getaway Archives - evannsee

Accomodation September 16, 2016

Seoul Station Airbnb – Perfect For Seoul-Searching below $150 (Must-Go!)

Sweet Studio @ Seoul Station (click link) First time on Airbnb? Get $40 credit! Date of visit: September 2016 Perfect for : 3 -4 pax Seoul was a very impromptu trip for my girls and I, having decided and planned only a couple of weeks in advance. Air tickets were pricey at $800+ (Korean Airlines) due to last minute booking, and we could not spare too much time for accommodation research, in case everywhere would be booked out! That being said, it was my FIRST time in Seoul and I’ve been watching Running Man and various K-dramas enough to be a little giddy over it, sarang-hae! Hotels.com provided quite a few options, however as we had 3 pax, the comfortable places were quite pricey, at least $190/night. 5 nights would be a huge dent for us, less moolah for shopping yo! With this thought, we turned to Airbnb in search for…

Batam July 5, 2016

Lotte Mart Wholesale in Batam – YES!! (Must-Go!)

Lotte Mart Wholesale – Jl. Engku Putri, Batam Centre Core kel. Gulf Tering, district Kota Batam, Batam, Riau islands Date of visit: July 2016 Having stayed in USA for a year, I’ve grown to appreciate Costco and their wholesale supermarkets – being able to buy things in BULK (like serious bulk) and feeling like I’ve saved a ton of money. I think I’ve once bought like 60 packets of instant Quakers flavoured oatmeal for $15 or something… cool right?? That’s something I miss in Singapore, going grocery shopping with my friends and buying the staple things in bulk. So imagine my excitement when I stumbled into Lotte Mart Wholesale on a weekend trip to Batam! WHAT IS LOTTE MART Lotte Mart Wholesale is a super-sized grocery store aimed to provide businesses (retail, hotels..) and SMEs with quality products at very competitive prices. They use a membership system with these businesses (sending…

Accomodation June 22, 2016

Ban Sainai – Krabi’s Hidden Gem below $150 (Must-Go!)

Ban Sainai –550, Soi Aonang 11/1, Moo 2, Aonang Beach, Krabi, Krabi, 81000, Thailand, ‏‎800 120 6467 Date of Visit: May 2016 During my last trip to Krabi, we needed a stopover place to stay before our flight home, as we were in Koh Lanta for the majority of the time (see my review on the gorgeous Atlanta Villa). Because it was only for a night, I was issued a strict budget and reminder to be practical haha! I kept overlooking this particular hotel on Hotels.com since it looked rather “rustic” and “scruffy” from the first glance – no doubt it had a nice rustic charm, BUT I didn’t particularly want to sleep on wooden floors and straw cottages, so I never did any research on it. However, since the rooms started from $60+ a night (wow!) and had a great rating score of 4.8/5 on Hotels.com and was also listed as one…

Accomodation May 14, 2016

Atlanta Villa – Koh Lanta, Thailand – Villa Paradise below $150 (Must-Go!)

Atlanta Villa – 429 Moo 2 Saladan, Ko Lanta, Krabi, 81150, Thailand Date of Visit: May 2016 Since we were visiting Krabi (for the first time) for about 6 days, we really wanted to stay on one of the islands nearby. I was torn between Phi Phi and Koh Lanta, and so I read reviews and blogs to decide. Conclusion: Phi Phi Island is prettier, but wayyyyyy more touristy. Koh Lanta is apparently also pretty, but quieter and slower. So Koh Lanta it was, since I’m honestly not a fan of hordes of tourists shouting and being rude, and jacked up prices. Accommodations weren’t hard to find, as Hotels.com had plenty of cheap and legit-looking hotel rooms starting from $24. However, I wanted something reallllly special and outstanding – and I found it! Atlanta Villa was rated 5/5 on both Hotels.com AND Tripadvisor – despite the photos looking meh, when I read into the reviews,…

Taiwan April 26, 2016

5 Reasons to visit Addiction Aquatic Development 上引水產 (Taiwan)

Addiction Aquatic Development, 上引水產 – No. 18, Alley 2, Lane 410, Minzu E Rd, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 104 When you think about Taipei, you immediately think of great (sinful) street food and awesome shopping at mainstream places like Ximending, Shilin Night Market, Raohe, Wufenpu… however, during my recent trip I was recommended a place that I absolutely fell in love with – Addiction Aquatic Development, 上引水產. Here’s 5 reasons why you need to go, like ASAP. #5. It’s easy to get there! Unlike most popular places, hipster cafes and must-go tourist areas, this place isn’t in a far-far-far away isolated area where you would have to hire a car to, and then walk for 475183012938 minutes. The nearest MRT station is Xingtian Temple Station, and then it’s a 15 minute walk. (You’ll also see the other interesting markets in the vicinity too.) After the walk, you should be all ready to…

Accomodation April 5, 2016

Time Capsule Adventure, Malaysia (Must-Go!)

Time Capsule Retreat – EB4 Belakang Sek Men Sg. Lembing (Pahang, Kuantan) Date of Stay: March 2016 Another last-minute long weekend planning led to everywhere being overbooked & ridiculously overpriced (Telunas, Langkawi, Tioman…) so I was desperate for ideas. Fortunately, I recalled that a friend of mine had mentioned that there were pretty capsule houses in Pahang, Malaysia – so we googled and bingo! We found the most amazing place to visit. (Pictures from their Facebook) Imagine getting away from the bustling city of Singapore, into a quiet town, and staying in these pretty capsules in the middle of the forest? What more could you ask for? While you are drooling, let me tell you about the experience. Transport This is the only cumbersome aspect of this holiday, the travelling to get to this ulu place. There are a few options available – we tried both A & B due to costs and…

Bandung March 3, 2016

The White Crater, Indonesia (Wanderlust-worthy!)

Date visited: Aug 2015 Entry fee: IDR 150,000 for foreigners/ person & IDR15,000 for locals. Kawah Putih (eng: White Crater) is located in Bandung, Indonesia – about 1.5-2hr drive from the city center. It is aptly named for its eerily beautiful white appearance. Unlike in normal volcano craters, the lake here is highly acidic (ranging from pH 0.5 -1.3 – please don’t fall in guys!), hence the color changes from bluish to whitish green to even brown, depending on the sulfuric concentration. The sand/rocks surrounding these waters are whitish-yellow, due to the contact with the acidic waters. The result? Breath-taking and beauuutiful – almost like a painting. Light turquoise waters, trees and greenery everywhere – if the waters were not killer-acidic, I would have taken a dip! We were terribly lucky to have visited in an off-peak season/timing, which meant almost no other tourists except for us. (Tip: We set…