Some Singapore neighbourhoods are for visiting; Katong is for living in. The old Peranakan shophouses, the hawker stalls that have been there for generations, and the long green ribbon of East Coast Park a few minutes away make it one of the easiest corners of the city to settle into for a few weeks or a few months. Our apartment hotel sits right in the middle of it.
A room you can actually live in
The thing that makes a long stay bearable is not having to live out of a hotel. Every studio here comes with a proper kitchenette — an induction hob, a sink, a microwave and a fridge — and an in-room washer-dryer. Small things, until you've spent a month somewhere without them.
It means you can make your own coffee in the morning, cook a simple dinner instead of eating out every night, and do a load of laundry without hunting for a launderette. Over a long stay, that's the difference between a room you tolerate and one you come back to gladly.
East Coast Park is your backyard
A short hop away, East Coast Park runs for kilometres along the sea — beach on one side, casuarina trees and cycling paths on the other. Rent a bike or a pair of skates, walk the shoreline at dusk, or just claim a patch of grass and watch the ships drift past on the horizon. On weekends the seafood at East Coast Lagoon Food Village fills up with families, and the beachfront barbecue pits stay busy — those are bookable in advance through NParks for a small fee, so it's worth planning ahead if you fancy a grill by the sea.
Eat your way through Katong & Joo Chiat
Katong is one of the best eating neighbourhoods in Singapore, and most of it is on foot. This is the home of Katong laksa — rich, coconut-y, eaten with a spoon — and of old-school kopitiams serving kaya toast and soft-boiled eggs the way they have for decades. Wander the pastel Peranakan terraces of Joo Chiat between meals; the shophouses are some of the most photographed in the city for good reason.
A few things worth knowing are within a short walk:
- A bowl of Katong laksa for lunch, and kaya toast with kopi for a slow breakfast.
- A wet market and a supermarket for stocking that kitchenette.
- East Coast Park for a morning walk, an evening cycle, or a weekend barbecue.
- The Peranakan shophouses of Joo Chiat and Koon Seng Road for an unhurried wander.
Getting around
Katong has quietly become better connected: the Thomson-East Coast Line now runs through Marine Parade and Tanjong Katong, putting the city centre a straightforward train ride away. Buses run to the CBD and town, and Changi Airport is only about fifteen minutes by car — handy when a long stay involves the occasional flight home.
Around the neighbourhood — from the Tanjong Katong MRT to the ISA Hotel & Apartment Hotel on Amber Road.
Katong rewards a longer stay. Give it a week and the laksa stall starts to recognise you, the morning walk becomes a habit, and the room with the little kitchen starts to feel like somewhere you live. The ISA Hotel & Apartment Hotel takes nightly, weekly and monthly stays — whether it's a work posting, a renovation, or a soft landing while you look for somewhere longer-term.
Photography: Winel Sutanto, Nur Syafiqah, 0xk, Paras Kapoor on Unsplash.