Cameron Highland Resort - Malaysia

After staying in hustling and bustling Kuala Lumpur, this highland getaway quickly came on top of our destination list. Cameron Highland Resort described as 'a little corner of England in Asia' set in a lush greenery over looking 18 hole golf course simply hard for us to resist. Three and a half hour driving and partly through winding road to get there should not be a big deal for us. 


It was quite fascinating to see the contrast between the capital city we left a moment ago to the countryside we just entered. An idyllic scenery followed us endlessly. Our sat-nav lost its signal half way through, but it failed to concern us. We finally made it to Cameron Highland Resort. 


We were welcomed by two friendly staff who handled our luggage and car efficiently. Very impressed. Then all we had to do was climbing rather steep but beautifully decorated marble staircases to get to the lobby. Good job we did not come far, had we were stuck in the car for longer, it would have been quite a struggle to get to the lobby with wobbly legs :)


Homey and christmasy ambiance got in to us instantly as soon as we entered the lounge and reception area. We could easily imagine to celebrate christmas here must be quite an unforgettable experience. But, let's not rush. We had to discover more about the resort.

After checked-in, we were escorted to our room. We found our room to be spacious, nicely furnished, clean and comfortable. It came with a balcony complete with patio chairs. It must be lovely to sit there just to relax and enjoy the sun. But as we noticed the rain was about to drop any minute, we decided to stay in and enjoy our afternoon tea. 

Minutes later, our high tea has arrived. Three tiers of cakes, savouries and of course, scones with clotted cream and jams on the side. What else would we need? 

'Well.. we still need a good and substantial dinner', we said to answer our own question. The high tea was sufficient to satisfy our belly empty, hollow hungry, but we certainly would not turn down the opportunity to dine at Gonbei, the only Japanese Restaurant in the whole Cameron Highland!


Came 6.30 PM, we made our way to Gonbei. An open plan restaurant with a background of the forest. We were greeted warmly by the staff and soon shown the menu. They did not have a great selections to choose from, we noticed. But it actually helped us to make our choices a lot easier. We went for Japanese set menu that consisted of buffet appetizer and dessert and shabu-shabu as main course. Perfect comfort food for rather chilly evening.

We helped ourselves with a small portion of chuka wakame and sushi to start with. Once we were finished with the appetizers, the waiter offered to choose the shabu-shabu mixed, which he did really well. Started with fresh and locally produced vegetables, followed by chicken fillet, fish and red meat all together and finished by some noodles and fish balls. We enjoyed the vegetables and the mixed meat, but could miss out the noodles and fish balls. We found them quite tasteless.

For the dessert, we took another visit to the buffet and served ourselves with cakes, fresh fruit and walnuts. So hard to ignore the temptations..

The next morning, we were woken up by the clunking noise from outside. We assumed it came from the tractor working on the golf course or it could be delivery truck. We were too lazy to check it out. Thank God the noise did not last for long. 


Just before noon, we got ourselves ready as we wanted to check out the other restaurant. But unfortunately it only open during dinner time. Light lunch only served at Jim Thomson Tea Room. Well.. why not?! So, we ordered salad of home cured wild salmon and potato and leek soup. They both came out not too bad. Filled the gap, shall we say. Then we continued to have home made chicken leek and mushroom with English parsley mash and cauliflower cheese. It was served hot and tasty, just the bottom part of the pastry was slightly undercooked, the cauliflower cheese was too runny and lacking in cheese. Otherwise, it was a rather pleasant 'pub grub' to go with a good bottle of Wither Hills Marls Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. 

With a property set up strongly influenced by English style, one would expected a great selection of cheese at the end of a meal. But this time we were likely had to settle with citrus creme brulee and a plate of sliced brie. 

Patio furniture in the tea room indeed looked attractive, but at the end it got rather uncomfortable to sit on after a while crouching through our lunch. We then moved to the bar. We had a nice chat with the staff while enjoying last drop of our wine. 


Few hours later, we found ourselves still at the bar and fancied something hot like the shabu-shabu we had in the previous evening. So, we were off back to the Gonbei. Quick supper then we decided to try their 'Sake Bar' just to find out they currently only have one type of sake. Ah well... next time better.


Minutes later, we had a visit from the food and beverage manager of Cameron Highland Resort. A very pleasant person who appreciates any comments and suggestions that his guests have in mind. He promised us a freshly cooked breakfast in the morning.


