Category: Review It!

Review of anything under the sun except food.

Hotel Nuve, Bugis, Singapore

Posted on By sweet surrender No Comments on Hotel Nuve, Bugis, Singapore

I stayed a night in Singapore back in December 2016. I went on Agoda in search for good location and affordable accommodation and stumbled onto Hotel Nuve in the listing. Located in Bugis, MRT isn’t far from it. The street was quite happening at night if you like night life.


The painting on the wall outside the hotel depicting the life of people in Bugis long time ago.


I chose the cheapest room as I only need it for a night for transit. The room I stayed was small with no window but clean enough. The bathroom was surprisingly spacious, shower and toilet in one space but no sink and partition. The sink located one platform away from the bed. The pillow was too flat however the bed was comfortable enough.

They do not provide bottled water but there is water dispenser is available at the lobby area but it’s cold. You can loan a glass bottle from them but it’s on first come first served basis. Meanwhile, they also have room to cater for disabled guest.


Left: The TV was just right at the end of the bed mounted on the wall. There is no cabinet/cupboard to store your things though.

Right: One good thing about staying here, they provide you with a mobile phone that allows you to make free call, go online, even allow you to bring it out with you and use it as your navigator. No worry about needing to get a SIM card for your stay in Singapore. WiFi available in the room too.

I booked the room at promotional price of over RM200, almost RM300 with no breakfast included. It’s Singapore, with our weak currency, so… What can you say? Price wise, it’s high for Malaysia’s standard, you can get very luxurious room at a 4 or 5 star hotel with that price in Malaysia.

In the morning, I just walked around the area before heading to the airport. Took some photos of the views around the hotel. Didn’t go far.



Overall, the hotel was OK but for the room I’m staying, I can only stay for a night, longer than that, I don’t think I can. The staff was helpful and friendly.

Address: 9, Jalan Pinang, Singapore 199141

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

Nagoya Mansion Hotel & Residence, Batam, Indonesia

Posted on By sweet surrender No Comments on Nagoya Mansion Hotel & Residence, Batam, Indonesia

Our tour package in Batam inclusive of hotel stay. We opted for Nagoya Mansion Hotel & Residence because according to the map, it is very convenient to go to the shopping mall.

Batam Hotels – Nagoya Mansion Hotel & Residence is the newest iconic on the island of Batam, the first to offer residential, hotel and lifestyle facilities in one environment. Other facilities are available to support your business and leisure activities include Meeting Rooms, La Bamba Restaurant, La Brisa Juice Bar, La Brisa Foodpark, Parlente Bar, Swimming pool, La Destino Fitness Centre, Bakery & Pastry Shop.

After the tour, we check-in in the evening. The staffs were friendly and helpful. However, one problem, they were extremely slow in servicing you when you request something from your room. We waited forever for a toilet roll and we ended up took it directly from the housekeeping staff who we bumped into who happened to be pushing the trolley to clean up other rooms while we were on the way out.

The room was spacious and cozy enough.

Basic coffee/tea making facilities were stocked.
Bathroom were also spacious as well with all the basic toiletries available.



Our room is facing the city view. This is how one side of Batam looks like.


They have pool and gym but we didn’t bring anything for these activities. Then again, I don’t think I will dare to swim there in my swimsuit. People are already looking at you one kind with sleeveless and shorts, what’s more in swimsuits -.-”


The breakfast buffet was not too bad. Not too small, not too big.

Next, sharing with you the food that I had. Those food that were supposed to be sweet were really sweet. I couldn’t stand it.

Left: Black glutinous rice waffle which was something interesting to try. It was too sweet for it.
Right: Porridge with all sort of condiments.

Left: Olives!! I just emptied the whole bowl, oppss…
Right: Colourful vegetables at the salad counter.

Left: The very sweet glutinous rice, I couldn’t stomach it after one small spoon.
Right: First time eating and seeing real passion fruit.

Overall, the place is clean enough to stay. The receptionists were very good.

As for walking to the shopping mall, it sure wasn’t a pleasant walk. Road conditions were bad and felt unsafe with all the wolf whistling, staring, and name callings, you will get it as long that you’re a foreigner lady even if you are decently dressed. Luckily there were two of us but we walked really fast and kept observing our surrounding.

Address: Kampung Utama, Jl. Imam Bonjol No.1, Lubuk Baja Kota, Batam Kota, Kota Batam, Kepulauan Riau 29444, Indonesia

This concludes my Batam trip. It sure is one very different experience. Be thankful with what we have.

Food Porn, Going Places, Moi Musing - Batam, Review It!

Le Méridien Taipei

Posted on By sweet surrender 2 Comments on Le Méridien Taipei

The last time I was in Taipei, I was fortunate enough to stay in Le Méridien Taipei, a five-star hotel in the business district of Taipei. It wasn’t cheap at all. Was there during peak season and the room cost more than RM1K per night. Located 12-minute walk from the Taipei 101 Observatory. The staff are very friendly and helpful. There’s also free WiFi throughout the hotel.

I stayed at the 10th floor, Deluxe Room. The room was spacious. The pillows and bed were very comfy! Too bad… When I was there, I couldn’t really enjoy what it has to offer, I was on the move most of the time. Did not even switch on the TV throughout the 3 nights stay.

The desk area can fulfill the needs of business traveler with a virtual office media hub, IP phone and high-intensity desk lamp.


The bathroom area adopted an open concept. The vanity area has everything you need. The only door for the bathroom is to the rainforest shower. Even the toilet didn’t have a door. Just a partition.


Nespresso machine!! Again… I didn’t get to enjoy it, I don’t drink coffee anyway hahaha… They have various type of teas available which I didn’t make any to drink too. How pathetic?!?


