Hotel 1929, Singapore City, Singapore

The personality at 1929 is big, which more than makes up for the baby sized but inexpensive rooms in this Shop-house hotel on the edge of Chinatown. Bright suites about the size of a standard London hotel room are crammed with facilities that are big on style, while pint sized standard rooms make pragmatic use of space. Ask for a balcony at the front of the hotel and the feeling of space grows disproportionately. Meanwhile mirrors, white walls and swathes of brightly coloured, vintage Marimekko fabrics give the hotel a happy-go-lucky atmosphere.

Glass walled bathrooms house a toilet and shower made with quality fixtures, while the freestanding basin bowls perched on glass topped tables do their job admirably and contribute to the light and airy feeling in the rooms. The wardrobe has been banished, replaced with a rail tucked in an out of the way spot, and under-bed drawers provide ample room for bags and contain the in-room safe. Unlike many inexpensive hotels no expense has been spared on light switches and fittings, linen or appliances. Every room has a flat-sceen tv, broadband internet, a small stereo and a fridge. Respect to the man who doesn’t believe in paying through the nose for bar snacks and drinks. Hotel 1929 bestows complimentary water and leaves plenty of fridge space to chill your favourites procured at reasonable prices from the street downstairs.

Each room is finished with the owners overgrown collection of vintage chairs collected from around the world. There’s a Joseph Hoffman ‘Kubis’ sofa, a couple of Eames chairs, ‘Swan’ and ‘Egg’ chairs from Arne Jacobson and a Pierre Pauline ‘Tulip’. These are just the highlights, and they are the originals. The casual interiors have a successful, thrown-together look emanating from Pengs’ own savvy style and the passion that started the whole vintage furniture bug in his London school days.

Downstairs, ‘Ember’ serves as the restaurant even though it is independently run by Sebastian, who describes himself as ‘a Frenchman stuck in an Asian body’. His food is a successful fusion of French, Italian, Japanese and many kinds of Asian. It’s heavy on the seafood, light on the lips and incredibly good value for money. While there’s no gym to run for after a meal, make use of the outdoor Jacuzzi for a bit of after dinner R&R.

The all important location factor in any smart property investment (including yours as a hotel guest!) is a key differentiation for 1929. Keong Saik Road in thriving Chinatown is one of the most vibrant, colourful and local parts of Singapore. The shop-houses here housed the cities brothels until the government moved them away from the financial hub. The arrival of 1929 has encouraged other new business, bars, yoga studios and bookshops amongst a few surviving brothels and cheap restaurants popular with the locals. Five minutes away is the happening Club Street.

Splash out on one of the two suites with bath-tubs on the roof terrace to get some extra space. It’s affordable at around GBP 50 / USD 90 on today's exchange rate and will give you access to the Singapore of the locals, instead of the skyscrapers and shopping mall experience which is what most foreigners see of the Lion City.