In Chennai, there is no central shopping district similar to Singapore’s Orchard Road. But the location of Green Park Hotel (N.S.K. Salai, Arcot Road, Vadapalani Chennai Tamilnadu, India 600026, about 5000rp or S$125 a night) is convenient, near to everywhere. This is a 4- to 5-star hotel. Just beside the hotel, there are many good restaurants and a shopping centre.

There is a club at the hotel entrance. The club has a separate entrance so the clubbers won’t come into the hotel. Anyway, it’s very cute to see teenagers going to tea dances, flirting with each other. The teenagers are surprising well behaved. Compared to the ah bengs and ah lians in Singapore, I feel so much safer with the Indian kids.

The pros–convenience, big room, affordability–outweigh the cons of no bathtubs, and no gym.

One very important pro for me is the food. I am surprised by the high quality of the complimentary breakfast. Very delicious Indian food, comparable to the best restaurants in Chennai I’ve been.

Written by A. Nathanael Ho.