Choosing a hotel for your trip to Singapore

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Singapore Financial District (7 July 2011)

So you are planning your first visit to Singapore. Perhaps you are going there on business, to meet some clients. Perhaps it's a pleasure trip, to sightsee Singapore and enjoy its varied street food. Perhaps you are going there specifically to do some shopping, for it's a shopper's haven. Or, perhaps you are going there for some rest and relaxation, and just want to be away from everything. Whatever the reason, you can do with some helpful tips to choose a hotel that is right for your purpose.

In this article, I offer you the 45 top hotels in Singapore, so there is plenty to choose from. To help you in your selection, I categorize them based on their location.

To make it even very easy for you to identify the various locations, I colour-code each of them.

Downtown
The downtown core of Singapore is anchored by Raffles City, a huge complex of shopping malls, hotels and offices. Two major MRT lines intersect here. It is across the Singapore River from the Financial District. Whether you are coming to Singapore for business or pleasure, hotels in Downtown offers unrivalled connectivity.
Financial District & Marina Bay
The Financial District is an area south of the Singapore River with the highest concentration of banks and other financial institutions. This is a concrete canyon of skyscrapers. To the east of this area is Marina Bay, which was developed around the namesake man-made bay, and is regarded as the new downtown. The Marina Bay area has world-class restaurants, shopping malls as well as tourist attractions.
Orchard
This former plantation land has transformed into the main shopping precinct of Singapore. It has the highest concentration of hotels. If you are coming on a shopping expedition, there is no better place to stay than Orchard.
Riverside
This area are quays located immediately upriver from downtown, and has become a major food and beverage precinct. It has a high concentration of eateries, from al fresco dining to pubs and restaurants.
Bugis
This area developed out of a largely Malay neighbourhood to become one of the working-class shopping districts, to the northeast of downtown.
Little India
If you relish a taste of South India, its sights, sounds and aromas, this is the place to stay. The area is located a short distance to the north of downtown.
Sentosa Island
This is a holiday island to the south of Singapore mainland. The main activity here is rest, relax, do some sports or burn some money in the casino. This is the place to stay if you plan to get away from it all, but not the ideal if you are coming to Singapore for business, and will be spending the bulk of your visit meeting people in the downtown area.

Where are these hotels?

What better way to see all the best hotels in Singapore, all at a single glance, on a map. And they have all been colour-coded so it's so easy to determine where exactly you would prefer to stay.

Hotels in Downtown Singapore

Carlton Hotel, Downtown
Fairmont Singapore, Downtown
Grand Park City Hall Hotel, Downtown
Naumi Hotel, Marina Bay
Raffles Singapore, Downtown
Swissotel The Stamford Hotel, Downtown

Hotels in Financial District and Marina Bay

Ascott Raffles Place Singapore, Marina Bay
Conrad Centennial Singapore, Marina Bay
Marina Bay Sands, Marina Bay
Marina Mandarin Singapore Hotel, Marina Bay
Pan Pacific Singapore Hotel, Marina Bay
Parkroyal On Pickering, Financial District
Sofitel So Singapore Hotel, Marina Bay
The Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore, Marina Bay
The Westin Singapore Hotel, Marina Bay

Hotels in Orchard

Four Seasons Hotel Singapore, Orchard
Goodwood Park Hotel, Orchard
Grand Hyatt Singapore, Orchard
Grand Park Orchard, Orchard
Hilton Singapore Hotel, Orchard
Hotel Fort Canning, Orchard
Lanson Place Winsland, Orchard
Mandarin Orchard Singapore, Orchard
Orchard Hotel Singapore, Orchard
Pan Pacific Orchard Hotel, Orchard
Regent Singapore - A Four Seasons Hotel, Orchard
Shangri-la Hotel Singapore, Orchard
Sheraton Towers Singapore Hotel, Orchard
Singapore Marriott Hotel, Orchard
The St. Regis Singapore Hotel, Orchard

Hotels in Riverside

Grand Copthorne Waterfront Hotel, Riverside
Swissotel Merchant Court Hotel, Riverside

Hotels in Bugis

InterContinental Singapore Hotel, Bugis
Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Beach Road, Singapore, Bugis

Hotels in Little India

One Farrer Hotel and Spa, Little India

Hotels on Sentosa Island

Amara Sanctuary Resort, Sentosa
Capella Singapore Hotel, Sentosa
ONE15 Marina Club, Sentosa
Resorts World Sentosa - Beach Villas, Sentosa
Resorts World Sentosa - Equarius Hotel, Sentosa
Resorts World Sentosa - Festive Hotel, Sentosa
Resorts World Sentosa - Hard Rock Hotel, Sentosa
Resorts World Sentosa - Hotel Michael, Sentosa
The Singapore Resort and Spa Sentosa Managed by Accor, Sentosa
W Singapore - Sentosa Cove, Sentosa

Disclaimer

While I do my best in providing you tips on the hotels according to my knowledge, you bear final responsibility over the choice of hotel that you select. I hope that my tips have been useful to you, and I wish you a wonderful trip ahead.