3D2N Seafront Villa Experience at Montigo Resorts Nongsa, Batam

Since everyone is going for a CNY trip, we decided to head to one as well. But since it's a last minute decision, when we checked the air tickets, we were quickly turned off by the marked-up pricing. We had considered Sentosa too, but the accommodation itself would cost more than $2000 for two nights at least. So we thought why not we travel by ferry instead to either Bintan or Batam? And after much consideration and research, we decided on Montigo Resorts Nongsa at Batam.

Since the check in was only at 3pm, we booked a 12.20pm ferry from Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal to Nongsa Terminal. Thank God the 40-minute ferry ride was smooth. Once at Nongsa terminal, there is a complimentary shuttle for resort guests to the lobby (one trip is only approximately 10 minutes). Please note that Batam runs one hour behind Singapore timing!

Montigo Resorts Nongsa

Check-in is pretty seamless, and we got our room almost immediately without having to wait till 3pm. The resort area itself is HUGE, comprising of 4 restaurants, recreational area, private beach, wellness spas, and even a kids club. That's why they have 24/7 buggy services to fetch you anywhere you want to go within the resort. Just WhatsApp the dedicated lobby number and the buggy will arrive within 10 minutes.

Our room - Seafront Villa

We got upgraded from Hilltop to Seafront villa, so that's a huge yay, because we get wonderful sea views from our rooms! Psst, check their website for the latest and ongoing promotions, most of them offer free upgrades and even discounts on in-house dining and wellness treatments!

Princess Transformation at Hong Kong Disneyland’s Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique

Which girl doesn't dream about being a princess in her wonderland? As long as I can remember, Olivia has the craze from Ariel to Elsa, and this time round, she wanted to become Rapunzel. To be honest, she didn't even watch Disney's Tangled, so I am not entirely sure how she liked her.

Regardless, being the princess in the family, and since we are heading to Hong Kong for our family trip with the grandparents, and since we are going to Disneyland... and since there's this Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique where they transform little girls (and boys too!) to a Disney character, I guess Olivia got her wish come true.

We stayed at the main Disneyland Hotel for two nights, and although there's the same boutique within the hotel, we decided to make an appointment for the one within Disneyland instead. It was drizzling the whole entire day (please imagine our dismay), so having somewhere to take shelter was a plus for us. 

The entire process takes about an hour and consists of the following:

1. Choosing a package

For girls, there are the Crown Package (HK$980) and Castle Package (HK$2380), the latter which includes a princess dress and accessories. For boys, they do have the Eric Package (HK$680) where they can dress up as Prince Eric or Peter Pan as well. Since it's her birthday, the grandparents decided to treat her to the Castle Package. Perks with going with grandparents! You can keep everything including the dress!

Here's a tip: If you're staying with any of the Disneyland hotels, you will get a HK$100 voucher to offset the packages. It will be given to you during check-in, and even if you didn't bring the physical voucher, they can check in the system.

2. Choosing a princess

Available options may change time to time, but as of date, these are the costumes (the last two technically not a princess but who cares):

• Cinderella
• Belle
• Aurora (Sleeping Beauty)
• Rapunzel
• Tinker Bell
• Minnie Mouse

And obviously, Olivia went with..

Elevate Your Sleep with Kapas Living

Here's a fun fact (which you probably knew) - we spend 1/3 of our life on our beds. Assuming we live to a ripe age of 90 years, that would be 30 years!

My lady and I love to sleep. Trust me when I say that one of the first few gifts for my then-girlfriend-now-wife was silk PJs. Moreover, after having two kids, you are sure to have constant sleep debt. That is why sleeping time is always important and with that limited amount of time to rest, you just got to find ways to elevate that experience. We came across Kapas Living and are blessed to got our hands on their products. 

Here's another fun fact - do you know that "kapas" actually means cotton? Now you know!

We absolutely love their TENCEL duvet set, and for a queen-size, includes bedsheets, duvet cover, and two pillow casing. And for the hot and humid climate of Singapore, TENCEL is one of the wisest choice you can make. I thought it was made of cloud. Yes, that soft and cooling! It's also OEKO-TEX® certified, which means you are sleeping on chemical-free material and is super suitable for sensitive skin! I can't imagine laying our heads on anything else other than this!

