Category: Going Places

My travelogue.

4D3N at Haven Seton Sands Holiday Park

October 12, 2023October 19, 2023 sweet surrender 1 Comment

We went to Scotland for 4 days and 3 nights from 18-21 August. We stayed at Haven Seton Sands Holiday Park. It’s a different kind of holiday accommodation from what we would normally book. It’s not a hotel or inn or Airbnb or a typical resort. Instead, we were staying in a static caravan. This is definitely a very different experience.

The Caravan

It was summer and it was the summer holiday season so there were many many staying here. We rented one that could fit 8 of us (2 children and 6 adults). It’s a good thing we managed to secure one with a toilet and a bathroom with a toilet attached. Otherwise, it might cause a problem if someone needs the toilet while there’s someone in the bathroom.

We had to bring our own towels, soap & shampoo, hairdryer, kitchen towel, dishwashing liquid, hand soap, coffee & tea, water jug with filter from home as it’s not provided. We also brought our own toilet paper in case we ran out since there were so many of us. We cooked our own breakfast there. That’s why we brought some kitchen items with us. Therefore, do plan what you want to bring by contacting them otherwise there will be charges for those things or you might need to get them from the nearest supermarket.

By the way, no Wi-Fi was included. You’ll just have to use your own phone data or mobile internet. They use gas for heating and cooking.

We did visit some show caravan units. You can even invest in one or buy one for your own stay.

The Beach

The summer is not your typical summer. It was too windy and chilly for us hahaha! Don’t expect to wear a bikini or anything for the typical beach. No way to do that! Unless you are used to the strong cold wind from the sea *LOL* Look at the photos below. Seton Sands is not the white and sandy beach that you’re expecting. It is a rocky beach to the east of Port Seton, East Lothian, Scotland.

There are paid and free activities in the holiday park. However, you must book it in advance on their website. Be sure to turn up on time so that others won’t be waiting for you and delay everyone.

That’s pretty much about it. Overall stay here wasn’t too bad. Just be prepared to keep yourself warm because of the wind from the sea if you can’t stand the cold.

Going Places, Land of Unicorn - Scotland

A Day Trip to Durham

October 2, 2023September 24, 2023 sweet surrender No Comments

Arrived in Newcastle, UK

We arrived in Newcastle, UK on 14th August 2023 at noon. Then, it was about a one-hour drive to my sister’s place from Newcastle International Airport. We just stayed home to rest for 2 days.

Durham Day Trip

Then on the 4th day, 17th August, we went for a day trip to Durham after we got the van for 8 of us for the weekend. We started our journey around 10 a.m. It was about a half-hour drive. Not too far. Here’s the summary I made on Instagram Reel:

Before we started our walk in Durham, we had an early lunch at Zen Durham. Since it was still a working day and it was still too early for lunch, we managed to get a good seat inside. Here’s what we had there:

Overview of Durham’s Street

After lunch, we leisurely walked around the hilly city. The following are some views that greeted us during our walk:

Gaia at Durham Cathedral

The highlight of the day was the Gaia in Durham Cathedral. I’ve seen the Museum of the Moon at Borneo Cultures Museum by the same artist. Didn’t expect to see the other art installation by UK artist Luke Jerram in the UK. I did not plan the trip so it was a surprise for sure. So, I can proudly say that I’ve seen the moon and earth by Luke Jerram in two different countries in the same year less than 2 months apart.

Look at how big the building is!

There are many graves in the surrounding. It was quite cloudy when we were there and the vibes sure were quite different. It felt “dark”. However, with people around and the greeneries, the “darkness” wasn’t that “dark”.

Durham Markets

After visiting the cathedral, we went to Durham Markets. We just walked around and window-shopped. Since it wasn’t a weekend, it’s not that happening but still with a good crowd. I’m sure it will be packed on a weekend.

There you go. My day trip to Durham. Sure took me a long while to complete this post.

