All posts tagged: Luxury

Possibly the BEST cruise and experience of Russia – Part 1

Published by Beatrice

With all the World Cup fever going on in Russia now, I wonder if people have similar misconceptions of Russia as me? Firstly, I thought that Russian cities were historic but high-rise… but apparently, they have so much land that even dining on the 16th floor at White Rabbit (World’s Top 50 Restaurants) could give us a panoramic view of Moscow! Then, I thought that Russians were tough and fierce. Well, they were still tough, but after a dash of vodka, they become the warmest people ever! Finally, what blew my expectations were the most gorgeous towns and beautiful countryside along the Russian waterways along the Golden Ring. I will let my pictures (either shot by N’s Sony 7 with his watermark or my awesome Huawei P20 Pro sponsored by my dad :P) do the talking! Day 1-3: Moscow Moscow was founded in 1156 and it was the capital of the medieval nation. Moscow lost its status as capital to St. Petersburg but it never lost its significance to Russia, and it has reestablished its dominance over the nation’s culture, …

One of the best lodgings in Tasmania – Avalon Rocky Hills

Published by Beatrice

I hate to admit but I know I am quite a particular traveler. In cities where we will spend a lot of time out, I don’t really bother about hotel quality so long as it’s clean and decent/safe location. But because in national parks or near beaches, we tend to stay indoors to just slow down and relax, I have higher expectations I guess. So I was really looking forward to Avalon Rocky Hills, and I am so glad it didn’t disappoint me!! So thankful we landed a free night stay with the winter promotion. Avalon, rooted in Arthurian Legend, means “island of paradise.” And as with all mysterious islands, it was indeed hard to find. It took us a 2km of off-the-track dirt track before we arrived to meet our lovely host, Ann. She went through in details every facility within the retreat – from books to a movable TV stand (see below video! so smart!) to bath salts to the self-contained kitchen with a freezer and fridge full of food, and a separate ARTIST …

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. …

The one villa in Phuket you have to experience…

Published by Beatrice

Villa Noi is by far our best beach holiday and retreat experience. We hunt around a lot for deals on luxury boutique villas and yet Villa Noi has been able to surpass all our experience so far! Villa Noi is situated on Natai Beach, Phang Nha, just north of Phuket, just 25 minutes from the Phuket International Airport. For those who are familiar with Aleenta Phang Nga, Villa Noi is right next to it. Villa is a private family villa and was designed by Duangri Bunnag, and constructed in 2010. Villa Noi is an award-winning Thai modern home that has been featured in various high-society publications such as The Modern Thai House / Innovative Design in Tropical Asia and Houses by Thai Architects. I was stunned when I was reading in the pavilion and realized Villa Noi is the villa on the cover page of Houses by Thai Architects. Never thought I would ever have a chance to live in one of these homes! One of the reasons why Villa Noi is our top villa …

Eatprayflying’s Top 8 Villa Vacations you must stay in! Awesome for Honeymoons! (Thailand & Bali)

Published by Beatrice

After all our crazy hard work in Singapore, it is always important to sharpen our saw and take a pit stop for a long marathon. So for those planning for your upcoming December holidays, these are our top villa vacation stays in across Thailand and Bali. And yes, I admit I have a bias to modern looking boutique villa architecture 🙂 1) Villa Noi @ Phuket Villa Noi is a private family holiday villa. It is the most luxurious villa I have ever been to; there are really only 3 villas on almost 2000 square meters of land. Villa Noi has a private chef, driver and manager. I am still confirming how the public books this villa and will update shortly! 2) Sala Khaoyai @ Khaoyai A boutique resort with only around 10 very private rooms and villas. Sala Khaoyai is our second favourite because it is set in the mountains, which also means it can get to under 20 degrees celcius at night, so you get to enjoy the temperate weather and vineyards within a 2.5 hour …

Taiwan: Taroko National Park 太魯閣國家公園 Lodging/Hotel – Silks Place 太鲁阁晶英酒店 (Taiwan Travel Review Series)

