Tales from the ice queen: February 2008

Friday, February 29, 2008

Magical & Paradisaical Bali

Staying at the villa in Mui Ne reminds me of my trip to Bali a few years ago...stayed in one of the best villa ever!

Bali, Indonesia remains a top tourist spot in South East Asia with its combination of hospitable people, magnificent visual culture, spectacular beaches with great diving and surfing as well as awesome villas and restaurants. However, Bali has drawn unwanted attention of terrorism between '02 - '05, with more than one bombing incident. Can it still retain its magic and remain a paradise?

Stayed in a bungalow villa at the Biyukukung Spa Resort in Ubud - great experience!

Rise and shine to the full view of paddy field from the bed

American breakfast awaiting at the patio, surrounded by fishes
in the pond, overlooking the paddy field, outside the bedroom

Entrance to the outdoor jacuzzi, next to the bedroom

Outdoor private jacuzzi

Other rooms on terraces

Pool area of the resort

Rustic looking restaurant serving western food

Our dessert, served in style

Same restaurant at night, a very romantic place to dine in

Cafe Lotus, another great restaurant

Kuta, known for its beach

Having breakfast at the restaurant of Mecure Hotel, overlooking the pool and the beach

The infinity pool of the hotel, overlooking the beach

Little patios for outdoor massage. overlooking the beach.

The famous stretch of pubs where the bombing took place

Another cool restaurant where we had ice cream

One of the things I disliked about Bali are the continuous stretches
of shattered pavements that are disastrous for walking.
Even shops are making use of the situation for their creative marketing!

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Mui Ne...the sunniest place in Vietnam

Mui Ne has to be the sunniest place in Vietnam, as mentioned in one of the websites I've read. It is a coastal resort town near the city of Phan Thiet. Besides the beach and resorts, the sand dunes form part of the tourist attractions. There are rows of beach resort and the decent ones look like those you'll see in Bintan. Due to its location along the South China Sea and many winding rivers, there are tons of seafood at cheap prices.

Was there a couple of months ago, the bungalow at the resort was not bad, the beach is better than what we have in East Coast, the seafood's pretty good but I regretted trying the body massage!

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Can Gio...Monkey Island in Vietnam

Can Gio was the first place I visited outside HCMC. It is full of mangrove forest and places of interest like crocodile farms and islands of monkeys, pythons, snakes and birds. Can Gio was also a military base of Sac forest where commandos used to shelter during the anti-US resistance war. Today, relics and remnants of the war are restored and preserved in parts of the forest in their original position.

Monday, February 25, 2008

A different experience in Bangkok

I usually travel to Bangkok almost once a year for shopping, eating & spa and the area to save on, will be the hotel accommodation. The most recent trip to Bangkok with my friends was a different one, staying at one of the best resort-like hotel - a very good experience indeed (better than the Melia Hotel in Hanoi) !