Parents, do you find yourselves stuck in Singapore this school holidays? Why not plan for a staycation instead?
In fact, weekend staycations are a great way for families (especially those with little ones) to relax, unwind, and escape the mundane routine of everyday life.
And trust us when we say that it’s amazingly hassle free- you don’t have to worry about forgetting to pack stuff or getting your travel documents in place. Arm yourselves with a few essentials, and off you are ready to go.
We recently managed to have a rather Fam-tastic Weekend Staycation at the Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium, and we think you would love it too!
Here is what we thought was particularly appealing about THIS staycation in Singapore:
- Affordable: At just SGD 220++ per room per night, Fam-tastic Weekend staycation package @ Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium offers good value for money, especially with all the perks it comes with!
- Welcome kit for the kids: On check in, the friendly staff handed the kids their welcome kit, and briefed us on what the staycation included. They even suggested some activities around the neighbourhood if we were in the mood to explore.
The Welcome kit with the Waka Waka Freebies 🙂
The welcome kit consists of a travel book (with activities and stickers), a postcard, colour pencils and a voucher with FREE entry + half hour play at Waka Waka, an indoor play area right next door!
- Rooms: Rooms were surprisingly big and spacious and ours came with 3 beds!
And did we mention that kids get the V.I.K (Very Important Kids) treatment @Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium?
So there were animal bathrobes, kiddie bathroom slippers, cute toothbrushes and packets of Milo waiting right there for them!
What greeted us in the room! 🙂
And there’s also a smartphone in the room which offers free calls and Internet.
My little one was thrilled that she finally had her own phone – it was cute (and mildly irritating) to see her hooked on to the games and act all important with the phone. 🙂
- In hotel activities like cookie decorating: This hotel likes to make special plans for its very important kids and we were told that the little ones had an appointment at 4 pm at the Atrium restaurant.
On reaching there, we were greeted by smiling faces and cookies waiting to be decorated.
The kiddos had a fun time drawing faces on the cookies and decorating them with (and occasionally munching on) marshmallows and M&Ms. Special mention to the staff who were extremely kind and patient with the children.
In-house kiddie activities are conducted from 4-5 pm every Saturday and involves finger puppet making, cookie decorating, play-doh sculpting, or watercolour painting.
- Freebies: We had some time on our hands before dinner, so we decided to make the most of our staycation perks and headed straight to Waka Waka by The Polliwogs at the Annex@Furama right across the road!
A bit too noisy, but there’s plenty to keep the kiddos entertained here (don’t forget to bring your socks along). Let’s just say that our little monkeys made the most of their 30 minutes FREE play!
Dinner at Atrium restaurant: After all that playing, the kids were famished and it was time for dinner. Concierge staff told us that we could either choose to have dinner in hotel or head over to the nearby Robertson Quay for some great options.
Since it had started raining by then, we chose to have dinner at the hotel. You will be delighted to know that as part of the Fam-tastic weekend staycation package, families are entitled to 15% off Xin Cuisine Chinese Restaurant and 1-for-1 lunch or dinner buffet at Atrium Restaurant!
We enjoyed our dinner at The Atrium Restaurant on Level 4. Did you know that, at all Holiday Inn Resorts & Hotels, Kids Eat & Stay Free?
Kid’s menu
Which basically means, kids aged 12 years and below staying at any Holiday Inn® hotel can eat for FREE at any of the hotel’s restaurants when dining with a paying adult! What’s not to love?! 😉
(And a bit more about the kids menu, Holiday Inn has partnered with Nutrition Australia to launch a nutritious Holiday Inn® Hotels & Resorts Kids’ Menu.)
- Chatterbox conversation cards: While having dinner, we also decided to ditch our phones for something more meaningful. On the suggestion of the staff, we decided to try out Holiday Inn’s Chatterbox conversation cards.
Chatterbox conversation cards
Holiday Inn recently introduced it’s Chatterbox Conversation Cards across all hotels and resorts in Asia, Middle East and Africa. These cards are made especially for families and young travellers ages 3 to 12, and contain 30 conversation-prompting cards to stimulate kids’ reasoning, logic, creativity and problem-solving abilities.
These cards are usually provided at meal times to encourage parents to stop looking at their phones and engage in conversation with their kids. The questions are simple but thought-provoking.
Sample this, “What’s your biggest dream? What can you do to make it real?”
We confess the kids were a bit skeptical about these cards at first, but to our surprise, it really got us talking. And by the end of our conversation we had all got to know each other a lot more.
For instance, I had no idea my little one had dreams of being a singer! Or that my older daughter wished to visit Finland. 🙂
It made us realise that social media can wait, these little voices and thoughts deserved our attention more than anything else.
- Movie by the pool: By now, it was time for the next in-hotel activity for the day- movie by the poolside! Movie by the poolside is held every Saturday from 8-10 pm and staff make sure to remind you in case it slips your mind.
Unfortunately, weather decided to play spoilsport that day, and the rains refused to leave. So the movie venue got shifted to the ballroom indoors, complete with bean bags, popcorn and softdrinks!
After the movie ended, we went back to our room and snuggled up and watched TV for a while, before falling asleep.
- Pool and gym: It was a bright, sunny day so the kids managed to have a nice, refreshing dip in the pool. The pool is situated on the 6th floor, and there’s an adult + kids pool.
There’s a gym right next to it as well, in case you are in the mood for a work out. 🙂
- Buffet breakfast: Of course, we loved the buffet breakfast and all that food! There was a decent selection of local and international delights. And on Sundays, it’s available till 11 am, so families can relax, chat and eat in peace.
Speaking of chatting, we took out our chatterbox conversation cards and bonded a little over brekkie too!
- Family pic: It was finally the end of staycation time and the front desk staff ensured that we got our complimentary polaroid family photo upon check-out.
We left Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium with a smile on our faces and in our hearts. You would too. 🙂
To summarise, the Fam-tastic Weekend Staycation Package includes:
- Kids welcome pack and in-room amenities
- Movie by the poolside
- In-hotel activity
- Buffet breakfast for two adults and two kids 12 years and under
- Complimentary 30 minutes free play at Waka Waka (Annex @ Furama)
- Complimentary polaroid photo upon check-out
- Complimentary parking
- 15% off Xin Cuisine Chinese Restaurant and 1-for-1 lunch or dinner buffet at Atrium Restaurant
- Don’t forget to ask about the Chatterbox Conversation Cards 🙂