Next, to Scotland we go…

Driving All the Way - England, Going Places

A Compilation of MH & EK In-flight Meals (KCH<->NCL)

September 8, 2023September 8, 2023 sweet surrender No Comments

This is the compilation of the in-flight food I got when I traveled from Kuching to Newcastle, UK. Left Kuching on 13 August 2023 and left Newcastle on 30 August 2023. We arrived in Kuala Lumpur on 31st August 2023. We were lucky to be one of the last batch of passengers to experience proper in-flight meals by MH before the catering fiasco.

I’ve not gone on an MH flight for ages! The last time was in 2019 from Kuching to Newcastle. This time, we were also flying with MH to go to Kuala Lumpur for our transit to Dubai and then to Newcastle.

Kuching to Kuala Lumpur (MH)

Malaysia Airline in-flight meals (KCH-KUL)

They had chicken rendang and sweet and sour fish on offer. Truth to be told, we didn’t like them. The chicken rendang was spicy. We didn’t expect the sweet and sour fish was also spicy. I suffered a gassy tummy all the way to Newcastle after eating the rendang. Hmm…

Anyway, I guess these were some of the last from Brahim’s. So must commemorate it hahaha! We used to take it for granted ;p However, I love how the water was served in a bottle. That way, I didn’t have to worry about water spills and I could drink it anytime I wanted.

WAH! Wooden cutlery… Gone were the days when you got proper cutlery in MH economy class. Oh well… Anyway, let’s see what Emirates had on their economy in-flight meals.

Kuala Lumpur to Dubai (EK)

Got a chicken sandwich as supper (I guess…). Not a fan of sandwiches. Then, for breakfast, I opted for potato. Not too bad.

My parents went for the curry-looking rice dish. I don’t remember what it was though. Didn’t get good feedback from my parents. However, it’s good to see proper cutlery used on Emirates. No plastic, no wood. So much better of course.

Dubai to Newcastle (EK)

Next, these are for breakfast (I guess…). Two options, egg sandwich or apricot pie. Didn’t like any of them. Just not a sandwich/pie person. Nevertheless, I still finished the food.

This tray came with the sandwich/pie. There’s muffin and blueberry yogurt. At least these two were not too bad. Why do they serve blueberry yogurt on every flight? Do you know some people are allergic to blueberries?

Before we reached Newcastle, we got lunch. Went for potato again. The taste was OK. The other option was rice which we didn’t want to get anymore. Couldn’t stand those spices. I was still having a gassy tummy from the rendang that I ate on Kuching to Kuala Lumpur flight. ARG! We’re given proper cutlery in this sector too. I really don’t like those plastic or wooden ones.

Newcastle to Dubai (EK)

After spending over 2 weeks in England, it’s time to go back home, Kuching. Of course, it’s Emirates again.

Went for a potato dish again hahaha! This time with beef meatballs. Not bad. I also asked for red wine. I forgot to tell them to just give me a little. They gave me a full cup. Aiksss… I didn’t finish it of course. Only had 1/4 of it then I poured the rest away into the toilet bowl. Didn’t like the wine.

Then, we got shortbread and pastry for snack time. The former was nice, not too sweet. In fact, I had this before at home. It’s not cheap selling in the airport. Meanwhile, the latter was not of my liking and I didn’t finish it.

Dubai to Kuala Lumpur (EK)

This time, I had thoughts of getting white wine with my meal. Instead, I opted for orange juice. Didn’t like the snack on this flight. I only ate half of them. Then, for lunch, we opted for the omelet option. Something lighter to eat than having rice. Was quite exhausted and in no mood. Didn’t really get to rest well on the flight even though we were on an A380 with spacious seats compared to the B777 that we’ve been flying in the previous sectors. That was because we were seated next to the galley. Oh well…

Kuala Lumpur to Kuching (MH)

Finally! Back to Malaysia! Waited for quite a long time for the flight to Kuching. We arrived in the afternoon while our flight was in the evening, that’s why. It was 31st August 2023.

So, here’s the food for the last leg of our flight. The wooden cutlery was back hahaha! As usual, I didn’t go for rice. I went for potato again! LOL!!! It looked spicy but not spicy. Not too bad. While the other one was fish. Luckily I didn’t go for that. My parents said that it’s not nice hahaha!

