Freezing London + Amsterdam Day 2

25/12/2015

Itinerary of today:

Breakfast @hotel 
Cycle hire 
Camden Town 
Lunch @Siham Lounge Bar 
St Regent’s Park 
Sherlock Holmes Statue
Sherlock Holmes Museum
Oxford Street
Seven Dials
15 Neal’s Yard 
Dinner @hotel

It's Christmas Day and supposed there was almost nothing opened in London. We woke up at 9-ish. Hubby made use of the kitchen and prepared our first meal of the day. Toasts with ham, cheese and jam and a few baked chicken drumsticks surely gave us enough energy for some intensive walk and exercise today.

Freezing London + Amsterdam Day 1

24/12/2015

Itinerary of today:

Heathrow Airport
Sainsbury’s
Studios2Let- North Gower
Breakfast @itsu
Emirates Stadium
Breakfast @Borough Market
The Shard
Greenwich Royal Observatory
Greenwich Market
Cutty Sark
Southbank Christmas Market
Dinner @Wagamama
London Eye
House of Parliament
Big Ben
Westminster Abbey
Paddington Station

It was such a long and scary itinerary after a long haul flight! Anyhow, we only have 4 days in London and that was the fact that we gotta make good use of our time.

We touched down at 4:30 early in the morning at London Heathrow Airport but by the time we collected our luggage and have our passport checked, it was already 5:30am. It wasn't actually a terribly long wait as we expected because we thought we might have to queue for a long time for the customs.

Freezing London + Amsterdam Day 0

23/12/2015
It's such a bless travelling to Europe during the festive season! Have heard about how big the festival can be since I was a kid and now I am able to feel it in person with my love! It's gonna be the coldest Christmas that we have ever spent! How amazing it is!

Again exchanged some Euro and British Pounds beforehand in Chungking Mansions in TST where offering better rate to CX cabin crews (even though I am not~ haha~). Guess it would be enough using GBP450 and EUR350. Probably using credit card is a better idea not carrying too much cash with us.

Flight schedule: (British Airways: HKD4455/ person)
2345- 0500 BA28 (Hong Kong to London)
1930- 1945 BA441 (Amsterdam to London)
2100- 1645 BA27 (London to Hong Kong)

Itinerary of today:

HK Airport
Dinner @Plaza Premium Lounge
London


Still remember it was a nightmare for Lawrence taking the long haul flight last time. Getting no sleep at all even on a comfy plane by Emirates was a disaster for the itinerary planned for the next day. Prepared neck pillows for the long haul flight this time in case it is fully booked and we gotta sleep with almost upright position.

Getting the boarding passes at the counter, I was told by the staff that my first name and surname of the booking were placed wrongly. It was really weird and I am quite sure that I typed my name appropriately since I did the same for Lawrence and his was correctly done. (I guess I am not that stupid and careless!) Ended up calling the Expedia customer service to fix the problem by giving the HKD400 handling fee at the airport and would get it refunded later on. That was a bit thrilling and wasn't a good start for me at all. 

Anyway, bad situation had gone and we did our usual practice at the airport - getting free magazines and eating at the lounge with our credit cards.

Freezing London + Amsterdam - preparation

Finally comes to the second part of the flight ticket promotion tier to London and Amsterdam. It's in such a great value taking direct flight by British Airways in HKD4455 /person only! (Please refer to Ad hoc Sabah Trip - preparation) As the trip will happen across Christmas time and there seems to be nothing going on with no public transport on the Christmas Day in London, it is quite hard planning the itinerary.

Impromptu Foshan Break Day 2

13/9/2015

Itinerary of today:

Marco Polo Lingnan Tiandi Foshan

Ancestral Temple

Lingnan New Tiande Place

Hello Kitty Cafe

Didn't set the alarm clock. Just woke up naturally and did our wash up. Went down for the buffet breakfast. There was a mix of Chinese and western dishes. The most surprising thing was having dimsum and instantly cooked noodles. No wonder the online reviews are mostly positive.

Impromptu Foshan Break Day 1

12/9/2015

Itinerary of today:

Marco Polo Lingnan Tiandi Foshan
Lingnan New Tiande Place
Suning
Walmart

Saw an attractive package promotion on E&E Tours website. Staying in Marco Polo Lingnan Tiandi Foshan with breakfast and transfer was only HKD560/ person. Wanna take a break at the beginning of the busy school term, so decided to spend a weekend there chilling out with Lawrence.

We got on the coach in Kwun Tong early in the morning. It took around 3 and a half hours to get there, so we bought some breakfast to eat on board and got some sleep.

