'Cameras filming you sleep': Female backpacker's creepy experience with $20 dorm in Singapore

To save money, some backpackers opt to stay in dorms. 

But for one traveller, Laurel, her experience wasn't the most enjoyable. 

In a TikTok video uploaded on March 13, the young woman, who is embarking on a solo trip after her graduation, shared her unpleasant time at the $20 dorm she stayed in.  

She told AsiaOne that the dorm is Betel Box Backpackers Hostel. 

"Well... this is an experience," she said in the captions. 

At the start of the 11-second clip, she showed her view from the top bunk of one of the beds in the dorm, which can fit 20 people. 

There were bunk beds on both sides of the room and these were separated by a row of wooden cupboards. 

But what really creeped Laurel out was the security camera pointed right in her direction. 

"Cameras filming you sleep," she said. 

She also shared that the toilet bowl and shower were both in the same place without any partition. 

[embed]https://www.tiktok.com/@laurels.insights/video/7209584668931542274[/embed]

Charging her electronic devices also proved to be an issue as the only plugs available were not in the rooms, but at the reception. 

"Please, if you go to Singapore, [you should] invest some more money in a proper hotel or hostel so you're not scared of coming home every night!" she advised other travellers. 

Speaking to AsiaOne, Laurel shared that she came to Singapore in the first week of March and plans to stay here for a couple of months.

She revealed that apart from the issues mentioned in her TikTok video, the room also had no air-conditioning and the people in the dorm "stared" at her all the time.

She had stayed in the hostel for one night but had asked to switch to a smaller room as it was "so horrible".

But she did admit that the breakfast was "okay".

Laurel also revealed that she had unpleasant experiences with other hostels in Singapore as well.

"I stayed in one other hostel before, but it was also not too nice," she admitted.

AsiaOne has reached out to Betel Box Backpackers Hostel for their comments. 

Dorm or army camp? 

Laurel wasn't the only one who was horrified by the dorm — several netizens were too. 

Some likened the condition to an army camp, calling it a "Tekong experience".

One Singaporean also expressed disdain towards the hostels in Singapore and suggested that Laurel stay in a boutique hotel instead.

Another fellow backpacker also commented that they agree with Laurel and that Singapore has some of the "worst" hostels. 

Honeymoon in a 'dirty' Geylang hotel room 

Local dorms and hostels aren't the only ones that have drawn flak — some of Singapore's hotels haven't received very high praise either. 

Last November, a couple paid $2,000 for a month-long honeymoon stay in a Geylang hotel room. 

However, they regretted their decision sorely — so much so that they would rather return to their homes to sleep at night. 

The couple complained that when they first reached the hotel, they realised that the room was dirty and dusty, while the bedsheets had stains. 

"No mini fridge, no hair dryer and no TV with cable channels as stated on their website. No coffee or tea sachets were given to guests. Home is better. We paid for nothing," the wife said. 

ALSO READ: Woman finds poop stains in Tanjong Pagar hotel's 'premier' room

melissateo@asiaone.com 

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