Anyway, we’re lucky to get a proper in-flight meal on this flight. Phew… Imagine you paid for full service and got snack items for your meal. Surely won’t be happy with that. Even though the in-flight meal wasn’t the tastiest, it’s still part of what we paid for. Hopefully, the fiasco will be over soon. Good thing I won’t be flying MH anytime soon.

If you would like to follow me on my trip, feel free to go to my Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, or TikTok. I will also update it here but it will be slower.

Driving All the Way - England, Food Porn, Going Places, Review It!

Gardens by the Bay (Flower Dome & Cloud Forest)

December 9, 2022 sweet surrender No Comments

Everyone who has gone to Singapore will surely visit the Gardens by the Bay. This iconic Singapore destination is certainly one of the must-go otherwise your trip will not be complete. They are celebrating their 10th anniversary this year. WOW! 10 years already! I thought it was only a few years old. They are doing very good maintenance to the place.

We bought our entrance ticket for the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest on Klook. Best to buy it online to skip the queue. By the way, the entrance ticket wasn’t cheap. However, if you get it from Klook, you’ll get a further discount.

There is plenty to see in the surroundings if you don’t want to pay money for the attractions. The waterfront gardens (Bay South, Bay East, and Bay Central) are free. It’s best to go before the sun goes down. You can catch the lighting with music at the Garden Rhapsody in the evening. No entrance ticket requires to watch it. You can watch it as long you are in the garden. It’s open to anyone unless you want to go up to the observatory.

I would suggest that you go in the afternoon after 3pm. You’ll need nice natural lighting to take photos in Flower Dome before the sun goes down. After that, you can proceed to Cloud Forest in the evening around 6pm to catch the sunset and the lighting.

It was cloudy that day and drizzled on and off. It’s a bit humid. Good thing that it wasn’t sunny and hot. The walk wasn’t too bad but I’m a mosquito magnet haha… Couldn’t avoid getting sucked by those suckers. *LOL* Hence, do have mosquito repellent handy.

Flower Dome

This is the entrance to the Flower Dome. If you bought your ticket on Klook, just go straight to the entrance and they will scan your voucher. As simple as that.

Be sure to take your time to explore the place. It took us about 1 hour there. I think you might need more time if you really want to take plenty of nice photos and scrutinize the plants there. Therefore, do give yourself ample time and don’t rush through it so that you don’t waste your money because the entrance isn’t cheap at all.

Do take note that what you see in this post is different from what you will see there now. They do update the theme from time to time. This was back in October 2022.

Unfortunately, most of my photos didn’t turn out well. Not really in the mood to take any photos too. Didn’t take many photos of the place and too many people getting in the way.

We went there on a Friday evening leading to a long weekend. I guess it will not be this overwhelming on a weekday during working hours on normal days. Even though you will see many tourists there which is normal but I’m sure it will be less than what I’ve encountered.

Cloud Forest

For Cloud Forest, you’ll see many lightings in the evening while there’s not much in the day. There were so many people. Even with those lighting, it can be rather dark at night. So do be careful. Currently, they have Avatar theme here. That time when we were there, they were still setting up.

It’s actually quite dark. I heavily edited the photos. It’s quite nice if you get to catch the sunset there. However, it was overcast that day so there wasn’t a sunset to catch.

You will need to walk and climb a lot. There’s an elevator to send everyone up but you still need to walk once you reach the level up there. Then, you walked all the way down. It might be a problem if you are afraid of heights. Try not to look down.

I didn’t take many photos here. I tried to video it but it’s just too dark. This photo is extracted from the video and I had to edit it heavily.

We spent less than an hour there. When we came out at around 7:45pm, the Garden Rhapsody light show was on. We just sat on the bench and watched from afar. The first show was at 7.45pm and the second show would begin at 8.45pm. Each show lasts 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, this is the view you will see when you come out from the Cloud Forest. That’s Marina Bay Sands.

