Santa Grand Hotel and Bugis

On 7th March 2010, a colleague and I found ourselves wandering along Victoria Street looking for Jalan Kubor where Santa Grand Hotel Bugis is located.

We both like the location of the hotel despite its unfamiliarity to many taxi drivers. The area is famous for its Malay Heritage with many muslim shops and eateries found in several of its streets. One such street is the Muscat Street where the Sultan Mosque is located. To name a few, Kampong Glam, Esplanade, Sim Lim Square and the National Museum of Singapore are nearby attractions.

We arrived at the hotel at about 11pm with most of the shops already closed. That, however, didn't keep us from poking our noses around places. We entered different streets before making back to the hotel at about midnight.

First, I was glad I found out that Bugis Junction wasn't too far from our hotel. I've had pleasant memories of my last visit there, when we walked from Bugis to Bras Basah. And, I was excited when I recognised the National Library of Singapore! I know this was cheap thrill. The last time I came, I was led around by Singaporean friends, not knowing what was where. This time around, I had a better orientation of this with recollected memories.

I also found out why the street we stayed was called Jalan Kubor and that, really was no surprise. A subtle chill ran down my spine the instant I realised as we walked past the cemetery. Interestingly, the street has a history about two of Singapore's most dangerous criminal. It is a rather sad tale though.

Contrary to the spookiness of staying across the cemetery, the hotel is lovely. It's a boutique hotel with artsy wallpapers and furnishing. It's clean and well-facilitated. There's a nice flat screen tv where I watched CNN during my stay. They supplied toiletries including travel-packed toothbrushes and shavers, and the shower was fabulous!

There's a nice porch at the back with metal garden tables and chairs, an ideal spot for some private reading. The vintage surroundings somewhat felt a little like Malacca. We stayed for 4 nights while attending a workshop, with no complaints at all. The bed is clean and comfy, and we had no noise problem.


Lovely purple couch at the lobby


Comfy bed


The drawing table and tv. Love the wallpaper.


The wardrobe


Bugis Junction at night


We were awed by how beautiful the InterContinental Hotel looked when we were walking past it. My colleague, R, decided we ought to go check the hotel out. The beautiful white framed windows with dimmed lights escaping through them to tease the darkness outside. This place looked really gorgeous both inside and outside. There were tall glass walls with high ceilings and brick walls all in magnificent white. It kind of took me back to the British Colonial times of the 1970s. I can't help but feel like a princess walking in this place. I didn't have the courage to take any pictures while I was inside since I was not a resident. As Michael Kors would have put it, this place is totally sheek!
My photography puts no justice to the beauty of this place, the InterContinental Hotel.