Our family loves travelling, but the planning and packing for the trip actually causes me a lot stress. And since I am the primary planner in the family, we usually like to spend our shorter holidays in Singapore relaxing rather than travelling off to a distant land.
Recently we were an offered a “Throwback Family Weekend” at Village Hotel Katong to check out their new family package. It just so happened that this weekend was not only during our school holidays, but was planned for the actual day of Zayden’s 8th Birthday. Now that’s what I call an awesome birthday adventure right in Singapore.
An Overview of Village Hotel Katong
With the hustle and bustle of everyday life we rarely get the chance to leisurely explore Singapore the same way we would on a destination holiday. Village Hotel Katong is what I would define as a city hotel and is located right in the center of Singapore’s food haven, Katong. It is located at 25 Marine Parade, between Changi Airport and downtown. The Hotel doesn’t have a beach or many of your normal tourist attractions surrounding it, but for a staycation or even a family member visiting from out of town it’s perfect. .
Village Hotel Katong prides itself on being a Peranakan style hotel. Peranakan is a term used to address the “local born” or “local descendants” of foreign immigrants living in the Straits Settlement and Malay Archipelagos between the 15th and 17th centuries. Unique to Southeast Asia, the Peranakan culture is also deeply rooted in Singapore’s multi-racial community.
Throwback Family Weekend Package Details
Let me first tell you about the promotion before jumping into our mini-holiday details…
The family unit is an important facet of the Peranakans and are well-known to have a close-knitted relationship with their families. As such Village Hotel Katong has introduced a special “Family Package” to help families experience the Peranakan lifestyle.
The special family package is for 2 adults and 2 kids which includes the following perks:
- 1-night accommodation in a family sized room
- Buffet Breakfast at Katong Kitchen
- One set of Peranakan high tea and local desserts at Lapis Lounge
- Kids Pack & Amenities
- Collectible Singapore traditional family game set
You can click here to check out all the details of the special promotion.
There are two package prices available, 2D1N is $250++ per room per night and 3D2N is $200++ per room per night.
Package Period: 19 March to 30 June (Friday to Sunday only) Blackout dates apply, including the eve of Public Holidays and Public Holidays.
Here are the highlights of our “Throwback Family Weekend” at Village Hotel Katong…
The Smooth Check-In Process
It took us a bit of navigating with our outdated Google Map to get to the hotel, but once we made it we were easily able to park and check in. Parking is plenty and free with your stay. The check-in process was quite smooth since it was not crowded at the time we checked-in. The hotel lobby was well decorated and lots of friendly staff to help us.
At check-in time we received the pack of games which the kids immediately opened and started playing . The games came with helpful notecards to explain how to play each game. This is something we plan to keep and take with us on future holidays.
In the Lapis Lounge, located off to the side of the lobby, was the Peranakan style tea-time, where we were able to enjoy an afternoon High Tea Set of Peranakan delicacies and local desserts. The High-Tea set is included in the Family Package, however since the boys were not hungry and eager to explore the town, we took a plate up to our room to enjoy the desserts as an after dinner treat.
The Family Sized Room
If you have young kids then you know what happened once we got to our room. Both boys immediately claimed a bed for themselves and made themselves comfortable. The kids were super excited about being in the hotel room and they naturally jumped on the beds and crawled right in and cozied themselves up.
A special cake was also delivered moments after we entered our room to kick off the birthday celebration; which totally got the boys even more excited.
The family room we stayed in was simply decorated and clean. It had two big double beds which easily fit two people on each. There was also plenty of space in the room for a roll-away bed.
There was a large sized closet, which had an iron/ironing board, safe, slippers, robe and laundry bags inside. There was a small balcony, which looked out over the parking lot. The bathroom was a decent size with all the amenities, including shampoo, soap, toothbrushes, shower caps and cotton-buds included. The room had a fridge, hot water kettle and complimentary water bottles.
