Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium

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We held our wedding at the then Concorde Hotel on 30 December back in 2004, and stayed one night at the suite. It was definitely memorable because we had the company of our friends and family at our wedding dinner, ALTHOUGH I couldn't really remember much of our hotel stay. I only knew I hugged the toilet bowl the entire night due to alcohol intoxication and by the time I woke up, all the red packets were already accounted for by my wife and our good friend! Concorde Hotel became a part of Singapore history a couple of days later, when it was rebranded as Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium on 04 Jan 2005.

Our wedding dinner back in 2004!

In the lift as newly weds back then.

Now we are going up to our room as parents of 4!

So THAT was the really the first and very last time we stayed at the hotel, until we revisited the "new" Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium with our four little rascals for a Fam-tastic Weekend staycation recently! It sure felt nostalgic to walk into the hotel after all these years, and funny as well having to explain to Louie why he was not invited to our wedding when he asked.

They rushed forward to the cute stuff laid out for them on the beds the moment the kiddos got into the room. If not for my pleas for them to stop for me to take photos first, all hell would have broken loose immediately as they fight over who gets which animal bathrobe or what colour toothbrush, which eventually happened after the photos anyway. As part of the package, all the kiddos gets their own welcome pack which consisted of stickers, coloring pencils and sheets, as well as free 30mins play (and other discount coupons) at Waka Waka (located just opposite the hotel)!

Extra stuff like toothbrushes for the kiddos. How I wished they included the bathrobes! 

The kid's welcome pack consist of coloring activities, stickers and also DIY paper plane.

The eagle-eyed kiddos spotted a smartphone charging in its port on the table, which offered free calls and Internet. We were given the password to the free WiFi upon check in and the kiddos got me to set it up for them IMMEDIATELY. Such devices are usually a no-no but since it is a staycation, they shall be given some screen time, for now. Soon after we remembered that the hotel provided in-hotel activities for the kiddos between 4pm-5pm and we made our way to the board room, not for meetings but for some water-colour painting instead! I was also asking the hotel staff if we could just leave the kiddos in the activity room with them and she replied it was fine. 

Free calls and Internet access with this device provided!

Go for a short shopping trip if you want while the kids exercise their creativity under the watchful eyes of the staff.

Before long I could feel my stomach rumbling and luckily for us, it was just a short walk to Atrium Restaurant at Level 4 of the hotel for their awesome All-You-Can-Eat Wagyu Beef Baikingu buffet! The buffet features a wide variety of local delights and Japanese favourites such as the various types of sashimi and LOTS of wagyu beef! The seafood was worth a mention as well, with fresh shucked oysters, cooked and chilled prawns, crabs and other shellfishes! The one thing I HATE about having buffet, is actually the limited capacity of my stomach. Just sampling all the dishes would have filled my tummy to the max BUT I went for second helpings of the oysters and beef, and thus was not able to try out many of the delicious looking dishes.

How not to get hungry with a spread like this?

Create your own rojak dish!

The kiddos' favourite section of course!

The kiddos were really looking forward to swimming and although it was not advisable to swim after a meal, we made an exception this round because it was movie night by the pool! Every Saturday there will be movie screening by the pool for those who booked under the Fam-tastic package, subject to the weather condition though. Kiddos get to use the special floats in the pools, while popcorns and soft drinks will be served too. As the kiddos rotated between floating in the pool and sitting in their beanbags watching "Up", me and my wife relaxed in our deckchairs, overseeing the four of them. It was lights-out at 10.30pm and we retired for the night.

Relaxing by the poolside!

Soft drinks and popcorn are provided too!

Woke up bright and early the next day and went for another swim with the eldest two, while the wife and two youngest slept in. Having a swim in the morning worked up our appetites and we proceeded back to the Atrium Restaurant for our breakfast together at around 10am. Luckily for us, breakfast only ends at 11am on Sundays and we still had ample time. I had my nasi lemak which was delish, especially the chilli and one can pretty much find all the usual suspects such as egg station, sausages, waffles, pancakes and what nots at the buffet. One thing I must really commend, is the attentiveness of the most of the service staff. They were ever-ready to clear the used plates and would even ask for your choice of drink so that they can serve you, even though the drinks were all there for you to dispense on your own! Two thumbs up for making us feel so welcomed!

Haiz... all good things must come to an end and we had to bid farewell to the comfortable beds and fluffy pillows. But before we made our way home, the front desk staff went into the office to grab a polaroid camera, and took a photo for us as a keepsake. With that, we ended our Fam-tastic Weekend Staycation at Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium.

Thank you for having our family over for the weekend Holiday Inn Singapore Atrium! We had a wonderful time and we look forward to visiting you yet again and soon, but hopefully not having to wait for another 13 years!

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Note

This new Fam-tastic Weekend Staycation costs from $220 up depending on the room type selected and the perks you get would be -

• Welcome pack for kids
• Buffet breakfasts for adults and up to 2 kids (aged 12 and below)
• In-hotel activities
• Movie screening (with free popcorns / drinks)
• Complimentary 30mins play at Waka Waka (note, this is definitely not enough, but they were good to include a 1-for-1 coupon as well)
• 15% off Xin Cuisine Chinese Restaurant and 1-for-1 Lunch / Dinner at Atrium Restaurant
• A polaroid photo of the family upon check-out.

To make it TOTALLY worthwhile, you have to fully utilize the above perks for the Fam-Tastic Weekend Staycation like we did!

How to book the Fam-Tastic Weekend Staycation

• Go to the official booking site here.
• Select a check-in date on Sat and check-out date on Sun.
• You can only select a max of 2 adults + 1 kid in the system. The twin-rooms will be able to accommodate 2 adults + 2 kids but you will need to put in the special request. 
• Click on the "view rate" button on the room type you would like to book to check the rates for the package.

Have fun exploring the Singapore River vicinity or taking part in all the in-house activities for the kids!

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