Is the Shangri La in a poor location

Hi all, I have 2 questions really, and would be glad of some advice:-

Firstly, we have already booked to stay 4 nights at the Shangri La from 1st May 09 in a tower wing deluxe room. I can see on Trip Advisor the hotel is rated number 1, and the reviews were excellant from people who%26#39;d stayed in the garden or valley wing, but I noticed some were unhappy with the tower rooms. I get the idea they are mainly used by businessmen rather than holidaymakers. There were comments such as there was mould in the shower, towels left unchanged, etc. We emailed hotel thinking we%26#39;d pay to upgrade to a garden wing room, and for those 4 nights it would cost at extra 400 singapore dollars plus vat. They advised it may be cheaper through a travel agent. However Hayes %26amp; Jarvis only have tower rooms or the valley deluxe which was a whopping £900 and odd pounds EXTRA, for 4 nights!

I know we%26#39;ll be out most of the time, but we would like to be in a nice room!

Another review was regarding location, saying how far it was to the MRT in the heat and humidity, and my husband does have a walking disability.

Should we change to another hotel where we would get a nice room without paying the earth, and one in a different/better location! Any suggestions please.

Is the Shangri La in a poor location

We always stay at the Albert Court Hotel in Little India, I%26#39;ve read some shocking, and totally untrue reports of that hotel, but opinions are in the eye of the beholder. Suffice to say we return every year to it, and less than six weeks till we do. It suits us, it%26#39;s better than clean and in a superb location. Above all it%26#39;s excellent VALUE for money, imho. Hope you find what suits you. Alan.

Is the Shangri La in a poor location

S$400 for an upgrade for 4 night is worth in IMHO. The rooms are much larger to boot. Theres nothing wrong with the Tower wing, but people spending a lot for a room quite naturally have very high expectations. It is a long walk to the MRT may be 20min at normal pace and the retuen jurney is up hill. If your husband has a walking disabilty then its best to take a taxi to and from the hotel, either straight to your destination or to the MRT stations. Taxis are relatively cheap. It may add $10 or so a day for trips to and from the MRT station/orchard road. So not much on top of the room rate.

If you waant to change and have very easy acces to the MRT, choose from Fairmont, SwissOtel the Stamford, Intercontinetal, or if you have to be located along Orchard road, try the Marriot. The ShangriLa is superior to all these hotels though.

Hi,

Shangri La is so far away from things. I always prefer a hotel close by an MRT. Maybe the Fairmont, Swissotel Stamford, Carlton Hotel or InterContinental.

We%26#39;ve stayed at the Shangri-La for three nights on two occasions returning from visiting family in South Australia. We were allocated a room in the Tower wing but opted to upgrade to a room in the Horizon Club which was excellent. Very spacious and the extra cost included excellent full breakfast in the dining-room adjoining the lounge, plus ';happy hour'; drinks and canapes in the early evening. We upgraded at Reception when we checked in and didn%26#39;t bother going through our travel agent.

We always took a taxi from the hotel to wherever we were going so have now idea how close the MRT station is located.

On our last stay at the hotel we asked to see the Garden Wing rooms which are lovely and have small balconies overlooking the pool and the gardens. The spectacular Valley Wing with its own entrance is obviously designed for corporate ';high flyers'; travelling on expenses and way beyond our budget.

We have been recommended to try the Traders Hotel which is part of the Shangri-La group, located closer to Orchard Road shopping and slightly less expensive than its ';big sister';.

I do have some photographs of a Garden Wing room and other rooms if you are interested? Hope this helps.

dont go to the traders hotel. rooms are too small. even the executive rooms are of the same size or you pay abt 160sgd more a nightfor a room twice the size you booked for.

shangri-la is definitely way much better. reviews are just reviews and some ppl just happen to have a bad holiday. shang is known to be the best, next to the 6star st regis.

i say, go for it.

or look at ritz carlton for great harbour view or naumi hotel[new and very hip yet big].

Hi BonnieandToby

i read your mail and i would like to think of the bigger problem is that of your husband%26#39;s problem with his walking disability.

The hotel room is not a big problem but the the locality of the hotel is. i sure do hope that you listen to those who gave advice of the ease of convenience rather than the spaciousness of the room.

got get a hotel room that is along Orchard Road or Westin which is have the trains(to anywhere) just below the hotel.

