Weekday Spa at Rasa Sentosa

Though I've massage packages at some places, I still go around to try new spa places whenever there's a good promotion.



Recently, I went to the spa at Shangri-la Rasa Sentosa on a weekday afternoon to enjoy the National Day 44% discount promotion. The catch of this promotion is that 1) the appointment must be on a weekday 2) the treatment is only for sessions of at least 90 mins (spa package unapplicable as I found out later)




The booking of the appointment was a breeze as I can just complete an online form on their website and they followed up with a confirmation call within 3 hrs.



A day prior to the appointment date, a reminder call was made. And this might be the only downside I experienced from this establishment. When I enquired the caller whether I'm allowed to use the hotel's facilities like the pool, the caller was hesistant and responded with an unsuer "YES". No other comments were made like what are the facilities avaialble for us. It was only when we were brought to the changing rooms then we realised that jacuzzi and steam bath is available for usage. It's a pity that we didnt bring a spare set of swim suit for the jacuuzi (as it's not enclosed).





My partner and I were brought to seperate treatment rooms (as there's extra charge for couple rooms). The lady who served me was attentive right from the start she met me. She noticed that the bathrobe from the locker was a tad too short for me and got me a much longer and bigger one (so I can sit comfortably at the lounge area later). At the room, she ensured that I felt comfortable lying on the bed. Before starting the massage, she also told me that olive oil will be used on me instead of lavender due to my allergy and started off with the massage with firm strokes. I must say the massage pressure was good and I felt all the tight knots on my shoulder and back untied. At the end of the massage, the lady even reminded me not to leave anything in the bathrobe pocket due to her previous encounter with another guest.



I was then brought to this common lounge area that faces the hotel's pool with some vegetiation around. Tea was then given (Peppermint/Greentea - though my partner was not asked for his choice unlike my masseur). As we are segregated from the reception/entrance, there's no pressure at all for us to hurry to finish the tea. Instead, we sat around for some time chatting before deciding to change and head for an early dinner.



Overall, I'll say that this establishment made me felt pampered and rejuvinated.



The promotion ends at end of Septemeber. If you have some time still for the remaining 1.5 weeks to go, you may wish to give yourself a treat.

Short Getaway to Penang

With the cheap budget airfare, I managed to booked 2 return trip tickets to Penang from Singapore at around S$150 (all inclusive).


I'd always heard of Penang being a foodie heaven and was eager to check it out.
I must say I'm really glad that I did.


The settings and pace of Penang brought back fond memories of our childhood, like the 80s of Singapore.


Within the 3D2N we were at Penang, we ate a lot of good food, mostly hawker fare. For those out there who are looking to go to Penang, here's a few must-try food at Penang:-

• Lor Bak at 80 Penang Road - this is not the usual Lor Bak we address in Singapore. They're much more similar to our Ngo Hiong


• Char Kway Teow - the version at Penang is usually fried without the black dark sauce but comes with generous servings of prawns


• Teochew Chendol - the famous stall can be found somewhere along Penang Road (1 street down from Kimberly St)


• Assam Laksa - the stall frequent by many can be found at Jalan Pasar along Air Itam (near the Kek Lok Si)

Will I revisit this place again? Maybe.

Penang is definitely a place good for people who loves to eat and enjoy good hawker fare. Apart from the search of nice food, we did not do anything much apart from visiting a few temples (which form part of the tourist attractions). Definitely not a place for Singaporeans who love to shop.

Weekend stay at Crowne Changi

Singaporeans just love to travel. And with the economic crisis and H1N1, many are stuck in Singapore. But this is not stopping Singaporeans' love for travel, or rather, the love to stay in hotels.


A number of articles on papers even listed out which Singapore hotels offer the best value for money weekend package or most popular amongst the locals. So I was not surprised when I saw a number of fellow Singaporeans at Crowne Changi, which is actually an airport hotel.


I had booked the Deluxe Room instead of the Executive Suite as I was told by the hotel staff that the latter has no runway view, which is the reason why I'm checking into this hotel. I guess business travellers will rather have a peaceful sleep instead of looking and hearing the planes at Changi airport.


