In the age of Instagram, staycations are all the rage. Beyond being great for the gram and instastories, staycations are great for young adults to relax during the (long) weekends and take a break from the stressful work week.

Singapore’s expensive hotel room rates however are not easy on the wallet. So what does one do to continue this staycation habit without going broke? Here are some suggestions:

Want to staycay within Singapore, but the typical hotel room rates > SGD 150 a night are blowing your budgets?

Airbnb

Airbnb offers a fantastic alternative to hotels, not only in terms of price. As an avid staycationer, I’ve stayed in rentals that have facilities way better than hotels (a balcony with a sun tanning deck and jacuzzi just outside my bedroom), and decor that wouldn’t look out of place in top instagram photos.

It is also a great opportunity to experience living in very different neighborhoods within Singapore. Want to cafe hop? Try staying in the shophouses near Tiong Bahru estate or Katong. Interested in luxury living? Book a room in the CBD district or Sentosa Cove.

Interested in a short trip coupled with your staycation? Try nearby destinations such as JB or Batam.

JB

For most people, there are the typical affordable and clean hotel chains like the DoubleTree Hilton and KSL Hotel & Resort that are both conveniently located near shopping malls.

However if you are looking for something more interesting, you can look towards rentals such as The Replacement – Lodge & Kitchen, where they are a cafe and bed and breakfast outfit (the food is great – they are on our list of must try places in JB). Not only does the place look like its set up for a Kinfolk magazine shoot (see photo below), it’s also in a fantastic location smack in the middle of hipster cafe lined streets.

Batam

People tend to have a view that Batam is not as fun as Bintan but I truly beg to differ. There’s not only plenty to do on Batam (I cannot truly say the same for Bintan), almost everything (from accomodation, food, massages, activities etc) is significantly cheaper compared to the resorts of Bintan where everything costs an arm and leg.

While most people tend to just pick the cheapest accomodation in Batam (which can get really cheap from SGD25 onwards), I suggest you fork out a little more for much better quality of stay. These are just some better hotels and resorts that SGD 40-50 can get you in Batam: Eska Hotel, Ibis Style Nagoya and KTM resort.

Hope these few suggestions will help you staycation like a pro without busting the wallet.

Have more ideas? Let me know in the comments below.