Accommodation

There are many condos on Cairnhill Road, St. Thomas Walk, Stevens Road and Grange Road. Most of the buildings are large, modern high-rises but there are still some older buildings that haven’t given in to rampant redevelopment. These are generally more spacious and have a bit more character, but won’t have facilities. Rents can start at $2,500 and rocket up to $10,000 depending on how luxurious you need your home to be. There are also two areas of stunning conservation shophouses in Emerald Hill and Cairnhill Road that are worth checking out if your budget allows: they start at $8,000 and go up to $18,000 per month.

 

Shopping & Amenities

The difficulty you have at Orchard lies not in finding what you need, but rather in deciding at which of the many malls you’re going to get it. The Heeren and Orchard Cineleisure cater to the younger generation, with an HMV and all the latest styles. Paragon and Ngee Ann City Shopping Centres are upscale malls where all the major luxury brands from Europe and the US are well represented. Paragon has a Marketplace grocery store and Ngee Ann City has a Cold Storage. Further down the road, Plaza Singapura is another major development with a cinema. Lucky Plaza is generally the domain of tourists but it can be a fun place to go hunting for a bargain and it also boasts two of the best bookstores in Singapore, Borders and Kinokuniya.

 

Entertainment & Leisure

There are three major cinemas along Orchard Road, at Shaw House, Orchard Cineleisure and Plaza Singapura. Restaurants abound at street level, in the shopping malls and at the major hotels, including the Grand Hyatt, Marriott, Goodwood Park and Meritus Mandarin. Sitting at one of the many cafes lining Orchard Road can be a nice break from shopping, or a good way to while away a weekend morning reading the paper. The Youth Park next to Somerset MRT station has a skate park and regular performances and activities to keep youngsters entertained, while for the older set Emerald Hill has some excellent bars in beautiful shophouses that are perfect for after work drinks on a Friday.

 

Healthcare

Mount Elizabeth Hospital is a private hospital tucked behind Paragon Shopping Centre. It offers a full range of services including outpatient care and accident and emergency department. Paragon’s top floors house a variety of specialist private clinics for everything from paediatrics to plastic surgery.

 

Education

Chatsworth School is on Emerald Hill while the Overseas Family School and International School Singapore’s Elementary and Middle Schools are on Paterson Road, near Wheelock Place and Borders.

 

Traffic & Parking

All condos have parking spaces for residents and the shophouses in the area have designated street parking in front of each house. On Orchard Road itself, each shopping mall has a huge parking lot and there are a few independently run lots too. Traffic can be hectic, as everyone in Singapore seems to converge on the area at weekends. It can be difficult to get a taxi during peak periods, and you may have to walk down to a taxi stand at one of the shopping malls, where there’s often still a queue. But public transport links are great, with Orchard, Somerset and Dhoby Ghaut MRT stations in the area and many bus routes running down Orchard. 

 

Safety & Annoyances

The only threat here is the traffic swarming around Orchard. Annoyances include the crowds at the weekends, though you can always choose to stay by your condo’s pool rather than venture out. Construction noise can be a problem at times, as developers work seven days a week tearing down old buildings in the area and putting up new luxury condos.