Singapore Expats

Hi all. I'm new to this very helpful forum and could use your collective wisdom on Serviced Apartments in Singapore. (A common question here, I know.) I've looked through the archives a bit, and that's been some help.

We'll be arriving in a few weeks for a 6 to 9 month stay and have to choose where to live pretty quickly. My husband was just there and saw a few properties, so we have three top choices so far. I'd love to hear some opinions if you're familiar with any of these! We have a busy 1 year old boy, so that's something we need to consider in the amenities also. Would love a play area and nearby green space.

My husband's company is also footing the bill for a 2 BR apt, and while we have to stay within some sort of budget, it seems like they're being pretty generous. He'll be working in the Raffles area, and I'll be working from home and taking care of the kiddo until we find some help.

Our top choices so far:

Raffles Ascott: Looks gorgeous, great facilities, very nice pool. No kids play area or outdoor space that I can see though. Is the area too busy?

Somerset Liang Court: Looks very nice, good location from what I can see. They have a nice pool area and a kids playroom, though it's nothing to write home about. Too loud? Too mediocre? Looks like it's right near a park, which is great.

Frasers Robertson Quay: Nice apartments, though not as nice as the other 2 from what I can tell. GREAT kids stuff though -- kids pool, playroom, etc. We don't want to live in a super-touristy spot though, and I've read a few reviews that mention bar noise here. Any experience with this place?

We'd also love any other suggestions if you have them. Many many thanks!

It might be tough to find individuals who have experience of any more than one of the establishments.

Could it be an idea to look on TripAdvisor ?

Why dont you come over first and rent a Service Apartment first ? Maybe rent for a month at most will be a safe bet.

Settle down , then hunt for the place you like. It is very hard to suggest as every individual/family has its own needs apart from "busy one year old" . Like amenities, distance to office, transport, etc etc.....

As you are coming from the other side of the globe, you would not want to jump onto something without checking out yourself and regret it for the period of the tenancy, would you? TA termination is full of minefield in SG

Moreover , there are alot of cowboys in the real estate industry, if you read all the threads here , you would know what I mean.

Forewarned is forearmed.

Ah. The way I was reading it the OP was intending to stay in a Serviced Apartment for the entire 6-9 month period.

Yes JR8, you're right, we are looking to stay in a serviced apt for 6-9 months.

And we could come stay somewhere for a week or two while we decide. That's definitely an option. I was just hoping to avoid moving around too much and thought maybe we could decide from here. My husband was just there and saw these 3 properties and a few more suggested by his company. These three seem to be the best for us so far, was just hoping to hear others' opinions on them!

But we're also asking if we have other options. Treetops also looks quite nice and good for kiddos.

Many thanks for the thoughts so far!

I would also put Orchard Scotts on your list if you are staying for that long. It's a mix of Serviced Apartments and long-term apartments. There are lots of children, enormous pool, facilities ... etc. Since most people stay there for longer than 1 or 2 months it may not feel so transient.

I used to work with a guy, Japanese full-time ex-pat, and he lived for a number of years in the Oriental hotel.

I don't remember now quite what the rationale was, something like 'I don't like housework', pretty far out

JR8 wrote:I used to work with a guy, Japanese full-time ex-pat, and he lived for a number of years in the Oriental hotel.

I don't remember now quite what the rationale was, something like 'I don't like housework', pretty far out

or he like his toilet paper folded with a v shape everyday.

Yeah who knows

We were all in our 20's back then and it was a case of 'what is is'.

Back to the OP though. She will garner additional suggestions here, but I'd suggest getting here, planning on 1-2 weeks in a Serviced Apartment while you tour others and decide on where you want to live.

The advance stress of not having a base for the full-term will be outweighed by having checked them out first hand yourself and made an informed decision. If hubby gets extended and you're there say 15 months... would you rather uproot and move after 6 because you realise your initial choice was not the best. As MS suggested, everyone takes time to bed down, I'm not sure the gamble of making that one big decision from abroad has very attractive odds.

Thanks all. Will def check out Orchard Scotts.

And JR8, thx for the suggestion. I think we're now leaning toward booking a week or two in one place, then investigating the longer-term options while we're there.

The hubby checked them all out, but admittedly, I'm a little more particular than he is... Or a lot.

If you are booking a one or two week stay - Treetops is great with a little one. They have an excellent pool and it's a close walk to the Botanic Gardens as well as a children's mall across the road.

Check out Treetops. I stayed there for two months. Great service and location, they also have a mini-van that took me to work each morning (raffles quay), and a nice spread for breakfast (included in the stay) with the daily newspaper to match.

three thumbs up.

aargon wrote: three thumbs up.

Up what?