Category: Hotel

Weekend in Panama City, Panama

[Weekend Trip Series] I just returned from a nice, albiet short, weekend trip to Panama City, Panama. I had never been to Panama before but in 2011 when I sailed with Semester at Sea, our voyage crossed the Panama Canal, and it was a surreal once-in-a-lifetime experience. This time I got a chance to explore…

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Weekend in Amsterdam, Netherlands

[Weekend trip series] Last weekend my mom and I ventured off to Amsterdam, Netherlands for the weekend. It was the first time for the both of us and I was quite excited despite the rainy and slightly windy weather that greeted us and stayed with us. Amsterdam is a very charming and sophisticated city. Being…

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Weekend in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

[Weekend Trip Series] Two weekends ago, I visited Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was my first time in Rio and in Brazil. For many countries a visa is required to visit Brazil, a requirement that was waived during the Olympics. For U.S. Citizens the hefty visa fee pays off as the visa lasts ten years,…

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48 Hours in Cartagena, Colombia

[Weekend Trip Series] The second part of my trip to Colombia this past week after spending a full day in Bogota was spending 2 nights and 2.5 days in Cartagena. Cartagena is a city on the northern Caribbean coast of Colombia, it has a modern part but its main attraction and where most people stay…

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24 Hours in Madrid, Spain

[Weekend Trip Series] For my first weekend journey in 2017 I spent 24 hours in Madrid, Spain. I had previously been to Spain in 2008 as part of a High School summer language immersion program. I recalled that I thought Madrid was ok, a little dirty and really not that exciting compared to some other…

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Weekend in Quebec City, Canada

[Weekend Trip Series] In early October 2016 I decided to head up to Quebec City, Canada to meet up with my mom and aunts as they prepared to board a Northeast cruise trip. Multiple U.S. carriers fly nonstop flights to Quebec City from the Northeast, specifically the NYC area. I flew Delta from JFK to…

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Review: Belmond’s Eastern Oriental Express, Restaurant Andre, and Gaggan

Hi All, The following is a guest feature from a recent journey with Belmond’s Eastern Oriental Express from Singapore to Bangkok including meals at Asia’s top restaurants Restaurant Andre (Singapore) and Gaggan (Bangkok). This is one family’s member second Belmond train journey and first overnight one, previously we went on Belmond’s Hiram Bingham train in…

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Quick Review: Amankila, Manggis, Bali, Indonesia

In my previous post I did a quick and much belated review of Amanjiwo Resort in Borobudur, Yogyakarta, Indonesia, and it was so amazing I still dream about my stay. I mentioned that i was part of Aman resorts’ Bali & Beyond package and that for Bali we opted to stay at Amankila. Amankila was…

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Quick Review: Amanjiwo Resort, Borobudur, Indonesia

Hi, It has been a couple months since my last post, and the next few posts coming up are all very very long overdue, but I just havent had that much time since I moved and started my new job (with the exception of Noma, that I had to blog immediately while the sensations were…

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Journey to Kinmen Island 金門: A Must in Taiwan

This past week I took a 3 day 2 night trip to one of Taiwan’s major outer islands, Kinmen Island. It was my first time to Taiwan’s outer islands. Kinmen is simply incredible, and has become my favorite domestic destination in Taiwan. Filled with history, tradition and true old-school Taiwanese‬ flavor and friendliness, yet fully in…

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Review: Paris 1930 Winter Black Truffle Tasting at the Ritz Landis Taipei

Last week we had dinner at the Paris 1930 Restaurant in the Ritz Landis Hotel, Taipei. They currently have their limited time Winter Black Truffle Tasting menu. The 11 course menu came down to around NTD$4200 (USD$125) per person without wine, which is more expensive than their usual offering and definitely expensive in Taipei but…

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