Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts

20 August 2014

Taipei Day 1 - Kuo Kuang Express Bus & InHouse Hotel

Lotsa blog entries snow balling again!
Gonna pen down my (not so) recent Taiwan trip before I forget the details! :D


MOBILE SERVICE IN TAIWAN

Got a 8-day unlimited data simcard at the airport for only TWD550 (SGD24)!
There are 3 telcos to choose from, with very competitive pricing. So, just choose the one with the shortest queue lol.
I bought mine from Far Eastone and the telco staff helped to place the simcard into my mobile phone and activated the data plan.



TAOYUAN AIRPORT TO XIMENDING 
(VIA KUO-KUANG BUS)

Cabbing from the airport to the city will cost around TWD1,300-1,500 (SGD57-65), hence we decided to try out the express bus service - Kuo-Kuang Bus (国光) #1819 that is available at only TWD125 (SGD5.50)! Tickets can be purchased from the booths right outside the airport.



Kuo-Kuang bus no. 1819 goes directly to Taipei Main station and from there, we can change to a free shuttle (complimentary of Kuo-Kuang) to get to Ximending. Cheap and good!
Journey takes about 50 mins so you can catch a nap on the comfy bus!



ACCOMODATION

For accomodation, we stayed at the popular boutique hotel, InHouse, located right at the heart of Ximending and a 5-minute drive from Taipei Railway Station.

InHouse Hotel

台北市西寧南路107號
No.107, Xining S. Rd., Wanhua Dist., Taipei City 108, Taiwan (R.O.C.)

Tel: 
+886-2-23753388

http://inhousehotel.com/en/home.php


We made reservations through its site and received a confirmation email promptly.
Credit card details were requested as a guarantee and actual payment needs to be done only upon check-in.
Rates: TWD 3,400 per night

 The InHouse team has entered the hospitality industry with the introduction of InHouse Hotel in Ximending, offering stunning design, elegance and romance in each individually created room.
Our room came in sweet lilac, complemented by pleasing wooden furnitures.




View from the room!




One of the reasons why this boutique hotel is so popular - it comes with L'Occitane products refilled daily!



Separately, InHouse is one of the best nightclub in Xinyi District. Hence you can get a feel of this entertainment group through its lobby/lounge.




Full-length mirror calls for an OOTD shot :D



Rooms come with complimentary breakfast and coffees (two per day, at anytime) served at its Wakuwaku Cafe at Level 2.
Love the cute, pinkish wall decor along the stairway!











Side dishes to go with your taiwan porridge :)




And of cos, my must-have for brekkie :)



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17 April 2014

Genting Highlands - Malaysia

Been digging lotsa old photos of late.
Woes of procrastinating! :``(

Won 3D2N Genting First World Hotel F&E packages from Resort World Genting x Nuffnang many months back.
We took the now-defunct Five Stars tours.
If you interested, there're still similar priced packages from Grassland Express :)


Happy with the ample leg space!


And so-so entertainment.



Stop over at Yong Peng, Johor.
Quite a popular stop over for buses coming to Singapore to Malaysia.
We bought snacks to munch on the long journey to Genting Highlands. But not the local products as they were overpriced! :o



***


We had deluxe rooms at First World Hotel, one of the world's largest hotels, is adjoined to the First World Plaza which boasts 500,000 sq feet of indoor theme park, shopping centre and food galore. A lush, grand tropical rainforest greets guests at the main entrance of the First World Hotel, followed by a spacious Spanish courtyard lobby. All rooms are comfortably furnished with modern amenities.

Automated check-in kiosks.
Simply scan your passports and it will assign you to your reserved rooms.





Very tiny :O




***



First up, we went to satisfy our growling tummies!
Decided to try Bubbles and Bites at another hotel upon seeing good reviews on it.
Price range is very affordable too, for such yummy food.
Main courses are generally around RM20-30.

