Euro Travel & More

A friend who was heading up to Paris asked me where he should go eat – a must eat – in Paris and I recommended an outdoor cafe in Paris called the Au Petit Sud Quest – located at the  Avenue de la Bourdonnais.  If you can’t find your way there – check with your hotel concierge.   The prices range from $50 – $90 per person but it will be one of the best meal you’ve eaten anywhere.

What so special about this little outdoor cafe?  first you can sit indoors if you wished but I always choose to eat outside because of the beautiful scenery and all walks of people come by here.  The service is awesome and they have a very well stocked cellar in the cafe.  I loved the way they are so personable – while everyone says that in Paris – the french just don’t want to speak in other languages – but the owner of the cafe is very nice.  I speak very little french – but they were very kind to us. The best part was that they took time to explain to us about the dish and how it was cooked.  This place is about wine, duck and foie gras  and because I loved mushroom so much – they made a nice crepe with mushroom for me.  For dessert we had the creme brulee – what else!  so if you are headed out to Paris – check out this little cafe/restaurant.

One can choose to take a scenic flight on this small planes or a helicopter ride if you don’t want to spend hours on a bus tour – which was what we did.  We figured a helicopter ride would be more fun  we were traveling with kids – but a planer ride was just as good – according to my cousins who went up in a 4 engine plane with Scenic.We chose the Grand Canyon Deluxe and it was worth every penny we paid for. They pick you from your hotel and there were quite a number of people waiting for the same tour but of course different planes and helicopter – then they showed us some safety video and we were on our way.The Scenic flew us over Hoover Dam, Lake Mead and finally the Grand Canyon – so if you are in Boulder – make sure you take book a tour to see the Grand Canyon.

Many years ago before I migrated to Canada – I used to do a lot of traveling for work – little did I know that when the spouse came to visit me in Asia – he too was not really having a vacation – he was traveling to find distributors and suppliers for his business.  Looking for gadgets, bearings , games and any electronic suppliers in Asia wasn’t easy at all, but we did walked the factory streets and went to the more remote factory distributors looking for them – not with a lot of success though.  I wasn’t prepared for all the walking that’s for sure – I was in heels, but if we were to travel for work now – it would be different altogether – for I would be wearing the best flats I can find.   So if we ever go on vacation with the spouse, you can be sure his interest is only to find distributors and suppliers for his work and not for pleasure.

A yoga retreat once a year is the best gift anyone can gift to their spouse/partner or even girlfriend and boyfriend.  The Horizon Ocean View Hotel and Yoga Center is heavenly.  The owners are very friendly and they really took care of us when we were there.  Food was great and it really revitalized us completely – I remembered telling myself that we will be back – the day we checked out.

This was our cabin during our vacation – we noticed a lot of couples and some honeymooners.

This is the tea cafe – we’ve enjoyed many daylights here.

Yoga room at the Horizon.

And our own personal pool that we dipped in a couple of times a day. The resort was huge and we were fed well – in different places every evening after our surfing classes, massages and yoga classes.  We also had horse riding sessions if we chose to and surfing was another sport we tried while we were there.  The meals were provided by the resort – you just use the meal vouchers.  This place is absolutely beautiful and definitely cheap – so cheap that I want to book my next trip even before I left.  Check out their website for more info.

I’ve stayed at the Trump Int’l Hotel, Las Vegas with my boss and engineers when I was working for a Spanish company in Madrid – because we needed to be there to look into a project for parking meters – I think it was a tender followed by some negotiation with the clients.  Anyhow, we were at the Trump International many times and each time I arrived in Las Vegas and enter the hotel I’ll have to say – I loved the grandeur of the hotel – unfortunately, there is this damn train that I can’t seem to get away from – and it definitely disrupt my sleep – so much – that I had to buy ear plugs. Other than that – the Trump Hotel in Las Vegas – treated us well – and we love the rates there.

And since there is no casino here – we could have our business meetings in the hotel itself and for those who loved to gamble or try their luck – the Ceasar casino and Wynn are not far from the Trump.  The strip and fashion mall  are just opposite of the hotel  – so if you need to shop or eat or do anything – they are just within walking distance.  Another thing to note is the resort fees that they charged – my hotel bills were paid by the company – but every time I see someone check in or out – there were always a big argument about it.   Different people were charged differently too – so irregardless whether you use the pool, gym or the shuttle you still have to pay this resort fees.

