Singapore Travel Blog, Hotel Reviews, Travel Itineraries and Guides
Hiryu opened a couple of months ago in Tras Street as a restaurant specializing in inventive Japanese cuisine.
It is helmed by Chef Raymond Tan who has spearheaded other well known Japanese restaurants such as Sushi Jin, Sushi Murasaki and Kurama Robatayaki. He also served a stint at Fat Cow.
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Melaka (Malacca) is one of the most historic destinations in all of Malaysia. With an old town that is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Melaka is filled with charming Peranakan shophouses, old churches, unusual-looking mosques and one of the best restored old towns in the country. Tourist attractions aside, Melaka is also known for the food. Chendol, chicken rice balls, Peranakan food and Portuguese cuisines are just some of the things your tastebuds should try while here.
For a practical and efficient weekend trip to Melaka, this itinerary and travel guide aims to tell you how the town should be done within 2 days.
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15 Stamford by Alvin Leung has officially opened at The Capitol Kempinski Singapore. Helmed by the so-called “demon chef” Alvin Leung who holds 3 Michelin stars for his Bo Innovation restaurant in Hong Kong, the venue pays tribute to various Asian cuisines such as those from Korea, Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore.
15 stamford interiors
The menu at 15 Stamford by Alvin Leung consists of Asian favorites but with creative twists through Chef Leung’s contemporary touch. I had the opportunity to visit the restaurant one day before it opened and I must say I was impressed.
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South Korea has become somewhat of a rising star in the tourism scene in recent years owing in part to the proliferation of Korean TV shows and pop music. The cities of Seoul and Busan undoubtedly appeal to folks who like seeing pretty and cute things and it’s probably not surprising that the visitor demographics here dis-proportionally lean towards females. If you are thinking of visiting South Korea and would like to have a practical itinerary to cover both Seoul and Busan, allot at least 5 or 6 days. If you are also visiting Jeju, you’ll need to add 2 or 3 more.
The two major cities of Seoul and Busan are the most intuitive places to explore during a trip to South Korea – Seoul for its cosmopolitan vibe and traditional culture and Busan for its seaside chic. This travel guide aims to show you how these cities can be done in as little as a week.
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Taipei has long been an attractive travel destination for travelers from neighboring countries. While it has never really established itself in the backpackers’ trail, the city attracts plenty of midrange and high-end tourists looking to sample the local street food, shop in the night markets, soak in the hot springs and interact with the highly hospitable locals. Personally, Taipei is a feel-good place. I don’t go there expecting to see some mind-boggling sights. Like Tokyo, I go there time and time again for the wonderful ambiance.
If you are heading down south, also check out this Kaohsiung and Tainan itinerary.
Here is a well-balanced itinerary for Taipei that you can do in 3-days. It offers a fine mix between sights, eating and shopping and also has a few off-the-beaten path attractions thrown in.
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With Singapore Dollar interest rates rising steadily over the past year as reflected by the one month SGD SIBOR Rate, Citibank’s Citi Maxigain Savings has become one of the better CASA accounts to go for to earn decent interest, especially since it does not require clients to credit their salaries there. Just to illustrate roughly, if you had qualified for the 12th counter and assuming the current SIBOR Rate of ~ 1.64%, you would have been earning 2.51% p.a. with the MaxiGain. This is all the more compelling when you consider what some corporate retail bonds are yielding at the market. Temasek’s 5 year SGD bond which pays a coupon of 2.7% p.a. is currently yielding only 2.42% p.a. and that comes with interest rate risk.