Bubbles and Bites

Highlands Hotel
Level 2, Maxims

Hours
Weekdays
11am – 12midnight
 Weekends, Eve of Public Holiday & Public Holiday
11am – 2am







Some wine to counter the cold weather :p




New York spaghetti and meatballs


Pizza carbonara



Al Dante Spaghetti with seafood and garlic


Salad with poached egg



Pasta carbonara with crispy lamb denvers





Did a bit of shopping after our early dinner and we went back to the hotel.




So pretty!



Wanted to try chicken kut teh but we were still too full from the dinner at Bubbles and Bites and random snackings :(


Our snacks packaging expanded due to the reduction in pressure on the high lands - M thought it would be nice to use them as additional pillows -_-


***

Day 2


Went for hotel buffet breakfast.
Spread was average. The buffet area was rather canteen-style in order to cater to thousands of customers every day, lol.
But then.. It was rather empty when we were there. Everyone's probably too busy at the casinos to eat breakfast :X








My must-have (^^)v


AOTD.


Hang around for a while doing random shopping while waiting for the theme park to open.




Despite the bright, sunny photos, it was actually alternating between rain and fog the entire day! :(
Many rides were stopped a number of times that day when it rained, and we spent quite a lot of time simply waiting and seeking shelter.
STILL, all of us still ended up sun-burnt -_-





While waiting for go-kart hahahaa.


Okay, no sabo.. I did the same too.


Went to the "top-point" of the outdoor theme park.









One of the rides I would never take lol.


They went ahead though.


I waited for them at the ice-cream stall right beside...


And enjoyed an cornetto, wahaha.



Of cos, I was nice enough to stop in between bites to take photos of their experiences la.. :p


*faints*


Love this!!


<3



And more kiddy rides for me :))


Went for dim sum lunch at Ah Yat.

With red eyes from the sun O.O



 photo image_421_zps6de05cf4.jpeg









Next we bargained for a "taxi"/car to bring us to the nearby strawberry farms, tea plantation and mushroom farms and etc etc. They're all in close vicinity. So the entire tour will take about 2-3 hours at most?
Iirc, think we bargained for S$35 for the entire 3-hour trip (which we took only 2 hours haha).

Otherwise, you can also take the trams there!






I wanted this!
But already have too many soft toys at home, not forgetting a similar strawberry from Cameron Highlands last year :X






Attempting a pre-wedding shoot -_____-


That's about all.
Went back to the theme park and took another 3D activity.
While queueing, we saw this and out of boredom I asked both Ms to answer.


BOTH OF THEM GOT IT WRONG.
WTH.

1 said 8, the other said 17........... rofl.

Having brain freeze from the coldness??

Back to some brainless activities.


For dinner, we had hot pot at Hot Pot @ First World Plaza
Only RM30++ per pax, so cheap!











We had both spicy and chicken broth for soup base.
The spicy one is damn shiok!




Our chef (^^)v



Went to try our lucks at the Casinos after dinner.
I only know how to play jackpot machines, lol.
But still, won about S$80, yay~
The rest donated money I think :X


***

Day 3

Had breakfast at a cafe near to Bubbles and Bites.
I can't rem the name, sorrie!

Looks like this.


They served nice macarons!





Very good quiche!
Now I'm craving for it while blogging :'O



Sleepy face..
In my kids-wear sweater bought in Europe last time. 
(It was so fun shopping kids-wear over there -_-)




Chocolate dessert which looks so pretty and taste delicious!
The chocolate inside is so thick!



Contains raisins, passion fruit and some citrus flavouring so that it wouldn't get too jerlat.


Look at the mad foggy weather.


M went outside to CHILL, while we went back to the hotel to seek warmth~~


Hot water along the hotel corridors to save us T.T



Packed up and checked-out around noon.


Loitered around as we still had some time before the bus arrived.
Wanted to get this sweet pink satchel tote, but it was like SGD100+ in a "reject store"-looking store??


Back to Yong Peng Johor again.
The Yong Tau Hoo is not bad!



Home sweet home!


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