The Scarlet Singapore

The Scarlet Singapore is a boutique hotel on Erskine Road in Chinatown, set in a row of restored shophouses and known for its dramatic, baroque-style interiors in red, gold and black. It is the opposite of a chain hotel: the rooms are individually styled, some are small, and the character is the point. The location is its great advantage, since Chinatown's temples, shophouse streets and food centres are within a short walk, and Maxwell Food Centre and Telok Ayer's cafes are close. The hotel has a small pool, a bar and a restaurant, and its size creates a more personal atmosphere than the larger hotels downtown. For a couple or a design-minded traveller it is an unusual and memorable choice.

The Scarlet suits couples and food lovers who want to be in Chinatown rather than visit it. You can walk to breakfast at a hawker stall, stroll to the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and be at Tanjong Pagar or Marina Bay by MRT within minutes. It is less suited to travellers who want large rooms, big facilities or a quiet street, since the surroundings are lively.

Check the room category carefully. Rooms in heritage buildings vary in size and layout, and the smallest ones can feel snug. Ask about noise if you are a light sleeper, since Chinatown nights can be busy, and check what the rate includes. The bar and pool are small and intimate, which many guests like.

A sensible routine is a hawker breakfast, a walk through the temples before the heat builds, a rest in the middle of the day and an evening stroll along Club Street and Ann Siang Hill, where the shophouses have been turned into bars and small restaurants.