Of course, we got to get their alternate down pillows. Here's a trade secret, some companies stuff their pillow with both fine and coarse fibers to make the pillows feel fluffy. But Kapas Living only uses 0.9D - the finest fibers for this. And you know what? It's fully adjustable! Love a high pillow? Keep it as it is. Love a lower but no less fluffy pillow, take some of the fluff out through a side zip! How convenient! Remember to set your alarm, because you may just snooze off sleeping on this cloud!

Irin Iljan Cafe (1인1잔) in Eunpyeong-gu, Seoul

One of the first things we did, when we decided to head over to Korea during our recent company trip was to search for beautiful cafes, and if you did your research right, Irin Iljan definitely pops up in one of the most insta-worthy lists. Lady M and I headed there and it's not hard to see why. 

Located at the suburbs of Seoul - Eunpyeong Hanok Village, it's like having a meal in ancient Korea with all the beautiful, rustic houses and rooftops. We went during autumn so our eyes had a feast on trees don in withering brown leaves with mountains and the clear blue skies as its backdrop.

The first thing that hits your senses when you enter is the strong aroma of freshly grounded coffee beans. I need to emphasise - quality beans. You can simply their the difference from the robust notes of the beans. The display of dessert selection would make you want to gobble them up if you had the stomach space.

The BEST 8D7N Brisbane + Gold Coast Itinerary (Perfect for family with children!)

When we plan this trip, and since we are going to bring our 2-year old Emmanuel, we were thinking how we would possibly survive an entire week without our helpers. We had to take care of not one, but two in a foreign country. We had to wash and dry our clothes. We had to cook and clean. With that in mind, unlike our previous ones where we switched accommodation almost every other day, we planned for a slow one, in fact, our itinerary had only one attraction per day.

Trip Summary

This is our second family trip to Australia, the first being Perth two years back with just Olivia. We wanted somewhere different but not too cityish like Sydney. We did thought of Melbourne, but the period we went was probably too cold for the younger one. So we thought why not somewhere cool and sunny - Brisbane and Gold Coast! Like with any other, we knew we are to rent a car for convenience. There's transport around the city, Uber too, but with two children and luggage (filled with children necessities), we dropped the risks and went for a rental car to save troubles.

Tips: Minimizing drama is absolute key when you’ve got little ones!

Again, since it's a family trip, almost all the attractions are planned with them in mind. #parentslife

The Best 8D7N Brisbane + Gold Coast Itinerary

Day 1: Singapore > Brisbane

We skipped the red-eye flight and opted for a 7am flight instead. To be honest, it was still a challenge especially with the younger one, who wanted to be carried on the plane and refusing to sit down properly even with the endless movies. Thank God he knocked out for a few hours. We touched down near to 4.30pm, took an Uber to our Airbnb at Kangaroo Point (located within the city area).

Brasserie Astoria @ Victoria Theater & Concert Hall

When it comes to celebratory dinner, as with birthdays and anniversaries, we usually spend some thoughts on where to go. We want something unique, higher end with great ambience, but won't break the bank. Fantastic cocktails are definite plus as Lady M and I are suckers for this. This year, she brought me to Brasserie Astoria, located at Victoria Theater and Concert Hall. Just six years ago, in the spring of 2018 (ok, summer in Singapore), we were lining up in front of this place taking our actual-day wedding photoshoot. As we walked past, we savoured a sweet memory.

Brasserie Astoria had huge doors. Thank God they are automatic. And as they opened, an inviting space with high ceilings lined with chandeliers, albeit dimly lighted, welcomed us. The friendly service staff guided us to our seats and introduced their menu to us. The menu was concise, but we took awhile to choose our orders, mainly because we wanted to try everything.

For starters, we had their Oyster au Naturelle (SGD$8/each), and trust me on this, it was one of the best. Hands-down. The size wasn't overwhelming but it was plump and juicy. Paired with the shallot vinaigrette and a nice squeeze of the lemon, we joked we could just had the oysters as mains next time.

Not long after, the Snails (SGD$18) came. It was a crude but apt name. Drenched in roasted garlic butter, lavender and a hint of thyme and parsley, this was again finger-licking good. I never thought lavender in such a buttery dish would work, but it was SUPERB. We found ourselves dipping the bread in it and literally spooning the sauce into our mouths. If you're here, please do yourselves a huge favour and order this.