An Oasis of Peace in HCMC: Legend Hotel Saigon

Posted on April 3, 2013 by admin

When you first visit Vietnam, you will face one of the largest scam scenes you can ever imagine. In this not-so-tourist-friendly environment, finding a good hotel in Ho Chi Minh City can be a challenge. Thankfully, we arrived well prepared and booked at the Legend Hotel Saigon.

Located in the heart of the District 1 in Ho Chi Minh, the Legend Hotel Saigon is located a stone’s throw away from most of the city’s attractions: the Opera House, Ben Thanh Market, Notre Dame Cathedral etc. In addition, you will also be situated close to numerous eateries and bars, ranging from the small local ones in a dark corner to the fancy elegant expat ones (our personal recommendation: Vietnam House @ Dong Khoi Street 93-95).

The Legend Hotel Saigon, managed by the Ascott group, offers 282 spacious rooms and very complete facilities. The bed we had in our river view room was truly gigantic and very comfortable. While the room is slightly outdated, it is still very comfortable and convenient. A notable mention should be made about the very fast speed Wi-Fi Internet connection available in the room, something rather rare in Vietnam.

The swimming pool of the Legend Hotel Saigon is large and surrounded by comfortable long chairs. If you want to relax after a long day at work, you will also find a Jacuzzi operating from 6PM to 9 PM every day. Towels are fresh and provided to the guests free of charge. If you are into sports, you will also be able to work out in a very complete gym.

Nevertheless, our very favorite point at the Legend Hotel Saigon is the breakfast buffet available every morning. You will be presented with a wide range of options from all corners of the world. Enjoy fresh pancakes, banana bread and a fresh espresso is a real delight before heading for a hectic day in Ho Chi Minh.

More information, pictures and booking here

Unusual Places to Stay in Bali

Posted on March 3, 2013 by admin

Of course, you can stay in one of the many luxurious resorts populating the wonderful island of Bali. Nevertheless, if you are seeking authenticity, intimacy and excitement, you might also want to explore other options. In order to make life easier for you, we compiled below some of our favourite unusual places to stay in Bali.

Unusual Places to Stay in Bali #1: A Private Holiday Villa in Bali

Renting a private holiday villa in Bali is definitely one of the most popular alternative to hotels. The reasons are simple. You will find the intimacy you might look for when traveling with your partner, an authentic Balinese setting and enough space to stay for one, two, three or more weeks. Besides, many private holiday villas in Bali actually come with a swimming pool and even a butler. What else can you ask for. See some of our favourite holiday villas in Bali here.

One of our favourite villa in Bali. From 90 Euros per night.

Unusual Places to Stay in Bali #2: A Treehouse in Bali

Located in the middle of rice fields, this absolutely unique treehouse is organised on two levels. On the top floor, you will find a comfortable closed master bedroom with a huge balcony. On the lower floor, you will find a large open space without any wall where the lounge area, the kitchen and the bathroom are located. When you come down from the top of your tree, just grab a scooter and explore the wonders of Bali surrounding you (30 minutes from Tanah Lot Temple, 1 hour from Ubud and 10mn from Echo Beach). More information, pictures and booking here.

It does not get much more intimate and unique than that… From 50 Euros per night.

Unusual Places to Stay in Bali #3: An Authentic Ashram in Bali

If you have seen Eat, Pray, Love and, like Julia Roberts, seek the same kind of peaceful environment for meditation, no need to look further. This authentic ashram in Bali (close to Ubud) has all the basic comfort one needs and provides its guests the ideal environment to continue their spiritual quest. Beware, no alcohol allowed and your bedtime will be 9 PM. Meditation and yoga session organised daily. More information, pictures and booking here.

Live the Dream at the W Hotel in Bali

Posted on March 3, 2013 by admin

After a heavenly stay in Ubud, we decided it was time to move to Bali’s coast and do it in style. Naturally, we ended up at the luxurious and hip W Hotel in Bali on the West Coast of the island. If you are looking for a more intimate option, have a look a private holiday villas in Bali through Airbnb.

This large 237-room development is located right on the beach at the North of Seminyak. If you do intend to leave this oasis of luxury, you will be only 10 minutes away from Seminyak main shopping street.

You will be welcomed in a large and pompous lobby by professional staff ready to listen to all of your needs. Our ocean facing view was large, luxurious and really equipped with all that one might need, from an iPod dock to a disposable camera and much more. And if you do not find what you need in your room, just call the Whatever Whenever concierge service and they will surely find it for you.