Check in is supposed to be at 2pm. We arrived slightly earlier at around 130pm and has encountered no issue. Our room was ready for us. The room was just like what we see on the hotel webiste and has a view of the runway of planes landing. We stayed at room 706 and it'd been better if we get to stay at 710 or further as it's further from the T3 skytrain station and has a clear view of the runway. The standard hotel amenities are available in the Deluxe room - coffee/tea making facilities, satellite TV, bathtub, etc.

For amenities wise, there's a swimming pool, gym, as well as a spa. The spa is a little pricer than the other Aspara branches at Goodwood and Fullerton. For the gym, it comes with 3 treadmills, 1 cross trainer, 1 bike as well as some weights machine. It's a pity that the cardio machines don't face the TV but a "garden" without much view.

I like the swimming pool best. It's a bit resort-style. Another pity is that there's no jacuzzi. But the pool is of decent length to do some laps and excercise. A thing to note, if you're into getting the sun, be at the pool in the morning till mid afternoon. If not, head down to it near evening. Although the sun shines at the pool in the morning, the water is equally FREEZING in either morning, afternoon or evening. So go slow while heading into the pool.

For meal options, there's a few restaurants in the hotel but we didn't get to try them. Instead, we head to the restaurants at T3 for our meals, including breakfast (why pay extra $20-$30 for breakfast when you can get Ya Kun breakfast at less than $5). Some of the T3 restaurants are having promotions whereby GST is absorbed or additional discounts are thrown in. So do walk around. If nothing caught your eye, you can always head down to T1 or T2 for more restaurant options.

At B2 of T3, there's Fairprice (supermarket chain of Singapore). Do go there to stock up your drinks/snacks. But beware that wine selection is rather limited at this outlet.

Overall, I enjoyed my stay at Crowne Changi. With the fluffy pillows, big and deep bathtubs, and the "cool' pool, I'd a good rest in this hotel and look forward to visit it again (as an effort to boost Singapore economy...hahaha)

Bali Day 6 & 7 -27 & 28 Mar

We decided to spend the remaining 2 days at Bali at a slower pace.

On Day 6, after the satisfying in-room breakfast at our villa, we headed to Seminyak town. We missed the shortcut advised by our villa reception and ended up walking an extra 15-20mins under the scorching sun.

Here you can find lots of small unique boutique shops selling Bali-based designer items as well as local handicraft items especially accessories. Prices at Seminyak is said to be slightly more expensive than Kuta as more foreign designers' shops are based here. Many shops were closed today due to Nyepi Day celebrations. On the streets, we can still see DIY mascots made for the celebrations.

We decided to head down to Kuta beach to take a look as one cannot really say that he's been to Bali without visiting Kuta. We hailed a "Blue Bird" taxi as it's a reputable taxi company that goes on metre. A ride from Seminyak to Kuta town is around Rp30,000 on the metre.

The beach of Kuta was lined up with vendors selling mostly Bintang singlets and "Billabong" berms as well as other beach wear. Like Seminyak, many shops were closed still and will only reopen on tomorrow (Day 7) noon time.

We decided to rest and headed down to an Italian restaurant (cant' remember its name) along the street at Kuta beach. It's tastefully decorated and has a pool at the outdoor area and seems to be connected to a hotel. We ordered a pasta and burger for lunch and they were very tasty. Prices is around Singapore cafe prices with pasta at around S$15 and above.

By the time we polished off our food, it's near 3pm and we decided to head back to our villa for a dip in the pool before heading to the Jimbaran beach.


We'd made arrangement with Dewa for his cousin to fetch us to Jimbaran beach at around 5pm for a seafood dinner at the beach. My sister had went to Jimbaran earlier and spent almost Rp900,000 for a seafood meal. Dewa's offer for a set dinner and return transfer at around RP500,000 sounds like a steal for u.


Along Jimbaran beach are many seafood restaurants with their tables and chairs lined up on the beach. Many tourists had also like us came slightly earlier to view the sunset while waiting for dinner. From there, you can also see planes taking off from the airport.

Our set dinner consist of 1 fish, prawns, calamaris ,mussels, rice, mineral water and fruits. As we had a late lunch and early dinner, we had some trouble finishing the food. If you order ala-carte,the portion will be much bigger and of course more expensive. So it really depends on how hungry you think you will be for you to choose which set meal to take.

