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Singapore’s original boutique, the Scarlet, boasts that it is “vivacious and uninhibited”—which may at first sound like a bit of hyperbole, but turns out to be quite accurate. Located in the city’s historic Chinatown, the hotel occupies a row of preserved shop houses dating to 1868, and an original 1924 Art Deco building, all joined together and converted into a quite delightfully over-the-top boutique.
Interiors are heavy on black and gold, with generous helpings of (what else?) scarlet red, and the style is equal parts Art Deco and a sort of Victoria’s Secret boudoir fantasy. In fact the overriding atmosphere is one of seduction, perhaps surprising in prim and proper Singapore, and not in a subtle way either—the restaurant, for example, is called Desire, and the dishes are given double- (or even single-) entendre names like Skinny Dipping, G-String, and the disturbing Cuckold.
Overall the feeling is not unlike that of some of London’s boutique hotels, with more emphasis on decadent creature comforts than immediate visual shocks. It’s a new venture, and the prices are still rather low, so it’s quite a value if you can tolerate the occasional rough edge. There’s a private gym, called Flaunt (one hopes the exercise machines aren’t creatively named), as well as an outdoor jacuzzi and a meeting room called Sanctum. Another bar and restaurant is also open, but even now, the neighborhood offers plenty to do—and there’s a chance the rates won’t stay this low.
location in chinatown is great: close to the chinatown metro/subway, maxwell food centre, touristy bars (that we do not patronize in general). lau pa sat market is not far away either. as long as we kept the shade open, the fact that there was no window and only a skylight was not a problem for us (but it could be for some). the breakfasts were huge and quite good. cool little boutiquey shops in the same row.
I Disliked
the bar downstairs is comfy but the cocktails leave much to be desired.
13 user(s) found this review helpful
Rooms so small, you feel like you are staying in the bunker.
Very chic atmostphere, nice staff, beautiful environment. Nice location.
I Disliked
We got a room without a window, but we were too tired and since we are checking out early in the morning we figure we just deal with it. What we didnt' realize was that it was on the other wall of the club, and there was a New Year Eve's party that night and the music was pounding until 3 am in the morning. The staff should have mentioned it to us at least.
Room was small, but the worst part is that it didn't have any window, which made it very claustrophobic. Other than that, the hotel is beautiful.
Fantastically helpful staff (with a great memory for names!), great look. Good breakfast choices (included on my booking) and lovely rooftop bar. Well placed for Chinatown. Overall thoroughly enjoyed it and would both stay again and recommend to others.
I Disliked
Rooms were small (but comfortable) and mine only had a skylight rather than a window, but as I was out and about most of the time this wasn't a huge issue
At first glance it looks clean and cool. The dark moody atmosphere is intriguing and the bar looked pleasant enough (although I didn't try it because it was empty). But first appearances can be deceptive.
I Disliked
Unfortunately I disliked quite a lot. I appreciate it is billed as a small boutique hotel but does it really have to have small matchbox rooms? These are far too small and dingy to be remotely welcoming, and I had one of the larger rooms! Forget typical hotel amenities here too; they may pay a nod towards the kind of services you expect at a larger hotel but they cannot deliver.
I also found the surrounding area rather unpleasant. I know people either love or hate "China Towns" but I found this one quite tacky with no decent bars or restaurants that I could see (unless you wanted a little something "extra" with your drink) and was propositioned about 5 times on one 20 minute walk around the area after I arrived.
I admit that I was there on business and some will take a different view if they are looking for a romantic break but frankly there are far better and considerably more affordable hotels than this in Singapore. In fact, I think price is a factor here; if I'd only paid half of what they demanded I may have taken a softer view but at this price I could have choosen the Fullerton and had a far grander experience in a smart and vibrant area of town.
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