Best Staycation in Singapore – Hotel Indigo Katong

I’ve always been a fan of staycations ever since I started reviewing hotels here in Singapore. I enjoy using the hotel facilities and leisurely explore around the little pockets of neighborhoods in Singapore. And for this Christmas, I wanted to give my other half a special surprise – an experiential gift instead of a tangible gift. I’ve always found experiences like traveling to be more valuable than anything else.

Since we both can’t travel during this holiday, I thought a staycation would be a great idea. So I spent the whole night looking for an ideal hotel that is unique and beautiful yet affordable. Unlike a tourist, I wasn’t looking for a place just to stay for the night but I was looking for a unique accommodation experience.

The reason why staycations are a novelty among us locals is because we treat it as a nice pampering retreat for us. Our ideal staycation is just to laze in the beautiful hotel room with ultra comfy beds, swim in a rooftop pool and then wake up for a hearty hotel breakfast. Besides, there are many new swanky boutiques here in Singapore which aren’t quite your usual hotels. They are interesting and ‘instagrammable’. And being in such vibrant and creative living spaces just injects pure joy and inspirations into you. At the end of a staycation, I always feel recharged – ready for more challenges to come.

Hotel Indigo is located right at Katong Square, which is just beside 112 @ Katong mall, along East Coast Road. Katong is a food haven and after we checked in the hotel, we actually spent some time exploring the Katong neighborhood.

Katong is one of our local heritage sites with many old colonial pre-war shophouses which were built there since decades ago. You will also find unique shops or eateries like Rumah Bebe, where you can find traditional Peranakan food and our famous 328 Katong Laksa eatery where you can enjoy Katong’s famous laksa.

Because the hotel is located away from the town area, you will get to enjoy some peace and quietness right here where you can eat, shop and explore leisurely without having to queue or nudge your way through the crowds.

The hotel building itself has a BCA Green Mark Platinum status which is something worth mentioning about. Their conscious effort to run a green and sustainable hotel is applaudable and worth supporting for. That makes their hotel an eco-friendly hotel in Singapore too, wouldn’t you say so?

Because Hotel Indigo only opens about a couple of months ago, you can tell that their staff is newly-trained and who probably came fresh right out of hospitality training institutions. They are young and seem a little inexperienced but they were very courteous and polite. And they greeted us with warm smiles when we were at the reception desk to check-in.

Hotel Indigo is under the InterContinental Hotels group so the receptionist asked us if we wanted to sign up for their hotel membership. Since it is free anyway, we signed up and received our membership card upon our check-in as well. That was efficient!

The lift flooring is tiled in these Peranakan-inspired ceramics and it instantly gave me that nostalgic feel because these encaustic tiles brought back many childhood memories.

There are 2 types of rooms – deluxe and premier – which are all sized at 30 square meters. There isn’t any suites or any other types of superior rooms. Their rooms are all pretty standard in size and design. But I like it that way because it makes it so much easier for me as a guest to make a decision as to which rooms I want to stay. Sometimes, it can be a headache for us consumers when we are bombarded by so many choices!

The premier rooms come with bathtubs but since we figured that we didn’t need one, we stick to the deluxe room which is equally beautiful. I guess one of the perks of staying at a new hotel is that you get to enjoy all the new hotel facilities while everything is a mint condition.

We left in awe the moment we stepped into the room. It may not be as huge and luxurious as those rooms at expensive hotels and resorts but it is so stylish, chic and interesting in its own way. We love the colors, furnishings and even the comfy beddings too. What really appeals to use is the mural drawings on the wall which depicts a man selling durians at the durian stall. Durian is a unique fruit to us Singaporeans and so is this room which had so many items that we used in the past.

I have to capture the room with my camera from various angles otherwise it wouldn’t do any justice to this fabulous room. Also, I believe that there aren’t many photos of Hotel Indigo up online yet. So there you have it!

There’s also this small cosy area with retro cushion covers beside the bed. They used the wooden carrom table as a coffee table where you can eat, work and play there. I used to play carrom as a kid, do you play it too? It’s a pity that we didn’t have the time to play the game while we were staying there. They actually provide a box of carrom pieces for you to play!