Waking up fresh the next day, we could not wait to have our breakfast. And it was a delicious breakfast indeed, served in a beautifully laid out dining room. We had each - two free range poached eggs served on top of potato croquette with herb sausage, plum tomato and hollandaise sauce. Well worth the trip!

We certainly had a lovely stay there. We would come back again and may even try a game of golf once the course has finished. For a couple who fancy a romantic getaway, this place would guarantee an unforgettable experience. The staff would be more than happy to arrange a private dinning, a picnic or even down to the gifts for the ladies. 


Cameron Highland Resort
By The Golf Course, 39000 Tanah Rata
Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia
Phone: +60 32783 1000
http://www.cameronhighlandsresort.com/

Hotel Metropole Santa Margherita Ligure - Italy

If you find French Riviera is overrated and full of wannabe's - not your cup of tea, we recommend you to visit Italian Riviera. Santa Margherita Ligure, to be exact. No more than two hours drive from Cannes and you will discover a beautiful lake view, delicious italian cuisine and more friendly, down to earth people. 

We have stayed in Hotel Metropole many times and we always had enjoyable stays. Comfortable room with great view, direct access to the beach and walking distance to centre of the town. On top of that, if you fancy popping in to Portofino, where the celebrities are likely to be seen, it is only a half an hour drive away. 

The restaurant at the hotel is excellent, it offers good italian food made with fresh produce and served in such delicate old-fashion way where the staff actually mix the salad dressing at your table, to your liking. Alternatively, there are plenty of local restaurants within walking distance from the hotel. Try 'Da Michele' at Largo Amendola 17, if you fancy fresh catch of the day cooked in ligurian style or 'La Cambusa' at Via Tomaso Bottaro 2, for its insalata di polpo (potato and squid salad) and other authentic italian dishes, of course. You will be spoilt by the array of selections. We certainly did!

Either traveling on your own or with your love ones, you will spend a week easily in Santa Margherita Ligure. There are plenty to do and discover... 
Do not forget to have morning cappuccino at local cafe to start your day!


Hotel Metropole
Via Pagana 2
+39 0185 286 134 
www.metropole.it

Rome Cavalieri - Italy

After unimpressive stay in Milan, we thought we should treat ourselves by staying at Rome Cavalieri. As we have been told by our friends that this hotel apparently is quite exceptional. Well..  There is no better way than to see it ourselves. 


Like in most italian cities, the traffic in Rome is guaranteed hectic. Scooters, cars, trucks came from all directions. What fascinated us most were the italian drivers in their cool, branded dark glasses at all time even when the weather is overcast :)


As we drove closer to the hotel, we noticed that the traffic was beginning to thin down. We began to wonder if we were in the right direction as we got the feeling that we just entered a residential area. Thank goodness for sat-nav, we finally arrived. 


Our imagination of a roman palatial building was diminished as soon as we stop the car in front of the hotel entrance. Instead, we have a brown, square and very ordinary looking building that looked like an apartment block in our opinion. "Keep a positive mind.", we said to ourselves. 

We soon greeted by the door-man who gave us a hand with our luggage. We then entered the lobby to check-in. Well, at that point we actually started to get the feeling of the grandeur of the hotel. Well, at least from the art collections, long curtains, period furnishing all around. Though they could have improved the lighting to dramatize the effect of having those decorations.


Minutes later we were shown our Alcove Suite. It was a good size suite with separate lounge area with a massage chair and a balcony over looking the centre of Rome plus a complimentary italian prosecco, despite the fact it was not quite like the pictures we saw on the website. Never mind, pictures on website are often deceiving anyways. We would just enjoy the most what we were paying for. 

During our stay, we dined at 'L'uliveto' as we could not get a table at three michelin star 'La Pergola'. Our overall experience at L'Uliveto was average. We liked the lay out of the restaurant, very Mediterranean. It gave us a hint of summer, although it was rather cold outside. We had our favourite, the spaghetti vongole. But it was slightly over salted and the portion was too generous. 


Remembered that we still have a bottle of prosecco waiting, we went back to the suite right after lunch. We sat at the balcony, enjoying the view of sunset in Rome while taking a sip of italian bubbly. So serene.. 