After the light show, we walked to Garden Rhapsody then headed to Bayfront MRT station and called it a night.

Going Places, Greeting the Merlion - Singapore

Hotel Boss Singapore – Easy Access, Convenient, Good Location

November 22, 2022November 22, 2022 sweet surrender No Comments

I was supposed to post about Hotel Boss in the last post but I totally forgot about it. This is the hotel we stayed in on our previous trip to Singapore. So, here you go. I did a short review on my Instagram a few weeks back. I will write about it in more detail in this post.

There were 4 of us. After looking around many OTAs, the only one that could fit the 4 of us in one room is Hotel Boss (500 Jln Sultan, #01-01, Singapore 199020). The price wasn’t cheap at all. After conversion to Ringgit, it’s RM3K+ for 5 days and 4 nights! Gosh! I can stay comfortably in a 5-star hotel in Malaysia with the best service provided at that rate. Then again, the key problem is with our currency because it is just too weak.

Getting There

We took a taxi from Changi Airport to the hotel. It was around SGD30 (inclusive of the airport surcharge and 25% peak hour charge). The taxi ride was not cheap but with the night-time arrival, a 14.5kg bag, our individual hand luggage, and two elderly, getting a taxi is more sensible.

You can also get on the MRT and ride to Lavender station. The station is located about 200m from the hotel.

Upon Arrival

I was expecting the concierge to greet us and help us with the luggage but no. No help was rendered. Instead, he tried to look away and avoid eye contact with me. I know you saw me, dude! I’ve stayed in many 4-star and 5-star hotels for work and leisure over the years in many countries and even worked in one before. This is not how a 4-star hotel should be. Heck! Even a 3-star hotel gave better service than this.

Was greeted with a busy lobby. In fact, it was packed the whole day. It’s a busy hotel. We made our way to the reception counter to check in. I’m so glad that the front office staffs were attentive, friendly, and patient.

The Room

We stayed on the 19th floor. The highest floor. The room could fit 4 pax. It has two queen-sized beds. There wasn’t enough space for our check-in luggage and we had to put it in between the two beds otherwise there won’t be space to walk. Luckily we only had one. Imagine 4 people traveling and each with a piece of check-in luggage.

Not only that, the room does not have a cupboard too. There wasn’t an iron and ironing board. You will have to go to the 4th floor to use it. There’s a laundry area with coin-operated washing machines, dryers, iron, and an ironing board there. Oh! There wasn’t a laundry bag in the room. However, you can request it if you need it. It’s FOC.

Bottled water, coffee, tea, sugar, and creamers were provided. There’s a TV, kettle, fridge, and safe box. In-room WiFi is included in the room.

By the way, the floor wasn’t carpeted. It was cold and there were no bedroom slippers provided. I called the operator to ask for it. They came fast. That’s good. I had a good experience with the operator and the housekeeping staff during my stay. Do take note that they don’t provide face towels. Only bath towels.

Our room had a balcony. No view though. Just balconies of other units.

Do note that the check-out time is 11 am. If you need a place to store your luggage after check-out, you can store your luggage near the entrance. The concierge will help you with it.

Breakfast

By the way, our room didn’t come with breakfast. If there’s breakfast included, it would be even more expensive. I would say that just go to the nearby food court called Kopitiam or any food establishments along the way to the MRT or go to Bugis and have local food at the market.

Conclusions

It’s expensive for Malaysians due to our weak currency. However, it is still high without currency conversion based on my expectations. If it’s on par with other 4-star hotels that I’ve stayed in before, then I would say it is reasonable but it’s far from that. It felt more like a 3-star but I’ve stayed in a 3-star hotel that provided more than this before.

As for the staff performance, they were good except for the concierge that night when we arrived. Meanwhile, the room was small, and everything was basic but the sleep experience was OK. Cleanliness and maintenance were good enough too.

The best part would be the location because it is very strategic and convenient.

Book the Hotel

If you would like to book this hotel, feel free to BOOK HERE.

Going Places, Greeting the Merlion - Singapore, Review It!

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