In addition to the free wi-fi, one thing that I thought was quite unique was the mobile phone in each room. The phone was free for you to use the internet and make local and international calls and use during your stay. They even allowed you to remove it from the room, as long as it was returned upon check-out.
Exploring Katong at Dinnertime
Once we had unpacked and had enough jumping time on the beds, we decided to take a stroll to explore and find some local delights. I was seriously impressed with all the cafes and restaurants surrounding the hotel, however, the boys decided they didn’t want to have a long sit down dinner, as they were eager to get back to the hotel room to hang out, so we grabbed some local cuisine at the food court at 112 Katong Mall.
Then after dinner we strolled over to the Golden Village movie theatre. No kids movies were playing, so we just bought some popcorn to take back to our hotel room to have a little movie night of our own.
As we headed back to the hotel we decided to stop at the FairPrice that is connected to Village Hotel Katong (now that is what I called convenient). Since the hotel had a fridge (which came empty btw, so no extra accidental food charges if your kids sneak inside), we were able to get some snacks & food for our room. Since it was Zayden’s birthday he got to buy any candy of his choice to share (super big treat since we don’t eat candy on a regular basis).
Movie & Sleeping Time in the Room
The kids couldn’t wait to get back into the room. They changed into their PJs and cozied themselves up in the bed.
The room we were staying in had a nice big flat screen tv. It offered a variety of cable channels, however the only one we actually viewed was Cartoon Network. After watching a bit of TV, we decided to put on a movie. The TV did not offer any time of dvd or iPad plug in option, but the kids didn’t care and were happy to watch a movie on my laptop while eating snacks in bed.
After it became way past bedtime and our eyes could watch no more and our stomachs could handle no more, we turned off the tv and snuggled into our comfy beds.
Bright & Early on a Sunday Morning
Every day is the same at our house or on holiday, no matter what time we sleep the boys always wake up in the 6 o’clock hour. Since we were already up, we decided to get an early start to our day.
Buffet Breakfast at Katong Kitchen
Now I must say that a holiday, just isn’t a holiday without a nice breakfast buffet. I was actually quite skeptical as to what we could expect from the buffet, but was pleasantly surprised with all the offerings. Peranakan food is probably the most diverse and distinctive of all local cuisines. It combines the preparation techniques of both traditional Chinese and Malay cooking which gives the Nonya cuisine its distinctive taste, filled with exciting flavors from the use of local herbs and spices.
Since our stay was on a Saturday night, we got to partake in the Halal breakfast buffet. The buffet included made-to-order egg station as well as local and western breakfast cuisine. Even my picky eater boys were able to enjoy a variety of their favorite foods and were very happy with the selection.
Super Note: One thing I must mention is that if you actually do the math, the family promotion at Hotel Village Katong is a good deal. The cost of the Sunday Halal Breakfast Buffet is normally $48++ per adult and 28++ per child. Which comes up to $152++ for just the breakfast alone (something most of us already do on Sunday mornings with the family). Not to mention the High Tea Set at the Lapis Lounge and the other games and amenities. Thus, for a little bit more you can stay the night in the hotel and have your own family adventure in Katong. 🙂
A Morning Swim
After breakfast we decided to check out the pool. Now a holiday isn’t a holiday unless we get to . The pool was small, but perfect for the boys to have some fun and get rid of their excess energy.
More Adventures in Katong
After a big breakfast buffet and the morning swim we decided (or rather I decided) that it was time to explore Katong and experience some of the surrounding Peranakan heritage. We took a stroll and visited the Katong Antique House (traditional furniture) and then Rumah Bebe (traditional art/handicrafts) and even got to check out the Sri Senpaga Vinayagar Temple.
Mini-Holiday Over, Now Time to Drive Back Home
We all had an awesome time at our Throwback Family Weekend at Village Hotel Katong. It was a nice little getaway for the family and a great way to celebrate Zayden’s birthday. All the fun of going somewhere, without the stress & hassle.
Hope you have a great family holiday too!
-xoxo-
SuperMommy
