The Bavarian Tour

Yeah, so anyway, let's skip Berlin of 2013 and go on to Munich 2014 first since I still can't figure out the problem with the pictures. 

Germany again? Well, we figured that we needed to at least complete a larger portion of Germany so that's what we did and Munich was our base this time around. Turned out to be an awesome idea!

This little guy was extremely excited!!

Touched down Frankfurt and rested at the Hilton Am Flughafen for a night. Nothing to shout about but it's a good hotel for a layover as it's connected to all types of transportation. Took the train to Munich the next day after a quick visit to the center of Frankfurt just to see what it had to offer. Focus was on Munich though so we just walked abit, then turned back to the hotel to repack and got on the train... 

Just around the corner of our apartment...

Tadaaaaa!! It snowed everyday and I finally got my white Christmas! Wunderbar! Okay, I'm realizing now that this blog is all about hotel stays but I'll do that later. Can't rave enough about this city and I want to upload some pictures here for posterity. 

Englischergarten... pretty darned picturesque

The English garden was so.... postcard. It was worth bundling up and braving the heavy snowfall just to see what this garden was all about. Awesome. 

King Ludwig's crib, yo!

And then, of course, there's the Neuschwanstein. Proud of myself because I hiked all the way up. Learnt abit about Mad King Ludwig and confirmed that he was a bit looney. It was a pretty cool castle though and mad as he was, no one can beat the view he had during his short stint in this home. 

Okay, so more about Munich and other places within the region soon....

A Break after A Break

Gosh, I was supposed to update the blog with the Berlin leg of the hols but a couple of things happened which hindered me from doing so. Nevertheless, it will be updated soon. Just have to get around to uploading all the photos. 

Am still trying to figure out the kinks in uploading pictures because the ones of Paris didn't seem to appear on the blogpage. Argh! Sometimes I wish I were a techie. 

Anyway, will get back into the swing of things soon. Meantime, I'm thinking Roast Chicken with Taters, Maters, and Brussel Sprouts would be nice for dinner! mmmm.... 

I Heart Paris

Le Tour Eiffel from the night sky....as our plane took off... it was difficult to leave Paris.

So, yeah, actually I'm supposed to start the blog in accordance to the entire trip plan which was first Berlin and then Paris but since I managed to upload half the pictures from my iPhone of Paris first (those being the latest), I figured, what the heck. 

We touched down in Orly at roundabout 10am on boxing day after a super early morning plane ride from Berlin. Still groggy from a quick shut eye on board, we loaded our heavy suitcases onto the taxi and went on our merry way to Rue Faubourg St Honore. 

Getting into our rented apartment for the week was a breeze and we were super happy to enter into this...

Our humble abode for the entire eight days in Paris, yo!

Mind you, it was quite a task heaving two large suitcases and a cabin bag up a narrow, spiral staircase but I had my big, strong, handsome husband to do the job so I shall not compain! Natalie, the owner of this place (whom we connected with through Airbnb - check out their site if you want to rent holiday apartments), had left enough information around the house so we can quickly be acquainted and comfortable with it and in less than an hour, we were already unpacked and ready to venture into Champs Elysees. yay!!

Since my blog is to be focused more on places we stayed, here's a little on Natalie's place. It's situated right at the end of Rue St Honore intersecting with Boulevard Haussmann. The loft is located on the third floor of the building (1st floor being the ground) so it's just two flights of stairs. Though as I said, the staircase is narrow and it's spiral. But her loft is worth the climb as it opens out to an airy dining and lounge area. As you can see, Natalie had decorated her apartment with the necessary modcons and she had some nice art pieces adorning her walls. Anything that you'd need, Wifi, washer, dryer, oven, microwave, coffee percolator, cable TV (flatscreen) with plenty of cupboard space are all there. She's also one of the few owners who also made the effort to also include other amenities which most owners don't, which is a plus for us. We didn't have to unnecessarily spend on shower gels, laundry detergent, dishwashing liquids and also other kitchen basics such as coffee, tea, sugar, salt, vinegar etc. Awesome!! 

