IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR A BUDGETFRIENDLY GIRLS’ DAY IN: HOTEL MONO

Hotel Mono has a great location, a soughtafter nostalgia factor, and an extremely reasonable price point. The building was once a budget hotel occupying the space of six shophouses, and Hotel Mono’s 46 rooms retain the size and shape of the original ones, but everything else has been given a starkly chic monochrome makeover. You can see echoes of the building’s past in the vinyl oors and narrowness of the winding corridors, but they’re charmingly quaint, not claustrophobic.

Although it’s in the heart of bustling Chinatown, the hotel is at Mosque Street, one of the quieter lanes in the area, so we slept well and peacefully.

The rooms are on the small side, but clever design creates the illusion of a larger space. Instead of bulky cupboards, black steel beams run along the walls to serve as clothing racks. And with built-in lightbulbs, they double as a source of illumination. The furniture is sparse but practical – the couch opens up to form a sofa bed, and the tiled shower stall also boasts a rain shower.

This is the hotel to pick if you want a fun night with your girlfriends without digging too deep into your pockets. It’s no-frills (there’s no in-house restaurant or any added facilities like a pool or gym), but it still fulls the brief when it comes to what staycations are about: comfort, easy access to great food, and a place to recharge and refuel. Grab takeaways from the many zi char eateries nearby, eat in bed in your pyjamas, and play a raucous game of cards. Tip: A two-storey loft room is available on request, and we think it will be a hit for a hen night party.

The spacious bathroom also provides essentials like a toiletry kit.