We had our healthy ‘champagne’ as our celebratory toast for the new year!

The toilet is separated from the bathroom area which is found towards the end of the room, nearer to the windows.

A cabinet of our childhood candies, light snacks and drinks.

Coffee, tea, and the candies are complimentary.

Remember that old rabbit sweet? I wonder if this hotel was targeting at locals or tourists. My parents would find this place really nostalgic too.

I really wonder where they found all these Kopi cups which are almost obsolete now!

Minibar

There’s an ironing board, bathrobes and plenty of hangers provided.

The biggest perk and draw for tourists is this mobile phone which allows guest to enjoy free calls and the internet using the android phone. You will also get to enjoy special discounts and check out the latest attractions and events happening in Singapore. But of course, you will have to return the phone at the end of your stay.

Look at the view of Joo Chiat and Katong neighborhood! Over here, you will find many low-rise residential houses and shophouses here with very few HDB flats, unlike other neighborhoods. That’s the beauty and charm of Katong.

The open bathroom concept is probably the most attractive feature of this room. You will know what I mean when you view the photos below. There’s a shower area right behind the sink.

At night, when we switched on the lights, the mirror illuminate this beautiful glow of warm light…

Basic toilet amenities like shampoo, conditioner, body wash, body lotion, toothbrush set and sewing kit are all provided. Their toiletries are from Biology, a natural Aussie skincare brand. It shows that the hotel management cares for their guests and the environment. Thumbs up for that conscious green effort!

Something really special which you will never find it in other hotels is this tub of foot bath essentials! They have also specially prepared foot bath set so that you can soak your feet in the traditional Chinese wash basin. It comes with bath salts, foot scrub and foot balm to cleanse and soothe your aching feet after a long day of touring around Singapore. How thoughtful!

There’s actually a sliding door that divides the bathroom area from the rest of the hotel room so that you can have some privacy while showering. We initially thought that there were no doors or shades at all!

The hotel lounge area is another gorgeous space to check out. You can do some reading or work on your laptop here. Wifi is available throughout the hotel grounds, including the rooms.

Guess what’s behind these tall wooden shelves?

They have created private spaces for you to use their Mac desktops for internet access. I believe that the interior designer had the user needs in mind because we all do need a certain level of privacy especially when we are checking our social media accounts.

Baba Chews

I was super impressed with the hotel breakfast ( which starts from 6.30 am and ends at 10 am)  at Baba Chews. Guests can choose their breakfast mains from their Breakfast Ala carte menu and other breakfast staples like bread, cereals, and fruits from the breakfast buffet spread.

On the menu, you can find both western breakfast sets like eggs benedicts as well as local specials like Kaya toast set and Asian congee.

I love the breakfast buffet spread because they come in small portion sizes so that you can try out a variety of the breakfast staples served here.

They even got freshly squeezed juices, salads, fresh fruits, cheese, toast, yogurt, and soymilk too!

What can I say? Breakfast at Baba Chews is amazing!

We also tried out their breakfast special for the day which is roti prata which is hands-down one of the most delicious Prata I’ve ever tasted.

After all that feasting, you can also rest and relax at the infinity pool or do a quick workout at their 24-hour fitness center. You can also burn some calories by taking a mini slide on this gigantic red clogs here.

Fitness Centre

Infinity Pool

And if you need anything else, you can take a 2-minutes walk to 112 @Katong mall for some shopping. There’s also a cinema at 112@Katong where you can catch a late night movie too.

In the evening, we also explored the Katong neighborhood to hunt for some home-made ice cream and late supper. They are plenty of options!

It’s one of our most enjoyable and best staycation ever! There’s almost nothing that we are not happy about. My other half said that we should have stayed for two nights because there’s just so many cafes here to check out and things to do. It’s also not too far away from CBD area as there are buses which would bring you to shopping havens like Suntec City Mall and Orchard Road. It’s about 15 to 30 minutes bus ride. How convenient!

Have you stayed at other fantastic hotels in Singapore before as well? Do recommend us as we would love to check them out!