Bali getaway - expenses summary

Bali getaway Day 10

18/8/2015

Itinerary of today:

Dolphins tour

Breakfast @Lilin Lovina Beach Hotel

Gitgit Waterfall

Pura Besakih

Lunch with friends

Denpasar Airport

Here comes the last bit of our 10 days Bali trip. The only reason for us to travel a long way to the northern part of the island was watching the dolphins. Someone may not think that it is worthy, but having a chance to live in a villa that I love (I planned to book it once I saw the reviews and pictures of it online!) and enjoy a quite night in a lovely cafe (was highly recommended on TripAdvisor), it made our long journey there worthwhile.

We woke up at 4-ish that morning. The villa was completely quite and I guess we were the only guess who planned to watch the dolphins that day. Our tour guide drove us to the pier by motorcycle. We were both thrilled getting there in quite a speedy move. 

Bali getaway Day 9

17/8/2015

Itinerary of today:

Breakfast @Cocoa Ubud Private Villa

Tegalalang Rice Terrace

Tirta Empul Holy Water Temple

Lunch @Sari

Lilin Lovina Beach Hotel

Dinner @Akar Cafe

Bali getaway Day 8

16/8/2015

Itinerary of today:

Breakfast @Mulawarman Guesthouse

Pura Taman Saraswati

Pasar Ubud

Drink @Tropical

Ubud Palace

Lunch @Nomad

Ice cream

Polo shirts @Polo

Taxi

Cocoa Ubud Private Villa

Dinner @Yanies Restaurant Fusion, Sushi & Grill Bali

We were able to meet the host early in the morning going down for breakfast. Surprisingly, she was also the chef cooking a special homemade pancakes for us! As Mulawarman Guesthouse is a family run business (I guess), the small scale brought us and the guests there together. We chit-chatted during breakfast time, sharing our travelling experience around Bali or even other places. Though we only stayed there for one night, we could feel the warm and welcoming atmosphere there. 

Bali getaway Day 7

15/8/2015

Itinerary of today:

Breakfast @Sari Villa Sanur Beach

Car rental

Klungkung Royal Palace

Goa Gajah

Lunch @Fair Warung Balé

Mulawarman Guesthouse

Sacred Monkey Forest Sanctuary

Pertenin Spa

Dinner @Bebek Bengil

Bali getaway Day 6

14/8/2015

Itinerary of today:

Breakfast @Favehotel Seminyak    
Taxi
Sari Villa Sanur Beach
Taxi
Breakfast @McDonalds
Shuttle to Safari
Bali Safari
Lunch @Uma
Shuttle to Sanur
Tea @Little bird
Harley's
Dinner @Tokyo
Massage @Teratai Spa

Bali getaway Day 5

13/8/2015

Itinerary of today:

Breakfast @Favehotel Seminyak
GWK Cultural Park
Pepi to Market
Padang Padang Beach
Lunch @Blue Point
Uluwatu Temple
Drink @Rock bar Ayana Resort and SPA
Dinner @Lia Café Grilled Seafood

Bali getaway Day 4

12/8/2015

Itinerary of today:

Breakfast @Favehotel Seminyak
Car rental
Nusa Dua Peninsula Island
Water Blow
Bali Collection
Lunch @Coco Bistro
Tea @The Pirate Bay Bali
Dinner @Made’s Warung Seminyak
Massage @La Karma Spa

Bali getaway Day 3

11/8/2015

Itinerary of today:

Favehotel Seminyak
Car rental
Pura Tanah Lot
Pura Taman Ayun
Lunch @Potato Head Beach Club
Seminyak Square
Tea @Sea Circus
Dinner @Bale Udang Mang Engking
Massage @La Karma Spa

Bali getaway Day 2

10/8/2015

Itinerary of today:

Grandmas Hotel Seminyak
Favehotel Seminyak
Lunch @Bestest Cafe
Seminyak beach
Beachwalk
Poppies Lane
Tea @Havana Club Restaurant
Dinner with friends

Bali getaway Day 1

9/8/2015

Have been waiting for this Bali trip for long. Became more and more impatient seeing so many of my friends and colleagues posting their photos travelling in different parts of the world during summer holidays, and finally, IT'S MY TURN!

Went to Tsim Sha Tsui exchanging some rupiah. My friend told me there's one called Singapore offering good rate to CX cabin crews and I got 1:1690 the day before I off to go to Bali. Not worth to queue for long at Berlin in Central with more or less the same rate which saved me plenty of time.

