Showing posts with label Buddies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Buddies. Show all posts

Saturday, October 24, 2015

Sisters Trip: 2D1N in Golden Palm Tree Resort, Malaysia (Part One)

This took place way before my dear Sister gave birth to cute Asher - wanna pinch his cheek right now! I know, extremely outdated but hey, I spent a long time writing and editing the pictures, so must post right? It all started with groom-to-be Amos heading to Bangkok for his stag night. Our dear bride-to-be Miaoli felt 心平衡 hence, we decided to head overseas for her hen's night too. After several rounds of discussion, KL was the destination for the trip. I like our swift decision-making process - or what we like to call chop chop curry pok. A couple of days later, we confirmed the hotel, air tickets and transportation - great team work, girls! Now, we just need to wait for the day to arrive. 
Early in the morning, we arrived at the airport with our bags ready to spend the weekend away from home! We took the early flight and landed at KL Budget Terminal (LCCT) shortly. A kind soul helped us with this picture but we were shoo-ed away *points to hand appearing in pic* However, we were all camera-ready for the picture apart from Qian, lol.  
The hungry monsters were unleashed once we cleared immigration. We settled for breakfast at Old Town White Coffee before making our way to the resort.
Miao's bridesmaid entourage consisted of 7 people: Qian, Fling, me, Kai Ling, Sylvia, Christina and Jacqueline. Thanks to Facebook, we all know one another so it was easy to get along even though we met Jacqueline for the first time. However, she's so easy to get along with, so we broke the ice in no time. Two sisters couldn't make it for this trip, hence it was down to us to make the "party" fun!
  
Fuel for recharging before we embark on the journey to the resort. The laksa was decent enough though it could be better. Somehow, I always have the impression that Old Town food in Singapore paled in comparison with Malaysia. 
Old Town White Coffee (Closed)
Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT), Jalan Klia S3
64000 Sepang, Klia, Malaysia
Having filled our tummies, we took a cab to Golden Palm Tree Resort. The journey took around 40 min via Airport Taxi. We purchased a prepaid ticket at the airport and hopped onto the cab which brought us to the resort. This resort has since been renamed to AVANI Sepang Goldcoast Resort. Nevertheless, I still think Golden Palm Tree suits it better because 
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image courtesy of google
The resort spreading out like a palm tree on water. Pretty, isn't it? Located near the Sepang F1 tracks, this resort blends tropical relaxation and real adventures with a beachfront right at its door step. 
 
We waited for the buggy's arrival to send our bags to the villa that we had booked for the night. The 5 of us squeezed in the buggy for the short 5 min journey to the Clubhouse before embarking on foot to the villa.
There are 4 different types of accommodation offered - superior rooms, family villa, 2-bedroom and 3-bedroom villas. The superior rooms are located on the main trunk of the palm while villas are located on the palm itself, spreading out into the sea where you will get a panoramic sea view.
The resort is relatively small such that you can travel everywhere by walking. There are (pretty) bicycles scattered all over for you to cycle within the resort. We decided to walk since it was so much convenient.  
The clubhouse which also housed several restaurants. This is where the "palm tree" branches out in several directions according to the type of villas. 
We alighted from the buggy and began the walk to our villa.
Hello, our accommodation for the night :) We booked a 2-bedroom villa for the 6 of us. Let's take a room tour! 
The living room was quickly filled up with our barangs, lol! The villa was spacious at 122sqm. Even though wifi was available, we faced frequent disconnection till I no longer feel like being connected to the world since it was so troublesome. We also found out that wifi is the strongest at the clubhouse, lol. #firstworldproblems
 
Lining up the snacks that we brought along. I'm definitely feeling hungry now looking at these goodies. 
The master bedroom features a canopy king-sized bed, overlooking the sea! Boy, I can wake up to this view everyday and not feel bored. There is also a large private terrace with table and chairs, to enjoy the sea view.
 
Spacious marble bathroom with sunken bathtub, separate shower and massive walk-in wardrobe - the kind of bathroom area that I loved, but impossible to fulfill unless I have tons of cash to burn. 
The 2nd bedroom comes with twin beds and en-suite bathroom.
The bridesmaids all ready to kick-start the weekend!
AVANI Sepang Goldcoast Resort (formerly known as Golden Palm Tree Resort)
No. 67, Jalan Pantai Bagan Lalang, Kg Bagan Lalang,
43950 Sungai Pelek, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
Tel: +603 3182 3600

