All posts tagged: Travel

Possibly the BEST cruise and experience of Russia – Part 2

Published by Beatrice

Continuing from Part 1 of our epic Russia trip, Part 2 is about our trip after the cruise ship sets sail from Moscow! The starting point from which we start cruising the Moscow Canal… Uglich While cruising through the 128-kilometer Moscow Canal, our first glimpse of rural Russia is in Uglich. We are thankful to arrive in Uglich on a day with beautiful blue skies, with the colour building glistening in the bright light! Yaroslavl, Cruising Lake Rybinsk We arrived in Yaroslavl on another beautiful day.  I like the Uniworld tour arranged a special tour to the Yaroslavl State Puppet Theater. Even though I am not usually a puppet enthusiasts, but it was interesting to look at over 50 puppets on display, admiring all the hard work handicraft to make them! Founded in the 12th century, the Unesco Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Saviour was one of Russia’s richest and best-fortified monasteries by the 16th century.  The interior of the cathedral is known for its colourful and vibrant 16th – century frescoes. Goritsky The only way to get to Goritsy …

River Cruise (Central Europe) – a new luxury way to travel

Published by Beatrice

I don’t know about you but whenever I used to hear “cruise”, images of casinos and being trapped on a ship with nothing to do would come to mind. So when we were first invited to Uniworld’s Cruise along Danube River in Central Europe, I wasn’t sure what to expect but I was sure glad we could get off in different cities so we decided to try. And indeed, I must say I am now a Uniworld River Cruise convert!!  Already looking forward to the next trip I get to cruise with Uniworld because: 1) Pampering from Uniworld service team! As I was a cruise noob before, I didn’t realize Uniworld is like the best of best in the cruise industry.  Uniworld Boutique River Cruise Collection is the world’s most luxurious all-inclusive cruise line and is ranked the Top River Cruise Line in the Travel + Leisure World’s Best Awards 2016 readers’ survey. Their winning edge shows in so many ways. For me, firstly, it really shows in their rooms because the beds are sooo comfortable. …

Restaurante Botin – World’s Oldest Restaurant (Guinness World Record)

Published by Beatrice

Restaurante Botin in Madrid, Spain, was founded in 1725 and is the world’s oldest restaurant according to the Guinness Book of Records. According to Wiki, the restaurant was founded by a french man Jean Botin and his spouse, and was originally called Casa Botín. The official Botin website says that the restaurant continues to be run by the third generation of the family. Miss A and I had a chance to try Botin in 2008 and I was so excited to be able to dine in such a historic location!!

Sala Khaoyai (II)

Published by Beatrice

Have already said a lot in my first instalment on Sala Khaoyai, this instalment will be about the Deluxe Balcony Room which we stayed for Night 2 and 3, as well as the fantastic food at Sala Khaoyai Restaurant. The deluxe balcony room is much more modern than the villa. I love the black interior and sunk-in bathtub. This would be a nice design for a bachelor(ette) pad; just put in a PC for gaming and it would be a perfect pad already. Sala has a good restaurant. They serve good porridge and sandwiches at breakfast, and good Thai and western food through the day. Tip: Try the peanut butter banana smoothie as a dessert, chilling out at the sundeck….heavenly! We also tried their North Thailand cuisine special set menu. It was an interesting experience as we have never been to North of Thailand and there are subtle differences versus the usual Thai food we are used to. For example, they serve papaya salad with crabs, and generally, all the dishes are much more spicy than average …

Mori Japanese Restaurant @ Pakchong, Thailand

Published by Beatrice

Read about this mysterious Japanese restaurant along a river, and also looks and taste authentic Japanese, so we decided to check out Mori before heading the Airport from Khaoyai. To be frank, this place was very hard to find because there is no proper site or address, so have already pinned it at the bottom of this article on googlemaps so you can use your GPS if you want to visit! We had a simple quick meal as we were rushing to the airport. The sashimi is imported from Japan and Norway – recommended as it’s super value for money for its freshness. We also tried the beef and tonkatsu set lunch and both tasted authentic Japanese and was around SGD$10-$12 per set. Agedashi Tofu was soft and fresh. The only dish I would not recommend is the chawanmushi. It was overcooked so rather than being soft and wobbly, it was rather rubbery. Also, do not ask for mayonnaise; it is neither like the Western nor Japanese mayo but more like diluted, sour cream. But overall, …