Flight schedule: (Airasia: HKD1963/ person)
1320- 1710 AK135 (Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur)
2025- 2325 AK555 (Kuala Lumpur to Denpasar)
2120- 0020 AK555 (Denpasar to Kuala Lumpur)
0710- 1105 KA1348 (Kuala Lumpur to Hong Kong)

Itinerary of today:

HK Airport
Lunch @Plaza Premium Lounge
KL transit
Tea @Plaza Premium Lounge
Free pick up to hotel (by friend)
Grandmas Hotel Seminyak 

It was way less rigid travelling during summer holidays. Had some light food as breakfast on the airport bus and it seemed so quick getting to the airport in the morning. Our routine again, getting the boarding passes, went to Page One to get the complimentary copy of magazines/ newspaper for free using the DBS credit card. Thought that would be able to get an extra one in Relay for HKD1 like last time we did using Standard Charter credit card but the promotion had come to an end. 

Bali getaway - preparation

This long Bali getaway was just amazingly perfect! Just fall in love with this fabulous place and couldn't help to write about it even though I haven't finished writing about the Sabah trip! For Hong Kongese it's usually just a place to spend for less then 5 days but when I browsed through all the blogs and information online, a bit more time is definitely needed to explore this lovely Island. Since Lawrence got injured and with his finger wrapped up with a pin through his bones, surely options other than water sports were picked, and hopefully and do something like rafting and diving in our next visit.

Ad hoc Sabah Trip - expenses summary

Ad hoc Sabah Trip Day 5

25/5/2015

Itinerary of today:

Breakfast @FongIp Cafe (馮業) 
Shangri La Tanjung Aru Resort
Airport

It was finally our last day in Sabah. Actually we had no plans for today as our flight back to Hong Kong was at 11:30am. Luckily, Sabah is so small that the airport was just 10-15 minutes away from the city centre. We had plenty of time to enjoy our breakfast even we needed to arrive at the airport an hour and a half in advance.

Ad hoc Sabah Trip Day 4

24/5/2015

Itinerary of today:

Breakfast @FongIp Cafe (馮業)
Gaya Street Sunday Market
Kota Kinabalu City Mosque
Desa Cattle Dairy Farm
Lunch @Restoran Babytea
Kinabalu Park
Dinner @Welcome Seafood Restaurant (大茄來海鮮餐廳)
Supper @Sin Kee(新記)

It was Sunday today meaning that Gaya Street Sunday Market was on selling wide variety of stuffs from fruits, breads, breakfast to cloths, souvenirs, pets and hand-made soaps. Having breakfast at FongIp Cafe next to the place we stayed, the market was just right behind us.

Ad hoc Sabah Trip Day 3

23/5/2015

Itinerary of today:
Breakfast @FongIp Cafe (馮業)
Jesselton Point
Sapi Island
Mamutik Island
Tea @Fook Yuen Cafe (富源)
Dinner @ Yu Kee (佑記)
Taste Better @Wisma Merdeka
Central Market
Supper @5 star Hainanese Chicken Rice and BBQ

Another day of breakfast in FongIp Cafe. This morning we tried English breakfast and noodles. Again, not bad but not surprising at all. Anyway, both of us were full with the free breakfast offered.

Ad hoc Sabah Trip Day 2

22/5/2015

Itinerary of today:

Breakfast @FongIp Cafe (馮業)
Gaya Street
Breakfast @Wiya Restaurant (味雅雞飯茶餐室)
Sabah Tourism Board
Jesselton Point
Lunch @A Lam Penang Mee restaurant (阿林檳城蝦麵)
Suria Sabah
Graffiti Pillars
Tea @Old Town White Coffee
Signal Hill
Dinner @Welcome Seafood Restaurant (大茄來海鮮餐廳)

Slept straight away the night before and didn't see much of the hotel. The entrance was actually very simply and a bit worn out like tenement building, but the location could say to be one of the best hotels in town.

Ad hoc Sabah Trip Day 1

21/5/2015

As mentioned before, this is kind of an ad hoc trip without planning. So didn't expect much and just read over some of the blogs for references. Our first priority buying a one-way ticket to Sabah was definitely Airasia, cheap yet didn't have the delay problem before. 

Flight schedule: (Airasia: HKD458/ person + Malaysia Airlines: free)
1950- 2255 AK238 (Hong Kong to Kota Kinabalu)
1130- 1430 KA1348 (Kota Kinabalu to Hong Kong)

Itinerary of today:

Airport
Taxi to hotel
KK Suites Hotel

Finished work and rushed home to pack my baggage. (Yes! I can pack in half an hour!) Then took the airport bus and got all the way to the airport. Again, after getting the boarding passes, went to Page One to get the complimentary copy of magazines/ newspaper for free using the DBS credit card. This time we had an extra one in Relay for HKD1 using Standard Charter credit card.

Ad hoc Sabah Trip - preperation

Thanks to Expedia having such a wonderful tier of flight ticket promotion, making it possible for these Sabah and the coming London + Amsterdam trips in an extremely great price! The most exhilarating thing was that I didn't need to fly in a row, just made the Sabah one happened in May and the later in December! Come on! That's Christmas time and guess how much they cost in total? HKD4455 /person only with tax and baggage fee included! 