You can see the staircase in the picture and this led to both the bedroom and bathroom which are separated by a "walkway." This design, I thought, was pretty cool coz sometimes I would leave something at the living area and all hubs need to do is to pass it on to me at the walkway without my having to go all the way down again to get it. haha. 

I forgot to take a picture of the lounge area where she had really huge windows that open out to the courtyard and though it was cold, it was still lovely to open them up so that we can enjoy the morning and evening skies. 

The bedroom was just big enough for the two of us and she had nice linen spread out on a really comfy bed. Made it difficult for us to get up every morning to venture out!! The entire top portion had tatami flooring all the way to the bathroom where a nice hot and strong shower awaits us. That was a plus point because most of the apartments we stayed previously had trickles (old buildings, old pipes and all that). We figured Natalie must have also had the plumbing modernized when she remodeled this apartment. 

So yeah, that's the apartment. It's only about 7 minutes walk away from this...

Arc de Triomphe from the festive Publicis building

There are plenty of nice and affordable restaurants around with a couple of boulangeries and two grocery stores nearby. Aaand, most of you would be familiar with Le Champs so I don't have to tell you about all the restaurants and shops there, right? :)

No other macarons can beat La Duree's, I tell ya!


Hihihi...

So anyway, Paris is always a good idea whether or not you get the latest coveted LV. So I'll be dreaming of yet another trip soon... I hope... if i can convince the hubs! Bon chance to me!

Au'Voir for now. 

I love Paris in the winter, when it drizzles.... 

AWESOME!!!!

Still the Same? The Marriott Putrajaya

In September, I had posted my comments on this establishment. Over the past weekend, I stayed there again for a department "away day." Got another room, on a different floor, but unfortunately, nothing spectacular about the room and it's still the same. 

Room was definitely clean, but bed was still lumpy - one or two of my colleagues apparently got a better deal and they said that their beds were "heavenly." Either the Marriott is working on changing out some of the old beds in stages and hadn't reached my room yet or they knew I was coming and wanted me to suffer. I don't know. All I know is, I didn't get two nights of good sleep because I could really feel the springs underneath. 

Oh, this time around, the room had ants. Not nice. 

Lunch and breakfast spread at the Zest was not too bad. Food quality improved. We had lunch once at the Tuscany Restaurant and the chicken main course as well as the cheese cake dessert was really nice. 

Nett nett though, my previous post on the Marriott still applies. But this time around, well done to the Front Desk guys. The hotel had two huge events going on but based on my experience checking in & out; and observation while waiting in queue, it was quick and pleasant. 

28 Days and Counting

Ahhh... can't wait for this trip. It's t-minus 28 days left to berlin and then an EasyJet to Paris, yo! It was a tough one this time around selecting a suitable place as our temporary home in Berlin. In my previous post, I had mentioned that our preference is always to stay in self-owned apartments so that we will be able to experience the "real" city lifestyle. Browsing through some of the sites though, I figured we'll just go for a hotel and be done with it. Initially, a hotel was the choice because I didn't want to think too much. As my husband had expected, I had second thoughts and started looking for apartments instead. However, at the rate things are going at work, browsing for nice apartments took too much effort! So, in Berlin, after much research I could muster, and advise from previous holiday-makers, it's this...

The structure looks mighty interesting to me and I hope against hope that we won't be disappointed with the rooms. Reasons for choosing this over others - a darned good deal, of course. Based on travellers' reviews, the rooms are not too shabby though on the smaller side unless one goes for the suite - maybe not since I'm not about to splurge more than I already have! Another reason for opting this spanky lookin' accommodation is that it's right smack in the middle of town and either way, walking to any of the sites is almost equal distance. At least, that's what it looks like on the map. Eeeep! Oh, and lastly, other hotels in the reviews didn't bode really well with the majority. Nett nett, I hope they make good breakfast!

Anyway, a whole week, and then it's off to Paris. Where we will stay at...

Tadaaaaaaa!!!! Woot!!

During our previous trip to Paris, we stayed near the Notre Dame and this time around, I thought why not try the other swanky end of town. Madame Chanel, we'll be on our merry way soon, y'all.


