Hong Kong Trip: The Hotels (Part 3)

After a 20 minute taxi ride from the Grand Hyatt, we arrived at the last hotel of our Hong Kong trip - the Disneyland Hotel!

Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the hotel felt like being in a world of its own, one in which we were brought back to the Victorian era, except that everywhere we turned, there would be something to remind us that we were in the magical land of Disney.

For our stay, we booked a room with a garden view (we ended up having a full view of the main entrance, but I don't know where's the garden). The room came with a 'double' bed (it's smaller than a queen bed but bigger than a super single) and a double sofa bed, which was already opened when we arrived. We didn't request for a cot and our boy was happy to sleep on the sofa bed.

The bathroom - the toiletries are so cute right?

Mickey mouse door card and signage with Disney characters

Pic 1: High tea at the Grand salon seems very popular with hotel guests; Pic 2: The main lift lobby - the decor emanates Victorian elegance; Pic 3: the TV area near the front desk - children can be entertained while parents do the check-in/out;  Pic 4: Photo time - even adults are as delighted as the little ones.

Pic 1: Wanted to have breakfast at the Enchanted Garden Restaurant but the queue was too long (but if you can wait, it's will be really fun for the kids); Pic 2: the  nice area just outside the Enchanted Garden Restaurant; Pic 3: Indoor swimming  

Chanced upon the Prince Eric play room when we were roaming the hotel grounds - too bad Kenan didn't get to go as there was a private party going on. 

I like the Disneyland Hotel, though the hubby didn't quite appreciate the Victorian decor (laughs). I felt it was a pity we didn't have enough time to enjoy all of the facilities. If you do visit Disneyland with your family, I would highly recommend this hotel as it's really great for the children! Do factor in time and not miss out enjoying the facilities and dining experiences the hotel has to offer!

Tolalu Giveaway - Announcing the Winners

Thank you everyone who participated in the Tolalu giveaway!

There were eight participants, two via email; winners were randomly picked by the website Random.Org and here's the results:

PC and Deborah

Congratulations to both of you!

Please contact me within the next 7 days about your prizes. Just email me at ruthwongwrites@gmail.com

Have fun picking the gifts for the children!

Hong Kong Trip - The Hotels (Part 2)

After a two-night stay at the Metropark Hotel, we 'upgraded' ourselves to a luxury hotel - the Grand Hyatt. Thanks to the hubby's previous frequent business travels, we can enjoy this little free treat on our first family holiday.

I saw it as one of the highlights of the trip and was looking forward to it. This time round, I didn't forget to take photos, and there were plenty.

Almost hedonistic

Stepping inside the hotel, we were immediately greeted by mammoth flower arrangements and huge marble columns, complete with water features and grand staircases flanking two sides of the spacious lobby, which all hinted at the kind of luxurious experience that was to come.

After checking in, a guest relations officer took us to our room, which they had upgraded to the Grand Harbour King room.

The room, which appeared almost twice the size of the one we stayed in at Metropark Hotel, was fitted with full length windows to maximise the spectacular view of the Victoria Harbour. Even our little boy was mesmerised.

Decor wise, the room oozes elegance with its wooden furnishing in soft, natural tones, but step into the roomy bathroom and it screamed opulence with its marble walls and flooring and gold-plated fixtures.


I'll let the pictures do the talking:

The busy harbour

The room offers a close up view of the densely packed commercial buildings and iconic skyscrapers 

The little boy was excited upon discovering the view - he kept pointing out to the "boats" and "buses" and beamed his bright smiles at us as he spotted one 'interesting' thing after another

The wardrobe faces the door, with the dressing table right next to it. A hair dryer is kept in the open drawer below and tissue in wooden box sits comfortably at one corner of the table. If I don't remember wrongly, this is the first hotel I stayed in with a dressing table as such.

Pics 1 & 2: The room with the down duvets and Egyptian cotton bedlinen; Pic 3: The minibar, hot water flask, cutlery etc. are on the left side; Pic 4: Work station with wired or wireless broadband, cordless desk phone and even an adapter - thoughtful details for the business travellers; Pic 5: telephones made available on both sides of the bed.

The spacious bathroom: black marble walls and gold fixtures dazzle under the lights screams opulence and lavishness. Our boy had a great time splashing around in the bathtub and us, of course we couldn't do without a good soak to ease away the muscle aches after a full day of walking!

