wanderlust Archives

Bali November 20, 2016

Bali Sights Part 1 – Unimpressive Tourist Attractions but a Crazy Good Spa Find!

Date of travel: November 2016 Recommended Driver: Mano (+62 856 3778 685) (let him know you got the contact from Jeremy!) Bali has always been reverently known as the Island of the Gods, aptly so, as almost every corner finds you in a breath-taking landscape you never knew could exist. Prior to this trip, I have hardly ever been to Bali, except for a few times MANY years ago, staying at Hard Rock Hotel (what a shame to have missed out on the gorgeous villas available everywhere) and travelling no further than the beach down the road. This trip has been quite an eye-opener and I am certain there will be many more trips soon to explore more parts of Bali! Check out the video here! (Bump the quality up to HD!) Although we stayed in a villa 30minutes from Ubud, it took us one day to realize that touristy…

Seoul September 27, 2016

10 Things You Must Eat in Seoul!

Travel Date: September 2016 Anyone who has ever been to Seoul knows that 4 full days in this busy city is wayyyyy too short. Unfortunately, because my girlfriends J, S, and I booked a last-minute trip to Seoul over dinner 2 weeks before (#yolo right?), beggars can’t be choosers and the return flight prices were the most ideal during those dates. So with only 4 days and approximately 13 meals – every meal had to count. We planned most of our trips according to food (and shopping) in the area, and here’s 10 things you absolutely have to eat on your next trip to Seoul! Special thanks to J who did most of the planning this trip haha! #1. Budae Jjigae This was definitely on the top of our list to eat – Budae Jjigae (army stew) is shown in almost all Korean shows, making us salivate every single time.…

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…

Uncategorized June 1, 2016

5 Reasons to Get Travel Insurance (and how to use it)

Everybody knows what Travel Insurance is – it’s that thing that kiasu people buy before they go on a holiday, in case die or kena earthquake hor? Or.. it’s that thing that airlines sneakily add into your fare (then you have to remember to uncheck the box, if not your GOOD DEAL airfare of $80 suddenly becomes $150++ , because of travel insurance, upgrades, seat selection, meals, yada yada) and honestly, alot of people don’t buy travel insurance because we travel so often (#wanderlust #yolo #vacay) that we think – what are the odds of anything happening to us? Even an extra $25 not worth it! I travel quite a fair bit, especially short trips, so i totally feel your pain (go batam ferry ticket only $48 but travel insurance $20+ very expensive leh!) But recently I’ve been able to appreciate travel insurance a little better. So here’s 5 reasons…

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…

Accomodation March 15, 2016

Lexis Hibiscus Port Dickson, Malaysia – Villa Getaway by Coach (Must-Go!)

Lexis Hibiscus Port Dickson – 12th Mile, Jalan Pantai, Pasir Panjang, Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, 71250, Malaysia Date of Stay: March 2016 So we’ve been pretty burnt out at work and I wanted to arrange a surprise 3d2n getaway to celebrate his birthday, but I severely underestimated the cost of a whole trip for 2 (2 x transportation, accommodation… why so ex?!). I spent days searching for a place which was not too far away, a little luxurious yet not too expensive, what a typical Singaporean! No flights, since they were too damn ex – so I was left with either Indonesia or Malaysia to run to! After comparing prices, and hotels, I decided on Port Dickson. Port Dickson (Malaysia) is situated about an hour away from Kuala Lumpur, approximately 5 hours by bus from Singapore. Thankfully, they had a direct coach from Singapore straight to the hotel (SGD$70/round trip), so the transportation was pretty straightforward. Why…