Only in Chinatown: Hotel 1929, Singapore

“There is nothing which has yet been contrived by man, by which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern.” Samuel Johnson

Luck was on my side. My flight from Tokyo landed at world-famous Changi Airport in Singapore. The time was 12:20 a.m., Friday, March 7. I had been traveling for over eighteen hours from Honolulu. The first thing on my mind was getting a problem-free taxi ride to my first accommodation, Hotel 1929 in Chinatown. 

There are people who rate Singaporean taxi drivers as among the worst in the world. That surprised me since the city-state is about the size of the Hawaiian island of Molokai. How could you get lost? What could go wrong? (Stay tuned for my comments in an upcoming post about my island-hopping excursion with Darren Ng and Hoh Siow Har on Sunday. Oy vey!)

In my case nothing went wrong when I jumped into the taxi waiting for me. When I told my driver that Hotel 1929 was my destination he grinned and said, “No problem, sir.” I was elated. 

Hotel 1929 is nestled among the shophouses of Singapore's Chinatown.

This was my room. Yes, a bit small. It was functional and comfortable. The air conditioning brought welcomed relief from the smell of Sumatran haze and tropical temperatures. 

This was the glassed-encased bath area. The sink was on the outside facing the bed. 

I chose Hotel 1929 from various selections on hotels.com. I wanted to stay in a shophouse converted into a boutique hotel. There are many of them in Singapore’s Chinatown. I wanted to show my support for the preservation of these historic buildings. Keong Saik Road is lined with such historic shophouses, many of which have been reused as boutique hotels, restaurants, and more. 

My driver was quite lively and gregarious. He even handed me bottled water for which I was grateful. We cruised from the airport through nearly deserted streets as we discussed everything from the pungent smell of ‘haze’ in the air, the current drought (the worst in 154 years), landmark buildings and more as if we were old friends. This was not bad at all. 

We quickly arrived at the hotel. I bid farewell to my driver as he handed me my luggage. Two of the hotel staff were on hand. They were waiting and expecting my arrival. I was warmly greeted and called by name. Checking me in was done most efficiently. I was in my second-floor rear section room in no time. 

This is a delightful, small boutique hotel. My room was modest and practical. After all, I was not planning on staying in the room much of the time. 

I’d describe the decor as modernistic and trendy, but not overwhelming or tacky. I was amused by the glass-walled shower and toilet section. That, too, was functional and it worked fine with me. 

When I travel an important item is WiFi and it worked very well here. I was delighted to signal my Facebook friends that I had arrived safe and sound. 

This outdoor living room was a nice treat. Located outside my window it is a nice setting. The only drawback was that the air conditioning system was nearby, so it was a bit noisy. 

My four-night stay came with an all-you-can-eat breakfast. It was what we would called ‘continental’ with a variety of Western and Asian selections. 

The surrounding neighborhood features a lively variety of restaurants and bars. The famous Maxwell Food Centre and Chinatown Food Street were a five-minute walk away, for example. 

Getting reacquainted with the Lion City meant asking the staff for directions, questions and so forth. At all times when I needed everything from a map to what restaurants were open -if anything- at 5:30 a.m., the staff were smiling and ever-helpful. 

Location! Location Location! This was one of the best things about staying at Hotel 1929. Both the Chinatown MRT and Outram Park MRT (subway) stations were a few blocks away. 

I loved the row upon row of shophouses that lined the narrow streets of Chinatown. I noted a welcoming coherent, harmonious and logical flow to the streetscapes, something I find comforting in historic settings. 

Inside and out, the serenity of the façades of the shophouses coupled with art and personalized, warm service made my stay at Hotel 1929 a pleasant one. 

Yes, I was a happy-camper at Hotel 1929. 

On that first morning I probably slept four or five hours. Feeling a bit excited about my arrival, I ran out before breakfast to survey my surroundings. I used New Bridge Road as the path for my morning explorations, finally ending up near Riverwalk along the Singapore River. 

Here are my first photos:

None of the restaurants or hawker food stands were open yet. 

The Year of the Horse was prominently on display from the recent Chinese New Year celebrations. 

Uh oh! It looks like these Chinese New Year horses took a tumble! 

This is a fine example of the typical shophouse architecture seen throughout Singapore's Chinatown and elsewhere. 

This is one way to dry your laundry. The air here is so warm overnight and hit during the day that it makes sense. 

Worshippers were here bright and early. 

This is the entrance to Maxwell Food Centre

I took this photo at about 5:30 a.m., more or less. This is the Singapore River with Parliament House in the foreground and the stunning Marina Sands Hotel in the distance. This was the first time I had seen the hotel. I thought it was out-of-this-world.