Beach Road

Beach Road : The District for Books, Hotels, Shopping

About
Beach Road lies just inside Singapore's Central Business District (CBD). Unlike the other areas within the CBD, however, Beach Road is not laden with skyscrapers and office buildings. Instead, you find shopping centers, markets, hotels, and residential areas within the district. Like everywhere within the CBD, Beach Road is cosmopolitan and is known today for being the Thai enclave in Singapore.

History
Located near the sea south of Singapore, Beach Road was a residential district for the Europeans during the colonial era. It was developed in 1822, based on the “City Plan” Beach Road that was proposed by Sir Stamford Raffles, the founder of modern Singapore. Prior to colonial development, Beach Road consisted of Malay fishing villages and was known as Campong Glam or Kampong Glam. A portion of Beach Road still retains the old Malay name. Along with the development of colonial bungalows, Sir Stamford Raffles also commissioned the building of a palace for the Malay royal family in Singapore, as Singapore was at that time a constitutional monarchy. This palace was known as Istana Kampong Glam and is still there today, although it has been converted into the Malay Heritage Centre.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Beach Road grew to comprise more than just colonial bungalows. A cinema was built in 1907 and was named New Alhambra Cinema. Later, the cinema was bought over by Cathay Organization and was renamed Gala Theatre. Another cinema, Malborough Cinema, was constructed beside it. The area became a hotspot for relaxation and entertainment, with the old Satay Club providing fresh satay for hungry cinema-goers. The Satay Club closed down in 1955 and was relocated to the old Esplanade.

Residential
Today Beach Road no longer has colonial bungalows, but it does have apartments that are equally posh. Aside from a few blocks of Housing Development Board (HDB) flats near the Arab Street area, most of the residences in Beach Road are lofts or service apartments. A designer loft that can be found in Beach Road is literally, and aptly, called The Loft. There are also service apartments in Beach Road, known as The Concourse Executive Suites.

Where To Go

• Golden Mile Complex
  Beach Road, as mentioned above, is Singapore's Thai enclave. At the heart of this enclave are Golden Mile Shopping Centre and Golden Mile Complex, the latter being completely occupied by Thai tenants. Golden Mile Complex allows you to experience Thailand in Singapore – there are Thai supermarkets, Thai department stores, Thai groceries and spices, Thai magazine stands, Thai music stores, and Thai moneychangers. You can also have a taste of authentic Thai cuisine in one of the many Thai restaurants in the basement of Golden Mile Complex. Besides Golden Mile Complex, you can find a plethora of Thai Karaoke Pubs.
• Beach Road Market
  This market is across the road from Golden Mile Complex but is at the same time a world away. There is nothing Thai about this market that is located in the center of an HDB estate. The market comprises a hawker center, a wet market, and, on the 2 nd floor, small shops that sell army gear and equipment. The food in the hawker center is excellent. Upstairs, you can get all geared up by purchasing cheap windbreakers, tents, canvas bags, and anything else you need if you're going to the army, or going camping.
• The Concourse
  The Concourse provides service apartments, but it is also a shopping center. A relatively quiet place, The Concourse is a place for small businesses, offices, travel agencies, and tuition agencies.

Beach Road is also lined with shop-houses. On the ground floor of these shop-houses are eateries, shops, small firms, and pubs.

Commercial Buildings @ Beach Road

» Gunung Raya Travel
» The Concourse Shopping Mall

Hotels @ Beach Road

» PARKROYAL on Beach Road

Condominiums & Apartments @ Beach Road

» Parkroyal Residences
» Plaza Pacific Serviced Resident

Sports @ Beach Road

» Kallang Sea Sports
» Water Venture