Staycation review: Grand Park Orchard

There are 3 things in life that both hubby and I love: our 1.5-year-old daughter, shopping and good food!

To enjoy the best of all 3, our weekends mostly involve going on shopping sprees and foodie hunts - with our toddler in tow. And to make our family excursions more manageable, we tend to stick to familiar shopping places and kid-friendly restaurants closer to where we stay.

However, we decided to put a fresh spin to our weekend routine a few weeks ago by going on a family staycation at Grand Park Orchard.

We thought that this was the perfect weekend plan. Not only was the retail paradise of Orchard Road just at the doorstep of the hotel, the options for great food in the area were also plentiful!

Click 'Next' to check out the pictures from our family staycation at Grand Park Orchard.

Checking in

Upon arriving at the hotel, we took the lift up to Level 4 where the main reception area was located.

The entire area was bustling with activity at that time, with groups of people (mostly families!) either checking in or waiting for the lift to head down to the ground floor. It looked like they were all set to hit the malls along the shopping district!

We managed to check in quite quickly, and were handed the keys to our room on the 9th floor.

Home for the weekend

We were given a Premier Room which came with a king-sized bed. Since my mum-in-law was in town at that time, we got her to come along with us on our family staycation and requested for an extra bed in the room.

However, the hotel staff was not able to provide a baby cot and bottle steriliser for us during the stay, even though these items had been requested beforehand.

Since we were just staying for 1 night, we were able to make do without those items. Our toddler LOVES co-sleeping with us anyway. I ended up just rinsing the parts of my breast pump with hot water after my nighttime pump and sterilised them when I got home the next day.

But for parents with younger kids who will be staying at Grand Park Orchard for more than 1 night, do take note to double (and triple) check with the hotel that these items can be made available to you during your stay there.

Welcome note

To welcome us to our "home" for that weekend, we found a basket filled with fruits and a packet of cookies - along with a personally handwritten note by the hotel manager.

The bathroom

There may not be a lot of room to walk around in the bathroom, but the toilet and sink area is nicely separated from the bath area by a glass door.

Tub for the toddler

Thankfully, the hotel managed to provide us with a baby bathtub during our stay - as I had also put in a request for this previously.

Notice how the blinds next to the bathtub opens up to a full window view of our room when they are drawn. While our 1.5-year-old squealed in delight when she could see her dad over the other side while taking her bath, I thought this tiny feature would be greatly welcomed by couples honeymooning at the hotel!

Toiletries for the whole family

The vanity counter in the bathroom was perfectly stocked with towels, toiletries and teeny packets of personal care items that were packed neatly in a black, hard cover box.

For our little munchkin, the hotel also kindly included a travel pack of Pigeon baby shampoo, baby liquid soap and baby oil.

In-room sips and nibbles

The beverage tray came with a good selection of tea and coffee, which would go very well with the packet of cookies included in the fruit basket.

But if you feel like munching on something, the snack bar offers a good selection of nibbles in the form of chips and assorted nuts. Do note that these items come with a price list, and are chargeable upon checkout.

One-stop entertainment

The Premier room came with a LED TV and a cosy study corner.

Hubby planned to make use of the study corner to catch up on some work after putting the toddler to bed. This didn't go through in the end as he got too comfortable on the king-sized bed.

The Handy device

We were told to look out for this orange Handy device in our room, which functions like a smartphone.

Here are just a few things that you can use the Handy for:

Make FREE unlimited local and international calls to 27 countries Enjoy unlimited access to 3G mobile Internet (Perfect for social media addicts!) Check out the restaurants and attractions in and around Singapore Look up places where you can get the best deals

Do feel free to take the Handy out with you when you're exploring the city, but just be sure not to lose it. The replacement penalty for the Handy will make you $350 poorer!

All eager to explore!

My 1.5-year-old got pretty excited with everything in the room and was busy exploring every single corner. Good thing that there was ample space for her to run around, despite the compact layout of the Premier room.

Fitness centre

There is a cosy, well-equipped gym at the corner of the 4th floor for hotel guests who'd like to work out during their stay.

The glass panels at the side of the gym opened up to an amazing view of the poolside area - which was where we headed next!

The pool

The full-sized swimming pool at the hotel looked really inviting on that sunny afternoon!

However, the down side was that there was no waddling pool for younger kids - so be sure to come prepared with arm and ring floats to take the little ones with you into the "big pool."

Lounging by the pool

We loved how the bright yellow deck chairs by the pool did their "magic" to brighten up the outdoor pool area.

Bar Canary

At the other end of the pool area is Bar Canary, where you can order drinks and have them sent to you while relaxing by the pool.

The bar can get quite packed in the evening, especially on "Ladies' Night." While hubby and I didn't get to enjoy drinks at the bar during our stay there, we definitely make plans to come back for a date night.

Breakfast at Open House Restaurant

The staycation package comes with free buffet breakfast at Grand Park Orchard's Open House Restaurant.

Since all of us got too comfortable with the beds in our room the night before, we were a bit late for breakfast the next day.

Most of the tables at the main area of the restaurants were filled, so we were given a round table with lounge chairs at the bar area.

The breakfast spread

There was a good variety of food choices spread across 5 stations - ranging from cereals and congee to bread/pastries, salads and fruits.

I'd highly recommend that you drop by the noodle station and request for a bowl of Mee Siam. With the spicy and sourish gravy, this will surely help you work up an appetite for the first meal of the day!

Eggs-tremely good!

One of the must-do's for breakfast when you're staying at the hotel is to order something from the "live" egg station!

Hubby and I had an omelette each with everything thrown in, while our little girl (a HUGE egg lover) had a fried egg - which she managed to finish up all by herself.

For a toddler who takes ages with her food, this in itself is quite an achievement!

The little one enjoying her food

We were delighted to see our 1.5-year-old enjoying her breakfast that day. I guess a change in environment does wonders in getting her to chew her food faster!

Checking out to shop

Shortly after breakfast, we decided pack up and check out early, so that we could do some shopping before heading home.

The hotel staff kindly arranged for our luggage to be tagged and placed at a designated collection area. All we had to do later was to show our tags and someone was there to help us with our luggage.

Family Moments at Grand Park Orchard

If you're keen to go on a staycation at Grand Park Orchard with your family, be sure to take up the Family Moments package which comes with 2 interconnecting rooms!

Here are some perks that come with the Family Moments package:

50% off the second room Kids under 12 stay free FREE breakfast for up to 2 adults and 2 kids FREE Internet access Upgrade to Premier room on weekends at no extra charge

My take on the staycation experience

Overall, my family and I enjoyed our staycation at Grand Park Orchard, as the hotel staff was very warm and helpful throughout our stay. What surprised me even more was that the front desk manager knew my name even before I got to introduce myself.

However, it was quite a pity that some of the arrangements that we requested for our toddler previously were not met - and we were only informed of the unavailability of those facilities when we arrived at the hotel. If we had been given a heads-up prior to checking in, we could have made alternate arrangements during the stay.

So, if you're taking infants and toddlers with you during your stay, it would be best to bring along all the essentials.

While Grand Park Orchard may have limited baby-friendly facilities (i.e. no baby waddling pool, limited availability of baby cots and bottle sterilisers), it does give one's family a way to relax in a plush and comfortable bedroom, delight in scrumptious fare at the restaurant and all in all enjoy a nice weekend of bonding.

How to get there

Grand Park Orchard is located at:

270 Orchard Road
Singapore 238857
Tel: 6603 8888

Nearest MRT station: Orchard & Somerset