Nevertheless, what really made the difference for us at the W Hotel in Bali is its unique and wonderful pool literally on the beach. Enjoy the Balinese afternoon sun on one of the long chairs with a fresh cocktail in hand. Once the sun is setting, head to the adjacent Woo Bar where you will be able to catch one of the most beautiful sunset in Bali while listening to lounge music on one of the sofa.

Eventually, saying that the W Hotel in Bali is perfect would be an exaggeration. While the staff is able to provide you all that you might need, we were disappointed by their lack of knowledge about the local and typical places to visit around the hotel. Oh well, that might just be linked to the fact that most of their guests do not actually feel the need to venture out of the wonderful premises of the hotel. But still.

More information, pictures and booking for the W Hotel in Bali here

A Stay in Heaven at the Komaneka Hotel in Ubud

Posted on March 2, 2013 by admin

If you want to understand what Bali is really all about, stay away from the hyper touristy resorts of the South and explore the heart of the island, Ubud. In order to make your Bali experience as authentic as it should be, choose your hotel in Ubud well or try your luck on Airbnb for a sumptuous holiday villa. At our end, we decided to stay at the Komaneka at Rasa Sayang hotel in Ubud and did not regret it a single second.

Live the Dream at Komaneka Hotel in Ubud (credits: komaneka.com)

Everything at the Komaneka hotel started like in a fairytale. This boutique hotel in Ubud, with only 15 rooms, single handedly gave us the warmest welcome one can imagine. The staff at the Komaneka hotel has been trained in the most professional, polite and gentle way to make your trip (honeymoon?) memorable. Be sure they will remember your name and tastes throughout your stay and possibly further.

The room we had, on the first floor, was spacious, luxurious and romantic. The room at the Komaneka was designed with great taste and equipped with top notch fittings. It even included an Apple TV from which your will be able to play a large selection of songs and movies. How cool… The bathroom, almost as large as the bedroom, is also wonderfully equipped and boasts a large standalone bathtub.

After a good night of sleep, you will enjoy your breakfast in one of the most marvellous setting, above the infinite pool and overlooking the Balinese jungle. From this al fresco location, you will be able to choose several breakfast options, ranging from continental to Indonesian. Whichever option you eventually decide to go for, you will not be disappointed.

Of course, a trip to Ubud would not be complete without a cooking class, a yoga retreat or a cycling tour through the rice fields. For all of these excursions, you can count on the hotel to arrange everything for you, plan your days and help you to find the best activities at affordable rates.

After this stay in heaven, nothing else in Bali felt the same. Not even our stay at the W Hotel in Seminyak.

More information, pictures and booking about the Komaneka hotel here

Central Square Village Residence Serviced Apartments in Singapore

Posted on January 24, 2013 by admin

After a not so successful experience in my first serviced apartment in Singapore (read here), I moved to Central Square Village Residence. Managed by the reputed Far East property group and situated only 5mn away from the happening Clarke Quay neighborhood, Central Square Village Residence offers a totally different standard of serviced apartments in Singapore. Find more details and book directly here and read our review below.

First and foremost, the two-bedroom serviced apartment I had in Central Square Village was clean and perfectly sealed against insect invasions. The serviced apartment includes a comfortable master bedroom with double bed and another guest bedroom with two single beds. The bathroom is also convenient with a large shower next to the basin. The living room is spacious and equipped with a comfortable sofa as well as a large flat screen TV. Last but not least, the kitchen is also very well fitted with everything you need to prepare basic home cooked meals. And in case you wonder how you will clean all these dishes, keep in mind that you will be provided with a cleaning service three times a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday).

Beyond these basics, the Central Square Village Residence is equipped with a nice outdoor swimming pool, a sauna and a rather complete gym. While the serviced apartment in itself does not have its own washing machine, the residence has its own laundry room you can operate with a preloaded card (at the cost of 4 SGD per load). Eventually, you will also have the opportunity to enjoy a rather decent breakfast in the business center every day of the week from 7 AM to 10 AM (excluding weekends).

Last but not least, a special mention should be made about the very helpful staff at the reception desk, patient to answer all your questions about the city and supporting you to book taxis etc.

All in all, the monthly cost of Central Square Village serviced apartments in Singapore might be higher (from about 7000 SGD) than the one of my previous property but the quality of life you will enjoy during your first days in town with your partner is, in our opinion, totally worth it.

More pictures and booking here

For more options, have a look at Airbnb too, you can find quite a wide range of serviced apartments in Singapore for all budgets.

Global Residence @ Tiong Bahru Serviced Apartments in Singapore

Posted on January 24, 2013 by admin

Unfortunately, from an accommodation perspective, my arrival in Singapore was not the success I expected. You can find many serviced apartments in Singapore – all fairly expensive to be honest – and I seemed to have picked the lemon in the whole batch: Global Residence @ Tiong Bahru. If you are looking for serviced apartments in Singapore, I would therefore recommend exploring other options beforehand (Airbnb is a good place to start looking and comprises a rather wide range of properties from budget options to high end ones).

Situated in the happening neighborhood of Tiong Bahru, these serviced apartments in Singapore are ideally located, five minutes away from the MRT station, the Tiong Bahru Plaza Mall and its Fair Price supermarket. In addition, Global Residence is very well connected to the rest of the city via public transport. It was actually so close from my office that I went there walking every morning (a rare luxury in Singapore).

Nevertheless, the location of Global Residence @ Tiong Bahru is its only advantage in my eyes. The apartments that are part of Global Residence are described as “refurbished HDB flats” but I am not entirely sure of the meaning of “refurbished” in that specific case. The structure of all buildings is old, falling apart and filled with holes letting all kinds of friends into your apartment including cockroaches, lizards (sort of OK…) and rats (not OK at all). I understood I had extra guests when I entered the apartment and discovered a dozen of cockroach traps in all around and when I woke up one morning and found rats’ excrements all around my kitchen floor.

Besides this critical point, the state of the bathroom was, like the building itself, in a poor condition. You can see open pipes all around and a decoration that looks like the replica of what you could find in a dodgy petrol station. Regarding the furnishing of this serviced apartment, there is nothing particular to be mentioned. You will find basic but decent IKEA furniture across the property, some of it in a good state, other less so (e.g. repainted living room table).

In spite of the friendliness of the staff and willingness to provide extra cleaning, the issue was obviously too big to be dealt with (and not acceptable for 5000 SGD per month) and I soon moved to a much more decent serviced apartment ten minutes away from Global Residence: Central Square Village (read a complete review here).

Travelling to London with the Eurostar

Posted on November 16, 2012 by admin

There are plenty of ways to travel from Paris to London and back. Among all of them, our favorite mean of travel is the Eurostar train. Departing from the Gare du Nord in Paris and arriving in Saint Pancras station in London, the Eurostar takes approximately 2 hours and 20 minutes to connect both capitals. While the plane ride is surely shorter, the Eurostar allows you to depart from the center of Paris and arrive at the heart of London too – and therefore avoid the annoying traffic jams on your way to or from Paris and London airports.

In order to board the Eurostar, we recommend you to plan about 30 minutes to go through the check in process. In the first place, you will be asked to present your passport to both the French and British authorities. Following this first step, you will then have to go through a mandatory security check. While not as bothering as the one you will find at the airport, it still takes a bit of time to wait in line and get your belongings scanned. Eventually, you will reach the departure lounge from where you will be able to access the platform and board your train. Be aware that at times, the lounge may be very crowded since the Eurostar trains depart every hour and the passengers from both trains can happen to be in the lounge at the same time.

Once you board the train, you will be delighted to find a much more comfortable and spacious space than in the airplane. More leg space, more storage for your luggage and overall, a better comfort to work and/or rest in peace. Besides, the Eurostar also has two small bars where you will be able to grab a hot or cold meal, a bag of chips and drink at a decent price.

Eventually, if you are worried about riding a train under the English Channel, you should be reassured that that particular part of the trip takes less than 20 minutes.

Have a safe trip and let us know your experience in the Eurostar!

Holiday Inn Paris Opera Grand Boulevards

Posted on November 16, 2012 by admin

Located in the heart of Paris (in the 2nd district) and very close to the Galeries Lafayette on Boulevard Haussmann, the Holiday Inn Paris Opera Grands Boulevards is a convenient place to stay at, right between the Grands Boulevards and Bonne Nouvelle metro stations.

I regularly stay at the Holiday Inn Paris Opera Grands Boulevards for business purpose actually. While this is probably not the most romantic hotel in the city of love, if you need to commute around the center of town, it happens to be a very wise choice. In addition, this three star hotel in Paris is an economic option compared to the standards in the city (from 115 Euros).

Unfortunately, the major drawback of this hotel in the center of Paris is the very limited size of the bedroom, especially if you decide to come along with your partner. In fact, the bedroom of the Holiday Inn Paris Opera Grands Boulevards basically fits a bed and a small desk and offers a little more room for your suitcase. But that is basically it. The bathroom is also small but it is very clean and sufficient at the same time.

On the brighter side of the picture, the buffet breakfast of the Holiday Inn Paris Opera Grands Boulevards is fresh and sufficient. The selection is decent and includes fresh croissants and pains aux chocolat to stock the sufficient calories before facing the cold Parisian weather.

