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Holiday Inn Express Singapore Katong Review

July 13, 2016 by Bino 4 Comments

The Holiday Inn Express Singapore Katong is the third Holiday Inn Express property to open in Singapore. Set in what is increasingly becoming an alternative (and compelling) location to stay in the Lion City, the hotel is situated in a complex alongside its sister hotel, the Hotel Indigo Katong. The property opened in June 2016 and offered some pretty competitive rates – around $40 – $60 cheaper per night than the Holiday Inn Express Clarke Quay or Holiday Inn Express Orchard Road. It was also timely that the new Accelerate offers came in at the same time so I went ahead to book a night at the Katong property to tick off some of my Accelerate challenges. My room bill was reasonable for a 3-star hotel with breakfast – I paid around SGD 106.40++ for a night.

There are no MRT stations near the hotel but a couple of bus stops are within walking distance, including one that is just 250 meters from the door (Roxy Square bus stop). The buses that stop here are quite plentiful and there are even direct journeys available to places such as Bugis and Orchard so it’s not too bad transport-wise. At the time of my stay, there were hardly any taxis stopping by the hotel entrance but one could easily be hailed from the shopping mall next door.

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Day Trip to Phetchaburi From Bangkok – Of Summer Palaces & Spectacular Caves

July 12, 2016 by Bino 5 Comments

Just slightly over 2 hours drive from Bangkok, the coastal province of Phetchaburi makes for an underrated day trip from the Thai capital. Its location, by the northern end of the Malay peninsula and facing the Gulf of Thailand, gives visitors the best of both worlds. It is as easy to find a nice beach for swimming or a jungle canopy to hike through as it is to marvel at centuries-old hilltop palaces and impressive temple ruins. Its capital, which also goes by the name Phetchaburi, doesn’t have a shortage of impressive buildings that belie its small population.

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Giving Assistant – Get Cash Rebates for Online Shopping and Charity Donations

July 11, 2016 by Bino Leave a Comment

When it comes to my travel essentials, I practically purchase everything online these days. These range from my flight tickets to hotel bookings and even travel insurance. The concept of receiving cash as a rebate for such purchases may be a new concept to most – even to me – but recently, I stumbled upon Giving Assistant. It is essentially a cash back website that offers rebates for any purchases made via its affiliates. Users just have to register themselves as a member (it’s free!) then click on their affiliate links that lead to various online stores.

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Sunday Champagne Brunch at Mezza9 in Grand Hyatt Singapore

July 9, 2016 by Bino 2 Comments

Mezza9 at Grand Hyatt Singapore sure knows how to throw a mean Sunday brunch. For this particular property, guests actually have two choices for that long leisurely weekend meal but the highlight is undoubtedly the Sunday champagne brunch at Mezza9.

Despite having tried about a dozen other Singapore hotel Sunday brunches so far, I must say I was impressed when I checked out Mezza9’s version! With nine dining stations, Mezza9 exudes a surprisingly intimate and personalised ambiance with dark wooden interiors, a humongous dining area and cheery staff members that are always happy to make small talk – a throwback to my staycation at Grand Hyatt Singapore when I used to see staff members at the club lounge chatting with guests on just about anything.

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Spice Brasserie’s Union of Crabs and Lobsters Buffet at Parkroyal on Kitchener Road

July 2, 2016 by Bino Leave a Comment

Fresh from the heels of the successful Battle of the Crab buffet at Parkroyal on Kitchener Road’s Spice Brasserie, the all-day dining restaurant has upped the ante by offering a combined crab and lobsters buffet concept in what it has dubbed as the “Union of Crabs and Lobsters Buffet.” Although only set to begin on the 7th of July, I managed to attend a preview of the lobster offerings of the new buffet and I must say there are many varieties of this crustacean on offer.

For those who wish to have their lobsters whole, my personal pick is the Steamed “Live” Boston Lobster in Chinese Wine. Sweet and brimming with flavour, the aroma was further enhanced by copious amounts of spring onions.

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Flavours at Ramada Zhongshan Park : A Hawkerlicious Buffet

June 27, 2016 by Bino Leave a Comment

Having stayed and passed through Ramada at Zhongshan Park quite a few times, I’ve been quite curious about their all-day dining restaurant, Flavours at Zhongshan Park. This is mainly due to the many local delicacies I tend to spot whenever I happen to be at this Balestier Road hotel. While I did have a few opportunities to check it out such as during my staycation at Ramada at Zhongshan Park, I never really got to as the restaurant always seemed to be full during my two day hotel stay. Most recently, the restaurant has launched a Hawkerlicious buffet spread to cater to its patrons and that gave me another reason to return. I do note that the place is quite popular among nearby residents – given that Balestier Road is already known for local food – so I thought that was a good sign!

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New Dimsum Creations in Shang Palace at Shangri-La Singapore

June 26, 2016 by Bino 1 Comment

Shang Palace, the Chinese restaurant at Shangri-La Singapore has recently unveiled a series of fourteen new items in an enhancement of their dimsum menu. Overseen by Head Dimsum Chef, Li Shou Tao, the new offerings boast of creative ingredients such as lychee, coconut and enoki mushrooms. Recently, I was invited by the hotel to check out highlights from the new menu. Being the dimsum lover that I am, I was eager to find out how these unconventional ingredients were integrated into my favorite dumplings, lotus wraps and spring rolls.

We started with a platter of four types of dumplings – Sakura Shrimp Dumplings, Steamed Seafood and Egg White Dumplings, Steamed Assorted Fungus and Carrot Dumplings and Steamed Scallop Dumplings with Water Chestnut and Chinese Celery. I loved how the dumpling skin was prepared with just the right texture and not too thick. The seafood within – whether scallops or prawn – were generously sized and gave me satisfaction with each bite. The Scallop Dumplings with Water Chestnut and Chinese Celery was particularly interesting due to its added crunch – something quite unexpected for dimsum!

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Hotel Review: Intercontinental Samui Baan Taling Ngam Resort

June 23, 2016 by Bino Leave a Comment

Not many realize this but the Intercontinental Samui Baan Taling Ngam Resort was actually the first ever luxury accommodation to open in the breathtaking island of Koh Samui. Having been known by various names over its 20-odd years in existence, it came under the wing of IHG Group in 2012 after an extensive renovation that made this cliff side resort one of the most iconic in the island. The resort’s breathtaking setting, with the Gulf of Thailand as backdrop, is the stuff of legends and has even been included as a must-see under the best-selling book “1000 Places to See Before You Die.”

With all this in mind, I was very excited to get a glimpse of the resort and had this property at the back of my mind for a year or so. A couple of weeks back, I finally managed to visit Koh Samui. Part of Surat Thani province (my 16th province to visit in Thailand), Koh Samui’s a mere 90 minute flight via Bangkok Airways from Singapore.

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