Costa Sands Resort Downtown East

Maybe it's just me, but I have a bias against chalets - I find them dirty, unsanitary and (as my mother would say) haunted places.

So I wasn't too thrilled when my friends decided to book a chalet there and invited me to sleep over with them. This was only compounded after my friends decided to laze around on the beds, having played in the sand and not showered prior to that. I was pretty grossed out by this, being the clean freak that I am, and there and then decided to stick to hotel rooms, where you can always ask for room service to clean up your mess.

Besides that, though, Costa Sands did provide a pretty okay experience. Although old, the facilities worked (I saw a guy pick his nose in the pool though, which ruined it for me), and although the chalets were not exactly mansions, they were big enough to house 8 comfortably. The affordability is a plus point, especially if you know anyone who is an NTUC member.

My family and I usually stay at a chalet for a short change from the home environment that we have gotten so used to. Not only do we have a getaway, but we get to BBQ as well which has always been a plus point for my family who likes to eat. The rooms are catered to the basic needs of the tenants that includes the TV, fridge/freezer, kettle, beds and a shower. Everything you need to survive in this modern society.

But keep in mind that the chalet is at its basics for a reason. It is provided for people to sleep all the fun and excitement off at night while enjoying the day out in the sun. Again, this is not a place of luxury which you expect from a hotel. It is a chalet. Booking one will mean that you are there to BBQ, cycle, take a dip in the swimming pool and more; and not stay cooped up in the room like a butterfly during metamorphosis.

On a brighter note, with the chalet situated near E!Hub, you get the hussle and bussle of a small city during the day and the island-like resort at night. That is a win-win situation in my opinion.

I would say renting a chalets will be appropriate when there is a class gathering events or hanging out with a group of friend to party. If you agree with me that the function of a chalets will be just providing a place for us to keep our belonging and stuff while we enjoy cycling, or even going to beach outside without having to worry it will get stolen.

One good thing about chalets will be their fringe, which you can keep your seafood for BBQ or even birthday cake. I have rented Coasta Sands once for our class gathering and we only use their bed when we stayed-over, most of our time was spent on outdoor activity.

If you prefer BBQ only, I would suggest to rent a BBQ pit either at East Coast or Pasir Ris park instead of the chalets, at least it is cheaper. Since BBQ pits at chalets are also located outside, it makes no difference if it rains or not.

My encounter with Costa Sands Resort Downtown East came when I was having a school camp - it was my first, and possibly my last.

Despite the relatively lower rates and close proximity to the beach and other eating places, which made the chalet popular with many of my friends, I must say I was quite disappointed with the cleanliness of the place. Besides several large cockroaches that appeared each night (that never failed to terrorise those using sleeping bags on the floor), I remember a friend of mine that used the bed waking up to find her hair crawling with ants. It turned out that there was an ant nest just below her pillow.

Perhaps it was the chalet's peak period, where many groups had been making back-to-back bookings, and perhaps I shouldn't have expected too much with a smaller budget. But this first experience has definitely put me off from choosing this chalet again.

My class booked this resort for a day to chillout and barbeque. Actually the place is quite good, especially when you split the cost with like 25+ people, it becomes worth it. The BBQ pits are well-stored and the rooms are nice and very clean. the standard is good.

Personally though, I think that the idea of a resort in your own country is quite redundant. If you wanna BBQ, doing it at your friend's condo is just as good. And if you wanna hang out at downtown east, you don't necessarily have to stay at a resort. For a small group, it's not quite worth the money.

Other than my personal view, I think this resort is well suited to its standard and quality.

Having stayed in Costa Sands more then once, I must say that it is a place worth going back to. I remember thinking to myself that staying there is just like staying in a hotel, just with alot more people, the occasional loud cheers from people having parties and BBQ smells flooding your nostrils as you walk in.

I love this place because it is so conveniently located and there is no lack of food and activities to participate in. Just in ehub, you can find yourself tempted to buy bubbletea and ice cream and yogurt, not to mention seoul garden and Mr chicken rice. Also, if you're feeling bored you can just pop by the beach and have some beach games or just take a lazy stroll along the sand.

The place is also equipped with two mattresses and two beds. There were 8 of us sleeping over and we had a rather fitful sleep other then the noisy bunch of people screaming over a soccer match outside. Overall, it is a really nice place worth the price paid.

Coasta Sands is the first place that pops up in my mind when on the topic of chalets. The commendable part about this resort is the short walking distance from the chalet itself to E!Hub and McDonalds — this is an especially important point that is often overlooked and only realized in the middle of the night when hunger pangs strike. Other than that, the chalet provides basic amenities and straightforward service. There is nothing to rave about cleanliness wise. Rooms are not huge but hey, you pay for what you get.

*There is a DVD rental machine at the entrance/exit area that makes for good entertainment.

My wife's cousin rented a chalet here to celebrate his son's birthday. My mother-in-law came from a big family. She had two sisters and five brothers, I lost count of how many cousins my wife had. Not all of the family turned up for the party but there must still be over thiry people there.

They had some pot luck and BBQ. It was not enjoyable because there was simply not enough space in the tiny chalet and the compound outside was also shared by the other chalets so there was not even enough standing space if we were to keep within our share of the compound. And never expect your neighbouring chalets to be empty so you can have a bigger share of the compound, the whole area would just be overflowing with people.

I've been there I think about thrice and I think it's a good place for a chalet. The right amenities like a swimming pool, a convenience store, and a shopping mall at close proximity really makes the experience more enjoyable. Because it's close to the shopping mall I think Ehub, we can afford to watch midnight movies and not be afraid of lack of public transport back - we can simply walk back. Also, it's easier to rent bicycles staying there because we don't have to wake up early to reach in time to return the bikes. It helps a lot, especially since we stay out till really late while on the bikes. (But what's the point of sleep at all if one's at a chalet? Doesn't matter.)

One thing I don't particularly like is how we always bump into people while there... like literally every turn you see someone familiar and you're like oh hi okay yeap here for chalet too. Awkward.

Still, it's pretty clean, and the bbq pit right outside is convenient. I would recommend the place if the target group is small. Any bigger and this wouldn't be the most ideal choice.

Place is not very clean, there was a cockroach in my room. Place was really tiny, 2 rooms could hardly fit my class of 40 people. Wifi is not provided in the premise, making it really difficult to surf the net for people without mobile data. Brought my laptop there and couldn't watch anything on it. The location is quite good, with supermarket just beside it.

E!Hub has bowling, karaoke, cathay and even a gym. McCafe at downtown east is a good place to chill if you can't sleep at night. Bath wash is provided, don't have to bring any, making it convenient for your stay.

Most importantly, it makes a good venue for hide and seek. I recall being lost as a seeker in the midst of a game, haha!