To celebrate its first anniversary on 28 September 2023, Hotel Telegraph has curated a series of activities for guests to immerse themselves in Singapore’s heritage and culture. One of our most esteemed Expat Choice reporters who lives and works in Singapore, Melissa Johnston decided it was a good time to review what Hotel Telegraph has in store for guests.
Located at 35 Robinson Road in the heart of Singapore’s Central Business District, Hotel Telegraph seeks to introduce locals and tourists alike to the rich but forgotten stories of Singapore.
Did you know that there is a 5 star, boutique hotel nestled right next to Lau Pa Sat in the heart of downtown Singapore? The Hotel Telegraph, located at 35 Robinson Road is celebrating its first anniversary and is inviting locals and tourists alike to discover some hidden Singapore treasures from its downtown base. The hotel is conveniently located close to both Telok Ayer and Downtown MRT stations and if you are arriving by taxi or car the lobby is slightly hidden away on Boon Tat Link (just so your grab driver knows)!
I stayed in a deluxe room for our taste of Singapore heritage and cultural tours. Rooms are well equipped and plush as you would expect from a five star hotel and I particularly liked the ipad that controls everything in your room (although there was still that one elusive light that I can just never work out how to switch off) along with the free snacks and non-alcoholic beverages provided in the mini bar.
But the real highlight was the "fresco-esque" ceiling right above the bed. It evokes memories of the great art galleries and churches of the world, and I literally lay on the bed staring at the wonderful ceiling for a good thirty minutes! Who would have thought?
Discover Singapore With a Fresh Set of Eyes
I have always loved the 1927 rooftop bar in its past lives and am I am pleased to say I still do. We start our weekend adventure with poolside cocktails and food. I love how the sunlight fades behind the stark contrast of tall office blocks and the sparkling pool. Cocktail choices are plentiful and food puts an Asian spin on poolside hotel classics – think Korean style chicken wings, prata pizza and spicy otak slider (yum!). Ambience is good and prices are within the standard Singapore range.
Day two sees us ready at the very polite hour of 10.30am to try out a bit of Singapore heritage and culture. We start with a walking tour led by Geraldine who exudes a sense of calm and wisdom. While I have been in Singapore for over 10 years, it has been nearly that long since I did the tourist-y thing! So it was lovely to revisit and indeed, discover areas of historical significance dotted around the CBD and Chinatown areas.
We took in temples including the Buddha Tooth Relic and Sri Mariamman temples in Chinatown as well as exploring many heritage buildings, even the Hotel Telegraph itself which survived bombings during World War 2! We may have also poked our head into the new Jackie Chan owned restaurant Born, which occupies the iconic Jinrikisha Station building at the very start of Tanjong Pagar. Our walk takes us around 90 minutes and it is conducted at a reasonably leisurely pace to ensure that we are not drenched in sweat before the next stop in our adventure.
Visit a Local Microbrewery in a Historic Building
The tour ends by dropping us to the sanctuary of the Lion Brewery nestled away in Club Street. Sanctuary for many reasons not least of which was the respite from the heat of walking – I mean air con and a cold beer, could you ask for more? Well more we got! The guys behind Lion Brewery are having fun – they say so themselves – by playing with ingredients and flavours to create beers that are outside the norm. The beer menu is extensive and ever changing given the exploration the team are constantly undertaking. It is a great way to entice non beer drinkers to give some of these flavours ago.
It was amazing to see that all beer is made onsite and a tour of their brewery gave us a sneak peek not only into the creative process but the real science that goes into producing beers. Of course, once you have seen the brewery you have to give the beer a go. Lion Brewery offers a tasting paddle of six beers reflecting their current creations. These are served along with a tasting plate which was just that, tasty.
The beers are crazy! We tried purple ones, chocolate ones, raspberry ones .. you get the drift. And just to calm the beer traditionalists, there are plenty of more typical beer styles,including lagers and IPAs, for you to try. Lunch was fab as well, with the menu reflecting the type of grub you would expect to pair with beer. I had pork ribs with BBQ sauce, fries and coleslaw which was generous in both proportions and taste. With an aim to make beers that non beer drinkers would drink, the Lion Brewery are well on the way to creating a unique experience in the Singapore pub space.
Exciting Upcoming Happenings
We closed out our Hotel Telegraph stayca with Sunday lunch in the hotel restaurant. On weekends, the hotel offers a grill package that provides choices across all proteins as well as vegetarian options. I had a 200g piece of rib eye steak served with two sides and a sauce for $32++. This is already a good price but when you add in a self-serve salad bar which included a first class cheese selection (that was my dessert done) then I think this becomes one of the best value places for a grill in town.
It was such fun to play tourist in Singapore for a couple of days! The Hotel Telegraph is offering a great mix of activities and top notch accommodation to entice Singapore locals to get back out there and explore some of the unique and fabulous experiences our great city-state has to offer. Do yourself a favour!
To learn more about Hotel Telegraph and book your heritage tour and stay, visit: Hotel Telegraph
a. Robinson Rd, 35, Singapore 068876
fb. www.facebook.com/HotelTelegraphSingapore
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