Phuket Retreat - expenses summary

Phuket Retreat Day 7

2/8/2014

Itinerary of today:

Naiyang Beach Resort
Airport
Breakfast @Subway
Hong Kong

Couldn't said to be the last day as all we did was just woke up, packed and drove to the airport.

The last shot of our ride with driver Lawrence. The parked at the lot we got the car and dropped the key at the Avis counter as it was way too early.

Phuket Retreat Day 6

1/8/2014

Itinerary of today:

Breakfast @Sala Phuket Resort and Spa
Tour @Anantara Resort
Villa
Naiyang Beach Resort
Tea @Bann Ra Tree
Phuket FantaSea Show

Decided to wake up naturally in this comfy villa instead. Headed to the restaurant to grab a late breakfast. We didn't have breakfast included in our list of hotels picked throughout our trip as we were expecting local food in Patong area except this one. There was really nothing more to say. The selection of food was incredible and the quality was outstanding. The service was impeccable. Having breakfast in a restaurant facing the beach is truly breathtaking in the morning.

Phuket Retreat Day 5

31/7/2014

Itinerary of today:

Breakfast @Coffee Mania
Phuket Dog @Yoshitomo Nara
Patong Beach
Lunch @Banzaan Fresh Market
Big C
Sala Phuket Resort and Spa
Turtle Village
Dinner @The Coffee Club
Supper @Swensens

Woke up early in the morning and we were determined to have local food for breakfast. Drove around Patong area and bumped into this cozy restaurant. Changed our mind and ended up having a western styled breakfast instead. Ordered a set of chicken cheese sandwich (130 bahts) and a set of all day breakfast (190 bahts). Everything was just perfect especially with the freshly made orange juice.

Phuket Retreat Day 4

30/7/2014

Itinerary of today:

Breakfast @Kota-Khao-Mun-Kai Restaurant
Phuket Trick-eye Museum
Dinner @Malin Plaza
Massage
Tiger Bar

Our target today was the Phuket Trick-eye Museum. Drove all the way to Kota-Khao-Mun-Kai Restaurant for 2 reasons: browsed on Internet and popped up a recommendation on Open-rice and it was quite close to the tourist spot that we were going to visit. A bit hard to find though. We asked a few locals for the restaurant location and finally there was one who was able to tell us where it was. Hainan chicken rice with iced milk tea only cost 70 bahts. Not very special as people mentioned as a hidden gem though.

Phuket Retreat Day 3

29/7/2014

Itinerary of today:

Central Festival
Breakfast @Shabu Shi
Wat Chalong
Big Buddha Phuket
Lunch & tea @local restaurants
Karon Viewpoint
Karon Beach
Dinner @Mali Seafood & Restaurant

Gonna head to the South for a few cultural tourist spots today. Decided to drop by Central Festival first and was trying to look for a casual place for a quick breakfast. Bumping into Shabu Shi was in fact not in my itinerary and obviously an impromptu decision as it was recently having a promotion with 50% off all-you-can-eat hotpot buffet. It was just 366 bahts for 2! How could we resist this temptation?

Phuket Retreat Day 2

28/7/2014

Itinerary of today:

Day tour @Ratcha Island
Dinner @Natural Restaurant

Here came the second day of our trip. A snorkeling day trip was booked yesterday. (1700 bahts/ person) We had a light breakfast prepared by ourselves early in the morning as breakfast was not included in this budget hotel. Cup noodles, biscuits and tea were already enough as we were gonna take a speed boat to the outer island. We didn't want to get sea sick feeling too full. 

Phuket Retreat Day 1

27/7/2014

Had been longing for this annual summer trip for ages after tough working months. The countdown was over and it was going to happen! Gonna spend a relaxing week in Phuket, an exhilarating city charging up myself.

Flight schedule: (Hong Kong Express: HKD672/ person)
0450- 0720 UO765 (Hong Kong to Phuket)
0855- 1330 UO765 (Phuket to Hong Kong)

Itinerary of today:

Take free sim card@ airport
Car rental @Avis
Check in @Acca Patong
Lunch @Street food
Look for local tour @Patong Beach
Jungceylon
Big C
Dinner @Banzzan Fresh Market

Getting cheap flight tickets usually has a price to pay. The flight schedule was a disaster! Taking off at midnight meant that we gotta arrive at the airport and check- in at night. We decided to arrive at the airport earlier, getting the complimentary copy of magazines/ newspaper from Page One for free using the DBS credit card, then spent our night at the waiting area sleeping and reading the magazines.