Shipping Container Hotel Haw Par Villa

We had booked two nights, but I’m already trying to find another hotel for the second one. The room is unbearable. The furniture and fittings are worn out, there are cockroaches, and both the room and toilet smell of cigarette smoke. There’s mould on the curtains, and the air conditioning doesn’t cool the place at all. Red flags everywhere.

This is a self-contained apartment booked through Airbnb, not really a hotel, and it sits within a really unusual theme park. The location was wonderful, quirky and cool. We had comfortable beds and excellent air-conditioning.

Being right inside Haw Par Villa meant we could wander around the park, then come back and shower in the pod. Check-in was self-service and easy. I especially liked having a microwave and a fully equipped kitchen, since we could make a simple meal. It sleeps up to four, so it’d suit a family outing or a small get-together.

I wish I’d picked somewhere in the city like the place I stayed with my friend on the earlier nights. I’d have felt cleaner and safer there. The room itself was cozy enough, but it’s getting old, and despite contacting the owner on WhatsApp, who was nice, we found ants and several cockroaches. The containers are in a car park near a fence that guests aren’t allowed to enter, which somehow left us feeling locked in. Nearly $600 for two nights didn’t feel worth it. Sorry, but that’s how it was.