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There are a wide range of different accommodation options in Singapore. On one end of the spectrum are luxurious 5-star hotels such as Raffles Place and the Marina Bay Sands. But have you ever wondered what's at the other end of the spectrum? I found out when I stayed there last December...
Struggling to find a cheap place to stay in Singapore, I came across the WokeHome Capsule Hostel near Clarke Quay. As the name suggested, the “rooms” are quite literally capsules and there are shared bathrooms on each floor. I had almost booked a room for $80+/night in a 2-star hotel in the red light district, so when I came across this place with capsules for $25/night, I thought “how bad could it possibly be?” and booked a few nights there.
Do I regret it? No. Would I do it again? Well, maybe if I was desperate.
I’ll attempt to describe the place. It is located very close to Clarke Quay and 2 MRT stations and is also within easy walking distance of Chinatown and several shopping centres. It takes up floors 4-6 of a tall, narrow building (on top of a proper hostel) and has close to 100 beds. The capsules are about 1.5m wide and 2m in length, so there is just enough room to lie down comfortably.
The hostel is on the top 3 floors of this grey building on South Bridge Road
Inside one of the capsules
To give you an idea of what the capsules are like, I will quote exactly what was advertised on the hostel’s website – and make some comments along the way:
Each capsule comes decked with:
Our Value added services:
You might have gotten the idea by now that I didn't like the hostel, but for the price it wasn't as bad as it could have been! I like trying new things and this was certainly different. So, despite all the things I said above I don't regret choosing this place. It was actually quite clean, safe-ish and close to everything. And did I mention it was cheap?
The place is so dark – even during the day – that you don’t need an eye shade. But earplugs are a must as there are so many people sleeping next to, and above/below you. Most people are generally quite considerate to the others around them but some dishonourable mentions go to the man above me who snored like a mountain bear, the Chinese man who kept yelling into his phone in his native language and the French couple who just wouldn't shut up!
There is a lounge area on the 6th floor but just like everyone else in Singapore, everyone seemed to be interested only in the TV or their computer/phone, and no-one actually made the effort to talk to or meet other people.
Like the rest of Singapore, there are fines for smoking, eating and drinking:
Most of the staff seemed to be Chinese but all spoke a reasonable level of English, with the exception of one gentleman. I asked him a simple question, I think it was “Where is the nearest post office?” and he didn’t understand a word of it. It was quite amusing; for the next five minutes he kept trying with very limited broken English to answer what he thought my question was, but his guesses were all way off. The other people in the lobby were all trying not to laugh. They also claim to be open 24/7 - while the desk is manned at all hours, I did have to poke the man at the desk out of a deep sleep so I could check out at 6am one morning.
The cleaning staff were so snappy it was funny. The morning before I left, the cleaning lady came into my capsule and said “You today check out?” I said no, and she replied “no, you today check out.” She just wanted to clean my blanket, so I said “it’s okay, you can wash it tomorrow after I leave.” A little while later I got up to go to the bathroom and she swooped. When I came back she said “I take your blanket.” And sure enough, it was already gone.
Sleeping inside a capsule was an experience in itself, and while I wouldn’t be keen to live in one of these, it was alright for a few nights.
As property prices continue to skyrocket in large cities, we could be seeing a lot more of these in years to come. If you want to save some money, don’t be afraid to try one of these out. But if you just want a comfortable place to sleep, do be afraid, very afraid... :shock:
Struggling to find a cheap place to stay in Singapore, I came across the WokeHome Capsule Hostel near Clarke Quay. As the name suggested, the “rooms” are quite literally capsules and there are shared bathrooms on each floor. I had almost booked a room for $80+/night in a 2-star hotel in the red light district, so when I came across this place with capsules for $25/night, I thought “how bad could it possibly be?” and booked a few nights there.
Do I regret it? No. Would I do it again? Well, maybe if I was desperate.
I’ll attempt to describe the place. It is located very close to Clarke Quay and 2 MRT stations and is also within easy walking distance of Chinatown and several shopping centres. It takes up floors 4-6 of a tall, narrow building (on top of a proper hostel) and has close to 100 beds. The capsules are about 1.5m wide and 2m in length, so there is just enough room to lie down comfortably.
The hostel is on the top 3 floors of this grey building on South Bridge Road
Inside one of the capsules
To give you an idea of what the capsules are like, I will quote exactly what was advertised on the hostel’s website – and make some comments along the way:
Each capsule comes decked with:
- "comfortable mattress” – well, there’s certainly a mattress but it’s wafer thin and one of the most uncomfortable mattresses I’ve ever tried to sleep on.
- “foldable table” – table? what table?
- “15 inch TV” – there is certainly a TV, but I couldn’t actually work out how to turn it on – in fact, nobody’s TV seems to work.
- “a mini lamp – actually yes, there was a mini lamp as promised.
- “personal headphone” – are these supposed to be for the TV which doesn’t work? I tried these out briefly but my own headphones do a much better job.
- “roll-up blinds/shade” – there are blinds but they don’t really roll up because my cord is all tangled.
- “24 hour wifi access – if you counted the total amount of hours per day the wifi was actually working, it might be more like 12 hours wifi access. But at least it’s free.
Our Value added services:
- “Free breakfast” – I haven’t bothered with the instant coffee and stale cornflakes on offer.
- “Free laundry services” – there are two washing machines, and occasionally one is available if the staff aren’t using them – and they’re not spewing water all over the floor!
- “Luggage storage” – my luggage is stored next to my locker. (The lady at reception agreed that this didn’t seem very secure but did nothing about it).
You might have gotten the idea by now that I didn't like the hostel, but for the price it wasn't as bad as it could have been! I like trying new things and this was certainly different. So, despite all the things I said above I don't regret choosing this place. It was actually quite clean, safe-ish and close to everything. And did I mention it was cheap?
The place is so dark – even during the day – that you don’t need an eye shade. But earplugs are a must as there are so many people sleeping next to, and above/below you. Most people are generally quite considerate to the others around them but some dishonourable mentions go to the man above me who snored like a mountain bear, the Chinese man who kept yelling into his phone in his native language and the French couple who just wouldn't shut up!
There is a lounge area on the 6th floor but just like everyone else in Singapore, everyone seemed to be interested only in the TV or their computer/phone, and no-one actually made the effort to talk to or meet other people.
Like the rest of Singapore, there are fines for smoking, eating and drinking:
Most of the staff seemed to be Chinese but all spoke a reasonable level of English, with the exception of one gentleman. I asked him a simple question, I think it was “Where is the nearest post office?” and he didn’t understand a word of it. It was quite amusing; for the next five minutes he kept trying with very limited broken English to answer what he thought my question was, but his guesses were all way off. The other people in the lobby were all trying not to laugh. They also claim to be open 24/7 - while the desk is manned at all hours, I did have to poke the man at the desk out of a deep sleep so I could check out at 6am one morning.
The cleaning staff were so snappy it was funny. The morning before I left, the cleaning lady came into my capsule and said “You today check out?” I said no, and she replied “no, you today check out.” She just wanted to clean my blanket, so I said “it’s okay, you can wash it tomorrow after I leave.” A little while later I got up to go to the bathroom and she swooped. When I came back she said “I take your blanket.” And sure enough, it was already gone.
Sleeping inside a capsule was an experience in itself, and while I wouldn’t be keen to live in one of these, it was alright for a few nights.
As property prices continue to skyrocket in large cities, we could be seeing a lot more of these in years to come. If you want to save some money, don’t be afraid to try one of these out. But if you just want a comfortable place to sleep, do be afraid, very afraid... :shock:
