A prince no more, but still adequate.
Written: Aug 14 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Location, clean and comfortable, some nice restaurants
Cons: None, a reasonable 3 to 4 star hotel
The Bottom Line: Fine for a 3 star, comfortable and clean
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| vodkaboy's Full Review: Crown Prince Hotel |
Singapore has no shortage of hotels, specially along Orchard Road, which is the main shopping area and one of the magnets attracting visitors to Singapore for the past few decades. There are all the international brand names as well as the regional ones and individual, independent hotels.
On this visit to Singapore, I needed a hotel just for the night as I was arriving in the evening and departing early the next morning and I needed this part of the city. The location was ideal, the price was good, and so here I was.
Formerly the Crown Prince Hotel, the Crown has lost its prince (isn't it normally the other way around?) and it is now just the Crown, or to give it its full title, the Crown Hotel At Orchard.
Location
The Crown is located on Orchard Road, not far from the junction of Scotts Road, which really is well located for Singapore's shopping centres, and one block from the Orchard MRT (subway) station. It is minutes away from the vintage Lucky Plaza, Tangs and Scotts, as well as the more modern Paragon, Wisma Plaza, Ngee Ann City and Takashimaya shopping malls. Other than shops, it is also minutes away from Mount Elizabeth Hospital and Orchard Cinema. Overall, very well located for shopping or for a short stopover.
Arrival
I'd got a cab into town from the airport and spent the day near the hotel so I just wandered over with my bag. It's a good thing that I was not looking for a building resembling the photo above, which makes it look like a large, modern hotel imposing on a corner. Well it is large and on a corner but the reality is much more crowded!
The lobby was fairly simple, in a rectangular but high ceilinged and chandeliers way. To the left were stairs up to the piano bar and a restaurant - which could have been quite grand, overlooking the lobby, but turned out to be a disappointment. The Reception desk was in front. To the right the lobby stretched past the lifts, a very small seating area of about three chairs and, at the end, a diner which wrapped around the side and front of the hotel.
At the reception desk, check in was pleasant and cheerful and quite quick. I mentioned that I was checking out early and asked when the restaurant opened for breakfast; they told me 6.30am. I sighed that I would be leaving around then and was surprised, and delighted, when the receptionist told me that, as I was checking in after 6pm and leaving before 6.30am, I would be charged just a half day rate! Result - or so I thought!
I was given a room on the 11th floor and a keycard, I declined the offer of assistance in wheeling my bag, and headed up the the lift.
The Room
I was a bit concerned that the room was so close to the lift but I need not have worried, I didn't hear a thing!
The carpet was beige and green, the walls were beige and the room overall looked light but dull. But I was not there for the ambience - this was a bedroom, not a lounge!
The double bed was large, and quite low - less distance to fall - and was certainly comfortable enough. The desk jutted out from the wall somewhat and had two chairs. The TV was a bit on the small side - I don't normally carry a tape measure with me when travelling so I would guess at 14 inches. The room was rectangular then, at the far end, the two sides converged to a point; the window was on one side, the other had a two seater sofa.
The essentials for Tea and coffee making were in a cupboard and there was a minibar. A desk drawer held a hair dryer and there was a dataport with cable on the desk.
Overall the room was comfortable, not cramped, the air conditioning was effective and quiet and there was space to work. It might be a bit cramped for a family of four, or even three, but for me on my own it was fine.
The bath room was average sized with the usual fittings, the bath had a shower fitting which, the next morning, was easily controlled and gave a good spray. There was shampoo, shower gel and soap supplied.
Food and Drink
Swensens is the main restaurant, 24 hour, which wrapped around two sides of the hotel and appeared to cater equally to non-residents. It is listed as a cafe and had a definite American cafe/diner theme. It looked quite busy in the evening so seemed to be popular. When I went in at 6.15 in the morning to ask about breakfast, they referred me to the Dining Room.
The Dining Room where they apparently serve breakfast, is up a flight of stairs from the lobby and opens at 6.30 in the morning. at 6.15 wanted to get in a bit early to grab a croissant or something, but the door was locked and there was no sign of life. I asked the Receptionist who went up and knocked on the door. Ten minutes later when I left the hotel he was still knocking.
There is also a Japanese restaurant Tatsuya which looked quite elegant and swanky; I did hear that it is good but cannot vouch for that - or indeed any of the hotel food, come to think of it.
The Rose Piano Bar was also up some surprisingly steep steps from the lobby - I would not want to negotiate those after one too many drinks. I had a look in that evening and it was nearly empty, as piano bars tend to be. When I came back later it was closed - at midnight.
Facilities
There is a 24 hour Business Centre has the usual services available. It's located off the lobby.
There is a gym and a pool on the 4th floor but I didn't get to see or use them in the short time that I was there.
There are several meeting and banquet rooms available on the 4th floor, to accomodate up to 500 people.
Departure
Check out was quick, other than waiting to see if I could get into the restaurant.
When it came to signing the bill, I noticed that they had charged the full nightly rate; when I asked about the promised half rate, they knew nothing about it and no note had been left. A bit disappointing - I would expect it in some places but it surprised me in Singapore. However, I was not being ripped off, by being charged a one night rate for one night, so I let it go!
The rate was not excessive, at S$165. With the obligatory taxes, the total was S$192, approximately US$120.
Summary
A pleasant, clean, comfortable hotel in the heart of Orchard Road, ideal for shopping and entertainment. It is well suited for singles or couples. I would not want to spend more than three or four nights there, but it is well suited for short visits, transits and stopovers.
A firm three stars!
Recommended:
Yes
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vodkaboy
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