we were staying at Tarntawan Place, we tried the street food at Surawong Road where Tarntawan is located.

There are 2 places near Tarntawan Place, Surawong Road where we ate Thai street food:

1. The first one where we ate most meals is beside the Pink Panther club (shown below with the pink logo), underneath the green sign. It is at the corner of Surawong and Patpong Road.

Meals cost 30 baht. This includes 2 viands and a cup of rice.
For the same price, you can choose just 1 viand but they will double the amount.

We usually order food to be taken away. They pack it in styrofoam containers.

As you can see, there's a great variety to choose from so we ate most of our meals here.

2. The other place where we ate is a noodle stall beside Kasikorn bank. Kasikorn bank is located along Surawong Road across Patpong Road. 

The noodle stall where we bought our food

This dish costs 50 baht.

You can add your own condiments:
vinegar with pepper, sugar, hot sauce or dried chili pepper

Why do I recommend trying Bangkok street food?


1. It is authentic

The spices and herbs, and the menu are what the local Thai residents eat so it's authentic.

2. It is cheap. 

We discovered that Thai food in food courts like the one at Siam Paragon are double the price of Thai street food.

Food Tasting at Chatuchak Weekend Market

Food Tasting at Chatuchak Weekend Market

I'm not really the kind of person who's into shopping. I shop all the time for the kids, buy necessities for the home, and do a lot of grocery shopping. So shopping has always been associated with errands so I don't normally like to do that while on vacation. My idea of fun and relaxation is not to go shopping.


So what am I doing at Chatuchak Market on a long weekend trip in Bangkok? Aside from accompanying my husband who's curious about what Chatuchak looks like, I decided it will be fun to discover what unusual food they have to offer. And I wasn't disappointed!


For those wondering what Chatuchak looks like, and is familiar with Divisoria in the Philippines, it actually looks like a more organized Divisoria. Items are grouped together into sections. The sections are numbered so it will not be hard to look for the items you want to buy. Check out the website http://chatuchak.org/ for more information.

Just to give you an idea how big it is and in what sections it is organized, here is the map taken from http://chatuchak.org/ 

Food we tried at Chatuchak


1. Turkish ice cream: 40 baht

Thanks to mithumonthe.net for this photo.
I wasn't able to take a picture. I was to busy tasting it that I forget to take a photo.

I tried the mango ice cream in cone. You can have it dipped in chocolate and nuts but I preferred to taste the ice cream itself so I requested only a small amount of these add-ons. Other flavors are chocolate and vanilla. 

One thing different I noticed about this ice cream is that it is thick and sticky. I wouldn't say it's creamier than the others but it's more sticky. But it tastes great!

2. Squid Eggs: 40 baht

This is the squid eggs stall.
Squid eggs are actually octopus eggs. They are deep-fried.
The vendor asks you if you want it with spicy vinegar poured on it.  

3. Nan Rolled with Beef Kheema: 30 baht

The nan bread is very good: soft, light and fluffy.
The beef kheema has a slight curry taste to it.

4. Maekang Paklad: 10 baht

The vendor gets a leaf, folds it into a cone.
Then she places peanuts, onion and lemon inside the cone....

... then adds melted sugar (the brown liquid you see),
closes the cone and skewers it into a bamboo stick.

The finished product: maekang paklad.
It tastes sweet and sour with crunchy bits of peanuts.

My tip: If you'd like to try it in another place, it is also available in the Gourmet Section of Siam Paragon.

How to go to Chatuchak


1. Go to any BTS skytrain station.

From Tarntawan place, the Sala Daeng station is just around 5-10min walk. So we went to the Sala Daeng station.

2.  Find the ticketing machine at the station.

This is what the ticketing machine looks like

How to use the ticketing machine:

1. Find how much fare you need to pay to go to Mochit. Look at the fare information.

This is the fare chart at Sala Daeng Station.
The fare chart indicates that fare to Mo Chit from this station is 40 baht

2. Buy the ticket at the ticketing machine.

Just follow the instructions on the machine.
If you don't have coins, you can change it in one of the
manned ticketing counters in the station.

3. Ride the train going to the National Stadium.


4. Get off at Siam, then ride the train going to Mochit station.


5. Get off at Mochit. Go to exit 1 and follow the crowds. 


Other photos of food stalls:

Food court

Assorted cakes at 12 baht each