Stay Liked A Local at Village Hotel Albert Court

To avoid the airport en masses and fear of your kids not getting used to the food or weather at the other part of the world, save the passport queues and check-in to our local hotels in town – stay liked a local for a day sound feasible and affordable isn’t it? Right here along Rocher street, Village Hotel Albert Court is where you should go for a “local” way of staycation… And though it might not be your kind of summer white beach vacay but coming from a local liked ourselves, we discovered a whole new world of Singapore in this heritage beauty and let’s find out why!

It was formerly known as Albert Court Hotel after going thru an extensive restoration in 1994. The hotel’s aim is to preserve the former glory and vibrant early days of the pre-war shop houses along Albert Street. Retaining its mix of a new world meets old charm, you will notice that there is a great influence inspired from the Indians and Peranakans culture which can be seen from the Straits Chinese carvings and motifs on their walls.

White wooden windows at the heart of the building add a heritage and eccentric mood to the newly restored hotel

Round curve lifts reminded us of the olden days where lifts were placed outside of the building allowing guests to oversee the surrounding neighbourhood.

Stepping into the Lobby, we noticed the old heritage blend of Peranakan style vases and wall paintings against the modern day flair reception area. The hotel is also a smoke-free environment with complimentary facilities such as broadband internet access and Cable TV in all 210-rooms which are essentials for both business and leisure travellers.

With a strategically convenient location, it’s a melting pot of difference cultures coming together into a welcoming place, even their amiable staff gave off a very localized warming service upon our arrival.

Having all the shopping belt easily accessible from the nearest MRT at Rocher Road, travelling to Orchard, Bugis and Central district merely takes a few minutes and this is important to us as we wouldn’t want to be away from shopping malls or restaurants when our kid is around.

Lobby Lounge

Though we didn’t have experience chilling at the lounge, the idyllic decor of warm lights does make it a perfect spot to chill and chat. Delightful cocktails, beverages and light snacks are served from noon until late 11 pm. This is where guests can sink into the vintage sofas and spend a leisurely afternoon watching the steady stream of guests checking in and out while taking a break after your day of meandering around. (This is located at level 1 by the reception desk)

Tucked behind the escalator at the lobby, a resting area for guests to rest their weary feet. Meanwhile, if you haven’t got the wifi on your phone yet, you could make use of their complimentary mac pc and broadband to check emails or flight details even before the luggage are brought up to your room or even during taxis waiting time.

RECHARGE AND UNWIND

To keep up and maintain your fitness regime, Village Hotel Albert Court has a full range of treadmills weights and cycles all equipped in the modern gym. Other that, there’s also a two 4-seater jacuzzis (and a steam room in a separate room) right out on an outdoor platform decorated liked a rustic spa venue for some self-indulgence time. So whether to recharge or unwind, you can count on the well-stocked facilities to give you that perfect afternoon excuses to stay away from work.

Gym with fully equipped instruments

Steam room

Jaccuzi room

ALBERT CAFE

Located right above the Lobby at level 2, Albert Café serves a delectable spread of local and international dishes throughout the day. The Straits Chinese décor lends it charm to this cosy café, which features intricately carved wooden furniture and distinctive paintings of Singapore’s flora and fauna, giving it the perfect ambience for a casual meal. Anytime from 6.30am to 10.30pm if you are hungry just hop by and select from the ala carte menu to enjoy the taste of Singapore. Reservations can be done thru calling +65 6337 8096 or email:albertcafe@hotmail.com.

This is where we enjoy a sumptuous spread of the American Buffet Breakfast, as the hotel may experience a higher occupancy rate during the holiday period, do expect the restaurant to be crowded with other guests, so we strongly recommend to adjust your alarm clock earlier to avoid having to share seats with the other guests, as seats are quite limited. Unless you have the club lounge access then you can enjoy a more privacy at your own space.

FAMILY ROOM

Introducing the capacious Family room which we were given to us at the 2nd level. It was a corner room, thus explains the extra window in a better view of streets right by the main road. It features a charming straits Chinese decor with timber flooring, the elegant furnishing of dark bronze furnishing, and modern toilet facilities such as a modern rain shower and bathtub! If you have younger kids coming, thanks to the lovely full-length windows, the bustling street (counting cars time!)right below will keep their attention fix for quite a while you take your bubble bath or that tv program you don’t get to watch at home. (yup that us!)

Family room comes with a queen-sized and a single bed which provide ample space for families and young kids to harmoniously enjoy together without stepping on each other toes.

The modern washing area, blends in well with the Indian and Peranakan influences of the Straits Chinese carvings and motifs that adorn the walls.

From the cravings from the wall, bed frame to the vases you can see the effort in preserving the former glory of the Peranakan influences all around the room.

Family Room comes with ironing board, slippers, safe, mini fridge and water boiler, the basics amenities found in every hotels under the umbrella of all Far East Hospitality group.

View outside our window.

AROUND HERE

As we stepped out we found a convenience store – 7 Eleven right at the doorsteps of Village hotel Albert Court, and across the street was Laselle. So with a stone throw away, a variable of eateries to shopping malls liked Cathay, Plaza Singapura, POMO and Museums are located fairly near to the hotel. There were so many places to go with the brilliantly strategic location. Further down you could also hop by to Little Indian if you are keen to go exploring the rich culture of the vibrant spices and delish authentic Indian cuisines.

If you ask us, (though we didn’t get to try), experience the cultural heritage on a traditional trishaw tour (per stay for two) around the vibrant enclaves of Rochor, Little India, Bugis and Dhoby Ghaut district in Singapore. Do check with the reception for more info!

The trishaw joyride has promised to be an adventure for the senses as they ride along distinctive local iconic landmarks such as the Mustafa Centre, Sungai Road Thieves’ Market, Sri Veeramakailamman Temple and hidden gems along Arab Street that presents a unique side of Singapore. While soaking in the ambience of the colourful streets along Little India, they will also get to embrace the scents of sweet jasmine garlands and savour the rich culinary flavours of Singapore’s food heritage. The route of this approximately 30-minute trishaw ride is as follows:

Village Hotel Albert Court > Rochor Canel Road > Serangoon Road > Campbell Lane > Dunlop Street > Serangoon Road > Syed Alwi Road > Jalan Besar > Weld Street > Arab Street > Queen Street > Middle Road > Prinsep Street > McNally Street > Village Hotel Albert Court

To explore further by foot, here are some of the options you can consider visiting (More for the expats to know, as we are sure almost all Singaporeans would have known by the back of their head) :

Sim Lim Square for your electronic digs
Temple hopping, grab your maps and snap your pictures away, don’t forget your umbrellas
Rocher MRT Station to access to anywhere in Singapore
Along the shopping belt of Orchard road of posh branded restaurants and luxury goods
Parco Bugis Junction & Bugis +, shopping heaven, movie watching (Shaw & Filmgarde) and rooftop prawning
Mustafa Center, Singapore Indian 24 hr Shopping Center where you can find literally everything at a lower price from luggage bags to watches