Pineapple tarts and fruits complimentary for your consumption as well. I didn’t eat the fruits too. You can imagine how busy I was that time.

The breakfast buffet spread was awesome. Too bad I didn’t have any photo to share as I didn’t take any because I was on duty.


However, here’s some photos I managed to take while having a discussion. Really love the strawberry tea, real strawberry. The sandwiches were very delicious and filling.

Overall, it’s a good hotel to stay, I enjoyed staying here. It is also surrounded by major shopping malls. Indeed a Very convenient location.

Address: 38 SongRen Road, Xinyi District Taipei, 110 Taiwan

Going Places, Review It!, The Heart of Asia - Taiwan

ELASTINE – De Perfume Pure Breeze Shampoo & Hair Mask

Posted on By sweet surrender No Comments on ELASTINE – De Perfume Pure Breeze Shampoo & Hair Mask

I’ve always wanted to try Elastine shampoo after watching a Taiwanese beauty show. Not in the market but you can get it online from major online beauty shops. Not expensive too, less than RM40 for a bottle of 600ml shampoo.

It claims to leave your hair smooth and smell good for few days after each wash. Happened that I went to Taipei last year for a work trip and came across it by accident at Sasa. I quickly bought the shampoo. It was on promotion, free hair mask. Two products for one price. It’s less than RM40! What a steal!

Took me awhile to decide on which one to get, there’s Pure Breeze, Love Me, and Sweet Fantasia to choose. I decided to go for Pure Breeze because I like the smell the most. It’s inspired by sea breeze fragrance with wooden floral note.

Top Note: White Rose, Geranium
Middle Note: Bulgarian Rose, Water Lily
Base Note: White Tea, Cedarwood, Musk

Not only that, the shampoo is infused with Mediterranean chrysanthemum oil and jojoba oil. The fragrance is created by Jean Marie Santantoni, a perfumer from France.

My scalp got oily and developed buildup pretty fast last year end. Normally I washed my hair on alternate days but during that period of time, I sometimes had to resort to washing it daily because of the smell too.

I tried this shampoo and followed with the hair mask on the first wash. My goodness! The smell was awesome! Even the bathroom smelt good! The hair mask delivered as well. My hair not only smelt great for 3 days, it’s also soft and easy to manage. Buildup was not as bad anymore.

How to use Elastine Perfume Pure Breeze Hair Mask:
1. After shampooing, apply an appropriate amount to your hair and massage lightly, avoid the scalp.
2. Rinse off with warm water after 5-10 minutes.

If you wonder about the background of this product:

Elastine knows that haircare is just as important as skincare for women of all ages. Using the latest haircare science and technology, the brand has developed seven haircare product lines designed for specific hair types and conditions. Elastine is under the umbrella of Korean giant LG Household & Health Care, which includes brands like TheFaceShop, The History of Whoo and Nanas’ B, among others. The brand was established in 2001 and manufactures its products in South Korea.

My verdict is… I will definitely repurchase. It’s affordable and good. Really love the smell and the result of the product.

Girl Stuffs, Review It!

Sweet Surrender’s Hong Kong Airlines Experience

Posted on By sweet surrender 2 Comments on Sweet Surrender’s Hong Kong Airlines Experience

WOW! Record! 14 days from the last post! Man… Crazy weeks! Finally get to settle down for a bit after two intense weeks. Was on leave for one whole week but it was gone with a snap, I didn’t even get the chance to enjoy the holiday and it’s gone.

Going to share my experience flying with Hong Kong Airlines. The inaugaural flight was on 28th May. We now can fly straight to Hong Kong from Kuching. Flight time isn’t comfortable but better than none. Be sure to catch some sleep on board. The flight is about 3 hours and you’re flying a full service, 4-star airline. Imagine how much time you can save without transit?


Back in July, I flew to Hong Kong from Kuching for work. The flight departed at 6.30am on an A320. The leg space was spacious enough. They do provide you with antiseptic towelette when you are on board. On the seat, you can find blanket but since it’s a 4-star airlines, there is no pillow provided. Hence, bringing your own neck pillow is a good idea. Also, do not expect other classes for this sector, it’s a mono-class sector. You won’t have your own entertainment panel also. However, the food was surprisingly better than our 5-star airline!

Reached Hong Kong and then connected to Shanghai. Flew this route with Hong Kong Airlines also.

Was expecting a small plane since but wow… It’s a big one, I think it’s A330. I’ve not been on a big plane since my Europe trip back in 2013 ;p


Instead of sleeping, I watched movie. Meanwhile the food was amazing too! I love the douhua (tofu pudding) the most.


Photo taken on the way to Shanghai.

Aside from using Hong Kong Airlines flying to Shanghai, I also flew back from Nanjing to Hong Kong with it and then Hong Kong to Kuching. Good thing, my colleague and I were “upgraded” because of some special arrangements made by the captain hehe… We got more leg space. However, the food from Nanjing to Hong Kong was a let down. We’re served with pork burger, pathetically thin pork patty sandwiched in between the flattened buns. Didn’t taste good and look pathetic. Our roadside burger tasted and looked better. Forgot to take photo of it, I was too tired due to flight delay that day because of the storm.

Why not flying to Nanjing from Shanghai? There’s high speed train for it, no need to fly at all.

However, because the flight was almost full on the sector going back to Kuching from Hong Kong, I felt quite uncomfortable and air was as if not circulating. A bit of torture on the way back but what to do? It’s economy class, that’s the thing you have to live with. That explains why I like to travel during low season as I don’t like to be squeezed into a small area with so many people.

Overall, it was not bad. The only downside is the pork burger I mentioned.

Asia's World City - Hong Kong, China's City of Culture - Nanjing, Food Porn, Going Places, Pearl of the Orient - Shanghai, Review It!