Singapore: South East Asia Hotel

We know that cost of living in Singapore is high so looking for affordable accommodation in Singapore is not easy. It took me so long to find cheap accommodation that has a good location and good reviews. We just need a decent room with a private bathroom where we could sleep after our tour.

Read: Sheraton Towers Singapore

I stumbled upon South East Asia Hotel which is located in the Bugis area. This is the cheapest accommodation that I’ve seen so I told my husband about it and he approved it. I was hesitant at first because the rate is only $100 and I was afraid that in the end, I will regret scrimping. A month before the trip I emailed them and asked if there’s still an available room and fortunately there’s still one room left so I immediately reserved the room.

I received a simple confirmation letter stating 

“Thank you for your email. We are pleased to confirm your reservation of one Standard Room (queen) at S$100 nett per night for 3 nights from ...” and other information.

There are three ways to get to South East Asia Hotel but since we avail of the Singapore Pass, we took MRT. From the Bugis Station, you will not see the SEA Hotel immediately, good thing they provided direction, or else we will really get lost. I checked the Ibis Hotel building and walk towards it.

The hotel is located near shopping malls and markets, you can see vendors in front of the hotel. As expected the building is quite old since it is operating for more than four decades already.

At the reception, they asked for our passport and I paid for my reservation. (cash only). They returned our passport and handed me the receipt and key. The lady informed me that complimentary breakfast starts at 8:30AM. I was shocked because as far as I know, they emailed me 

“4. The room rate is not inclusive of breakfast. Food & drinks are readily available at the neighborhood food center & fast food outlets.  Our hotel also operates a popular Chinese Vegetarian restaurant.” 

But of course, we were happy that we have complimentary breakfast.

Borrowed from their website

The room looks nice and new on their website but in reality, it is already old and really needs an improvement.  Poor lighting and carpet need to be vacuumed. We just came from Kuala Lumpur and our hotel there is much better and cheaper. Wifi is available but not free. Anyway, the rate is just SGD100 and this is very cheap already when you are in Singapore.

You can choose between Continental Breakfast and Vegetarian Buffet, knowing me as a meat lover I ate continental breakfast for 3 days while my husband chose the vegetarian buffet. The continental breakfast consists of 2 slices of toasted bread with jam and butter, 1 coffee and 1 orange juice.

Like

1. I like the location because it is near MRT, shopping malls and markets, you can buy 1 liter of bottled water at SGD1 only. There are souvenirs shops within the area and even Money Changer.

2. Though the hotel and room are old, I can still recommend this if you are looking for cheap accommodation.

3. Since we will be arriving before 3PM, they did not require us to make a downpayment.

4. Complimentary breakfast including my son,

5. They change the bedding and towels every day. They also replenish the toiletries and coffee/tea.

6. Service is ok but don’t expect a happy and smiling face staff.

Dislike

1. Breakfast starts at 8:30AM which I’m not used to, I prefer 7AM for breakfast so we can start out tour early. (free na nga nagrereklamo pa) hehehe!

How to get to South East Asia Hotel

The airport-to-hotels shuttle service operates at 15/30 minute intervals. The fare is S$9 per person.

Taxis are always convenient & readily available. The fare to the hotel is less than S$30 and the ride takes 20minutes. If taking the taxi or the shuttle, please have the driver let you alight at Bencoolen Link, behind Ibis Hotel. The hotel is on Waterloo Street which is a pedestrian mall - located beside the famous Kwan Im Temple and behind the Ibis Hotel.

The Mass Rapid Transit System (MRT) also serves the airport. The closest
MRT station to the hotel is Bugis (6 minutes walk away) The fare is only
about S$2 per person.

Read: Where to Stay in Singapore

South East Asia Hotel

190 Waterloo Street
Singapore 187965
Tel:  (65) 6338 2394
Fax: (65) 6338 3480
URL: www.seahotel.com.sg