AdBlock

Thursday, 9 August 2018

Hokkaido Summer Travel Blog (July 2018)


Executive Summary

(8D5N for RM3.5k All Inclusive)





Refer to below links for more Hokkaido summer trip blogs:

1. Our Pre Wedding Photoshooting Memories: Pre Wedding Photoshooting Blog
2. Executive Summary: Executive Summary Blog
3. Day 1 & 2 (Furano): Day 1&2 (Furano) Blog
4. Day 3 (Furano & Biei): Day 3 (Furano & Biei) Blog
5. Day 4 (Otaru & Sapporo): Day 4 (Otaru & Sapporo) Blog
6. Day 5 (Hakodate): Day 5 (Hakodate) Blog
7. Day 6 (Lake Toya & Noribetsu): Day 6 (Lake Toya & Noribetsu) Blog
8. Day 7 & 8 (Noribetsu & Otaru & Airport): Day 7 & 8 (Noribetsu & Otaru & Airport) Blog
9. Top Foods in Hokkaido: Top Foods in Hokkaido Blog
10. Top Dessert in Hokkaido: Top Dessert in Hokkaido





1. Flight 🛪
Airline Company: AirAsia
Flight Route: Kuala Lumpur Airport - Shin Chitose Airport
Return Flight Price (2 pax): ~RM2221 (inclusive of 40kg luggage and meal on board)

2. Ground Transportation 
Transportation Mode: Car
Car Rental Company: World Net Rent A Car
Car Rental Duration: 5.5 days (23/7 11.30am to 28/7 7.30pm)
Car Rental Price (2 pax): 16600 JPY
⭐Tips:

  • Various car rental companies can be found online, such as Toyota (higher price but most famous), Tocoo, Nissan etcetera. May check across sites and you may get your preferred car with the reasonable price.
  • Car rental company usually will release online booking 3 months ahead. Early booking can secure you cheaper rates and reduce the booking procedure time in airport. Please bear in mind that car rental is popular especially on summer season!
  • Remember to get yourself ETC highway toll card if possible. It will save the road toll for those heavy users who drive from one place to another. For us, we were unable to get the card and burn a big hole in our pockets. Trust me, the highway fares in Hokkaido are really expensive, no joke! Of course, if you are traveling in just the vicinity of one city, then can skip this.
  • May need to top up additional money to upgrade collision waiver insurance etcetera. Car rental personnel will discuss and finalize the price with you after top up and you need to pay money on the spot. However, this is optional and they won't force you do so. Is completely up to you!

3. Accommodation 🏡
As we traveled from one place to another, we had the chance to stay in hotels at different location.

a) Furano
Hotel Name: Furusato Furano
Booking Website: Agoda
Stay Duration: 1 night
Hotel Price (2 pax): 6510 JPY

b) Otaru/Sapporo
Hotel Name: Hotel C-Stage Otaru
Booking Website: Agoda
Stay Duration: 1 night
Hotel Price (2 pax): 6800 JPY

c) Hakodate
Hotel Name: Hakodate Onuma Prince Hotel
Booking Website: Agoda
Stay Duration: 2 nights
Hotel Price (2 pax): 18112 JPY

d) Noribetsu
Hotel Name: Noribetsu Manseikaku
Booking Website: Booking.com
Stay Duration: 1 night
Hotel Price (2 pax): 14106 JPY

Accommodation Price (2 pax): 45528 JPY

⭐Tips:
  • We had booked Airbnb previously, however received cancellation email from Airbnb one month before traveling, due to the Airbnb host is not valid host and not able to rent the room. 
  • Take note Airbnb is not really welcomed in Japan. Those house owners would need to apply for business license from government in order to become a valid Airbnb host. This law has been strictly enforced starting June 2018. So remember to check with the house owner first before proceeding to book just for the peace of mind.


4. Area of Interest with Stars Rating (Only for Summer, may varies according to season)


Hokkaido is a very big island for visitors to explore. We not managed to visit all parts of Hokkaido, however had visited those areas which are famous and a must for first time traveler. Each of the location has attractions different from one another, which means you will have different feeling when visit from one place to another. Each of them really unique and has it's own charm! To further assist on how to decide your itinerary, I will further break down the above Hokkaido google map into several famous locations, together with the highlights and specialties for the area! Besides that, I have listed down the attractions for each area and the star ratings on it! Refer the star ratings guideline below (Note: Ratings based on personal preference, not a representative for all)