Published by Beatrice

Silks Place 太鲁阁晶英酒店 in Taroko National Park 太魯閣國家公園 was the most amazing stay experience. Even our local guide said it had the best hotel in the area, and it was not difficult to see why.  Our “Honeymoon Package Studio Room” package for 1 night included: ‧ ‧ ‧ ‧ ‧ ‧ ‧ ‧ ‧ ‧ ‧ ‧ ‧ ‧ The Complimentary Service at The Retreat Lounge The Silks Place Breakfast The Afternoon Tea  (PM 15:00 ~ 18:00) The evening Red wine white wine (PM 17:00 ~ PM18:00) The Indoor Parking The Indoor and Outdoor Swimming Pool The Tennis, The Kid’s Club-Playground The Yoga & The Fitness Room The Wireless Internet at Retreat Lounge The Round Trip from Airport or Train Station The Half Day Tour The Daily Fresh Fruits The Daily Newspaper The Mini Bar The Evening Turndown Service Silks Place was built to truly wow and relax. While the hotel looks simple from outside, but beautiful, grand reception. After we reach the reception, we are first brought to the Retreat Room for snacks and drinks (free flow red and white wine!) …

bvilla @ Seminyak, Bali

Published by Beatrice

bvilla was a surprise find when I went to Bali in 2009 with Miss L. We were originally staying in another resort, and went to the spa at bvilla+spa, and we loved it so much, we ended up cancelling our resort and moving to bvilla! The manager of bvilla was very friendly and decided to show us around the estate and opened up a 2-room villa to show us. bvilla is really built for the modern. They have villas ranging from one to five-bedrooms, with decor that is very modern with a slight Balinese touch.  It is also very conveniently located at Seminyak, near to many restaurants, cafes, shops and art galleries. Like I mentioned, we were so convinced we went back to our resort to cancel the last night stay to move our last night in Bali to experience bvilla stay for ourselves in the 1 bedroom villa at bvilla+seaside. bvilla has 3 different properties –  bvilla+spa, bvilla+pool, and bvilla+seaside, and since we already seen bvilla+spa, we decided to try the seaside one! The most amazing experience …

Aleenta Resort and Spa @ Hua Hin

Published by Beatrice

After a week of full day meetings in Bangkok, I extended my trip to spend the weekend in Hua Hin. I have heard so much about beautiful Hua Hin, which is known for her majestic sunrises. Having had a very good stay at Aleenta @ Phang Nga before, I decided to choose Aleenta @ Huahin. I must admit it is partly because I didn’t have much time and capacity to do much research, so I went for a familiar name (Aleenta), but Aleenta @ Hua Hin definitely lived up to expectations! Firstly, as members of SLH (you can also sign up for free), Aleenta @ Hua Hin offered us a free upgrade from the main wing to the more expensive Frangipani wing. Both wings are 600m apart and you can travel back and forth by: 1) Walking on the Pak Nam Pran Beach beach, 2) Walking on the road, 3) Riding Aleenta’s tuktuk 4) Cycling with Aleenta’s bicycles. Aleenta started as a family beach villa that was upgraded and now boasts 23 unique suites. The …

Sala Phuket

Published by Beatrice

I went to Sala Phuket a while ago, but Sala Phuket remains one of my favourite boutique resorts in the region so I decided to do a post-dated feature. I have also stayed in Marriott and Twin Palms in Phuket but looking back, the memories of Sala Phuket still beats the rest for me. Not my best set of photos either (wasn’t thinking of having a blog previously) but I will let the pictures do the talking! In the Garden Pool Villa, the bedroom overlooked an outdoor veranda, gardens and a private swimming pool, which I felt was really private as it was a walled up garden, and the people living on top did not have windows to look down. Sala Phuket also has an award winning Beach Restaurant. My food shots were really bad so I won’t share them as they won’t do justice to the food, but you will definitely get to try if you stayed in Sala as they offer free breakfast. I loved how the poolview at breakfast immediately relaxes the mind and …

Sofitel Luxury Hotels @ Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit

Published by Beatrice

I have had the privilege of coming to Sofitel Luxury Hotels @ Sofitel Bangkok Sukhumvit a few times for work so I have decided to feature it. One big advantage that this Sofitel has is the central location – on Sukhumvit main road between Soi 13 and Soi 15. I enjoy its proximity to the BTS, rooms with comfy beds and spacious washrooms. They have also increased their lunch selection in VOILÀ!, their inhouse 2nd floor restaurant, to include pizzas and a very nice cheese and meat selection (see below). *All pictures proudly shot on my camera phone! Not N’s pro quality 🙂 Pictures snapped during quick working lunch: