Furama City Centre
by the TopOfHotel team
Furama City Centre is a large 4-star that sells one thing brilliantly — a dead-centre Chinatown address where the MRT, the markets and the hawker stalls are all at your feet, with enough rooms for families, a pool and a praised breakfast buffet at a price you can actually book.
Furama City Centre is a large 4-star that sells one thing brilliantly — a dead-centre Chinatown address where the MRT, the markets and the hawker stalls are all at your feet, with enough rooms for families, a pool and a praised breakfast buffet at a price you can actually book.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
Picture a big-block hotel planted right in the middle of Singapore's Chinatown, ringed by markets, old temples and street-food stalls sending out smells all day — that is Furama City Centre, a 4-star hotel of around 445 rooms on Eu Tong Sen Street that has been part of this area a long time. The big room count and the range of types and sizes make it a popular pick for families and groups wanting to stay together in the centre. Rooms are done in warm, simple city-hotel tones, with comfortable beds, a work desk and the usual amenities; large windows pull in light and a city view, and many higher-floor rooms catch a decent stretch of the skyline. The building has been open a while and some corners show the wear, but the rooms are generally clean and roomy enough to spread out a few suitcases. It suits travellers who are not chasing a fully loaded luxury room but want a clean, convenient bed and a location that puts them in the heart of Chinatown the moment they step out.
Food and amenities
The thing reviews praise hardest here is the buffet breakfast, which spreads from local Asian dishes like congee, dim sum and noodles to international plates, breads, fruit and hot and cold drinks — a lot of guests call it a filling, tasty start before heading out. Up in the tower there is an outdoor pool to cool off or swim laps after a long day on foot, a spot families with young kids tend to love. Beside it sits a fitness centre for anyone keeping to a routine. Inside, the hotel has a restaurant and a 24-hour service desk for travel help and tips. Another point worth noting is the hotel's GSTC sustainability certification (Global Sustainable Tourism Council), which reflects attention to environmental and responsible operation. On service, plenty of reviews mention friendly, smiling staff who help out, so guests after convenience and value tend to feel looked-after from check-in.
Location and getting there
Location is this hotel's strongest card, no question. It stands at 60 Eu Tong Sen Street in the heart of Chinatown, one of Singapore's most characterful and lively areas. Open the door and you are among markets, congee and bak kut teh shops, chicken rice and the famous Chinatown Complex hawker centre — one of the biggest on the island — where a few steps gets you a good meal at local prices. Around it are old Chinese temples, the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and the Sri Mariamman Hindu temple to wander through all day. Chinatown MRT (North-East and Downtown lines) is about a 5-minute walk, making it easy to jump on the train to the rest of the city — Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay, the Orchard shopping district, or the long ride out to Changi Airport. For anyone who likes ditching the car, exploring the neighbourhood on foot and eating well at friendly prices, this location delivers.
Things to know before booking
Straight talk to help you decide. The first thing reviews flag often is the age of the building: Furama City Centre has been open a long time, so some rooms and common areas show plenty of use, and some guests feel the furniture and decor are due for a refresh — if you expect a fully modern, designed room, dial the expectation down a notch. The second is the busy district: Chinatown is lively and crowded all day with traffic and people, and rooms facing a main road like Eu Tong Sen Street can pick up some noise, so light sleepers should ask for a higher floor or a room off the street. The third is peak-season crowding: given the size and room count, the check-in area and breakfast room can get busy and queue up in high season, so leave a little buffer in your timing. Overall these are common notes for a large, value-priced city-centre hotel, and they do not cancel out the strong location and value.
Our take
After reading through a lot of real reviews, Furama City Centre is a hotel that sells "a dead-centre Chinatown location where everything is on foot, plenty of rooms for families, a praised buffet breakfast and a pool" at a price you can actually book. If your trip picture is staying in the middle of the neighbourhood — step out to markets and hawker stalls, walk a few minutes to the MRT to reach the whole city, then come back to a morning buffet and let the kids into the pool — this is a very neat fit, especially for families and travellers who value location and price. But if you are after a brand-new boutique-style room, a quiet luxury mood, or a freshly renovated hotel, this may not be your first answer. Overall we give it 7.9/10, best for families and travellers who put central Chinatown and value ahead of how new or plush the room is.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- A dead-centre Chinatown location where almost everything is on foot — step out of the tower and you hit markets, street-food stalls and old temples, with Chinatown MRT about a 5-minute walk away for getting around the rest of the city.
- A large hotel of around 445 rooms with several room types and sizes, so it handles families, groups and anyone needing connecting or multi-person rooms well.
- An outdoor pool and a fitness centre up in the tower to cool off and unwind after a full day of walking — solid facilities for this price tier.
- A buffet breakfast that a lot of reviews praise as varied and tasty, with both local and international options to start the day before heading out.
- Friendly, helpful staff who get repeated mentions for the welcome and travel tips, plus the hotel's GSTC sustainability certification.
- This is a long-established hotel, and parts of the building and furniture show their years — some reviews feel the rooms and common areas are due for a refresh.
- It sits in the middle of a busy, lively Chinatown with traffic and crowds all day; rooms facing the main road can pick up some noise, so it is not for anyone after quiet.
- With its size and room count, the check-in area and breakfast room can get crowded and queue up at peak season, and some rooms face other buildings rather than an open view.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
Things to do near Chinatown
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Insider Tips
- Walk over to Chinatown Complex, home to one of Singapore's biggest hawker food centres — try congee, bak kut teh and chicken rice at local prices, from morning right through to late.
- Use Chinatown MRT (about 5 minutes' walk) as your launch point: the North-East and Downtown lines run on to Marina Bay, Gardens by the Bay and the shopping districts, so you can skip taxis.
- If you are a light sleeper or want quiet, ask for a higher floor or a room not facing the main road, since Chinatown is lively with street noise all day.