The adage that all good things must come to an end rings true for the Citi MaxiGain Savings, at least to an extent. It was only a year back when I first wrote about the Citibank MaxiGain Savings Account. Citibank recently announced a slew of changes to the terms and conditions of this CASA product. These are:
Before: Base interest of 80% of 1 month SGD SIBOR for the first S$150,000 balance
Perhaps the change that hurts the most is the fact that one of the things that made the MaxiGain such a great account – its ability to at least track interest rate fluctuations – will be diluted somewhat. A change of 80% of SIBOR to 70% of SIBOR equals roughly 0.16% p.a. This is not a biggie in the greater scheme of things. Based on current SIBOR and assuming you are within the S$150,000 ceiling, this is equal to roughly S$20 of foregone interest per month. However, if you consider this feature’s ability to track current interest rates, this presents a somewhat noticeable potential loss. 1 Month SGD SIBOR reached its all-time high of roughly 3.50% back in late 2006. If it were to reach that level again, the reduction in the base interest multiplier certainly reduces the capacity to potentially earn more as interest rate rises.
Before: Daily end balance of S$10,000 was needed in order to earn base interest
Again, this will limit one’s ability to maximize the interest in this account. In the past, while S$10,000 was the minimum to earn base interest, most people started with S$15,000 anyway as this is Citi’s minimum relationship balance required to avoid any fall below fees. The revision puts those clients who are maintaining between S$15,000 to S$70,000 in a bit of a bind. Typical folks that fit within this profile are young professionals who have been in the workforce for a few years or people who maintain multiple “high interest” kinds of accounts and put anything extra into the MaxiGain. With the changes effective 2019, the MaxiGain won’t be as good a deposit product unless you have at least S$70,000 to spare.
Another segment of clients affected are those who are relatively new into the account. A common tactic for those who opened the MaxiGain back then is to park S$15,000 first and wait for the counter to reach somewhere more respectable (i.e. the 6th counter) before they start pouring in the rest of their savings. With this revision, there’s now a bigger opportunity cost involved. Now, you’ll have to start by parking S$70,000 (instead of S$15,000 before) and earn only the base interest (roughly 1.14% p.a. considering current SIBOR levels) while waiting for the counters to progress.
Before: No cap on the amount that can earn bonus interest
When the revision kicks in, any amount over S$150,000 will earn a customary 0.05% pa. Prior to that, any extra balance could have earned max 1.20% pa bonus interest which is still ok considering there aren’t a whole lot of conditions attached to this deposit product. After the revision on the 02 January 2019, it will make little sense to park more than S$150,000 into the Citi MaxiGain Savings.
The Ritz Carlton Millenia Singapore is one of my most frequently stayed hotels in the Lion City. My initial encounter with the Marina Bay icon was in 2013 when I was still fresh to the concept of a staycation. I had never stayed in a luxury hotel prior to that and the level of service totally blew me away. With these fond memories, I decided to book the Ritz Carlton Millenia Singapore last year and left with the same heightened level of service from the highly professional and eager staff.
Just a few days ago, I went for another stay at the Ritz Carlton Millenia Singapore. The property has recently launched its Canvas of Views staycation package which includes plenty of enhancements such as a stay at a Club Room, a complimentary private hotel art tour, admission to the Art Science Museum as well as a lavender bath.
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The central part of Vietnam where the cities of Hoi An, Hue and Da Nang are located, is considered to be one of the main touristic centers of the country. The region contains a diversity of attractions ranging from a UNESCO World Heritage town to archeological sites and even Vietnam’s former imperial capital. For outdoorsy types, the area also has plenty to offer in terms of beaches and you can find plenty of award-winning luxury resorts here. The world’s largest cave – Hang Son Doong – can also be found in the region.
If you are also visiting Hanoi during your trip to Vietnam, check out my suggested Hanoi itinerary HERE
If you are visiting Da Nang, Hoi An and Hue and thinking how long you need to spend in the area, I would suggest you go for 4 days / 3 nights minimally. The three cities are accessible from each other to be day trip destinations but I would suggest spending at least a night per city to really appreciate the distinct vibe in each place.
Where you start really depends on your personal preference and where you are coming from. During my trip to Central Vietnam, I arrived via Da Nang International Airport and headed to Hue right away as it was the farthest of the three cities. From Da Nang, Hue is around a 2 hour drive.
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