For one reason or the other, I am quite stressed out. I know that our Singapore trip is still 3 months away, but hey, the hotel prices in Singapore seem to have gone up exponentially.
I've been to Singapore twice: first in 2008, then again in 2009. The last time we were in Singapore in October 2009, the Marina Bay Sands was not yet complete, as well as the Universal Studios. I vowed to return to Singapore once these two structures open. But I chose to go to Bangkok, Taipei, Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Beijing last year. I mean, it was only my second time in Bangkok and Hong Kong, and it was my first time to visit Taipei, Shenzhen and Beijing. So, at the start of the year, I willed myself to book tickets to Singapore. I waited for a seat sale of course.
Fortunately for me, I was able to book seat sale tickets to Singapore via Air Philippines for me and my mom. I wasn't able to buy tickets for my friends and sister because the Air Philippines website became so congested with traffic that the seats sold out immediately. I was able to book them, however, via Cebu Pacific. They have no return tickets to Manila as of yet.
Anyway, the first time I went to Singapore, me and my friends stayed at the Albert Court Hotel and we paid around Php 3,000.00 per night on a triple sharing room (no breakfast, though). The next time we went to Singapore, we stayed at the Pan Pacific Marina, and we had a package tour which includes Sentosa tickets, among others. We booked a room for two but four of us stayed there to minimize the cost; we had two sneak-ins. It came with breakfast for two. So, our total bill per person for our hotel and tour package was less than Php 6,000 each for a 3D2N stay.
But now, I am researching for hotels in Singapore and I couldn't find any decent ones for USD 100 a night. I could probably get around USD 150 a night but that's still exclusive of taxes and service charge. Albert Court Hotel now charges around USD 150 a night, for twin sharing minus breakfast. Pan Pacific is around USD 300.00 a night for the same terms. And I'd be bringing with me my mother and my sister and I'd be paying for their hotel and tour share. Then my friend told me that our Singapore trip is scheduled during the middle part of the Great Singapore Sale. Hooray...not! Hotel prices are higher whenever there are sales like that or when there is an F1 race. This is way too stressful.
I am praying that my friend will be able to find us hotels with a promo so we'd pay less. I am amenable to paying Php 20,000 for the three of us for a complete package, but if it gets higher than that, then I'll have to cut my budget for my Taiwan trip so I could save more for our Singapore trip. Of course, that does not include our food and other expenses. And who am I kidding? If there's a sale, I'd probably be the first to line up at a favored store. Gosh!
If I have the money, I'd stay at least a night at the Marina Bay Sands. That'll make my mother and sister very happy. They were very happy when we stayed overnight at the Venetian Hotel in Macau and at the Langham Place in Hong Kong.
It is really stressful to think about the expenses but when I think how much fun my mother and sister will have, I just pray that I save enough for our trip.
Fight-o!
- E n d o f R a n t -
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