Santa Grand Hotel Bugis

Although the 74-room hotel describes itself as a "heritage property," the effort to decorate the place appropriately falls short of that claim. The lobby, for one, features glossy black flooring, empty white walls (with the exception of four clocks set to various time zones), and a few modern accent chairs. It's the same situation for spaces like the small cafe, which has reddish walls and wooden chairs and tables, and there can be insufficient room on days when the hotel is running at 100 percent occupancy. However, during our early 2018 visit we learned that plans for change are in the works, particularly for the cafe (and its seating capacity) as well as the second block, which has rooms that look extremely dated compared to the ones in the main building.

The hotel is conveniently located in the center of Singapore, with several bus stops that are no more than 10 minutes away on foot. Three MRT train stations -- namely Bugis, Lavender, and Jalan Besar -- are also within a 10-minute walk. There are plenty of restaurants and bars nearby, including Symmetry, a well-known brunch spot just opposite the hotel. Leisure travelers may want to get some shopping done in the Bugis precinct (a seven-minute walk), or sightsee in Kampong Glam, which is walkable -- just five minutes away on foot. To get to other cultural districts, like Chinatown and Little India, it's 18 minutes by train. For the Marina Bay area, it's a 14-minute drive. Orchard Road -- the city's most famous shopping district -- takes around 15 minutes to reach on the bus. Singapore Changi Airport is about 20 minutes away by car.

Rooms at Santa Grand Hotel Bugis come with basic amenities, and the look is plain and simple. However, there is a bit of difference depending on which building you land in. The rooms in the main four-story building follow an uncomplicated white-and-wood tone color scheme, with the occasional painting and piece of animal-print furniture. The older, bigger rooms in the second building are similar, but for some odd reason, the walls are covered in a gothic black-and-gray motif. The bathrooms are as plain and simple as the rooms, with ash gray tiles, walk-in showers, a small selection of toiletries, and wall-mounted hairdryers. Standard amenities for all rooms include air-conditioning, flat-screen TVs (with cable), mini-fridges, tea- and coffee-making facilities, bottled water, safes, and free Wi-Fi. For the higher category rooms, the key differences are room size, as well as balconies and bathtubs for some. Note that certain rooms, like the Standard Superior, are located in the basement and don't have windows, although this might be a pro for some who don't want to deal with ambient light or street noise that sometimes travel up to the rooms, especially those with balconies.

Location aside, the outdoor rooftop pool on the fourth floor is the hotel's best feature. It's small, but has a separate whirlpool section and offers great views of the shophouse-and-skyscraper-filled Bugis and Kampong Glam neighborhoods. There's also a small shaded corner with a few sun loungers, and pool towels are available for guests. The hotel also has its own cafe just beside the lobby in the main building. This is where the daily Halal buffet breakfast is held, but do note that it costs extra and there's been feedback by guests that the spread could use more variety. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the property. Should you need a communal space to get work done or chill out, it's not much, but the cafe is open for that once breakfast is over.