Picture taken from travelfranceonline.com

Eight full days plying this street. I shall NOT complain. Okay, so reason we choose the apartment particularly on this street apart from the obvious is again based on reviews via airbnb, the way it's decorated (pictures will come later when I review the apartment) and the fact that the price commensurates with the space and facilities. Surprisingly fair, I must say, considering that it's not the 'burbs! It's also fairly quieter - another factor that we looked for particularly on this trip. It's been a really tiring year and frankly, all I want to do is spend time in an area where there's less noise (that's why we didn't opt for Marais!) and we don't have to bump into so many tourists. I mean really, compared to the other popular sites in Paris, I honestly doubt if there'd be hoards of people on the sidewalk where everything is way too expensive, right? We'll see, I guess. So the plan seems to be going well. Daytime, hustle with the people. Evening, come back to a nice, quiet place...

So that's that. Time to pull out all the jumpers, sweaters, coats and jackets! Can't wait. 

I Love My Job When I'm On Vacation - Part Deux

(pix taken from huffingtonpost)

I just read on the Huffington Post that there are quite a number of "happy" things that can still stress us. Including going on a vacation. 

In reference to Expedia's survey, 53% of working Americans don't come back feeling refreshed and energized. Firstly, thank goodness I'm not an American. Haha. Secondly, there could be some truth to it but it's not something that one cannot "manage" so that one can be on vacation guilt-free. Thirdly, I think that if we know what it takes to take a holiday sans guilt, then there shouldn't be any problem!

Frankly, I LOVE going on vacation and I do not have any problems letting go of the office the moment I pack my bags. But it did take me a while to get to this point of holiday "nirvana." There was indeed a time when I would actually pack my lappie, iPad, iPhone and God knows what else so that I stayed connected to the team. I was on-call most of the time when I was away and I thought it great because I was not abandoning my team and I still get to be halfway across the globe in some place I haven't been and seemingly enjoying the trip. I almost always came back feeling dissatisfied and even more tired than when I started the journey, physically and emotionally. But this kept on going... until I met my dear husband. 

Boy, on our first vacation together, he went nuts and at one point, pissed beyond belief at the fact that I attended to text messages and emails from the office. I got an earful from him thereafter and was forced to dump every single connection I had to the office into the hotel safe. Grudgingly, I did. But the reward was the result of my dumping everything into that safe. We enjoyed our trip together. Nowadays, you'd still see me with my gadgets but they're only to upload awesome travel pictures on IG or Twitter or to browse for more places to see when on vacation... and I only blog about my trips after we return home. 

So here's what I learnt - in order to manage our obligation to the office, there are some no-brainer things that you'd have to do. These are stuff that I do all the time so that I'd be able to put on my sunnies and deservingly drape myself on the deck chair under the big brolly knowing there are people still doing work back at the office and not feel bad about it :-

Know that it takes an average of 2-3 days for the brain and the body to wind down. So I normally plan my leaves for longer than 4 days to ensure I take full advantage of my "me" time. Trust me, when I started doing this, I do come back feeling much better. 

Draw up a reasonable checklist of things I will need to do prior to my trip to ensure that my team can continue doing what they need to do. Obviously, I complete the checklist. It could be various types of resources, approvals, and a series of meetings to get things in good order. 

Remind everyone - the team, the boss, and whoever else I am in constant contact with at the office - that I will be going on vacation. I will normally ask if there is any additional work that needs to be attended to and make some agreements upfront. 

Assign a co-pilot. Okay, so this may not work if you're a one-man-show but for me, it works because I have managers and executives reporting to me and I can reassign my duties to a #2 to carry through the deliverable. This includes declaring that this lucky person also has the liberty to run the department with full authorization in my absence. 

Lastly, TRUST in my team. They are, after all, responsible adults. If they're not, they know enough of the consequences. Fair's fair. 

Oh, and one more thing. My friends keep reminding me this - at the end of the day, if I die, the company will not go bankrupt. (Dang, and I thought I was special!) and worse, they can easily replace me. SO, give 100% when I'm at work, but balance it with my 100% when I'm on vacation too!

So there. Toldja it's a no brainer. But it works for me. So I join the other 43% who do return from awesome vacations excited, ready to take on the world and wow people! Can't wait for December!!