Therefore, while this hotel in the heart of Paris is conveniently located, you can easily understand that after a couple of days the place rapidly feels claustrophobic. Our verdict? Choose this economic option for a stopover in town but say au revoir and opt for an alternative if you intend to stay in France for more than a couple of days.

Find more information and book at the Holiday Inn Paris Opera Grands Boulevards here or see a complete list of hotels in Paris here.

The Best FC Barcelona Books

Posted on November 13, 2012 by admin

Over the past few years, FC Barcelona has developed a very successful model that allowed the team to win numerous titles both in domestic and international competitions. The coaching skills of Pep Guardiola, the FC Barcelona academy or the talent of Leo Messi have all contributed to this success. In order to understand better the success factors behind the titles, here is a selection of the best FC Barcelona books for football lovers or curious readers. If you are still not convinced by the titles mentioned below, have a look at a broader list here.

Barca: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World

Written by Graham Hunter, one of my favourite football journalist, Barca: The Making of the Greatest Team in the World is a must have for all Barça fans. You will find a lot of interesting background information about the FC Barcelona players and the history of the club in the book. For the record, Graham Hunter is the only English speaking journalist who got the chance to interview Pep Guardiola during his tenure as Barça coach. More information and order here.

Messi: The Inside Story of the Boy Who Became a Legend

Off the pitch, the Argentine genius has always been regarded as a somewhat shy and modest character – therefore making his success hard to decode in the eye of the public. Nevertheless, you will find in this book about Leo Messi a very good narration of his career from the very start and get to understand better how the star became who he is today. In addition, the book is punctuated by fascinating interviews with his relatives, coaches and friends making the story more lively than ever. A must have for any Messi fan. More information and order here.

FC Barcelona – A Tactical Analysis: Attacking

If you are more of a strategist and strive to understand the mechanics behind the beautiful game exhibited by the Catalan side, we highly recommend you this book. This FC Barcelona book depicts the core of the game developed by the team over the past 10 years and explains in detail how Pep Guardiola fine tuned this model more recently. Very insightful. More information and order here.

Following FC Barcelona news

Posted on November 13, 2012 by admin

All football fans like to keep up to date with the latest news regarding the side they cheer for. When it comes to following FC Barcelona news – because this is the team I cheer for after all – there are plenty of sources to look at. In Spain, the exceptional performance of the team over the past few years has brought a lot of media attention on the Catalan team and more specifically on its rivalry with Real Madrid. Therefore, the FC Barcelona news you will find in the Spanish press is rarely unbiased but surely passionate. Since we are writing in English, let’s first have a look at some good sources to read FC Barcelona news in English.

FC Barcelona official website: the official FC Barcelona website is available in numerous languages including English but also Chinese and Japanese. You will find all the official statements released by the club there as well as all the latest news regarding the performance of the team, the FC Barcelona line-ups before each game as well as exclusive interviews with first team players. If you are a true FC Barcelona fan, you will also be able to read the news of Barça B, the B team of the FC Barcelona competing in the Spanish second division. Reading the FC Barcelona news from the official website guarantees reliable information but obviously, this is not where you will find all of the rumors, scandals and other gossips surrounding the team.

Goal.com: this is the other website I like to use to follow FC Barcelona news throughout the year. The portal has different editions available in different languages and generally covers the news surrounding the club fast (a couple of hours after they are released by the Spanish press) and with quality writing. While the Spanish side does not receive as much attention as the Premier League, I enjoy the regular tactical analyses of the FC Barcelona game presented on the portal as well as the good coverage of transfer rumors during the mercato.

In addition, if you can read Spanish, you will have a lot more opportunities to read FC Barcelona news in real-time and written with more passion (or hate…). Here are some of our favorite websites to follow FC Barcelona news in Spanish:

Sport.es is definitely the most pro-Barcelona sports paper in the city. The editorials are worth a good look daily to feel the mood of the entire Barça community and start the day with a clear mind before heading to work. While the quality of the writing is a bit trashy at times, Sport is generally very well informed about the news surrounding FC Barcelona and is often the first website to release the information on the Internet. This is the one webpage I refresh many times to many many times a day.

ElMundoDeportivo.com is the other pro-Barcelona sports paper in town. The writing is a bit better and also less biased. Nevertheless, the content is generally very similar to the one you will read on Sport. Choose either one of the other.

On the other side of the scale, you will find two pro-Madrid sports papers: Marca (marca.com) and As (as.com). If you want to make up your own mind about the information surrounding a controversy or just want to read the latest news about Real Madrid (seriously?), have a look at these websites. However, if you are a true FC Barcelona fan, I recommend not to open them the day after important defeats… That would be slightly painful and borderline masochist.

Where else are you following FC Barcelona news in English or in your own language? Feel free to comment below and share the knowledge!

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