We flew into Singapore late afternoon and hopped straight on a $1 bus going over the causeway and decided to overnight in JB rather than rushing to Larkin Bus Terminal to pick up a long distance bus. We checked through customs on the Malaysian side (no time-consuming arrival cards now) and wandered to the town centre. Of course the taxi drivers tried to stop us, telling us it was a long way, but it was less than two minutes walk to the first hotels, one of which was the Meldrum.

The Meldrum hotel is deceivingly large, spreading out over 5 floors. It was basic but clean with a totally unexpected very comfortable bed and pillows. The TV had only local channels (both Malay and Singaporean) and Channel NewsAsia, which could be either satellite or free to air in Singapore. We asked for a room away from the noise and were given one of the refurbished rooms - the window looked out onto a wall, but it was nice and quiet on the back side of the hotel.

Location couldn't be better. All manner of shops and canteens surround City Square and you could find just about anything you would want to. Access to Larkin was easy by bus where tickets were heaps cheaper than buying from the agents in the town centre. There was no internet in the hotel, but a good internet cafe about a block away, from which you can pick up the unsecured signal of the hotel opposite.