Parkroyal Collection Pickering may not sound familiar to some of you but the stunning structure, with greenery that seemed to take root from within, might ring a bell or two, especially if you have ever driven out of CTE through the Havelock Road exit!
Frankly, I am having a hard time deciding how to review this hotel as there were about a hundred pictures I would be sharing in this blog post. Whatever the case, I would just let the content flow naturally.
Some basic information about the hotel; it was completed in 2013, had a total of 367 rooms from level 6 to 15, and won the World's Leading Green City Hotel in 2020. Truly impressive to read that they had solar cells to power their sky gardens, saved enough water annually to fill up "32.5 Olympic-sized pools" etc.
Reception area; you know what this reminded me of? With the high, layered ceiling and columns, it did seem that I was in a cave! It was most unusual and the only other time I felt the same way was the sandy lobby at Adaaran Club Rannalhi in Maldives!
Plenty of seating on the lobby level that served different needs; from a casual chat with your family or friends to a discussion with a business associate. If you need a drink, there's a bar that served alcohol.
Lime Restaurant - resident restaurant for Parkroyal Collection Pickering; I didn't manage to dine there as my staycation didn't include breakfast. There's no need to since Hong Lim Food Centre is right next door!
Care pack given by the hotel; hand sanitiser, surgical masks and disinfectant wipes. Nothing uncommon and I still have plenty of them at home; however, still a nice gesture amidst the pandemic.
12th floor - walking through a sheltered yet outdoor corridor to room 1234.
Immediate surroudnings; Chinatown area, including Pinnacle＠Duxton, a 50-floor public housing with resale prices constantly breaking the million dollar mark! From certain angle, in between the two housing blocks, you can also see the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple.
So this was the residential block that my sister's friend was complaining about. Keeping my fingers crossed as the direction to my room put us at a higher risk!
Do remember to keep your belongings tight as your items may drop a few floors down. Alex had to keep reminding me to keep my mobile phone, knowing how clumsy I am.
Floor to ceiling windows, a king sized bed that had pillows long enough to substitute as a bolster and an alcove which was strangely designed for people to face the bed.
You got what I meant?
Complimentary bottled water that was purified in-house - despite its eco-friendliness, I prefer plastic bottles as they are way more convenient to bring out! Anyway, if you are keen to bring home the glass bottle, do note that it cost a hefty S$20 each.
In-room safe, bath robes, ironing board, the iron (duh) and an umbrella.
Electric kettle, mugs, wine glasses, free instant coffee / tea bags and a mini-fridge that I can't seem to open; not a big deal to me as I didn't have anything that require refrigeration. There was also a separate bin for recyclable materials (plastic, glass, paper).
How did I know such nuggets of information?
From this wooden cube on the table.
In any case, blinds were available to protect our privacy. You would have the options for day / night binds and they can be automatically toggled instead of using the irritating cords.
Night blinds down!
p.s. not fully.
Open concept bathroom with glass shower area which I wouldn't like if I were to stay with my parents; it would be so embarrassing right?!
Rest assured that you can still close off the area! I actually didn't realize until Alex started moving the panels which were well hidden!
As Parkroyal Collection Pickering is a relatively new hotel, I thought rainfall shower would have been the default provision, which wasn't the case.
Standard toilet bowl, no bidet. I wonder if any hotels, save for those 5-star ones, in Singapore that actually install those high-tech Japanese toilet bowls which are basic fixtures in Japan. p.s. poor lighting in the toilet at night; bring your mobile phone and if need be, switch on the torchlight function.
Packs of toiletries; they looked kind of familiar and it finally dawned on me. I saw the same things in my first staycation at Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Beach Road. Good, good since I super love the shower gel from METIS! p.s. there's also a hair dryer hidden in the drawer.
Level five - these two photographs were taken on the second day as there was a solemnization ceremony at the terrace on day one and there were tables and chairs. Don't you just love the cabanas that appeared like bird cages when you were looking at Parkroyal Collection Pickering from the outside!
Staircase down to the 300-meter long Garden Walk.
It borders the swimming pool, and you are literally flanked on both sides by plants but, nothing quite impressed me, except for maybe the giant elephant ear plants and "water screens", as some newer HDB blocks had similar trails on their sky gardens.
Walking to the gymnasium / swimming pool area; shall talk about the gym first as the infinity pool would be THE highlight given that I took a lot more photographs.
Gymnasium - I thought this was fairly large for Singapore's standard and they did provide dedicated machines, other than the usual treadmills and dumbbells.
Swimming Pool - honestly, what attracted me most wasn't the infinity pool as its location wasn't sky high and you would get a much better view if you are staying in the hotel rooms that are all located above the 5th floor.
Pool menu as above!
Looking out from the red cabana; the gymnasium was at the back and directly behind the hotel would be the blocks of public housing. To the left is actually the spa.
Garden Walk as seen right outside the red cabana.
The cityscape in front wasn't much, not when you look over the infinity pool. Yes, there's the pathway for the Garden Walk I shared earlier. The 300-meter walk covers the circumference for the entire fifth floor of the hotel.
Lookup view was mind-boggling; it's like we were surrounded by a towering cliff. Imagine a waterfall cascading down from the top floor!
It didn't escape me that there were quite a number of such holes on the ceiling and I wondered if there are any special reasons why they were there since as far as ventilation is concerned; it's not an issue.
Looks like it was for illumination purpose.
The card was attention to Mr Chiu though. Oh well, it wasn't a birthday card, more like a welcome card and addressing it to Alex sounds right since the reservation was under his name.
My shoes were drenched, my socks were wet and my short pants looked like I took a piss. It was exasperating alright but what's more embarrassing is that it has happened to me before and I should have been wiser not to make the same mistake for the second time!
Sigh... and I needed the shoes for my jog later in the evening. My room doesn't face the setting sun and I knew for sure the shoes would dry in time. Guess what's my next best option? I bought a new pair!
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Most important question; was it a good stay? It was, given the unique architecture of the hotel and its focus on going green. In addition, no complaint about the service, not when they already bribed me with the desserts and chocolates on my birthday!
Jokes aside, Parkroyal Collection Pickering had the advantage of close proximity to Chinatown, within walking distance from Chinatown MRT station, and is a literal next door neighbour to Hong Lim Food Centre where you can find a couple of good food stalls like traditional toast, char kway teow, roast delights, muffins, pancakes etc.
Address
3 Upper Pickering St,
Singapore 058289
Map
As above.
Website
Pricing
Urban Room - S$211.86 a night via trip.com
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