Needless to say, the service was impeccable. The baby cot was already in the room when we arrived - there's no need for reminders. There were complimentary bottled water and they also delivered a bowl of fresh fruits upon our arrival.

The next morning day, we rang the concierge for some shopping information. They said they would get back to us, which they did quite promptly and also told us to pick up some information from the concierge on the way out. We were pleasantly surprised to be handed with a stack of 'notes', some of which were obviously freshly printed from the internet - we were impressed.


It was great stay. Too bad we didn't have time to try out the well-known restaurants found in the hotel or to check out some of their facilities - our trip was just a bit too short. Well, I do hope to return again in future!

Hong Kong Trip - The Hotels (Part 1)

Recently, we spent a memorable family holiday in Hong Kong. While it was supposedly a five-day trip, effectively we stayed only four days, given that we had arrived in the evening and took an afternoon flight home.

But guess what? In that short span of time, we had stayed in three different hotels! And it was all part of the plan! Before you start thinking it must have been tiring, since we had a toddler in tow, I must say that it's was in fact the opposite, we (including the little one) actually enjoyed the hotel-hopping! We had moved from a mid-range hotel near the shopping and commercial district in Causeway Bay to a luxury hotel that offers panoramic harbour views to one that makes every child's (and even adult's) fantasy come true.

The First Stop

Map - Hotel is circled in pink on the right (copyright Metropark Hotel)

The first hotel we stayed in was the Metropark Hotel Causeway Bay Hong Kong (what a mouthful). We found this hotel through a Chan Brothers promotion. There were various hotels available and after doing some research, my hubby decided to book this one, as it is "conveniently located in Hong Kong's leading commercial, shopping and entertainment district - Causeway Bay".

Getting there

We took the Airport Express to Hong Kong Station with the plan of taking a cab from there to the hotel.

However, we were greeted by a long queue for cabs. One MTR staff explained that there were few cabs coming due to a bad traffic jam. After finding out where we were heading, he directed us to take the free Airport Express Shuttle-Bus (service no. H2), that would bring us right to the doorstep of Metropark. The bus was a small one, and there was only one other passenger on board. I didn't time to see how long the journey took but the ride felt like between 20 - 30 minutes.

After our trip, I revisited the hotel's website and realised we could have also arranged for pick-up at the airport (approach the hotel's airport service counter B17 at Arrival Hall B).

The Hotel

The entrance to the hotel is at the ground floor; the front desk is located one floor up, which can be accessed via the lift or escalator.

The hotel decor is modern and sleek, with staff all speaking pretty good English and were polite and helpful.

Harbour View Room (Copyright Metropark Hotel Causeway Bay Hong Kong)

We booked a Harbour View room (sorry but we totally forgot to take pictures!) but were a little disappointed that it wasn't exactly a spectacular view. The room was relatively small, and bathroom only has shower facility and no bathtub. We also requested for a baby cot, which they sent to the room only after we went out. There was also a plate of cookies in the room, complements of the hotel. I thought that welcome gesture was a nice one. But there was no complementary water given.

Why We Like This Hotel

We loved this hotel for one obvious reason - great location. The nearest MTR Station Tin Hau was just less than five minutes walk away. Along the way, there were shops like Watson's, Welcome Supermarket and 7-11, where we bought our daily supply of bottled water. We also discovered a restaurant that serves some pretty good dim sum just next to the Tin Hau MTR.

Besides that, places like Times Square and Sogo Department are just about bus-ride 10 minutes away, with free hotel shuttle service available (though we never used the service).

But here's more reasons why we think this is such a good hotel - food!

We discovered that just further down from the hotel were many little eateries and restaurants. From Japanese, Vietnamese to Western cuisine and a dozen of dessert shops, you will be spoilt for choice!

Local Chinese fare...

Japanese cuisine....

Western food....

Cafes and bakeries...

 

Dessert shops!

Not forgetting a quaint little shop selling home decor stuff

These are just some of the eateries that I managed to take photos of. There were a lot more than this. Apparently some of these opened till late, since we were strolling around the vicinity at 10-ish and they were still operating. We checked out the place again the next morning but many of these were not opened yet. 

Here's pictures of how the place looked like in the day:

The second tall building from right is the Metropark Hotel 

We think this hotel is a gem find and is possibly one of our favourites (for that price range) in Hong Kong. 

How about you? Which are some hotels you like in Hong Kong?

Tolalu.com Giveaway - Have You Joined Yet?

