Goodwood Park Hotel

Goodwood Park Hotel has existed and stood in the same location in Singapore for a long time. I've been there many times for their good food at the Coffee Lounge for Asian buffet and L’Espresso for English high tea, but this is my first stay here. Although the hotel has a long history, the facilities remained mostly well-maintained.





The room is so cold that there's condensation on the glass sliding doors.


The balcony doesn't look alluring enough to make me want to hang around there. In fact, KB was hurrying me to close the door before insects come flying into the room.


The bathroom comes with a very sophisticated-looking weighing scale.



No toothbrush and toothpaste found inside the toiletries box... which is rather unusual for a local hotel.


The pantry is well-equipped and there's even TWG tea (not in the photo).



When we're done exploring the room, it's time for an evening swim. This pool is located in a more private space surrounded by the guest rooms. And there's another pool that is just outside the L’Espresso cafe and it can be seen from the reception area.

River Hongbao (春到河畔)

Today is actually the last day for the public to visit River Hongbao (春到河畔). Even on a hot afternoon, there are still quite a number of visitors.

This arch marks the main entrance.

A series of arch leading to the exhibits and the food stalls.

This display is titled Let's Celebrate Together! (孔雀报喜).

The god of wealth (财神) is a must-have in the River Hongbao every year.

There are too many local food items to choose from.

Panorama view of the displays on the floating platform.

Display titled So Shiok! (好美味)

Display titled Wishing Well (许愿井)

One of the 12 Zodiac (十二生肖) displays

Display titled SG50 Giant Mural Wall (欢庆建国50周年巨型壁画)

Display titled Heritage Playground (旧时代儿童游乐设施)

Display titled Lion Dance Cheers! (舞狮贺年)

It's a pity I couldn't stay till the night to see the light up of all these lanterns.

Singapore Philatelic Museum

KB and I had no plans for today and decided to have an impromptu visit to the Singapore Philatelic Museum in the afternoon.

Printing error on a US stamp.

First day of issue stamps of The Simpsons in Los Angeles on 7 May 2009

Pillar box donated by Hong Kong after the handover of Hong Kong to China in 1997.

Singapore stamp collection since our independence.

Stamps in one of the pullouts.

Room of Rarities

Stamp booklet vending machine that is no longer in use.

During Singapore's colonial days, lamp posting boxes were used in areas with low mail volume.

Miniaturized models of post boxes used in different countries in different eras.

Other than exhibits related to stamps, there are other exhibits that reflected Singapore's history.

Heritage Room

Test yourself and see if you know the ingredients in our local dishes.

St Regis Singapore

Initially, we wanted to plan an anniversary staycation at Sentosa, where we got married. But the hotel room prices had gone up too much when we were doing our last minute booking. So, KB reserved a room at St Regis instead, because he gets corporate rate and he's a SPG (Starwood Preferred Guest) member.

(Photo taken from St Regis Singapore website.)

For all the other hotels I've visited so far, all the check-in receptions have standing counters. At St Regis, it was my first experience of a seated check-in. We actually arrived at the hotel earlier than the usual check-in time, but I guess the room was available so the hotel gave us the room keys. There doesn't seem to be many guests at the hotel, probably because it's weekday, in between Christmas and New Year.




KB's SPG Gold membership upgraded us to Grand Deluxe Room from the Executive Deluxe Room. The room is very bright and we didn't bother about the lights. It was only at night, then we started to figure out the different lighting modes. The membership also gave us a late check-out at 4pm.



Here's the view of the town from our room on the 15th floor. It's quite a pity that I could only see the sky when I'm sitting on the sofa at the window, because the bottom half of the window is blocked by a piece of perforated metal on the outside.


The mini pantry includes complimentary TWG tea.




There's a small television screen in the mirror to provide entertainment, while soaking in the bathtub.




Knowing that it was our first time here at Remède Spa, the staffs gave us a tour of the spa facilities. At the ladies' section, there wasn't any other guest there, so I had the whole place to myself.


After enjoying our spa, a hotel staff brought a fruit cake, brewed tea and coffee to the room for our celebration.


Online magazines in the PressReader app are provided complimentary by St Regis, as long as they are downloaded using the hotel's WiFi. This kept me busy browsing and downloading magazines, so that I can read them after dinner. For once, I had no time for iPad games!