If you are looking for a holiday in tranquil surrounding of Rome, this hotel would be a perfect get away. But be prepared to splash out quite a few bob ;) 


Rome Cavalieri
Via Alberto Cadlolo 101
+39 06 350 91
www.romecavalieri.com

Hilton Hotel Milan - Italy

You cannot really go wrong staying at Hilton hotels anywhere in the world. You will get similar type of accommodation whether you are in Asia, Europe or somewhere else. One good example is Hilton Milano. We stayed there a couple of days en-route to Rome. 

Modern, bright and colourful reception area with mediocre level of service. Our executive room was compact, clean and fresh with high ceiling that we appreciate, furnished accordingly, comfortable but lack of personal touch. Ideal for short stay, but too 'cold' for longer stay, in a way that there was no warmth or sense of home feeling. 

Being in Italy we naturally expect to get an exceptional italian cuisine in an italian restaurant. Which we did not quite get at Pacific Milano Restaurant. The staff were not very attentive and the food was below average. Tuna tartar was tasteless, antipasti mix were ok and the pasta was unnecessarily huge. No portion and quality control there. We have noticed that the meal served were not prepared with fresh produce. Which we found very unusual in Italy. 

Nevertheless, location wise was ideal to our purpose. Walking distance to central station and a short taxi ride to the famous Duomo. Which not far from there we accidentally found 'Il Ristorante Trussardi Alla Scala' (www.trussardiallascala.com) a very fashionable place to dine. The food there were sublime!! Well worth trying! We were lucky to get a table without an advance booking, but we would strongly suggest that you do, as they can get really busy. 

Hilton Milan

Via Luigi Galvani 12

+39 02 69831

http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/MILHITW-Hilton-Milan-hotel/index.do

Grand Hotel Eden Lugano - Switzerland

We went to Grand Hotel Eden in Lugano after our visit to Geneva. The hotel concierge recommended us to this particular hotel as it has the best view of the lake. Lugano itself apparently known as the city where the rich from Italy like to spend their holidays, so obviously they have plenty of good restaurants, high-end boutiques and on top of that they happened to have sport car exhibition that week. Well, that was enough to convince us to go. So, we got into the car and took off. In less than four hours, we have finally arrived. It was rather exciting to see the changes in style of the properties along the way as we approaching the city centre. Very italian, yet we were still in Switzerland.


The concierge of Metropole Hotel Geneva was not kidding, the lake view from the hotel was magnificent, we noticed it immediately. But, not too sure about the hotel itself though. The overall look of the hotel interior and exterior was rather grubby. The hotel lobby was badly lit, badly furnished, out-dated to be exact and not very inviting, but at least the staff were friendly and efficient, typical Swiss. The room that we booked delivered an unobstructed view as promised, but the sleeping accommodation and the bathroom were no difference to the lobby. Simply out-dated. 

During our stay, we took a stroll along the promenade that led us to the heart of the city. Even it was off-season, this area still buzzing with the locals doing their daily shopping, taking kids for a train ride and take a glimpse of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Bugatti on display. 

Back to the hotel, we went to the Oasis restaurant. Open and bright dining area with the lake view (of course!). We had mediocre italian meals and finished by Crepe Suzette made at the table by the Maitre D'. That was a nice touch and the result was exceeding our expectation. Light crepe with delicate orangey jus with a hint of Grand Marnier poured on top of a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Heaven!!

We would certainly come back there again in near future and in the meantime, let's hope they refresh the whole establishment. That would make a huge difference. 


Grand Hotel Eden - Lugano, Switzerland
Riva Paradiso 1
+41 (0) 91 985 9200
www.edenlugano.ch

Conrad Hotel Hong Kong

So glad to be back here after a disastrous trip to Toronto. A long fifteen hours flight seemed well worth it. Even with the long queue to get through Hong Kong immigration. 


Minutes later, we found ourselves sitting comfortably in a Mercedes that the hotel has arranged to pick us up. Smooth forty minutes journey from the beginning to the end. 


It was nice to have noticed that after we passed the second toll booth, the driver made a phone call to the hotel to inform the staff of our arrival in few minutes. And voilaa.. There they were, standing by the entrance door smiling giving a warm welcome and assisting us with the luggage. Made us feel like home immediately. Check-in was fast and efficient too.


With the keys in hand, the receptionist then escorted us to our room. A nice, compact and comfortable room with city view from 55th floor will be our residence for the next four nights. Fantastic! 


