Review: Hotel - Alila Villas Soori, Bali



We recently redeemed our 2 free nights (courtesy of DBS Altitude card) at Alila Villas Soori in Bali. It is a perfect getaway,  and an amazingly relaxing, tranquil & delightful experience. Far from the intensity of Seminyak or crowdedness in Nusa Dua.



Alila Villas Soori is located along the southwest coast of Bali in the Tabanan regency and an hours drive from the Ngurah Rai International Airport. You drive through miles of picturesque padi fields, rice terraces before arriving at the resort with an impressive view of the ocean.



The resort has around 46 ocean view, pool view and terrace view 1 bedroom villas, including a 5 -bedroom villa and a 10 bedroom villa, which will be perfect for a family getaway or an intimate cozy party.




Amazing ocean view upon arrival



Resort pool set with the ocean as
backdrop



 

Lush & Beautiful Beachfront villa

We stayed in a one bedroom beachfront villa. The bedroom opens up into a large living area (large enough for a 3 seater sofa and study area) with a full ocean front view. The villa pool is right at the doorstep of the living room so you can dip in if you wish.

At the side of the living room is an ocean view patio with sofas, allowing you to have evening drinks and conversations late into the evening. You get a sense of being close to Mother Nature. Throughout the day, you hear the roar of the oceans as the waves beat onto the beach uncessantly. The black volanic sand beach reminds you of the volanic activity in the past.




Lush bedroom



Living Room



Patio facing ocean

Villa pool at your doorstep





Spacious toilet


 

Lazy deck chairs outside the villa,
facing the ocean

Dining options

There are limited dining options - it is highly unlikely you will head outside of the resort for your meals since you are so far away. The hotel serves free afternoon tea and cakes in the reading room and has 2 dining restaurants, that serves both Western and Indonesian cuisine. The food is decent but not exactly cheap. Get ready to spend a bit. Mains cost on average IDR 200-300,000. Our first night's dinner cost IDR 1.2 million, and we only had 2 manis, 1 starter and a couple of juices. 

All said and done, it is still a very nice resort to seek refuge and recuperate from the intensity and busyness of a city state like Singapore.   

Contact Details
Banjar Dukuh, Desa Kelating,
Kerambitan, Tabanan, Bali 82161
Indonesia
Phone : +62 361 894 6388
Fax : +62 361 894 637

Website: http://www.alilahotels.com/soori 

Review: Restaurant - Straits Kitchen, Grand Hyatt Hotel, Singapore

Here in sunny Singapore, there is no lack of food choices. In addition to the plethora of Asian cuisine, one can easily find American steakhouses (like the famed Morton's of Chicago), French bistros, Japanese Izakayas. Singaporeans love their food and it is no wonder there local F&B establishments offer varieties of food buffets to cater to their customer preferences.

A friend stongly recommended Grand Hyatt's, Straits Kitchen local buffet, as a great sampler of the local street food - mainly Indian, Chinese and Malay cuisine. We were not disappointed. The range of food was staggering and it was not possible to sample everything. The buffet is organised in stations featuring cuisine from the various ethnic groups.



Fried Carrot Cake & Char Kuay Teow



Chinese Station 



Traditional choices such as Fried Carrot Cake, Char Kuay Teow, Wanton Noodles, Prawn Noodles, Laksa are found offered here. The Fried Carrot Cake, Char Kuay Teow were very tasty, not overly greasy like some variations found in the food centres.

In the roast meat section, they dish out local favourites like the Roasted Duck, Soy Sauce Chicken, Hainanese Chicken Rice and Roasted Pork Meat.



There are also other popular dishes like the Fish Otah, Popiah, Rojak (Asian salad) and many others.



  

Clockwise: Roast Duck, Soy Sauce
Chicken& Hainese Chicken Rice





Popiah - A local wrap with
shredded turnip, carrot, lettuce,
peanuts, eggs & shrimp

 

Malay, Indian & Dessert Stations

After sampling the chinese station, we were pretty full, which was a same given there were so many other dishes we have yet to try. I don't think its possible to sample even half of what is offered in one session. 

Dessert was pretty interesting. You can have your choice of cakes, ice cream (Durian strongly recommended), fruits including the Goreng Pisang and assorted Nonya (Straits Chinese) kueh. There was also an ice grating machine in the corner that made ice kachang (ice shavings with syrup).

Indian station included dishes such as Naan, Tandoori Chicken, Parpadum, various vegetable and meat marsala dishes.  

 

Chicken, Beef and Mutton Satay



 



Goreng Pisang - Deep Fried Banana



  

Assorted Nonya Kueh



 





In all honesty, most people who visit will claim to have tasted better variations of each individual dish elsewhere in Singapore (e.g., I would probably go to Boon Tong Kee if I wanted to have Hainanese Chicken Rice or La Pa Sat for authentic street satay). Nevertheless, Straits Kitchen serves up high quality equivalents in a comfortable setting. You can take your time to fill yourself up, while catching up with friends over coffee in a hotel coffee shop setting, instead of a food centre under hot and humid weather.

It is a pretty nice way to spend a weekend afternoon! The bill came up to ~SGD$55 each, not extravagant. I would definitely go back again.

Restaurant Details

Straits Kitchen

Lobby Level, Grand Hyatt Singapore

10 Scotts Road, Singapore 228211

Tel:  +65 6738 1234, Fax:  +65 6732 1696

Opening Hours: Monday to Sunday from 6.30am to 10.30pm

Dess Code: Smart Casual

http://www.singapore.grand.hyattrestaurants.com/

Review: Hotel - PARKROYAL, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Recently, I went up to KL on a business trip and stayed at the PARKROYAL. I would have preferred to stay at Westin, a perennial favourite, given its location (directly opposite the Pavillion shopping mall and next to Starhill Gallery).

This was my first time staying here and I was not sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised in terms of the quality of the rooms, hotel ambience and the location.

Location

The hotel is actually very close to Bukit Bintang, a shopping stretch and just 5 mins walk to the Westin. They are connected by small roads. Another local shopping mall Lot 10 is just down the road along Jalan Sultan Ismail.

Hotel Ambience

The hotel has a nice feel to it, especially the Third Floor Lobby. If you stay on the Third Floor, as I did, it feels like walking out into a mini Japanese Garden when you leave the room. The candle lamps, rocks, granite chips and bamboo like plants create a very Zen feel.



The Third Floor Lobby has a nice
Zen feel, with the small lamps,
granite chips and rocks



Third Floor Lobby



Room Quality
I was upgraded to an Executive Suite, which was fairly large - it came with a small couch in the corner. It is not luxurious but definitely very comfortable. The toilets are a good size and very clean. You can get rooms with breakfas included for as low as RM 315 on their website if you take the advance payment option (non-refundable).

It is quite good value for money, since they do serve a very decent Asian buffet breakfast at the coffeeshop in the basement. You get your regular western breakfast selection (pastries, eggs, beans, bacon and sausages) or you can opt for the local selection (Nasi Lemark, Fried noodles, some dim sum etc.)

The PARKROYAL is a very decent business hotel. Nevertheless, I would still prefer the Westin simply because I am a loyal Starwood fan and I also like the Westin's location.

PARKROYAL

Jalan Sultan Ismail, 50250 Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

http://www.parkroyalhotels.com/








 

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