After more than 2 long years of renovation, SAFRA Toa Payoh is now finally back in operations and they are having an Openhouse till 28 October 2012 [Sunday]!
Thanks to omy Blog Club and SAFRA, we were invited to attend SAFRA Toa Payoh‘s Openhouse and man, it was a blast! In fact, Baby and I will be heading to the Openhouse again later in the day and if you’re interested to come along, do let me know 🙂
Well, Baby and I drove to SAFRA Toa Payoh yesterday and the place was just bustling with so much activities.
The very first thing that caught our eyes was the McDonald’s Drive-Thru! Finally, we need not head all the way down to Ang Mo Kio Park McDonald’s Drive-Thru because there is one that is now available at SAFRA Toa Payoh! So, if you’re in need of a fix for a McDonald’s craving, you will be more than glad to know that you can head down to SAFRA Toa Payoh‘s McDonald’s Drive-Thru!
So after having parked my car, we went to Lift Lobby B, took the elevator up to Level 2 for registration and checked out what the programmes and activities for the day were. It sure looked like we were in for a busy day ahead.
Here I was at the registration counter to collect my goodie bag and if you’re a SAFRA Principle Card Member, you can redeem a free goodie bag too!
Having completed the registration, Baby and I were free to roam around SAFRA Toa Payoh until 4pm as we had signed up for a Zorball Challenge [Couples Category] that took place at 4.30pm.
So, maybe let’s start with what you can eat at SAFRA Toa Payoh [since we Singaporeans are food-lovers].
Besides McDonald’s, there’s Toast Box, Tim Palace [a Chinese restaurant], Kkongdon Barbecue [a Korean restaurant], Restaurant Hoshigaoka [a Japanese restaurant], New Zealand Natural [an Ice-Cream Palour], and Astons Specialities [a Western restaurant]. With so many different types of food and cuisines to choose from, you will definitely be spoilt for choices. By the way, SAFRA members can earn points and get dining discounts when they dine at any of these restaurants and even then, if you’re a Student [it’s really good to be a Student, trust me], you can get special dining discounts!
Tim Palace serves Chinese food and they have a huge pillar-less dining hall with beautiful chandeliers that can fit about 50 tables or even more. So, if you’re looking for a venue to hold functions, whether its personal or corporate, you can consider this place. And oh, they serve Dim Sum too.
Kkongdon Barbecue serves Korean barbecue food and looking at their menu, it was simply attractive! Baby and I will definitely want to dine at this restaurant one fine day. In case you’re wondering what Kkongdon Barbecue serves and what a fellow blogger, Miss Tam Chiak, thinks about Kkongdon Barbecue, check out her blog entry about Kkongdon Barbecue!
We personally haven’t tried Restaurant Hoshigaoka and it would be good for Baby and I to dine there one find day too! And oh, if you’re a Student, there’s fantastic dining discounts just for you too; just remember to bring along your Student Pass.
New Zealand Natural serves ice-cream and I really love their ice-cream because they contain no preservatives and they are low in fat! But that shouldn’t be a reason to have more than 3 scoops of ice-cream if you’re on a diet. Nevertheless, besides the usual ice-cream, New Zealand Natural also serves gourmet sandwiches and waffles too.
Astons Specialities is a common brand name to everyone and we reckoned that most of you would have dined there at least once in your lifetime. If not, you really ought to try their Chargrill Chicken because it is really awesome. So, instead of heading down to Ang Mo Kio’s Astons, we can now have Astons at SAFRA Toa Payoh!
What goes in must come out right? So, after lots of sinful eating, we ought to exercise a fair bit and SAFRA Toa Payoh gives you the opportunity to do so because they have tons of sports facilities that you can utilise.
There’s the Gym which has extremely new equipment and currently, they are having an attractive gym membership promotion for those of you who have ORD-ed with effect from 28 April 2012; for 24 months of gym membership, membership rate will cost you only $250! That is about $10.42 a month and yes, you can hit the gym anytime you want.
There is also the swimming pool available for those of you whom prefers a less intensive workout.
By the way, we found the competition pool quite amusing. From the carpark at the basement, you can literally see through the swimming pool.
If you’re into squash, there’s also squash courts as well.
Now, things are starting to get a little serious and here is why.
There is a bowling alley at SAFRA Toa Payoh!!!
Honestly, I think a lot of people will frequent the Superbowl at SAFRA Toa Payoh because of its convenient location and its very very affordable rates.
Here’s the bowling rates for a game at Superbowl.
There’s also a chillout area at Superbowl.
So, I really wanted to have a game but we didn’t have enough time.
We moved on to the next facility which is personally my favourite! The Lagoon Billiard Room!
Here are the rates of the Lagoon Billiard Room.
Presenting to you Singapore’s first billiard/snooker tournament hall with seating gallery!
There is also a free handphone charging station available for you to charge your phone while you play your game.
Check out the comfy seats and there’s even a board for you to record your scores.
There’s also a chillout area where you can buy some snacks and drinks while you are having your game.
Honestly, this is perhaps one of the most modern, state-of-the-art, billiard/snooker place that I have ever come across. The tables are well-maintained and the service is tip top. So, if you’re looking for a really nice place to chill out, this is the place to go!
There are also many other activities that are available at SAFRA Toa Payoh. From what I know, the Karaoke room at SAFRA Toa Payoh is still under construction.
Do check out their bulletin board for more information about upcoming workshops or courses that you can participate in!
SAFRA Toa Payoh is a really family-friendly place. There are many children facilities as well and you can even enrol your child for tuition lessons, music lessons, holiday camps so on and so forth.
One Learning Space‘s the place for workshops and classes.
Medley‘s the place for music lessons.
There is also a huge play area for children. [I honestly enjoy such play areas when I was a kid]
There is also a dance studio for dance classes [They converted the place for Art and Craft Workshop temporarily for the Openhouse].
It was time for our Zorball Challenge [Couples Category] and seriously, it looks easy but it sure is not.
And yes, Baby and I emerged second in the Zorball Challenge [Couples Category]. For that, we won a buffet dinner for 2 at Swissotel! Totally awesome!
It was really a fun and tiring day for both Baby and I and if you are not a SAFRA member yet, do go and sign up because there are really many perks and benefits that you can get to enjoy!
Stay tuned to more updates from us!
God bless!