Vino di Zanotti Italian Food @ Khaoyai, Thailand

Published by Beatrice

I am so excited to write this post because Vino di Zanotti @ Khaoyai is easily one of the best Italian meals I ever had! Vino Khaoyai is opened by the main Zanotti Group, which has a few restaurants throughout Thailand focused on fine dining and quality Italian products. Vino is just opposite Palio, so it’s relatively easy to find. Vino has alfresco seats which are perfect for cool evenings in Khaoyai, and has a live jazz band playing in evenings as well. So my tip is to go for dinner (rather than lunch) so you can sit outdoors and enjoy the music and occasional breeze. So, first up, the most creamy amazingggggggg appetizer – Burrata Cheese!! (Tip: this is not on their usual menus, so ask if they have it as a ‘special’!) Firstly, the presentation already tantalizes one’s taste buds. With the vinaigrette and cherry tomatoes, this dish looks like a dessert! Secondly,  this is a huge serving of Burrata. In Singapore, the bigger ones I have had at Brunos is probably only half of this serving, and at …

Palio Khaoyai

Published by Beatrice

If you want to feel like you are in Italy (or Europe) in this part of the world in Asia, Palio is the place to go! Palio is a shopping centre housed in a picturesque village on the way to the entrance of Khao Yai National Park, about 2 hours drive from Bangkok. This cluster of strikingly coloured Baroque-style buildings built like a little village will be hard to miss on the drive. There is no entrance fee, just 20baht for parking. Palio gives me the feeling that I get in Disneyland – free and happy – complete with accordion music in the background. Maybe because for Asians, being in Europe is associated with being on a holiday, so all Thais and tourists appear very happy in this ornately designed town. It also helps that Palio is elevated at higher altitude so it is usually at least 5 degrees cooler than in Bangkok. Even if you feel warm, you will be welcomed by rows of cool juices and food booths pathing the way from the carpark to …

Gran Monte Vineyard, Khao Yai

Published by Beatrice

Before my first drive to Khaoyai in 2009, I never knew vineyards existed in Bangkok. It was pleasant driving along rows of grapes then, and so I knew I had to bring N back to visit a winery in the area, and so I chose to re-visit Gran Monte. Khaoyai is suited for wine-making despite being in the tropics because the lower regions of Khaoyai are around 350m above sea level, with the average daily temperature throughout the year around 23°C, and Gran Monte is one the wine makers in the region successfully coaxing Chenin Blanc, Syrah and Viogner grapes. According to Gran Monte, blending with its natural environment, the beautiful surroundings of Khao Yai has inspired the brand name “GranMonte”, which also translates as “big mountain”. They also pride ourselves on the use of organic farming techniques important in preserving our environmental surroundings, and also necessary for producing excellent quality grapes. Entering the shopfront, you will be welcomed by all their local produce including organic vegetables, various jams, fruity body lotions and raisins. They have small tasting …

Massage – Super Value for $ Thai Massage

Published by Beatrice

To experience the full local Khaoyai experience, we went to check out on where local Thais enjoy their massages in Khaoyai. The first massage place I called asked me to try out a massage place near Palio when I mentioned I was near Palio. The lady on the phone told me the name of the place is called “The Housekeeper of the Mu Si“, to which I went “AGAIN?” and she repeated – “The Housekeeper of the Mu Si”, and she was very helpful, giving me directions in broken English. We had a lot of fun driving up and down the main road along Palio trying to find the place since there are NO english signboards, and unfortunately, I lost some photos when I changed phones so I have no pictures of the exterior/Thai name for you 🙁 So am using this photo from Neng S’s Foursquare to show what the place looks like: The massage was decent and super value for money! We paid 300bht (=SGD12) for 1.5hours foot massage, but it turned out …

Sala Khaoyai (I)

Published by Cheng Nicholas

Easily summarized, Sala Khaoyai is one of the best boutique resort experience we ever had! This is our second Sala experience, after Sala Phuket (another amazing experience for another entry), and I am so glad we chose Sala. (Small Tip and Advice is to book early and go on weekdays (Sun/Mon counts) as we got 50% off the rates. P’Chatbodin (Orn), the chief service staff in Sala Khaoyai, is incredibly friendly and helpful. He takes huge ownership to be a great host and is definitely very proud of Khaoyai and Sala Resorts; he is so willing to share all the information about the area and the resort when I told him I am going to feature Sala Khaoyai in my writings. So I learn the Sala hotel chain belongs to the owner of the Central Group. Yup, that big shopping chain in Thailand! The owner first conceptualized Sala Khaoyai as a summer home that he retreats to relax. Eventually, he had so many requests he decided to open a resort, but he kept it to seven rooms …