The Big Hotel (Singapore) for my Small Budget

I can't help but share this relatively new hip hotel I've discovered when I went for a short hiatus in February this year. When I travel alone, I always go for affordable, clean and safe accommodation. Singapore hotels are generally expensive and small, except of course, if you stay in Marina Bay Sands or other high end hotels. I'm so grateful that I stumbled upon this hotel in Agoda website. I was a little bit apprehensive as the place seems dodgy but I took the risk of staying there. My only consolation at the time of booking was its good location, Bugis area. If all else fail, I know, I'm safe as I have been there a couple of times.

It was a late check in as my flight from Sydney arrived at 7pm. I was greeted with a friendly staff and the hotel smells good. As soon as I entered my room, I was impressed as the layout is not the usual and I always check the bed, pillows and  underneath the bed area as I had horrible experience with bedbugs. 

The bed is comfortable and the sheets and pillows are superb. The cab waiting area is cute, check out the photo below. Also, it came with free breakfast, it wasn't that great though but the value I paid for was worth more than what I got. You may want to try this place next time you stay in SG.

P.S. I wasn't paid to write this. I'm just so happy with the place, staff warm reception and  the service was good. And I forgot, there's free wi-fi and they have a big digital weighing scale for our luggages ha.ha.

Wine Bar & Bistro

Cab Waiting Area

KL Food Trail Walking Tour

Last month, I went on a short break. My annual "ME" time. There have been a lot of things going on that stress started really to kick in. I was losing weight...not that I don't like it ha.ha. but I want to shed pounds the normal way.

I was away for almost two weeks. I started my short journey in Singapore, then visited my folks and spent Valentine's day with my husband ha.ha.ha. in the Philippines, and lastly went to Kuala Lumpur. I also had my dental crown made as it was freaking expensive here in Sydney.

The highlight of my stay in KL is the food tour, not to mention shopping ha.ha.It's highly recommended for it explains and shows the different cultures in Malaysia and of course, one gets to taste the flavourful food of the country. It lasted almost four hours, with in between breaks. We started in Little India and ended in Chinatown. Below are the pictures, enjoy browsing!

It started with a cup of freshly made sugar cane juice. 

Handmade Flower Garlands

at Little India

Some local produce in the market.

Authentic Indian Lunch...ate using our hands.

Indian Snacks

Different Fritters

Cendol stall. Traditional dessert in Malaysia.Mixture of shaved ice, jelly worms, coconut milk & palm sugar.

China Town

Tour ended with Chinese food.

Cronulla and Bundeena Weekend

The last quarter of this year turned crazier than the previous year. A lot of things happened. My children joining competitions, learning new tasks and end of financial year in my workplace, struggling with my CPA subject and my list just go on and on. November is my birth month and with my husband visiting, our family decided to go somewhere one weekend to unwind.

Cronulla is located in the southern part of Sydney. It's known for its beaches. Bondi is becoming really crowded so travelling to Cronulla is worth the try for a change. We love the area. Nice beach. It gave us that Surfer's Paradise feeling once more and most of all, lots of fancy places to eat. We also checked out Bundeena. It is a village near Cronulla. We took a short ferry ride to go there. Whoa! It was a lovely place. I would love to retire in that area for it so quiet and isolated. One weekend is really not enough to enjoy these places.

Cronulla Wharf

Off to Bundeena

Cronulla Beach

Early morning walk at Cronulla CBD

St. Mary MacKillop Church & Museum

Last month, I decided to visit St. Mary MacKillop Church North Sydney. It was Black Saturday and the kids aren't around so I decided to have my regular "ME" time. The walk from the train station wasn't that bad. It took me less than 10 minutes.

St. Mary MackKillop is the first Australian saint who was canonized in 2010. Her life story was interesting. I spent a short while inside the chapel then I headed to visit the museum. The place was very serene. Here are some of the photos I took while touring.

A day in paradise...The Farm

We went for a quick holiday to the Philippines, our native land and Singapore weeks ago. I've been hearing great reviews from good friends about The Farm. As early as January, I booked a day tour for the family. We had vegan lunch, which I never imagined will turn out fine for carnivores like us, a relaxing massage( so good that I snored like a pig ha.ha.) , enjoyed the serenity of the place and savoured every moment spent in this piece of paradise. Next time, it will be an overnight stay. Here's a quick tour of the place, hopefully, when you visit the Philippines, The Farm will be included in your itinerary.

Sabina says:

What I particularly like about The Farm is their menu. As a meat-lover, the thought of pure vegan food fascinated me. I really like pasta, so I was relieved that they had spaghetti in the kid's menu. It tasted wonderful, and despite the fact that I always need to have a little bit of meat in the red sauce, the flavour never changed. As I was eating, I noticed there were little crunchy bits in my pasta. Having a wobbly tooth, I though it was one of my teeth. We later learned it was coconut bacon.

Road leading to The Farm

into Organic Farming

Freshly picked Makopa