BKK Work Trip, June 2012: Spa & Heading Home

 

Arrival at Hansar Bangkok

Dinner at Eve

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I had a fun-packed weekend last week (brunch with BFF & JB trip with bro&sis) that I absolutely have to stay home this weekend to finish up the outstanding stuffs. Sister Qian will be rushing me to post up the pics on Facebook & I'll definitely get down to it, I promise! Before I head off to enjoy my weekend, here is the last entry on the BKK trip :) I always looked forward to heading home after a business trip - nothing beats the comfort of home & the familiar scent around the house. This time round, I was looking forward to the end of my meetings, just so I could head to the spa session that came along with my hotel booking.

Back in the hotel after a long morning meeting. Getting ready to check-out. Boy, I sure miss staying in this suite!

 

Luxsa Spa is located on the 7th floor (if I recall correctly). Once the lift doors opened, you will enter into a tranquil environment. The air is infused with scents from lemongrass & aroma candles, making one feel relaxed and at ease.

I was shown to the waiting area while the receptionist searched for my booking. While I'm blogging about this, I did a quick check on their website and noticed that they have removed their free massage session which comes with hotel bookings. I made my booking when they first opened, so it has to be a special soft launch promotion for all their hotel guests.

 "Luxsa" comes from the sanskrit language and means healing health through water. When combined with the ancient Thai healing methods based on the four elements of earth, water, air and fire, this formed the basis of the concept of Luxsa spa. I headed to the treatment room not long after making my choice on the type of treatment I'll like to have. 

The masseur worked her magic on my body and my body felt so relaxed after the 1.5 hours session. After a quick shower, I had to head off for check-out and head for the airport to catch the flight.

The reception is located on the 2nd floor, overlooking the alfesco dining from Eve restaurant. 

I realized that I didn't have the chance to take pictures of the hotel surroundings when I checked in on the first day. While I waited for the driver, I took the chance to snap some pics.

The flight of stairs that leads you to the hotel lobby, located on the 2nd floor. You can take the lift if you wish to :)

 

On the ground floor, there is a large waiting area lined up with sofa where you can wait in comfort while the hotel attenders assist you on getting transportation. 

#selfie before leaving this place :) definitely love my short stay here!

My stomach was growling loudly for it was past 4pm when I had lunch. I have the habit of heading to the usual haunts for food, but once in a while, I'll like a change to break free from "comfort zone". This time round, I headed to Asian Corners, which served a wide variety of food, ranging from chinese to thai to western.

Another work trip documented - there are still a couple more to come ;)

The Straits Wine Company

On Boss Khim's request, we headed to The Straits Wine Company on a Friday night for a chillax session. There are a lot of branches all over Singapore and we settled for the one @ Serangoon Gardens, since it was the nearest for all of us. Parking woes around the area and we had to park near the private estate a couple of blocks away :( 

 

Boss Khim in paradise, lol! His only passion in life: drink, drink and be merry. That aside, I have to say I'm impressed by his wine knowledge! He's more of a red wine person (just like Leecher) and there are some hits & misses whenever he orders white wine for the ladies. 

 Being a wine importer, retailer & distributor, The Straits Wine Company has an extensive collection of wine that caters for everyone. From Australia, France, Italy, New Zealand and many more, there has to be a bottle of wine that is suitable for your taste buds.

The camp is divided into guys vs girls, red vs white.

 

难得 Khim Khim is the early bird for the night, for he is ALWAYS late, haha. 

  

I was famished when we arrived since we didn't have dinner. I wanted to pack food from outside, so I went to check with them if they allow customers to bring outside food into their compound. To my surprise, they handed me several food menus. They actually have collaborations with some of the eateries nearby (like BBQ and HK-cafe style). You just have to call the number to order and your food will arrive shortly. We settled for BBQ and ordered for everyone to share. 

 

Now that we have food in our stomach, it's time to start! We started off with a bottle of riesling (my fave!) and it had a fruity taste to it with the right amount of sweetness.

 

A toast is the must-have for every drinking session.   

  

with the dearest :) 

 

Kenneth & Meiqin rushed down after closing their shop. 

 

Group pic taken by self-timer. Before this, we asked someone at the next table to help us with a picture, but the 2 pics that she took came out blurred :( We also paiseh to trouble her again, so we decided to use self-timer after she left with her group of friends. 

My fave squabbling mate :) Can't believe we knew each other for almost 10 years!

 Spot the similarity? Both Leecher & me are the shortest in the group, lol! No wonder we are together.

The Straits Wine Company 

80 Serangoon Garden Way 

Singapore 555964

Tel: 6285 1075

Opening Hours: 1pm till 11pm (Mon-Wed), 12pm till 12am (Thurs), 12pm till 1am (Fri-Sat) and 12pm till 11pm (Sun)

Family Outing: Till the next time, Pengerang

 

Heading to Pengerang Part One 

Heading to Pengerang Part Two

Heading to Pengerang Part Three

Arrival in Pengerang

Desaru Fruit Farm Tour Part One 

Desaru Fruit Farm Tour Part Two

Mini Zoo at Desaru Fruit Farm

Desaru Ostrich Farm

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The final entry for the family day trip to Pengerang. Can't believe that we did so many activities within a single day :) Sense of achievement *beams with pride* We were all pretty famished after the ostrich farm visit, hence we headed back to "town" for late lunch.

Seafood is the main lure for people visiting this small town. With treats like lobsters & crabs (much cheaper in SG & JB), the restaurants were all packed during lunch from visitors. The most famous is Jade Garden Seafood, but we had our meal at Good Luck seafood restaurant.

 

Our tired faces, lol! 

 

Titbits to munch on. These were so addictive that I bought a large packet home to snack on. That pretty much explained my sore throat these few days. 

 

The highlight of the meal! While it was relatively cheap, the taste wasn't fantastic. BFF went to the one at Jade Garden & she was raving all about it. Now, I'm contemplating if I should make another trip back, lol!  

Good Luck Restoran

No.86 Jalan Telok Ramunia, Sungai Rengit

81620 Pengerang, Johor

Tel: 0207 826 3555

 

After lunch, we took a stroll to town center. Sungai Rengit, nicknamed the Lobster Town, is a small town that it can be covered by foot. 

 

This modern building stood out from a distance! We were joking that this could be owned by a Singaporean who shuffles b/w Pengerang and Singapore. Since it is extremely expensive to build something like this in Singapore, go to Pengerang and build it at perhaps, a fraction of the price.

 

Off to get some local products. 

 

Last round of feasting before we head home - ice kachang! 

 

Since we booked our return journey earlier, Uncle Captain waited for us at the dock. 

 

Thank you Uncle for steering the boat & bringing us to Pengerang. We had the whole boat to ourselves & paid the remaining fare before heading back to Singapore. 

Sea was rather choppy on the return journey. Waves crashed against the boat and water came through the windows. Thankfully, it was still bearable and before we know it, we arrived back in Singapore. That marked the end of our one-day trip to Pengerang :)