Colonial Charm of Albert Court Village Hotel

Albert Court Village Hotel reflects the dynamism of the growing arts sub-culture; and also echoes the vibrant atmosphere of Little India. On the fringe of the arts and cultural district, this charming boutique hotel comprises restored pre-war shop houses with Straits Chinese carvings and motifs. Access to the Central Business District and other parts of Singapore is minutes away – at the Little India MRT station – thanks to this hotel’s central location. A short walk away, the Singapore Art Museum, National Library, art schools and more cultural heritage beckon. The nearby Waterloo Street has the popular Goddess of Mercy temple rubbing shoulders with a Hindu temple and a church. Such are the unexpected neighbours you can find here – in Singapore’s multi-cultural enclaves.

More photos of Albert Court Village Hotel on Facebook

The hotel’s 210 rooms and suites offer all the modern amenities valued by today’s contemporary business and leisure travellers. Its Albert Café & Restaurant, Shish Mahal Restaurant and the cosy lobby bar lets you sample international cuisines as well as local favourites such as spicy curries and vegetarian choices from nearby Little India.

The published price for a vacation package at Albert Court Village Hotel is from $215++. SHIMWORLD readers enjoy a special 10% discount when making a reservation from this link (valid till December 31, 2012).

A Trishaw Ride to Singapore’s History by Debbie Too | The Brunei Times

The Brunei Times journalist, Debbie Too, is greeted and welcomed by hotel staff

A perfect crossing between old and new, our guestrooms and suites are housed in carefully refurbished pre-war shophouses that have been thoughtfully designed with handy conveniences for both the business and leisure traveller. | more rooms info

This is the actual room I stayed in for a night. The colonial style bedposts make this photo unique as you cannot find this on the hotel web page. I’m uncertain if this is a Deluxe room.

The colonial nostalgia of Albert Court Village Hotel’s architecture makes it a wedding solemnisation and banquet hotspot.

You can marvel at the hotel’s architecture left and right but don’t forget to look up – you may just be surprised as I was to find this Peranakan (Straits Chinese) style window panes.

Albert Café serves a delectable selection of local and international dishes throughout the day. The Straits Chinese architecture adds to the charm of this cosy café, which overlooks the Albert Court Village Hotel courtyard. Its décor also features intricately carved wooden furniture and distinctive water-colours of local flora and fauna, giving it the perfect ambience for leisurely meal.

Albert Café & Restaurant lets you sample international cuisines as well as local favourites such as spicy curries and vegetarian choices from nearby Little India.

Hotel guests have access to Apple iMacs — the contrast between cutting edge computer technology the hotel’s colonial architecture seems appropriately poetic.

The published price for a vacation package at Albert Court Village Hotel is from $215++. SHIMWORLD readers enjoy a special 10% discount when making a reservation from this link (valid till December 31, 2012).

Albert Court Village Hotel reflects the dynamism of the growing arts sub-culture; and also echoes the vibrant atmosphere of Little India. Well connected by the abundance of buses and two MRT stations (Little India and Bugis), one is only a 15-minute journey away from both the Central Business District and Orchard Road. A short walk away, the Singapore Art Museum, National Library, art schools and more cultural heritage beckon. The nearby Waterloo Street has the popular Goddess of Mercy temple rubbing shoulders with a Hindu temple and a church. See location map.

Culture@Village: Ride along distinctive local iconic landmarks such as the Mustafa Centre, Sungai Road Thieves’ Market, Sri Veeramakailamman Temple and not to mention, hidden gems along Arab Street that presents you a unique side of Singapore!

Catch a glimpse of the iconic Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple on the trishaw along Arab Street

One of my favourite trishaw moments returning to the hotel compound after a 30-mins round trip. Click on image to see more photographs from our tour de ride. Check out the other attractions around the hotel.

A Trishaw Ride to Singapore’s History by Debbie Too | The Brunei Times

Trishaw Tour Route  Albert Court Village Hotel > Short Street > Rochor Canel Road > Serangoon Road > Campbell Lane > Dunlop Street > Serangoon Road > Syed Alwi Road > Weld Road > Arab Street > Queen Street > Middle Road > Prinsep Street > McNally Street > Short Street > Albert Court Village Hotel

Kookaburra Restaurant & Gastrobar has a slew of impressive special mains such as Char-grilled Rump Steak, Kurobuta Rendang, Barbequed Kangaroo and Duck Leg & Goose Rillette amongst other rare treats. Each created specifically for the new outlet by resident Executive Chef Roland Graham, the menu at Kookaburra is a showcase of originality and uncompromising taste and quality. | More dining options.

