I feel the same way about this property as how I did about Kesa House – a somewhat interesting and non-expensive staycay option but lower on my list of ‘to-try’ and only if price seems right. My previous stay at Kesa House was not too bad so that further encouraged me to try this spot when I spotted a nice deal.

Address – 2 Dickson Road, Singapore 209494. Website.

Contact – Tel: +65 63963322. Email: general.wanderlust-singapore@oakwood.com

Location – Located in the Jalan Besar happenings, the property offers immediate but unsheltered access to vibrant cultural surroundings and colorful sights if that’s your thing.

Price – $170++ = $200nett for a Deluxe room under the Tuscan Journey package which includes

• Two sets of four 60ml pours of selected wines with tasting notes
• Access to video content created on the Tuscan region and its wineries

No meals but hey, some wine to unwind is still good! Stacking this with the Amex offer got me another $50 off which I think is a decent deal.

Pre-arrival – No pre-arrival email but I wasn’t expecting much anyways.

Check In – I arrived to an empty lobby around 2:30pm on a weekday and was assisted to immediately. The lobby itself has this rather charming vibe and looks super comfy for lounging around, especially with the presence of a little bar for drinks.

Maybe because there was only 1 staff on duty, the process took around 15-20mins before I got my key. My pre-payment was acknowledged and they proactively told me my wines have been placed in my room’s fridge for me which was nice.

Going up to the room includes passing through a very classy modern hallway.

Room – My Deluxe Room (13-17SqM), Room 202, was expectedly compact but completely functional, just like their sister property Kesa House. Dressed in muted beige / brown tones, the space opens with a long corridor leading into the main bedroom area and the bathroom to your right.

This area contains a comfy queen size Simmons bed on a platform with lighting controls on both sides and powerpoints. Right above the head of the mattress is your only window to the outside world fitted with a blind you can lower for privacy, even though it doesn’t look out to the street level. A swivel TV is mounted on one side of the wall which was great for a tiny space. The platform itself also offers extra storage space at the bottom divided into a few compartments.

Facing the bed / platform, divided by a small aisle, is the rest of what you would need for a short stay, all compartmentalized into a pigeon hole design – in-house phone, iron + ironing board, mini fridge, hairdryer, kettle, and glass bottles for water + glassware. Taking up a corner of this structure is a rack with hangers on top of a small square platform which ended up to be my WFHotel spot, made easier on the little round stool of sorts provided. The two additional powerpoints located here were sufficient for my gadgets.

The bathroom is more spacious than I thought! Packed inside the space is a single sink with plenty of countertop space, a decent toilet, and a separate standing shower space. Toiletries were the same Barber brand as what Kesa offered – Imperial.

My package included the Tuscan Journey set of wines which was super cute in tiny glass bottles and a brochure with a brief writeup and a QR code to view the video on the Tuscan region and its wineries. I’m ashamed to say that I fell asleep after trying half of a bottle so erm not much material to review (I tabao-ed the wines home).

My only “hiccup” is that I did find a few hair strands near the mattress headrest’s fabric, its nearby corners, and one of the storage platforms below the bed so I think housekeeping could have been more thorough in its routine to be honest. A pity coz otherwise the space felt quite clean.

Facilities – having a room on level 2 meant I had easy access to the common tap for refilling your glass bottles with your choice of room temperature, cold, or sparkling water. There is also a microwave and a pantry section which is now closed due to COVID measures.

Located further down the corridor is a small laundromat which I suppose is useful for long)er staying guests.

Stepping outdoors at the end of the same corridor is the cute dipping pool – quite a nice addition for a boutique property but I cannot imagine anyone needing to spend a lot of time there. I also understand that each room is allowed to book a slot of 30mins for said dipping.

Lastly, there’s The Mama Shop located at one corner of the lobby which sells little snacks – I presume there were more selection pre-Covid.

Check Out – Painlessly completed at 12pm on a weekday (didn’t manage to get a late checkout).

In Summary,

Quite a cute stay in an unconventional neighbourhood . I liked the room much better than Kesa’s – for some reason I coped in this small space even though the room size are the same. The Unlimited Collection is an interesting experience indeed!