It’s time for another Snapshot this time looking at the Ibis Budget Crystal, Geylang in Singapore.
I’m sure you’re all aware of how I do this travel writing thing by now. But for those reading this for the first time, I have two major travel writing styles:
- Trip Reports – These are full deep-dive reports taking you into the experience, the small things… as well as the big things!
- Snapshots – These are bite-sized reviews that show you the product in some gentle headlines (and normally, only images shot on the phone)
We’re on the Snapshot in this post. I’ll be doing this series of posts a little out-of-order… mainly to entertain myself, but to concentrate on some of the more interesting bits first.
Booking
There are more than a few IBIS Budget hotels in Singapore, with a lot of them in the Geyglang neighbourhood.
The hotel was booked directly via the Accor ALL site for £64 for a night. As Ibis budgets do not take part in Accor’s loyalty programme, no points were earned.
Location
The hotel is just off Geylang Road, with it not far from the Old Airport Road Food Centre. It is walkable from Aljunied station on the East-West Line, or a 20-minute ride from Changi Airport.
Check-in
Check-in was a quick affair, with my details and passport details taken. A room had been allocated with a numbered keycard issued.
No payment was taken, as the room had been pre-paid.
The Room
The room I was allocated in was located on the 3rd floor of the hotel.
Power to the room is controlled by a keycard. This also controlled access to the air conditioning unit which was off when I entered.
The room has a queen-sized bed dominating the room. By the beds, there were outlets with a world-style plug, allowing for plugs of most nations to be accepted.
To the right-hand side, there was a plastic seat, a kettle with tea and coffee-making facilities, and a kettle provided (as opposed to pod coffee machines).
A hairdryer was wired into the wall.
No bottled water was provided, with purified tap water available
As for the window – it was small, although there was a view into a house.
The bathroom was equipment a toilet, a shower and a washbasin, with toothbrushes provided.
There was also a wall-mounted TV, which had access to 10 local channels
The air conditioning unit needed a substantial amount of time to deliver “passable” cooling performance. While the hold recommended 23-24c, I needed… something a lot colder. This primarily circulated under one area of the room, thus taking time to spread out to other parts.
Onsite facilities
Vending machines were both inside and outside the hotel.
Checkout
At checkout, the keycard was collected. No further payment was required.
From here, I was able to head off to my next destination in the aggressively hot Singapore sun.
The full review of the Ibis Budget Crystal is in the works – and is coming soon.
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