After the sunset, tea lights were placed on the tables. Some buskers strumming the guitar and singing will walk along the beach. Few tables away from us, it was somebody's birthday and hence, they dedicated a few songs and danced along with the music. Free music and entertainment for us =)


Day 7 is our check out date. We headed back to Kuta beach to do some quick shopping as most of the small shops are open today. Remember to bargain hard. We slashed the prices more than 50% they quoted. For example a Bintang singlet was quoted to be Rp50,000 but we ended up paying around Rp15,000.


Upon check out, we wanted to do another round of massage before we head to the airport. Initially wanted to try the Dancing Fingers at Seminyak but they were fully booked. Ended up heading to Prana Spa (who provide to-fro free transport). Each 60 mins massage is around USD59. We were surprised when we reached the place as the place was decorated as if we were in an Arabian place. I took several pics and the staff seemed to be all too familiar with tourists taking pics of their quirky designs and decorations.





The massage was good and really released my knots. After the massage, they even gave us a coupon to have a drink at their hotel's restaurant, which is something we didn't expect.


After that, we were brought back to Cicada who sent us to the airport.

We thoroughly enjoyed this Bali trip. A pity was that I didn't really get to explore Ubud town as most of the time we were out touring Bali when we were at Ubud and the shops closed by evening time.


I'm already contemplating whether to redeem my KFmiles for another Bali trip next year. Will update again if I really do =)

Bali Day 5 - 26 Mar (Nyepi Day)

We woke up realising it's the special day - Nyepi Day.
I guess you'd noticed that I mentioned about this several times in my prevoius postings.

So what exactly is Nyepi Day?
It is a day also known as the Silence Day, that falls on the Bali's Lunar New Year. It is a day "celebrated" by fasting, meditation and silence and is observed from 6am to 6pm. It is a day for self reflection and basically there shouldnt be lighting of fires, no working, no travelling, etc. Effectively, on this day, no one is allowed to step out of their own premise, and the roads of Bali are all desserted.
For tourists, most of us are not allowed to leave the hotel premise, but we can still have our meals (of course).

We knew about this day when we were planning for our trip and had hence booked Cicada for its 25m lap pool and free WIFI for us to utilize during this day. We spent the whole morning lazing around the pool, having in room services as well as watching the cable HBO and Star Movies.

When evening arrives, we were told to draw all our curtains to ensure that no lights can be seen. Being curious, I took a peep at around 8pm at night and the whole premise was indeed pitch dark.


It was indeed an experience for us. It slowed down the pace of our trip and made us enjoyed quality time together. I wonder whether this can be implemented in Singapore as well?

Bali Day 4 - 25th Mar

Today is the last day that my sis (& family) in Bali. My sister is simply addicted to the massage in Bali and decided to join us when she heard we're heading to spa.

We opt for Spa Hati, after reading rave reviews online and on the guidebooks. The massage is a bit more expensive compared to normal Ubud rates. But I'm those who'd rather pay a bit more for a satisfying massage. We'd earlier called to make reservations and got the spa to send a van down to pick us up.

We each opt for a 90 mins massage and I must say the strokes are firm and smooth. Not too harsh on my "delicate" skin. Haha.

After the massage, we were free to use its steam room and jacuzzi. What's nice about the steam room is that they'd added eucalyptus's into it and hence, the steam was sort of rejuvenating.

After the session, we headed back to the hotel for check-out and then lunch at Indus.

The view of Indus is spectacular and the food is a good switch from standard Indonesian food. I'd the seafood paella and ended it with passion fruit icecream. The dessert indeed ended my meal on a sweet note.

After lunch, we then dropped my sis at the airport before we head off to Ulu Watu.

BEWARE of the monkeys here as they're specially trained to snitch off tourists' glasses/caps/camera, etc. The locals at the temple will then help to retrieve the monekys' loot and they expect you to pay them in return. It's really a pity to see how commercialised this place had become though it does holds breathe taking views of the coastlines and temples.

Next, we were brought to our next accommodation at Seminyak - The Cicada. Frankly speaking, before I booked this hotel, I was a bit worried as reviews on this premise was limited. But when I reached this place, my worries are totally unfounded.