More photos of Kookaburra’s amazing culinary creations | also on Facebook

Kurobuta Rendang – Kurobuta Pork Jowl slowly braised in herbs and spices toasted fresh coconut green bean sambal, sticky rice.

Fluffy Pancake Stack caramelized apples, crisp pork belly, swirled cinnamon rhubarb ice-cream.

Trishaw Uncle a Nostalgic Charm of Albert Court Village Hotel Singapore

Growing up in Asia, many of us live in cities where the traditional trishaw continues to be a popular means of transport. I can’t recall the trishaw being a part of my life growing up in post Japanese occupation in Brunei but I recall seeing some really old examples that were used to sell Tau Foo Fah (Soy Bean Pudding) from door to door. My first trishaw ride in recent memory was when my peers and I explored the Penang Heritage Trails in Malaysia on beautifully decorated trishaws. Of course, you don’t have to visit Penang to board one of these; I had a 30 minutes ride while I was in Singapore with Debbie Too (featured in the pictures below) and Rano Iskandar on an official mission.

“Trishaw Uncle” is a term of endearment for the trishaw riders who in the yesteryears comprised mainly labourers who formed the early backbone of Singapore’s labour force. To acknowledge their contribution and to pay tribute to them, “Trishaw Uncle” has been chosen as the name for the company which will helm the management and operations of the Albert Mall Trishaw Park.

Our host and my trishaw seat mate Alex settling arrangements with the Trishaw Uncle peddlers before leaving the hotel.

It’s a hot day and Debbie opts to have the soft retractable shade pull over her. I had mine down so I could photograph Debbie and Rano behind me.

This photo is one of my favourites from this set and the General Manager of Albert Court Village Hotel likes it enough to share it online. Expect to see appearance of this image on official hotel media.

Given another opportunity to photograph the rides, I would mount a remotely triggered flash to light up the passengers to lift heavy shadows in the original photo.

Picture of me and Alex (left) captured by Rano while leaving Albert Court Village Hotel compound – the perks of having the top down versus the limited view of Debbie’s dress.

In line with Singapore Tourism Board’s “YourSingapore” campaign, our aim is to provide visitors different, personalised ways of discovering the island and having an integrated experience of Singapore. The trishaws are a perfect mode of transport to explore ethnic zones like Little India and Kampong Glam, with their rich and vibrant history, culture and heritage waiting to be discovered in the intimate streets and inner alleys.”

Our ride on the streets of Singapore crossed path with the HiPPO tour bus more than once including a second time when it cut into a lane in front of us – quite thrilling.

Slow and easy does it. In a country that prides itself of rapid economic progress, it’s a relaxing change to take things slow for a change including how long it has taken me to post these pictures – 3 weeks!

“The trishaw is an important heritage icon in Singapore and has been affectionately used and showcased at important events like Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Chingay, National Day. To celebrate the resilient spirit of trishaw riders and preserve the heritage of this old mode of transport, we are delighted to introduce refreshing new ideas to Albert Mall Trishaw Park so that trishaws and trishaw riders can continue their contribution in offering unique trishaw ride experiences.”

Debbie’s trishaw is equipped with a sound system and we were entertained with selections of golden oldies some of which just made us smile.

Returning to Albert Court Village Hotel after completing a round trip on a relaxing trishaw ride. I miss the hotel’s colonial charm not forgetting also the great all-day breakfast at Kookaburra Restaurant.

ROAD TO A GREENER BRUNEI

March 5, 2011 update | Lexus CT 200h: The World’s First Full Hybrid Luxury Compact Car

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Is blue the new green? That’s the first thing I noticed when I reached Jerudong Park Polo & Riding Club for the official launching of Brunei’s first ‘green car’ the TOYOTA PRIUS. With a green theme shrouding the event, I wondered why Toyota had chosen the colour blue for its green vehicles and it appears not once but three places I looked (logo rim, gear knob and next to HYBRID label).

Apparently, Prius is a Latin word meaning “to go before” and Toyota chose this name because the Prius vehicle is positioned to be “the predecessor of cars to come”. Rapid population growth and economic development in recent decades have resulted in a sharp increase in fossil fuel consumption on a global scale. Faced with the challenge to create an earth-friendly vehicle, Toyota has produced the world’s first mass produced hybrid automobile and NBT TOYOTA introduced the first brand of hybrid (in its third generation) vehicle to Brunei Darussalam.