Tolalu is an online shop selling personalised gifts for children. The site currently offers 350 products in 13 categories such as story books, calendars, activity books (under ‘Fun and Learning'), growth charts and many more. You can refer to my previous post about Tolalu here. 

Here are some samples of items from each category:

Clockwise from top left: stickers, jigsaw puzzle, wall stickers, growth chart

Clockwise from top left: story book, activity book (under 'Fun & Learning'), notebook, calendar

Like what you see? Here's the good news:

You can win a $30 Tolalu voucher for your child! 

To participate,  all you need to do is leave a comment here, sharing with us who you would like to get gifts for and what items you are interested in e.g. stickers, notebooks etc. This contest is open to readers residing in Singapore. Do note that $7 will be for delivery charges. 

There will be TWO winners for this giveaway! 

The giveaway will end on Sunday, 30 October, at 11.59pm Tuesday, 1 November at 11.59pm. So help spread the word and join the giveaway now! 


NOTE: If you have already participated in the previous post, you don't have to re-enter the contest. 


30 Oct '11:  A reader just informed me about having problems entering the contest as she couldn't find the comment box. If you would like to join the giveaway and encountered the same problem, you may participate by emailing me your information. My email is: ruthwongwrites@gmail.com
Because of the feedback, I've also decided to extend the giveaway till Tuesday, 1 Nov, 11.59pm. 

Organising the Medicine Cabinet

I've slowed down considerably with my decluttering and home organising project. Getting the momentum up is a little challenging after the family holiday and catching up with work post-holiday. So I decided to start with something small - the medicine cabinet.

Before: It's untidy and things were not easily accessible.

The tools: A rack from Daiso adds an extra shelf and makes packing neater. 

I also bought two white plastic containers, which were also from Daiso (see pic below).

After: Things are neater now and more easily accessible. One of the white containers hold the vitamins the family takes in the morning; all I have to do is to take it out before breakfast and put it back after use.

It's a small start and I'm happy to get things going again! I hope to get the project done before Christmas and look forward to starting a new year with a really neat and clutter-free home. How about you? Have you been doing some decluttering as well? Any great tips or tools to share?

Pantry at the Stables

I’ve fallen in love with the Riders Café after my first visit there a few months ago.  I have to say I’m drawn not so much by the food as by its quaint location and lush green surroundings, which makes for a great getaway from the city.

So when I read that Marmalade Pantry has opened up a new outlet there, it gives a great reason to visit the place again.

On a slope just a little further from Riders Café is Pantry at the Stables. It's housed in the same building that was previously Mimolette. The good thing is Marmalade offers a different vibe from its neighbour, so you can choose from either of the restaurants, depending on your mood. 

The white walls and chairs accompanied by ceiling fans lend a Mediterranean feel to the al fresco area. Take a closer look and you'll also see a row of wooden beach chairs on the far right.

The indoor area (air-conditioned) exudes an urban chic ambience with warm, cozy lightings and wooden furniture in natural colours.

Our table by the window; I love the cheery yellow flower.

We were there on a Sunday morning for brunch. Given the popularity of Riders Café, I decided to make a reservation the day before, just in case the place is equally crowded and I don't like to wait.

When we got there, the restaurant was relatively quiet. But by the time we left, it was about 80% occupied, with most of them taking up the outdoor seats. Many of the guests were expats, perhaps they had popped by after an event at the Saddle Club (parking was really bad that day as cars clogged up the whole place).

Top: tomato soup with cheese toasties (from children's menu). Bottom: Eggs of Any Style (I opted for scrambled egg) - comes with sausages, baked beans, baked tomato, sauteed mushroom and bread.

Desserts is a must at Marmalade; I like their red velvet cupcake.

Overall, we found the food quite tasty, but not something to rave about. Service wise, we were a little disappointed. It took three tries (with three different wait staff) before they finally understood that we just wanted tap ice water. I choose not to think that it was because we didn't order sparkling or still water that they pretended not to understand our request (I'm not a water sommelier and don't see the point of paying so much for water - I'd rather spend it on coffee or some other drinks).

We might come back another day, perhaps during the evening, as I'm really curious how the whole place will be like when the sun sets and darkness descends. I also read that Marmalade is planning to set up a children's play area, so that's another reason to be back.

Pantry at the Stables

55 Fairways Drive

Tel: 6467 9328

Opening Hours:

Tues to Fri: 3pm to 11pm 

Sat & Sun: 10am to 11pm 

Closed on Mondays