It's a small establishment with 6 "villas". Ours is the 1 bedroom villa, which is HUGE with a plunge pool. The place also house a 25m pool and free WIFI for all guests. We'd initially planned to view Nyepi Day rituals but was told that most of them are at Kuta and there will be road closure from 5pm. Not wanting to be stranded at Kuta then (cabs will be difficult to get as Balinese will head back home for Nyepi Day), we decided to take a stroll along Seminyak Beach which is around 5 mins walk.

It's a very clean and beautiful beach. Nice huge waves for surfers and it's not lined with hawkers/vendors. We viewed the sunset at the beach and decided to dine at our hotel for dinner (as we're too lazy to go out and I felt a bit unwell). We ordered a burger and fish & chips. The pricing is equivalent to Singapore cafe prices. I must say it's one of the decent room service I've had.

Come tomorrow, is the Nyepi Day..........

Bali Day 3 - 24th Mar

The 3rd day of our trip covers the Western part of Bali.
I'd specifically told Dewa that I wish to visit Tanah Lot for sunset, which is at the far west end of Bali island
Dewa was not free and hence, his cousin was our guide instead.

We kicked off the day with a visit to the Royal Garden Temple and saw quite a number of devotees leaving the premise after their prayers. I finally mustered the courage to ask the Balinese ladies whether it's ok for me to take a picture of them and they gladly obliged (just as per the friendly nature of the Bali people).

For this temple, we're not allowed to enter the praying premises but was able to view it by standing at wall "fencing" up the premise. When we were there, there was some ongoing procession and looks similar to the Chinese Taoist procession.
As we've a kid with us, we decided not to look view the procession for too long and left the temple.

Decided to have an early lunch. We'd told Dewa earlier we wish to try the Babi Guling but was not able to try the famous shop in Ubud as it's only opened in day time (when we're sightseeing) and closed tomorrow for the Nyepi Day.

His cousin thus brought us to a shop (which seems very popular with the locals as well) to try this famous dish. What's so special about this shop is its usage of unpolished rice, which is healthy and yummy. Most of all, it's really cheap. Seeing many locals drinking the Tehbotol (tea in a bottle), we ordered it as well. I must say you need an acquired taste to enjoy this.

After lunch, we headed uphill to see Bali from the top. On our way up, we stopped to see this huge (and disgusting) bat. Finally after the long journey, we reach the top at this little stop to have the "Twin Lakes View". I felt like I was in heaven with the mist and clouds all around you. We'd a short tea break here where we enjoyed Bali coffee and tea.

Heading down, we stopped by the "Floating temple" where we witness huge rituals and procession. Many people had came here for the pre-Nyepi day rituals. We can see that religion plays an important part of the Balinese as they usually visit the temples with their whole family (infant to grannies).

Our last stop is then the Tanah Lot temple, which is 100% a hot tourist spot. When we reached there, tons of coaches and vans are already parked there. Many stalls operate here as well ranging from sale of food to souvenirs. The temple is built and we saw many devotees queueing up to get into the temple before the tide rises.
There's also "holy snake" but you've to pay a token sum to see/touch it (which we didn't)

We found a spot to sit and waited for the sunset. It was a really nice and peaceful scene. Looking at this sunset really makes u marvel at the wonders of Mother Nature.




By the time we watched the sunset (around 630pm), it took us near 9pm to reach our Ubud hotel due to the long distance. By then, our stomachs are growling. But as my sister had booked a massage the night before, she decided to stay in her room for dinner while my partner and I ventured out.

We decided on a restaurant near our hotel (Puri Puri - if I didnt get the name wrong). It seems to be popular among the tourists but food wise, I'd still prefer Nomad. I ordered a plate of Mee Goreng and its totally different from what we've in Singapore:-

Don't think I'll try this restaurant again.
On our stroll back to hotel, we picked up some snacks to build up our food inventory for the Nyepi Day.....

Bali Day 2 - 23rd Mar

Day 2 marks the start of our sightseeing of Bali.
It's the first time I'm in Bali and hence I was eager to set off.

After polishing off the small and average breakfast at our hotel, our driver, Dewa arrived at 9am. We will be covering the Western Bali today.

Our 1st stop was to view a traditional Bali dance performance - Barong Dance. It cost us Rp55,000 each for this 1 hr show. The whole dance was performed in Bahasa Indonesian and we were provided with a paper with translation of the story behind.

