Feed My Vanity

…or to be more specific, the backpacker’s life. If you’ve had a stint in dormitory life, settling in a hostel wouldn’t be so hard. Plus, don’t be such a wuss.

The word ‘hostel’ is misunderstood. No one really thinks of R&R in a hostel setting, but if your goal is sightseeing and you can wash your own dishes, then a hostel is one option you can look into. Singapore is a great country to get initiated into the backpacker’s life. It’s known for its  cleanliness (which they gleefully remind tourists by boasting that they’re one ‘fine’ city, with fine meaning SG$1000 for smoking, SG$1000 for littering! etc.) .

If you’re planning to go to Singapore with friends and/or family, a hostel is also a great option if you’re a traveling on a tight budget. We were supposed to check-in at The Mitraa which I fell in love with at first sight. It’s tucked away in a quiet road, with an entrance adorned with hanging plants abloom with flowers. It’s quaint, and new! Which means new bathrooms! The bathroom is the first thing I inspect when checking into hotels because well, who wants a dirty bathroom?

Unfortunately, this being an unplanned trip, The Mitraa was full when we got there. The nice Filipino receptionist, Adbert (yes, parents can be cruel without meaning to), called another hostel to ask if they could take us in, which is how we landed at The Hive.

The Hive, 624 Serangoon Road

I was tired and cranky when we arrived because I pulled successive all-nighters just to go to the trip. It didn’t help that we were greeted by this sign:

“Violators will be shot, Survivors will be shot again”

Very welcoming indeed.

For as low as SG$18 per head, per night, weary travelers can crash in comfort in Singapore’s numerous hostels which seems to be abundant and scattered all over different parts of the city. It ain’t cheap in Singapore, in fact it was recently named as one of the top ten most expensive cities to live in. If you’re running on a tight budget, a hostel is your best bet.

Anyway, for those not familiar with the concept of hostels, it’s like a dorm, so if you’re wary of sharing a room with a stranger then maybe this is not for you. The Hive is equipped with surveillance cameras in every nook legally possible to ensure their guests’ safety. Passwords in electronic locks are given to guests to enable them to enter the stairs leading to the rooms. The reason I said that this is ideal for families and friends is to enable tourists to avoid sharing rooms with strangers. If a room is meant for 7 people, and there are 7 of you, by all means just take the whole room. Ours looked like this:

Sorry for the mess. Anyway, in a hostel you pay for bedspace, not for a room unless you’re willing to pay extra, if there are only 3 of you in a room meant for 7, that means anytime 4 people wishes to stay in the same rate as yours can stay in the same room with you. Thus the need for The Hive to post signs such as this one:

If the stranger is hot, why NOT? I can share. HAHAHA.

Our room had all the necessary amenities to make it a comfortable enough stay. Who needs cable when Orchard Road is waiting to wreak havoc on your credit history? Who needs a hairdryer when you won’t give a shit when you plunge into the middle of a Zara sale? Who needs room service—, okay shutting up now.

The aircon is turned on at 8:00pm to 10:00am, there’s television, and if you have your own laptop, there’s free wifi also. An all-you-can-eat breakfast is held at the reception room. The menu is the same day in and day out: toast, jam, cereal, coffee, and tea.

Unlike in hotels though, it’s self-service, including washing the dishes.

If you’re only in for a short stint in the country, it’s best to leave your laptop at home and just use the PCs available. Some hostels charge for the use of the PCs, fortunately for us, The Hive doesn’t.  The Hive has several extensions with its own kitchen, bathrooms, PCs, and common room. Our room was located across their main office. A lot of PCs can be found in the reception area.

One of The Hive's common rooms

Staying in a hostel is relatively comfortable, especially when you intend to spend the whole day touring anyway. You can rent out adaptors, lockers, luggage storage, even a washing machine so take these into consideration when you’re packing for a trip to Singapore. There’s also hot water available. As for the bathrooms, you can opt to pay extra to get a room with your own bathroom, but otherwise you’ll have to share with the other patrons.

There were two bathrooms and one toilet in our floor. Although it’s visually clean, I have to admit it wasn’t pleasant to start the day wondering who last used the shower and whose hair is clogging the drain. We weren’t aware that they let out rooms with their own bathrooms when we arrived, but then we were too settled in our room to move again.

The long and short of staying in a hostel are: it’s cheap, it ain’t crap, and there’s always the chance to meet (and even room with!) a cute backpacker in a country different from your own. What more can you ask for?

For more information, visit www.thehivebackpackers.com.