Other than questions regarding  its rather hefty price tag of B$58,400*, I’m pretty sure you have some burning questions regarding how the “the most advanced hybrid powertrain” system works on the road. The Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) provides dual power sources by combining the advantages of a nickel-metal hydride battery, an electric motor and a petrol engine. From starting off to low/mid speed, only electricity from the battery drives the motor to reach “full power instantly.” Driving conditions are monitored and an intelligent ECU controls engine and motor for optimum fuel efficiency. During hard acceleration however, power from the battery supplements power produced by the petrol engine to enhance overall driving power. During decelerating and braking, the motor is activated as a generator to convert kinetic energy into electricity that recharges the battery. When the car is at a complete stop, the petro engine shuts down and is on powered by electricity energy from the battery, thereby reducing fuel consumption and harmful emissions. Sounds like a blueprint for the future vehicles for the environmental conscious public. *correct at time of this post.

[R]educe — [N]ow — [B]runei — [D]arussalam

Because the Prius starts off in full electricity mode, the car is incredibly silent and you could literally have one brush right past you and you wouldn’t realise it—talk about an automobile for covert operations—imagine if this also came with stealth features you could effectively speed and is naked to the current generation of radar guns! Food for thought!

And just in case you’re wondering if the Prius has a radiator, it does. I was unable to locate the usual overflow coolant container but the pink liquid you see below is the coolant for the inverter unit which I imagine should be fairly costly to replace in the event of failure.

At the launch, Japanese Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam Hirose Noriki said Brunei could lead the way in the Asean region in promoting the “green” initiative. “I think Brunei is a good country to set an example to Asean countries in ‘greening’ the country (with the introduction of the green car),” he said. The ambassador added that if Bruneians opted to switch to green cars, it would be able to reduce the domestic consumption of petrol. “When that happens, the extra petrol can be exported to increase the country’s revenue. It can even help the government in reducing subsidy to petroleum,” he said, adding Brunei could “double benefit” from using “green cars”. — Brunei Times

NBT Brunei Sdn Bhd’s Managing Director Ninan Chacko said, “This (launching of the hybrid car) is a small, but significant step to ensure that the Green Heart of Borneo will continue to be enjoyed in the future. We must adopt a long term view, even though there is currently no official compulsion to do so. We believe that as a responsible 21st century green motor company which is ISO 14001 (Environment Management System) certified, we have a moral obligation to contribute to a greener, cleaner and brighter Brunei Darussalam.”

Ninan Chacko (L), NBT Managing Director presents the mock key to the Toyota Prius fleet to Tareq Mahmood, HSBC CEO (R) as Pg Hj Ahmad Pg Jaya Negara Pg Hj Abdul Rahman (C), Director, Jasra Car Rental Sdn Bhd looks on.

A representative of NBT gesturing to Guest of Honour the digital dashboard while Japanese Ambassador Hirose Noriki  and Japanese Embassy First Secretary, Hiroshi Okouchi (right) look on.

HSBC (B) Sdn Bhd yesterday purchased 13 units of Toyota Prius in a bid to reaffirm its commitment to environment protection. Tareq Muhmood, chief executive officer of HSBC, said, “The cars will be used by the managers, or if we have visitors, then the cars will be used.” The bank normally has 13 to 15 vehicles which are now old and will be replaced by the Prius. “It is time to put our actions to where our words are, so we would like to encourage our customers to do the same,” he said, adding that the bank has introduced the lowest ever rates for car financing for anyone who wants to buy the Prius. — Brunei Times

Minister of Energy Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Dewa Major General (Rtd) Dato Seri Pahlawan Hj Mohd Hj Daud was present as guest of honour to officiate the launching of Toyota’s hybrid car, Toyota Prius, held at the Jerudong Polo and Riding Club.

Pehin Hj Mohd told The Brunei Times cars in the Sultanate were the biggest emitter of carbon into the atmosphere contributing 53 per cent of carbon gas emission. However, the launch of the Brunei’s first “green” car could be the light at the end of the tunnel. Pehin Dato Hj Mohd said: “I hope that the green car(s) would help reduce carbon emissions and also help (fight) climate change.” — Brunei Times

“Let me emphasise here, we are doing this, not for ourselves, but for our future generations”

One of many reasons to smile about, the team at NBT TOYOTA Brunei Darussalam are on the road to a greener Brunei Darussalam.

About NBT Toyota Sdn Bhd
NBT, the sole distributor of Toyota vehicles in Brunei, led the market with 3,717 passenger and commercial vehicles sold. It dominated the automobile market with a 30 per cent market share. In December, the Toyota distributor sold 142 units of top seller Toyota Vios, outselling all other car distributors.