Tips for surviving hotel quarantine in Singapore alone
A healthy mindset, online workouts and cute puppy zooms can help with isolation
Text: Lynda Williams
A two-week quarantine in a hotel room was my idea of hell. However, the need to leave Singapore to see my family in the UK far outweighed two weeks in captivity upon my return. I booked my flight. I’d cope with my solo confinement and how to to stay sane when it came to it, after all, how bad can two weeks in quarantine really be?
I prepped a lot. I researched how to survive quarantine alone, spoke to friends who’d already gone through self-isolation, got a doctor’s note confirming my claustrophobia, and steeled my mental health for 14 days of ‘me time’. Getting back to Singapore was not plain sailing. Three days after I landed in the UK, borders back into the island were closed to Blighty due to Covid spikes, so I had to come back via two-weeks in Dubai. First rule: expect the unexpected!
Surreal transition
Flying into Changi, I was nervous. As you don’t know where you’ll be quarantined until arrival, I scanned the Singapore Tourist Board (STB) list of quarantine hotels — around fifty potentials of varying standards — I mentally noted my top three choices and said a little prayer under my breath not to land a ‘cosy’ option (if you know what I mean).
It was a somewhat surreal transition through the eerily lonely airport. Whilst waiting for my luggage I dropped my mobile phone and smashed the screen which I took as a bad omen and propelled me into-double flap mode. With our bags collected, all passengers were given a sticker and ushered into a waiting area for a couple of minutes. Everyone on my flight (20 of us) were then escorted to a coach without knowing which quarantine hotel we were being taken to. As we set off, whispers started to spread; ‘Psssst! We’ve got The Fairmont Hotel!’ THANK YOU GOD.
Proper planning
My room was fairly small with no kitchen, but it was very modern, had a balcony (HATS OFF TO YOU UNIVERSE) and a huge bathtub (COOKING ON GAS). I was beyond grateful that I’d been allocated a nice hotel, with lovely staff who called me daily to ask if I was coping okay, and who sent me more amenities than they should, gratis (YOU THE BEST).
Two weeks in isolation came and went, but was it really that bad? Being a lover of movement and the great outdoors, and especially a good hike, there were days when I was itching to get out, like having an itch in the middle of your back you can’t reach to scratch. But with proper planning of my time (without being a slave to work), and amazing friends who sent me surprises and kept me smiling through WhatsApp and zoom, how to survive quarantine alone was achievable.
Whether you’re reading this from quarantine yourself, or wondering how you’d cope with being cooped up, here are my tips on how survive two weeks being locked up:
1. Reframe the situation
Instead of thinking ‘this sucks’, say to yourself ‘okay, I’ve got two weeks to do exactly what I want, let’s make the most of it’. I kept thinking about this weeks before my quarantine took place. When I wasn’t working on V&V or The Soothe, I read books, binged on Bridgerton, zoomed friends, exercised daily, grew more flexible at yoga and studied NLP. I maximised my time and saw the positives so my mental health didn’t take a hit.
2. Prepare a box or bag of essentials in advance
Get this ready before you leave the country and leave it with someone who can get it to you on arrival in your hotel. Said lovely someone can also go supermarket shopping, so leave them with a list and they can send everything altogether.
3. Don’t forget the anti-bac
There is zero housekeeping at any of the quarantine hotels throughout your stay and you have to change your own bed once a week. I recommend having a multi-purpose cleaner with cloth for your bathroom and desk, Dettol wipes for general clean-ups, and washing up liquid and sponge for your cups and glasses. No one wants a hand-soap-tasting coffee cup.
4. Or the laundry detergent
Pack a small bottle so you can handwash your underwear, workout gear and other bits and pieces. (I heard mixed reviews about hotel quarantine laundry and didn’t want my lingerie coming back looking like the dog had got hold of it — or receiving somebody else’s grundies).
5. Workout equipment & Zooms
While you may not feel like it, it’s essential for your body and mind to move everyday throughout confinement. I had a yoga mat, dumb bells and bands and did live online Zoom classes with Dan Hammond’s HIIT and Yoga Movement. Great online workouts keep the pounds off and help to regulate your mood by releasing endorphins. In Singapore, you can also hire bikes from Absolute Cycle if your room is big enough and tune into their network. Walking Pads are also getting rave reviews.
6. Keep your brain ticking
I continued my NLP studies and classes over Zoom with my teacher Lindley Craig. I completed a book. I also started writing poetry again (don’t ask what fuelled this; they won’t be published on The Soothe anytime soon!). Masterclass is a fabulous online portal where you can learn anything from meditation and breathwork to singing, writing and acting.
7. Create your own spa
My darling brother gifted me Espa products for Christmas so I was well set for regular spa rituals. My favourite bath products are Espa’s or Aromatherapy Associates oils, or Elemis’ Aching Muscle or Skin Nourishing bath soaks. I also applied face masks every other day. Add in scrubs, firming creams, a scented candle and herbal tea and you’ll leave quarantine with skin as smooth as baby’s bottom.
8. Eat what makes you happy
Food is provided but you don’t get a choice in what it is, so if you’re a picky eater you might want to have a delivery service on speed dial. For snacks I had nuts, Nakd bars fruit, rice crackers, humous, veggie sticks and dark chocolate. If you have a fridge, get some fresh milk to go with coffee and tea. I had lots of loose tea gifted from Scoop and grounded coffee sent in along with a French press which was a life saver.
9. Invest in a speaker
How to survive quarantine alone can be helped with music. I don’t travel without my Bluetooth speaker as even the most modern hotels still have archaic iPod docks. Chilled music in the background helped to keep me grounded during the day, high-energy sounds complemented my workouts, and you can’t beat some 70s when you fancy a private disco (just me?).
10. Stay sociable
I booked in evening calls and Zooms sessions with friends at least every other day. They gave me something to look forward to and my family back in the UK had just got a puppy, so pup-Zooms where I just watched him snuffling around and being a rather naughty pup were aplenty ;)
11. Go dry, or not
Being in quarantine is a great opportunity to have a break from the booze. I was generally dry, and then Angra Wines sent in a couple of bottles of rather nice red which, um, lifted my spirits for a few nights. My advice would be to limit alcohol in quarantine as the last thing you need is to be sat in a small room, riddled with hangxiety.
12. Have someone there when you leave
While not quite Davina McCall meeting a contestant leaving the Big Brother House, it is nice to have someone waiting for you when your captivity is up. It can feel surreal, and you might be discombobulated as you stumble out into the sunlight. My friend and I screamed with joy at The Fairmont lobby like two long lost penpals.
All in all, my quarantine experience in Singapore was very well organised and I was well looked after. Fourteen solitary days were not that bad. There are small sacrifices we have to make in these strange times and staying locked in a room for 14 days is nothing if it’s protecting the lives of others. If there’s one thing this upside-down world is teaching us right now, it’s that love for our family, our friends, life partners, and the community around us is what matters.
Thank you to everyone who kept me sane. If anyone has any other tips on the latest and greatest ways to survive quarantine, please email me hello@thesoothe.co so we add to this and can try to support everyone that has to go through it.