I Love My Job Only When I'm on Vacation

Hmm, it looks like I have not much to post as I have not been staying in a hotel for quite sometime nor have I been visiting other places at the current moment. Travel bug is biting big time at the mo' and I'm already itching to just be anywhere but here.  

So I guess, to while the time away, here are some places that will be coming up in the next few months, Godwilling, which are both work and leisure related. 

My annual European trip is coming up and this time around it will be Berlin and Paris (yeah, Paris again. It's always a good idea! and besides, I couldn't justify to my husband why we need to go back to Italy, my ultimate favorite vacay spot!). Berlin will be very interesting. I've been to Germany but never to the larger cities. However, after looking at places to go in Germany, we decided on Berlin as it's one of the places offering history that is more "current" (you know, the Wall and all that). We'll be staying at a hotel there as this will be an "I don't want to have to think about waking up to make breakfast" leg of the two-week European trip. So a definite posting on our hotel of choice in due time. 

Paris, on the other hand, will be a tad different. We decided to stay at an apartment that is rented directly from the owner. It looks promising based on the owner's description, the guest reviews, so I'm banking on an affordable stay without compromising on comfort and amenities. My husband and I love staying at apartments as we get to experience how other people live and since I'm interested in interior design, particularly apartment lifestyle, it gives me an insight as to how other people put together a home. I sometimes get inspired by the decor and sometimes I share the ideas with my friends who often seek my opinion on design and decor. (I wonder if I should start charging them? Hmmm). 

"Why Paris again?" Said my husband. Well, the last time we were there, it was during a time when the weather was not at its best. Our trip to Paris was cut significantly short due to logistical delays which began with our transit in Doha. 

Oh man, that was SO not funny. It was the only time we decided to fly Qatar Air and it had to be the time we got stuck in a country we didn't plan to stay for two days! Only because we were told that Heathrow was snowed in and no aircrafts were allowed to take-off nor land. 

I wished then it had been Dubai. At least I'm okay with Dubai. It's like eye-candy for me and that is just the airport! Anyhow, we were solid packed for winter save for a couple of t-shirts for our flight to and from Europe and they were all in our suitcases which we couldn't retrieve since it was still in the aircraft. After 10 hours of waiting, the airline put us up at a hotel without releasing their cargo and we had to obviously purchase light clothing. I was hell bent on NOT using the same clothes for two days unlike some passengers plus I had my knee high boots on and that's not a good idea in a super hot country. Luckily we had packed other "necessities" plus toiletries in our hand luggage. After that was sorted, rather than kicking-up a fuss about having all our pre-paid bookings screwed over by all these delays and we couldn't do anything about it anyway, we thought, we'd make the most of this prolonged transit. We took advantage of the temporary visas issued and went out to have a look at what Doha had to offer and even had time to meet with my husband's friends who were working in oil and gas there for lunch. 

The overall take away though - it's a reeeeeaaaaaally dryyyyyy country. 

The upside of all this hoopla was that we sorta became famous for a bit - after we landed in London. While standing in snow with our suitcases in a 1.5mile long queue to get into the St Pancras station for the Eurostar to Paris, the media came by to interview some of us and we were featured. (yeah, I did the "Hi Mom" bit too!).   

(we only got inside the building after 2.5hours and we saw this line!)

Anyway, after the ice was cleared from the pipes, electrical lines and tracks, we reached Paris, three days later than planned, and that meant having to forfeit some of the other key sights. To make it worse, with the unusual weather pattern, Paris was frozen! It made it difficult for us to walk about for too long. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE winter. But it's supposed to be Paris winter, not Antartica. So there you go. I want to go to Paris again. I need to go to Paris again. Haha. 

In addition, there will be a couple of company events before we leave for our vacation at the end of the year and the team will be staying in a couple of hotels for this purpose. Hopefully they'll pick one that I've not tried before so I can give a fresh review of my experience rather than updating them.  

Meantime, am toying with the idea of just spending a night or two in Penang or Langkawi or another island over this weekend just to satisfy the bug. The next post will tell us if it'd happen.