Mini Review of Aqueen Hotel Balestier

This is a mini review of the new Aqueen Hotel on Balestier Road in Singapore, which means we have not yet stayed there, instead we just did a quick site inspection and will be returning to the hotel to stay a couple of nights so we can write a full review.

The hotel is centrally located on Balestier Road and not far from the must visit (if you are in the area) Whampoa Makan Place, which is an excellent choice for inexpensive local breakfast, lunch and / or dinner. The hotel is opposite Balestier Plaza, around a 15-minute bus ride from Far East Plaza on Scotts Road (next to the heart of Orchard Road) and a 30 minute walk from Novena MRT.

The rooms have been very cleverly designed to make the most of every single centimetre of space. Let's not get confused, this is a budget hotel, and the rooms are very small, but this does not mean they are unattractive, far from it. In fact, they seem to have improved on some of the downsides of the Value Hotel chain which operates three well known hotels on the same road. By this we mean that they have really made an effort to insulate the rooms from external sounds - a very big issue at Value Nice and Value Balestier although less so at Value Thompson. Our unscientific "knock on the wall" test, did seem to indicate that the walls were much better insulated than the Values' and the simple use of carpet in the corridors also dampens many other noises. The windows however did seem to allow a certain amount of noise to enter the room, but as we have not yet stayed there it is difficult to say how much of a problem that is.

The rooms have a glass shower room with toilet inside, and while some rooms do have a shower curtain separating the two the floor of the entire shower room is likely to get wet. Not a problem, just something you might need to get used to. Making the most of space, the hotel has decided to put the hand basin outside the shower room, between the entrance and the bed. This is only the second hotel we have seen do this, the other was an upper 4-star hotel in Phuket.

The hotel does have in-room WiFi and LAN but you will need to bring your own LAN cable if you prefer to remain wired.

A nice LCD TV adorns the wall, and the room also has tea and coffee making facilities for you to use. One of the biggest selling points over the Value Hotels is the fact that every room has an in-room electronic safe. This is so very important, as the safe gives you peace of mind when leaving the room to go out, and, if a friend visits you in the room, you know that all your valuables are safely locked up.

The hotel accepts most major credit cards EXCEPT, somewhat bizarely, American Express. With room rates starting from around Sin$ 88 nett, the Aqueen Hotel on Balestier Road is excellent value and around half the price of the Ibis Bencoolen. But, with the Value Thomson just down the road offering rates from Sin$ 69 nett and a swimming pool it is a hard choice to make.

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