 ⭐Star Rating Guideline:
  • Must Go (★★★★★)
  • Recommended (★★★★)
  • Worth to Visit (★★★)
  • Can Skip if Time Constraint (★★)
  • Not Recommended (★)

 a) Furano 
Highlights: Lavender, colorful flowers, pretty scenery, village, relaxing
Suits: Nature lovers
  • Farm Tomita (★★★★★)
  • Haystack Biei (★★★)
  • Roller Coaster Road (★★)
  • Mild Seven Hill (★★)
  • Zerebu Hill (★★)
  • Blue Pond Biei (★★)
  • Shikisai No Oka (★★★★★)
  • Hinode Park (★★★★★)
  • Ningle Terrace (★★★★)


b) Otaru
Highlights: Shopping, desserts, specialty shops for souvenirs/ omiyageee
Suits: Shoppers, Dessert lovers
  • Otaru Canal (★★★)
  • Otaru Old Town (★★★★★)
  • Otaru Sakaimachi Shopping Street (★★★★★)
  • Otaru Music Box Museum (★★★★★)
  • Old Temiya Railway Track (★★)

 c) Sapporo
Highlights: City life, summer festival, shopping
Suits: Shoppers, City tourists
  • Shiroi Koboito Park/ White Chocolate Factory (★★★★)
  • Former Hokkaido Government Office (★★)

 d) Hakodate
Highlights: Seafood (cheapest across Hokkaido), church, sightseeing, night view (rated 3 Michelin Stars! Top 3 must see night view in the world!)
Suits: Sightseeing tourists, Seafood lovers, Romantic
  • Hakodate Morning Market (★★★★★)
  • Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse (★★★★★)
  • Motamachi Hachiman Zaka Slope (★★★★)
  • Hakodate Orthodox Church (★★★)
  • Hakodate Episcopal Church (★★)
  • Mt. Hakodate Ropeway (★★★★★)

e) Noribetsu & vicinity (Lake Toya)
Highlights: Natural hot spring, valley, fireworks
Suits: Tourists who seek for relaxation & pampering holidays
  • Shikotsu Toya Silo Observatory (★★★)
  • Lake Toya (★★)
  • Jigokudani Hell Valley (★★★★)
  • Onsen Hotel (★★★★★)

f) Chitose
Highlights: Airport fulls of Hello Kitty & Doraemon & Teddy Bears themes
Suits: Anyone (p/s: You must come to airport for your return flights, haha 😂), bonus for those who loves the cute characters
  • Airport Smile Road (★★★★)


5. Itinerary & Cost Breakdown
I have tidied up and compiled the itinerary and detail cost breakdown for our 8D5N Hokkaido summer pre wedding trip (Yeah! You heard it right! We chose Hokkaido as our pre wedding location and at the same time can travel as well! 😍). As you can see below, Day 2 and Day 3 have been used as the pre wedding photoshooting. So our real Hokkaido journey started from Day 4 onwards! Since Hokkaido is very big and places of interest are scattered around the whole island, we (actually only my bf 😋) drove crazily from one place to another (big love & thanks to him 😘, must be a tiring journey.. 😩) and had the chance to be in different parts of Hokkaido, as all of them gave us different kind of feeling and experience! 👍

Total Price: ~RM6.9k for 2 people (inclusive of flight, car rental, hotels, foods, expenses in Hokkaido, souvenirs etcetera!)
Thus, RM3.5k per pax all inclusive for 8D5N Hokkaido summer trip accomplished!



That's all about the sharing of Hokkaido travel guide. Please let me know if you have any doubts and I am happy to help you! Follow me in Facebook and Instagram to get updated on new blog posts and photos too! Xoxo 💗




(Notes: My website contains some affiliate links and advertisement which are not scam, they are safe to click and at no cost to you, it gives me a little bit of commission for me to keep on maintaining the website. Your support is my biggest motivation!)


 

 

 

 

 

 

 



Refer to below links for more Hokkaido summer trip blogs:

1. Our Pre Wedding Photoshooting Memories: Pre Wedding Photoshooting Blog
2. Executive Summary: Executive Summary Blog
3. Day 1 & 2 (Furano): Day 1&2 (Furano) Blog
4. Day 3 (Furano & Biei): Day 3 (Furano & Biei) Blog
5. Day 4 (Otaru & Sapporo): Day 4 (Otaru & Sapporo) Blog
6. Day 5 (Hakodate): Day 5 (Hakodate) Blog
7. Day 6 (Lake Toya & Noribetsu): Day 6 (Lake Toya & Noribetsu) Blog
8. Day 7 & 8 (Noribetsu & Otaru & Airport): Day 7 & 8 (Noribetsu & Otaru & Airport) Blog
9. Top Foods in Hokkaido: Top Foods in Hokkaido Blog
10. Top Dessert in Hokkaido: Top Dessert in Hokkaido



⭐Follow me below:
📌Instagram: melon_journey
📌Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MelonJourneyBlog/



💗 Author: Ng Mei Lian/ Adrian Yeoh Aun Hong
👉 Date: 22/7/2018 ~ 29/7/2018

Posted by at 9 comments:
Labels: , , , , , , , , ,
Location: Hokkaido, Japan

Monday, 9 July 2018

Celavi Skybar @ Marina Bay Sands Singapore



FAQ on Celavi Skybar MBS:

1. What attracts you to come to this restaurant?
👉 One of the bucket list which we should visit if we come to Singapore! Iconic sight of Marina Bay Sands is needless to explain further in this blog already. All of us will have this spectacular attraction comes into our mind whenever we talk about Singapore. How about dining on the 57th top floor of this high rise building? Only one factor ⇢ WOW! 😲

2. What you expect to dine in this restaurant?
👉 Just a lounge or skybar for us to chillax. So do expect only light tidbits such as fries, sushi roll (hmm quite surprising to see this in skybar menu?) and beverages such as juices, wines and etcetera.

