A Chinese tourist received a S$200 cleaning fee after eating durian in her Singapore hotel room.
The woman documented her experience on social media platform Xiaohongshu to warn other visitors about Singapore’s durian restrictions.
Tourist Discovers Singapore’s Durian Rules the Hard Way
The China national, known as Blue Mulberry on Xiaohongshu, bought a box of durians for S$13 while exploring Singapore with her friend on 25 May 2025. The pair found a roadside stall selling the fruit but discovered no seating area nearby.
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They decided to take the deshelled durian back to their hotel room. The fruit was already placed in a styrofoam container when purchased.
During the taxi ride back to their hotel, both women noticed the durian’s strong smell. Blue Mulberry tightened the plastic bag containing the fruit, worried about bothering the taxi driver.
The driver raised no complaints about the odour.
The tourists consumed the durian in their hotel room that evening. They went sightseeing the following day without incident.
Blue Mulberry returned to find a letter from hotel management waiting in her room. The letter stated that housekeeping staff had detected a durian smell and imposed a S$200 cleaning fee.
“My friend and I were stunned and couldn’t believe our eyes,” Blue Mulberry said in her video post.
Hotel Staff Explain Durian Cleaning Procedures and Penalties
Blue Mulberry contacted the hotel front desk to request a discount on the cleaning fee. She explained that she was unaware of the durian prohibition beforehand.
Hotel staff declined her request for a reduced fee. They explained that the room required professional cleaning to eliminate the odour completely.
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The cleaning process could render the room unusable for several days.
The staff also informed her that their S$200 charge was lower than other Singapore hotels, which apparently charge S$500 for similar violations.
Blue Mulberry searched online and confirmed that multiple Singapore hotels prohibit durians in guest rooms. Carlton City Hotel charges a S$500 cleaning fee for durian odours. Park Regis by Prince Singapore imposes a S$300 penalty. Park Avenue Rochester fines guests S$200 for bringing durians into rooms.
The tourist later discovered that Singapore’s Mass Rapid Transit system also prohibits durians, with fines reaching S$500. She expressed relief that fatigue had prevented them from taking the train that day.
Blue Mulberry’s Xiaohongshu search revealed that many other tourists had similar experiences. Some visitors were stopped by hotel staff before reaching their rooms. Others received warnings instead of fines for first-time violations.
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A similar incident occurred in July 2023 when a Chinese family brought durian to their Sentosa hotel room. That family received a warning letter but avoided the cleaning fee as it was their first offence.
Blue Mulberry titled her social media post “Spending 1,000 yuan (S$200) in Singapore on one durian” and urged fellow tourists to avoid her mistake. She hoped her experience would help other visitors “save 1,000 yuan.”
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