Orchard Road

You should consider this area if you are in town mainly for shopping, some of the better ones are:

• Shangri La (valley wing is definitely for those who want pampering and those seeking luxury, garden wing is perfect for honeymooners and couples seeking some privacy while Tower wing is for everyone!)
• Four Seasons - service that you can always count on
• Grand Hyatt - has really good gym, great restaurants
• St. Regis - opening last quarter of 2007 (scheduled 1st Sep)

Other 4 to 5* properties to take note along Orchard area

• Meritus Mandarin (Grand Tower is the newer wing of the property)
• Hilton (linked to the Four Seasons via covered walkway)
• Royal Plaza on Scotts (closed for renovation till end of Feb 07, this is always a good bet for all travelers due to location and quality of hotel)
• Marriott Hotel (unique architecture, rooms are of different shapes and sizes, poolside rooms are fabulous)
• Goodwood Park (not your usual city hotel, this is a short low rise charming colonial with large lovely landscaped grounds, a good compromise if you dont wish to pay Raffles prices)
• Orchard Parade Hotel (offers great prices for family rooms/suites which has a seperate living and dining area rather than just two rooms or one big room with 2 beds)
• Regent (good classic hotel right next to Tanglin Mall)
• Traders (Shangri La's business hotel but cater well to families too esp. their executive apartment with kitchenette)

Marina, Suntec and Raffles City

This area has more character due to the colonial structure and history all around the neighborhood, also closer to water so hotels in this area have a very nice view. All the hotels listed here are 5* luxury properties:

• Raffles Plaza Hotel - famous sister hotel across the street
• Raffles Hotel- historic, beautiful but pricey
• Swissotel Stamford - has the coolest kids' room in town, share facilities with Raffles Plaza Oriental
• The Mandarin Oriental Signapore- nice blend of east and west decor, very chic public areas, expensive restaurants, linked to Marina Square mall
• Pan Pacific - dependable choice of a hotel, linked to the Marina Square Mall
• Marina Mandarin - another good choice that is linked to Marina Square Mall
• Ritz Carlton Hotel - was the first 6* hotel, linked to Marina Square via bridge and walkways
• Conrad Hotel- great business hotel, caters to families, Suntec's only hotel but linked via walkways and bridges to Marina Square River side hotels

Colonial District

• Fullerton - historic landmark, nice classic with good restaurants, short walk to Boat Quay
• Novotel Clark Quay - most rooms have a view (recommended are the novation rooms)
• Swissotel Merchant Court - great family hotel (does have a bit of a city resort feel, great pool for kids), walking distance to Chinatown and Clark Quay
• Grand Copthorne Waterfront - big hotel with a lot of amenities and facilities, private jetty for river boat rides to other river side neighborhoods

Family/Kids Friendly

There are a lot of other hotels in town that have connecting rooms:

• Swissotel Merchant Court - there is the MRT station in front of the hotel as well as a hotel really cater well to families
• Shangri La Hotel- bigger rooms, family friendly
• Orchard Parade - good family rooms/suites at reasonable prices
• Holiday Inn Park View - great central location along Orchard with MRT close by
• Rendezvous - famous for the Nasi Padang, good reasonably priced hotel with standard rooms
• Plaza Park Royal - nice pool, small rooms but furnished nicely
• Albert Court - in Little India, adequate and basic rooms with a nice courtyard feel
• Intercontinental - convenient to everything
• Marina Mandarin - family rooms available (connecting rooms)

Reasonably priced, mid-range hotels (U.S.$100-120)

• Allson
• City Bay View
• Carlton (very good value for money for what you get, Premier wing is execellent)
• Grand Plaza Park Royal
• Grand Copthorne Waterfront
• Copthorne King's
• Holiday Inn Atrium
• Furama City Center

Budget

Most have no or limited facilities/amenities like a pool, gym, etc:

• Summerview
• Perak Lodge
• Bencoolen
• Quality
• Strand (really good location and price for budget hotel but no frills, bring your own toiletries, family rooms can accomodate up to 7)
• Copthorne Orchid (apartments available, hotel room with a kitchenette)
• Penang
• Hotel 81 (red light district of SIN is Geylang so some of the addresses here might not be what you are looking for)
• Fragrance
• Damenlou 

Chain Boutique

Usually converted shophouses/unique properties:

• Scarlet - very romantic but small rooms
• New Majestic - currently the trendiest
• Hotel 1929 - in Chinatown
• Albert Court
• Royal Peacock
• Berjaya Duxton - european designs and decor
• Sha Villa - colonial mansion now a hotel managed by a local hospitality school, service is excellent (the students and supervisors are graded by their professors afterall !) and their restaurant serves a really good continental meal at an amazingly affordable prices.
• InterContinental - this is not a boutique hotel but they do offer shophouse type of hotel rooms with Peranakan furnishing
• Sloane Court - short walk to Scotts Road, Tudor in style, small family run business
• The Nutmeg - short walk to town, in a nice neighborhood in town (prices include airport transfers, breakfast and half day sightseeing)

Hostels

• YMCA International (cant beat location, facilities, size of room for this price range)
• YMCA Metropolitan (along Stevens Road, less than 10 mins to the main part of town along Orchard, apartment living available)
• Hangout@Mt.Emily (trendy nice hostel)
• New 7th Storey (fun and big)
• Inn Crowd (very popular)
• Sleepy Sam's (another popular choice)
• A Traveller's Rest Stop
• Betel Box (also one of the better and popular hostel in town)
• RELC (there is also a choice of private rooms which are good value for money if you don't mind walking a little before reaching town)

Sentosa Lodging

• Sentosa Spa and Resort - really nice resort, quiet and usually on the quiet side, very suitable for couples, the private villas have their own private pool with 2 bedrooms on each side of a common living room with kitchenette
• Rasa Sentosa - part of the Shangri la group, great for families as kids' camp programs are available (need advance notice).
• Siloso Beach Resort - newest on the island
• Capella Singapore - opening 2008, will be the crown jewel of Sentosa resorts, largest garden villas and suites in SIN, ultra luxurious and private
• Costa Sand - basic lodging

Bintan lodging

• Banyan Tree - for those who want some pampering, really the place to be if you are on a honeymoon or want a romantic couple's retreat, a little more troublesome for those with families (young kids) as most rooms/suites take a max of 3 people (including kids)
• Angsana - great hotel for everyone seeking a reasonable priced hotel that has a bit of luxury, great spa
• Bintan Lagoon- nice beaches, lots of actitivies and variety of food
• Club Med - for parents who need a vacation Mana Mana - for those who enjoy a full water sport adventure in a more casual setting

Serviced Apartments

For travelers staying more than 7 days:

• Ascott Group - quite a few properties to choose from and make a good choice for a base to get to know SIN
• Shangri La Group - Shangri La serviced apartments tenants can use the facilities and services from the Shangri La hotel
• TreeTops- located close to the Shangri La, very well located, beautiful and quiet