The Shangri La is a beautiful hotel and is in a different class fr the others. You will love their restaurants and their landscaping. It is out of the way a little but cabs are easily obtainable and cheap. Something along Orchard Road close to the subway would be preferable with your husband%26#39;s condition. The Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt are all good. The Mandarin is further down Orchard road. There%26#39;s nothing like being right where the action is. I%26#39;d stay along Orchard road. The Westin is good as the subway is almost connected to the hotel.

But if you aren%26#39;t coming to shop, relax at one of the two lovely hotels on Sentosa Island. It%26#39;s easy to get in to Singapore by cab and it is relaxing with lots to do.

Good luck!B

First of all taxis are cheap in Singapore. So if you stay at the Shangri La then use them. Don%26#39;t fret. With the three of us - taxis were a cheaper option than public transport. Also Orchard Rd Statio gets packed so your husband with a disability is not going to cope with it anyway. To me that location is where a lot of wealthy ex pats and Singaporeans live so it is a lovely area, very green and peaceful but yes it is away from the attractions. Is that a real issue? Go out for a few hours then go back and realx by the pool or in our lovely room?

Second whatever you do - do not go to Traders Hotel. In my opinion ( and I have just come back from staying there - it is about 3 and 1/2 stars and in need of tender loving care. Even for 2 people, the rooms are very very tight there. And I daresay the breakfast service wasn%26#39;t even friendly - grumpy rather than smiling.

If you are going to change your mind however, - I would even decide to head down to a 5 star hotel around Raffles/City Hall, Esplanade etc. During my stay, I also stayed at the Grand Plaza City Hall which is merely a 4 star hotel and I could not fault it at all for the bargain price I paid for it (no views though from the rooms although the view from the pool is delighful). You think you are in an oasis (the actual view is of Canning park) The City Hall/Raffles City area is very convenient to many attractions, the MTR is quieter and there is great dining everywhere with Clarke Quay, Chimes and Boat Quaty nearby.

If you change your option will you have to pay a cancellation fee?

The hotel does offer complimentary shuttle which is quite regular and on time (even to their sister hotel on Sentosa so u can get a chance to see the island if u wish) which will be convenient if u dont want to walk that little distance to town.

It has been a couple of years since my last stay at the Shang and the last room I had was a Garden room. I was a bit disappointed as I was hoping that they had upgraded the rooms like they did with the Tower wing (esp. for the price they r charging). It is still a nice room but the luxury was a bit dated (in my books).

Anyways, for this property, I love the Valley wing which unfortunately, comes with a price. Contacting the hotel directly is definitely the best deal for upgrades (a 3rd party takes commission off the price which is added onto your price). Is it worth the extra $ ?

There are a lot of hotels in town that will offer u a good deal and these hotels had either recently been updated or a total renovation. I would advise that u look around at some of these for the quality and price comparable to the Shang :

Four Seasons (great hotel if u can get their promotional rates during ur stay, AMAZING service and location is ideal for Orchard area), serene and quiet luxury with rooms of a good size, what really sells this place is the service, I swear they the best staff in SIN ! Btw, they had renovated part of the rooms so u may want to find out if all the upgrading had been done. I will take this hotel over Shang%26#39;s valley wing any day.

Sheraton Towers (just finished their renovation and at the moment offering good club room deals with the Newton MRT right at its doorstep, u can get all over town), less of a zoo than a few other hotels in town which to me is a big plus

Royal Plaza on Scotts - ideal location

Goodwood Park - renovated rooms and a very nice property, a good compromise if u dont wish to pay Raffles hotel prices (for this property due to its location, u may have to cab it coz it is on top of a little hill but it is right in town and plenty of choices for shopping and dining right out the door)

I am not sure how far of a walk ur spouse can handle but if he doesnt mind a short walk, Royal Plaza on Scotts is really a good location though coz of its location, there are plenty of people around (which is why I had suggested Sheraton Towers).

Hilton is having a huge sale in Asia at the moment, if u stay 3 nights u get 50% off rooms but this is a non refundable rate so check that out if u are certain of your travel dates. The only advice I have is, even though with the renovation a couple of years ago, it is nice but rooms (in my books) are small but location is also ideal for Orchard Road area.

Fairmont SIN is a nice contemporary modern hotel which offers nice room views. Perfect location if u want to explore SIN due to the location (across from the famous Raffles hotel, short walk to Chimjes and the Marina/Suntec area, MRT station right beneath the property, full range of shopping and dining, close to Boat Quay, Esplanade, etcf).

Good Luck

tripadvisor.com/GoListDetail-i8205-Singapore…

PS. without knowing your preferred budget and the extent of your husband%26#39;s disability, I am unable to suggest a specific hotel, sorry for the long post.