I do love the room, they were big and spacious and the penthouse that my boss stayed in on the 65th floor – was awesome – they even have their own butler there for the boss – I was so jealous!  but my boss had offered me his penthouse – but of course I didn’t change room with him.

I think every room has it own jacuzzi tub – and I do enjoy it a lot.

We eat our breakfast by the pool every morning before heading out to our business meetings – it’s nice to see people swimming first thing in the morning – but we were all dressed up in business suits.  Lots of sunbed here – no worry about not getting your tan.  For a little over a $100 a nite at the Trump – we cannot ask for more.

So you are thinking of bringing your kids for a vacation this Christmas – but of course – you need a hotel that is kid friendly and have certain amenities for kids as well.  But you also don’t want to pay top dollars for just accommodation alone for you want to leave some spending money so that you and your kids can buy some souvenirs home right?   I can understand it completely – but do you want to just choose a hotel with a pool and pool safety fence or do you want also restaurants for them to eat in – as well as an amusement park nearby for convenience reason?  What about the rooms?  do you want a hotel to provide those free roll-in bed or a sofa bed?  yes you have to take all these into consideration.

The Westin Chosun is one of my favorite hotel when I am in Asia – not only is it reasonable in prices – it is kid’s friendly as well as very near a shopping market.

The Myeong dong market is like a cluster of shopping center together – they have loads of high end shops here – and you can shop till you drop.  I loved the street food on the Myeong Dong Market – and everything is just so cheap there.

The interior of the Westin Chosun is pretty luxurious as you can view from this picture – very much like a Japanese hotel but much bigger rooms.  The pool is an olympic size pool and you can see children playing at the children’s pool and although they do not have safety fences like the B & B’s in the West – you also will be in awe of the Olympic size pool that most western hotels do not have but definitely kid’s friendly.

I had been meaning to write about White Point Beach Resort for a few weeks now – and yes – for those who have been to White Point Beach Resort – you will be kinda sad like I was.  I know that White Point had planned to renovate in 2012 from a  government  loan and now to have it destroy by fire – will cost more money to renovate? or will the insurance take care of it.  What was the caused of the fire – I don’t think we know anything about it till now.  The resort had been operating for many, many years now and is a very popular destination for weddings and holiday makers.  Below are some pictures of the resort taken during our various visits throughout my years in Canada.

My in-laws will travel to as far as USA for the bluegrass festival in their motorhome – and now that they are both retired – it’s a great opportunity for them to travel as much as they want.  With a good motorhome insurance they can go just about anywhere in the world – without worrying about anything.   I told the spouse that when our kid is grown up – we should be like his parents and travel around in a motorhome – it’s a great way to travel – but i don’t want a huge motorhome   – a medium size one is great for us and with all the comfort of home and not having to stay in crappy hotels – i loved it.  I think my in-laws like their motorhome when they travel is because they can travel the way they like and freely.

Some of the best food in Hong Kong are found on the street – someone told me before I first visited Hong Kong – that you can forgo any kind of food in Hong Kong – but you have to taste all the street food in Hong Kong.  Not only are they cheap they are darn good.  Don’t be mislead that street food in Hong Kong isn’t clean – in fact – they are just as clean – or more than the high class restaurants that you go to in Hong Kong.   I loved the curry fishballs on skewer  and the octopus on skewer – and not forgetting the siew mai on skewer and sweet chilli sauce as well.

Made of flour and eggs – this is a local delicacy – for all Hong Kongers – it’s like an afternoon snack for them.

Fried Hor Fun may not be exactly street food – but you can find them in small chinese cafe in Hong Kong – they are definitely a must try – loved their dry hor fun.  Try the ones with sambal -  it’s in a pretty high class restaurant in Hong Kong – taste different but only if you like it hot.

Polo bun is a must when you are in Hong Kong – yummy to the max.

And my favorite red bean ice dessert – also another must eat and drink.

I love going to Ipoh in Malaysia – of course  there is more than just Roti Prata in Ipoh – in fact lately Ipoh had been quite the vibrant town with lots of resorts everywhere.   But I do like the roti prata in Ipoh – the fluffy piece of flour – and a good bowl of curry to dip them in – and if  you are lucky – you may even get a piece of chicken or lamb.   From the Strawberry park to the Banjaran Hot Spring Resort – depending on your budget – I say Ipoh, Malaysia is a fabulous place to visit if you are in Asia.  But the Banjaran Hot Spring Resort is my destination when I visit Asia next – or should I say when I go home next.