and here are the first pictures…

Yesterday we moved into The Marbella, our new home for the next 1 or 2 years. Can only say that it already feels like home. We received the goods from Robinsons and today we also got the television for the living room. Things are taking shape… We’ve got a freezer that automatically makes ice-cubes, we’ve got cupboards in the kitchen that we don’t even know how to fill. I have now been “banned” to the guestroom with my laptop, because we ran out of power sockets in the living room with the arrival of the TV and Starhub set-top box.

This afternoon I am planning to take a dip in out pool and go to IKEA afterwards for some small things that’re still missing. Like powerboards…

So, in the frenzy of shopping, we went back to VivoCity tonight and bought a 37″ Samsung LCD Television for the bedroom and had all our Starhub communication services connected. We now both have a permanent mobile phone number, 2 digital television set-top boxes, wired & wireless internet and a digital voice service at home. I got lost in the amount of free stuff and discounts, that I have no idea what I am still paying for. But again, it was a perfect demonstration of Singaporean service and now “I am a hub”. We walked out with everything connected and activated, when we move into our apartment tomorrow, we can use everything straight away. Fabulous….

Oh well, today we finally experienced the real Great Singapore Sale. Now that we have our own apartment, we needed to buy the basics to actually be able to live there. There’s only so many things you can “borrow” from the hotel. So we went off and visited Robinsons, the local Singaporean department store at Orchard Road in the Centrepoint Mall tonight. It’s great, up to 50% and 70% discounts on everything and opening hours until 10pm.

We bought bedding for the master bedroom (Asian king-size, which is a little smaller/shorter than western king-size) and guestroom (super single, which is a little bigger/wider than western single). So, we’re taking booking for people that want to visit us. We’re booked out for 2008, but we’re already taking bookings for 2009 season. I can recommend May/June when the sale is on.

We also bought a dinerset, cutlery set, glasses and mugs, knifes, pots & pans and basics & utensils for the kitchen and towels for the bathroom. All of the above will be delivered free of charge to the apartment. We ended the shopping spree with a lovely Thai diner and a visit to the Starhub Center.

If you’re planning to come to the next Great Singapore Sale, have a look at HotelTravel for a great selection of Singapore Hotels with discount prices.

Today I opened a bank-account. How easy was that. The customer service department from the DBS bank was superior to everything I have ever seen. Just bring in your passport and employment pass and you can open a current account. You walk out with an ATM card straight away, the debit and credit cards will be send within a week. You can have multiple credit-cards (VISA and Mastercard for you and your partner), because depending on what and where you shop, you get different discounts with different cards. With a little luck, I can have all necessary funds for the apartment in Singapore by the end of the week. We need to go out and buy some basic stuff for the house this week, because I will be working next week!

We also got news from the owners of the apartment today. They have signed the tenancy agreement from their side, we will sign this week to. Lucy is so kind to get gas, water & electricity connected by Friday, before we move in. Only thing left is the Starhub services for TV, telephone and internet.

Today we spent all day driving around Singapore with our agent Lucy, who we used to find a new apartment in Singapore. She’s been listening very well and selected several vacant apartments around Singapore that fitted our list of requests.

We started with The Marbella (see picture), which we already found on the internet before we left for Singapore. We were quite sure we wanted to live there and after yesterdays visit with Nikki, we were sure. Lucy found us the only available 2 bedroom furnished apartment and arranged a viewing with the real-estate agent Tony. The apartment was perfect, on the 20th floor, unblocked views over the nicest parts of Singapore and only 2 stations away from my work but still with easy access to the city as well. The apartment is furnished and decorated completely to our liking with dark colours. Tony had opened the windows and a beautiful breeze was flowing through the apartment. It might be a little smaller than Eureka Tower, the facilities are a million times better. The property has big pools, BBQ pits, security entrance and a putting green, the apartment has a bomb-shelter (now pantry), balcony, 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.

We also went and visited 2 new properties MontView and Viz@ Holland, which we were told about yesterday as well. We then viewed some “older” projects more in the city center, just to get an idea about what we would get for the same price, closer to town. We finished with The Carribean, which is next door to Vivo City Mall, our favorite mall. This is an enormous project with good facilities, a private elevator and views to Sentosa Island and turned out the be a close contender for our final decision.

In the end, we decided for The Marbella and from this Friday onwards, our address will be The Marbella, 29 Mount Sinai Rise in Singapore. We “just” need to get the finances sorted out, open a local bank account, pay the bond and first month of rent in advance. With a bit of luck, I can travel to work from our new apartment next Monday already.