Saturday, August 15, 2015

The Jitches Adventure in Malacca: Breakfast, Chicken Rice Balls and Heading Home

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I'm back with the final entry of our Malacca adventure *sense of achievement unlocked* The week has been busy but I'm taking things slow over the weekend by ..... doing nothing. Okay, I did some work after doing nothing for the whole day. Guess my body is not adapting well to doing nothing, lol.
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Despite having our girly chats till the wee hours in the morning, I was amazed that we still managed to wake up for breakfast. The breakfast hall is located in another shop-house across the street, within 5 min walk. The shop front sells all sort of peranakan styled goodies - such as beaded purses, shoes and outfits. This sliding glass door is the doorway to the magical breakfast room, lol!
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It didn't take long before the other guests started pouring into the hall for breakfast.
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We lost count on the servings that we had, but I really loved the chicken wings. The spread consisted of both Western & Asian, ranging from bread to nasi lemak. I have already made a mental note to wake up earlier during my next visit, so I can try everything on the menu:)
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We headed back to pack our bags for check out. Thanks for the wonderful hospitality, can't wait to be back!
Courtyard @ Heeren
91 Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock,
75200, Melaka, Malaysia
Tel: +606 281 0088
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We had to have chicken rice balls before leaving Malacca. However, there was a super long queue at Kedai Kopi Chung Hwa and we weren't ready to queue for 1h under the sun. Thus, we detoured to Malacca Jonker Street Chicken Rice Ball, across the street from Chung Hwa. 
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The ordering was done via a smart tablet, but the downside was you can't have any special orders as it will cause confusion in the kitchen. We ordered a plate of mix chicken (steam and roasted) at RM$35 & 10 rice balls for sharing. Skip the otah though. The whole bill came up to be RM$82, which was considered quite decent for the 4 of us.
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Our last meal in Malacca before we head home :) Till the next Jitches trip!
Malacca Jonker Street Chicken Rice Ball
17, Lorong Hang Jebat,
75250 Melaka, Malaysia
Tel: +60 6284 7377
Read our Malacca adventures here:
The Jitches Adventure in Malacca: Geographer Cafe  

Sunday, August 9, 2015

Skirt, W Hotel

Happy Jubilee Birthday, Singapore! When 7th Aug was declared as a public holiday, I had a strong urge to jet off to another country since we'll get 4 days off. However, we decided to stay behind and celebrate our homeland's 50th birthday in true blue SG spirit. Since we are celebrating the nation's birthday, I thought it would be nice if I can finish up on Kaiwei's birthday celebration at Skirt, W Hotel as I'm a year too late in documenting this *grins*
 
Our dinner venue, Skirt. Located at W hotel, this was one of the best restaurants in Singapore for good quality steaks. I've pledged my loyalty to Morton's, nevertheless I'm always game to try out new steakhouses. Leecher called weeks in advance to secure a table and also to inform them that we will be having a birthday celebration. 
We were shown to our table at a secluded corner, though on hindsight we should have requested for the booth seats since they looked so comfortable. If you're looking for a long dinner at Skirt, strongly recommended to request for booth seats.
We ordered a bottle of sparkling water as we pondered over the food choices. Subsequently, they opened another bottle, without checking with us first if we would like another bottle. I certainly don't mind paying for it, but I would appreciate that we were informed beforehand instead of knowing it through the bill. 
Love the copper pans! If I had a chance to renovate the kitchen again, I'll incorporate this into the design (provided Leecher doesn't kill me first), tsk tsk.  
Tai tai training part #2 (^^)
Bread promptly arrived at the table once our orders were placed. Boy, the bread was so tasty that we had to resist ourselves from filling our hungry stomachs with it. Nonetheless, we did requested for 2nd serving halfway through our course.
Red wine to go with our steaks. 
The cow symbol embossed on the table mat. 

Getting engrossed with ceiling decorations that I almost forgot to look through the menu. They kinda reminded me of the kinetic rain sculpture at Changi Airport, except that this stayed fixed instead of moving. 
I think we had the 4-course meal and some ala carte for sharing. I couldn't find the exact menu online anymore, so this is really based on my memory. We had Asaparagus, Mushroom Textures and Beef Carpaccio with raspberry and confit egg yolk. The starters wowed us over, so it was off to a good start!
 
Check out Yanni's very pro DSLR! My Olympus paled in comparison, lol.  
Next, lobster bisque served with garlic cream and torched petuna ocean trout served with cauliflower and radish.
 
Both Kaiwei and Leecher gave 2 thumbs up for lobster bisque. Initially I thought the garlic cream would be too overwhelming but it was just nice. As for ocean trout, it was just ordinary.
Before the main dishes are served, you'll be presented with two tiny bottles. The bottle of the left is for the steak (which will be served later) while greenish transparent bottle is a drink that helps to cleanse your palette.
Bottoms up!

Truffle fries for sharing before we embarked on our carnivore journey. 
Black Market Sirloin with braised lentils and celeriac, together with full blood wagyu grain fed, Blackmore MS9+. We had to send Kaiwei's steak back to the kitchen for it wasn't cooked the way it was supposed to be as Kaiwei had asked for medium rare but it came out medium. They changed the plate for us, but it wasn't the type of mistake that you'll expect from a restaurant that specialize in steak.
Grainy pic taken with iPhone 5S :(
Lemon Meringue Pie served with tea sorbet and Banouffe Pie with torched banana. 
Even the waiter had a hard time with my point-and-shot camera.
The birthday boy with his cake. While others have complimented greatly on Skirt for their excellent service, I beg to differ. It is no doubt that they provide service, but it was normal at best. When we made the reservation, Leecher had already indicated that it was for a birthday celebration. We reminded them again on the birthday celebration when we arrived at the restaurant (when birthday boy went to park the car). When desserts were served, there was still no sight of the birthday cake. I thought that they might have waited till we finished desserts before they served the cake. After we finished desserts and they cleared our plates, still no sight of the cake. Leecher had to walk away to remind them and you know what, they forgotten about it! Despite 2 checks - once during reservation and another one when we arrived, they forgot about it? This is not acceptable!   
A parting shot at the carpark of W Hotel with Yanni :) Check out her long legs, lol! I look like a dwarf next to her. Anyway, I doubt I'll return to Skirt anytime soon after this unpleasant episode. There is a reason why I pledge my loyalty to Morton. 
Skirt, W Hotel
Sentosa Cove, 21 Ocean Way
Singapore 098374
Tel: 65 6808 7278    
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