We were then brought to a long car ride (around 1 hr or more) to Tegallalang rice terrace fields. The view was fantastic and definitely worth the ride. We were amazed by the greenery before our eyes.




But beware! Lots of hawkers peddle on the street and will try to get your buy something from them. All you had to do is to reject them kindly or ignore them. If you displayed any sign of interest, they will stick to you all the way.


Next we were brought to view more cultural aspects of Bali and was brought to the Holy Spring Water Temple. Here, devotees pray and bath in the water for health and well-being. Tourists are allowed to do it as we saw some of them in water as well.
However, for females, please take note that when you're menstruating, you're not allowed to enter the temple premise (don't ask me how they know. But it's always good to respect their culture). This "rule" applies to many temples of Bali.






Just these few stops alone already took us cross noon. Our stomachs were rumbling and Dewa drove us to a restaurant with a view to of the Kintamani volcano and the lake. We understand that the last time the volcano erupted was in 1999. Hence the slopes of the volcano are still lined with black dark soil. It was quite misty on the day we go, and hence we'd a misty and foggy view. It's a buffet lunch at the restaurant (cost us Rp70,000 each) with average food (but the fries here are very nice).




We were then brought to view a waterfall, which I feel is not really worth the ride down. By then, it's already evening time and we were brought to take a walk at the Ubud market. Many locals were there buying food and offerings for their upcoming New Year celebrations.







After the market, we decided to head back to our hotel to wash up and chill out.
Unsure of where to dine, we seek the advice of our hotel receipt ion and was recommended to go to Nomad at Ubud Centre. Our hotel, which provide complimentary transfer to anywhere in Ubud, brought us there and we were really glad we took their suggestion.


The restaurant ground level was nearly filled up and we were brought up to 2nd floor balcony to dine. The menu was extensive with reasonable pricing. We tried the tapas platter, king prawns (myself) and desserts. The dinner really ends our day on a high note =)

Bali Day 1 - 22nd Mar

After a 2+hr flight from Singapore, we reached the Denpasar airport and began our first Bali trip.

The trip did not start on a positive note when I "sprained" my left wrist and forgot to pack in my laptop and DSLR chargers on the departure day.


When we exit from the airport, we were welcomed by our driver, Dewa, whom we'd contacted via email several weeks ago. He was recommended by one of the contributors in a forum I frequent. We were swiftly brought to a Suzuki APV, which can comfortably sits 1 driver and 5 adults and bag gages.


I told Dewa that I need to buy a camera charger (as I know my laptop is fully charged and I only need to use it towards the end of my trip). He dropped us at the Discovery Mall to check out whether we can get what we want.
After some search, we managed to purchase my DSLR charger at Rp500,000 (around S$70) which I believed may be a rip-off. I decided to just pay and not let this little mishap to spoil my long awaited holiday.


Dewa was in the carpark patiently waiting for us and off we go to the next stop - Hard Rock Hotel to fetch my sister & family who were at Bali 2 days before us. After picking them up, we head to Ubud, which is around 1 hour ride away.

At around 6pm, we reached our accommodation - Green Fields Hotel and Bungalow. From what we understand from Dewa, the place is very popular and is always fully booked and we're lucky to have gotten 2 rooms. Well, I guess it's always good to plan in advance and travel during off-peak periods.


Both of our rooms are in the same block. 1 on the ground floor, and 1 on the 2nd floor. My room was on the 2nd floor and I was very happy when I saw how spacious and nicely done up the room was. And from our balcony, we can view a good sunset with paddy fields at the foreground.








After settling down, we head towards the famous Crispy Dirty Duck eatery to try its Crispy Duck (of course). The duck is indeed crispy, but not really fleshy enough to our liking.

We ordered the pork ribs as well, after the dinner at the next table raved to us about how tender and good it was. I would say that it's indeed tender and slightly above average, but definitely not the best one out there. Apart from these, we ordered Gado Gado and some calamari. The portion here is not really big, nice portion for a typical Asian lady. So if you have a huge appetite, do order more.







After the dinner, we strolled back to our hotel (less than 15 mins walk) and turned in early for the long day tomorrow.