“A balcony?!”

That pretty much sealed the deal. There had been much deliberation between me and the sis over where to stay in Singapore on her 30th. “Splurge”, we said with conviction. But at the last minute realized that our stingy arses could only agree on a mid-range one.

The decision to bunk in J8 hotel was prodded by an irresistible Groupon offer. Discounted rate for a room with balcony(!), free breakfast and lunch (or dinner) plus complimentary WiFi. And it was redeemable on the date we needed it. So book, the sis did.

Fastforward weeks and miles (I flew in from Sydney) after, we arrived at the hotel just a little past check in time on a cloudy afternoon. The boutique hotel’s lobby and restaurant/bar is housed in a row of restored, two-story shophouses built in the early 1900s. The facade, though conserved and restored to its original design, brings out a contemporary character thru its glass walls and color palette.

Lobby was deserted when we arrived. The lounge, upon first look, may seem tight. But because it pours into the adjoining resident restaurant, there’s plenty of chairs for waiting guests to sit. The lone receptionist attended to us swiftly. And within a few minutes, we found ourselves upstairs (in the rear six-storey extension) swooning over our patio room.

Our eyes were drawn towards the forest-print wall paper. The pop of chartreuse and other shades of green make for a calming sight. We dumped our luggage on the floor (and there’s not much floor space, but hey, it’s Singapore) and stepped out onto the balcony. Wine shortly followed. We were already impressed, we had not even experienced the J8 Hotel bed yet — which basically is a black hole, I tell you.

Facilities and Services:

*24-hour desk
*mini bar
*safety deposit box
*complimentary WiFi
*local phone calls
*hair dryer
*telly
*room service
*car park
*cafe/restaurant/bar

The hotel’s location also worked for us though we never gave it much thought prior booking. The area favored our search for cereal prawns that night. We did a leisurely stroll to Sim Lim Square, where a nearby resto serves cereal peeled prawns which the sister prefers. Other malls/attractions close to J8 Hotel are: City Square Mall, Bugis Junction Shopping Center, Haji Lane, Malay Heritage Center, Sultan Mosque and Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple.

Breakie the next day was satisfactory. Eggs Ben was a pleasant surprise. Not topnotch, but then again it’s Singapore, where locals eat noodles or bao or something else not eggs ben first thing in the morn. The free lunch/dinner meal that was included in the Groupon deal was good as well, and we were given quite a number of choices.

On the whole, J8 Hotel exceeded our expectations. I was happy. The birthday girl was happy. She finally got her much needed staycation. Our only regret was not being able to stay longer. Or erm, our wallets unfortunately didn’t allow us to.

J8 Hotel
No. 8 Townshend Road, #01-01
Along 33 Maude Road, Singapore
Reservation Hotline: +65 6571 9111