Fullerton Staycation

It was only in the recent years that I fully understood the fun and excitement of a staycation. A staycation is a relatively new term that was only coined sometime in the last 10 years. It’s simply a vacation taken in your own locality.

These photos were taken when I had a mini staycation at The Fullerton Hotel in Singapore sometime last year. I pulled out of an old CF card recently and it inspired me to write this post as well as to consider planning another staycation in the coming months.

I have my own place in Singapore so the logical side of me felt it was unnecessary to fork out hard earn cash to stay anywhere else while I’m in Singapore. I also felt that paid staycations were meant for those who didn’t have the luxury of their own homes or those who desperately need a couple of days away from their children.

However, after an unexpected weekend that forced me into having a staycation at a local hotel, I now understood the allure. A staycation requires very little planning yet it forces you to change your usual routine to take serious time off to just relax just as you would on an overseas vacation. The relaxing environment in a posh hotel gives you the liberty of focusing on positive energies and melts your stress away as the hotel staff takes cares of all the little details; making your stay even more enjoyable.

So what exciting activities did I have planned? Actually, I planned NOTHING! I ended up spending the first day in the suite napping, having a massage and I also manage to finish reading a whole novel in one sitting.

Subsequently, afternoons and evenings were spent sunbathing at the pool side which had gorgeous views of the CBD and fun dips when it got too warm. The world is buzzing by below but where I was, the time of the day didn’t matter.

As part of my staycation exercise,  I had minimal contact with the world outside. This meant leaving my phone on silent and in the safe box and making an effort not to check, emails, facebook or twitter.

Staying in the pool till my skin wrinkled and being able to order food to the pool was such a luxury. I love how their pool menus are on waterproof wood blocks so you didn’t have to worry about getting them wet!

I know many of my friends who takes staycation would go to the effort of planning a magical night with fireworks viewing, a concert or a awardwinning dinner. But I enjoyed the time away from my daily routine so much that it didn’t even need anything else special.

If you are wondering why most of the photos are taken at the pool, it’s because I only took out my compact camera that one time throughout my whole stay. I had wanted to blog about my stay (blogging is a hobby after all) but my computer went bust on my early this year and I had assumed all was lost. Until I found the CF card recently! Yay!

For those of you who would like to go on a staycation but find it a little painful to shell out too much for a hotel stay and room service. You could always look out for deals on Groupon, Streetdeal, etc. Having cheap food nearby the hotel also means you could eat out instead of having room service (or you can just ta–bao back to your room!).

On one of the staycation nights, I craved for a simple supper so we ventured nearby for curry chicken and mee goreng! There are always alternatives especially in Singapore. Now let me start planning for another staycation and this time I want to spend it with a girlfriend or two!