Our suitcases arrived few minutes later along with a tray of welcome tea served in chinese porcelain and a teddy bear! What a lovely touch! 

Well... the tea was good, but unfortunately it did not get rid of rumble in the tummy. Quick shower and diner is highly required at this point. All set within twenty minutes then off we went down to Nicholini's - one of our favourite italian restaurants, where the staff have prepared a nice table in the booth to give us not only comfort and space but also some privacy. Another impressive touch! How could we compare this to our last visit to Toronto??!!


Not wasting any the time, we ordered our meal. We started with cream porchini soup with truffle, followed by linguini vongole then baked trout wrapped in bacon served with lentils. Accompanied by a bottle of chilled Vermentino from Sardegna. Yes, we intended to have a four-courses of meal like most italian do with sweet treat at the end.

In between the linguini vongole and baked trout, we were served a small scoop of lime sorbet to clear the palate. A fine signature by the chef that we do not get very often these days. It really worked to bring out  all delicate flavours of the main course. Beautiful!

Although the wine was not the best choice that we have made for the whole selection of meals that we have ordered, it was actually went very well with the trout dish and the dessert. Oh yes, we chose vanilla souffle each of us. We did not mind the twenty minute waiting as we need some time to go through the tray full of sweets anyways. 

When the souffle eventually arrived, they were soooo good! Very well made, fluffy and light. The passion fruit dressing made it even better. Great choice! 


Conrad Hong Kong
Pacific Place, 88 Queensway, Hong Kong
+852 2521 3838
conradhotels1.hilton.com

Millenium Hilton Hotel Bangkok

We were very fortunate to have visited Bangkok before the recent flood. We had a lovely time there although the heat really got in to us. For accommodation, our choice went to Hilton Millennium. Reasonably new hotel that has great view of Chao Praya River and has several restaurants at the premises. Very important aspect for us considering how much we love our food :)

Great choice of hotel indeed. We were welcomed by the hotel staff as soon as we reached the exit door, assisted us with the luggage and directed us to the car. Nice and comfortable BMW 5 series plus very informative driver made our over half an hour journey from the airport to the hotel enjoyable. 


The arrival at the hotel was not as smooth as the we would have expected though. As soon as we got out of the car, we were left alone. Naturally assumed that as Hilton Honors member we should check in at the designated area, we took a seat at the lounge that has huge sign for Hilton Honors and check-in desk hoping somebody would assisted. Ten minutes later somebody finally came. Not a very happy looking female staff checked us in at the end, gave us the keys and showed us where the lifts were. 


We made it to the suite at last. Extremely exhausted and still suffering from jet lag, we were happy to find our suite was clean, fresh and spacious. It came with fresh flowers, a bowl of tropical fruit and bottled water, nice little touch. The view was also great, as described on the website.

After we got ourselves cleaned up, we decided to have room service. We ordered fried rice with pineapple and some sushi. They were delivered within about half an hour and looked rather attractive. They tasted very good too!!

The next morning we decided to take a tour around Bangkok. We started with a visit to Royal Palace then Railway Market and ended at Floating Market. The heat was unbearable but the trip was well worth it. We got back to the hotel just in time before diner. Quick shower then we went up to the Yuen Chinese Restaurant. We got a nice table in the booth. The food was lovely, but too bad that the restaurant was very quiet so the staff started to hover around our table and rushing the service.

At the other occasion, we went to the posher restaurant at the hotel called Prime steakhouse. Different to their Thai speciality restaurant, Maya, Prime actually gave a nice feeling as soon as we entered the restaurant. Open plan, well decorated and well laid out dining place. It came with good size tables covered with white linen table cloths, comfortable chairs and fresh flower. Staffs were friendly too. Impressive.

We chose a table with the view of the river and started going through their menu on iPad. Yes, an iPad. We did not get an ordinary menu book, but we got an iPad. Pretty cool! 


Two hours gone by and we have devoured foie gras, tasty steak tartar made at the table and finished by chocolate souffle! A perfect sweet ending to our evening. 


If you enjoy a good steak and good selection of wine, try this restaurant and share your experience with us!


Millennium Hilton Hotel Bangkok
123 Charoennakorn Road, Klongsan, Bangkok, Thailand 10600
+66 2 442 2000
www.bangkok.hilton.com