3. Any set meal available in this restaurant?
👉 No, only have ala carte meal. The menu consists of only starters/ tidbits, juice/ champagne/ beers.

4. Any promotion available in internet for this restaurant?
👉 No, you have to pay full for this skybar dining experience. Worth to try out if you haven't do so. For Celavi skybar visitors, you have to pay for $20 each before entering the hotel lift to the skybar at level 57th, however good news is that you can use the $20 on foods and drinks at the skybar. There is another option for observatory visitors, you have to pay for $23 each and you do not get yourself any foods or drinks, but you get yourself the clear front view of Singapore from level 56th, similar with the hotel guests. Hotel guests get to enter the observatory for free, and of course the well instagrammable infinity pool.

5. What is the recommended time to dine in this restaurant?
👉 To us, both day and night time! Come here before sunset to enjoy the changing of Singapore city view from day to night time. You must come very early to secure the seats as we found it was super hard to get seating by the time we arrived at 5.30pm. 


On a weekend date, we made our minds to visit this skybar which is located at level 57th of Marina Bay Sands Singapore. This also served as an early birthday celebration for my dearest partner in crime, my fiance! 💏 I guess everyone knows Singapore iconic buildings and Marina Bay Sands certainly tops the list. So, it is certainly very famous for tourists to flock there just to enjoy the spectacular night view of Singapore city. The boat shaped structure that well sitted on top of 3 big pillars of Marina Bay Sands, is the place where you can find Celavi skybar, restaurant, lounge and the most famous infinity pool! While the hotel itself is abit too expensive for us to stay, we compensate it by standing on the same level of hotel guests and get to enjoy the city view as well, not bad thou.. 😄

We ordered wine from the menu, and my eyes fixed at pink rose wine, the name is just so dreamy right! Pink and rose, certainly is captivating for girls. So we chose pink rose wine from France named Terres de Berne. Just because the name is so sophisticated and it is pink rose wine, so i will give it a like, even I am not a truly alcohol lover 😂. For snacks, we ordered bbq spiced french fries. This french fries is super delicious! The french fries are well spiced up and the portion is quite large, well worth it! 👍

We barely able to get ourselves seating and it was located in the skybar counter there. Skybar is just beside restaurant and for those diners in the restaurant, you get to sit ner the edge of boat structure and enjoy good view of Singapore if you spend minimum of $300! For skybar, is just cramping here and there, so is very tourisy and not as romantic feeling as what I thought off. 

We ended the night with fireworks display! In conjunction with Singapore's National Day, there are few sessions of fireworks preview held on every Saturday (may refer to Google for more details). We are so lucky that we get to dine in this skybar with free fireworks show that lasts for about 5 minutes or more? To be able to view fireworks from this high rise building, it's feeling good! So for those living or visiting Singapore soon, why not drop by Celavi skybar on Saturday night and create a memorable night date for you and your beloved! 😍 Guess this preview will last throughout the whole month of July.

For those interested to go here, may refer to the official website listed below. They have restaurant, skybar and lounge options available to choose from. For skybar, there is no reservation required, just walk in will do. However, for restaurant it is recommended to get reservation done. For lounge, is just located beside infinity pool and we only get to see this at the end of the day when we walked on the way back. Personally, we think lounge is a better way to relax as it is less crowded and it has few sofa which located at the edge of the boat shaped structure, unlike skybar which is crowded and not very clear view of Singapore's skyline. For those ladies which would like to have happy hours on beers, can consider to visit on Wednesday, as it is ladies night on Wednesday and you get some discounted drinks! May check website for more details. Till then, feast the eyes with some photos below.

Marina Bay Sands Singapore! The boat shaped on top of 3 pillars, skybar spotted!


Observatory located at level 56th. Admission fees: $23.
Pros: Front view of Singapore city.
Cons: ONLY front view of Singapore city (note: money spent is not redeemable on F&B)


Venturing around and somehow managed to see Garden by the Bay from here!


Celavi skybar menu


Celavi skybar menu


Left: Terres de Berne (pink rose wine from France)
Right: BBQ Spiced French Fries (super yummy!!)


Selfie time! I am on top of Singapore's sky today!
And holding pink rose wine, 1st try on this!
The name is so sophisticated and is pink wine! 💗


Night view, crowded with people everywhere!


Wefie time, US on top on MBS Singapore! 😎


Just like the hues of sky. If only the place is not so crowded,
it would be a romantic dating place!


Fireworks spotted!


Fireworks end the night with a very fine touch!


Infinity pool at night! Can't imagine the situation at sunset..

 A Little Info. on Celavi Skybar
Official Website: Celavi Sg
Facebook Webpage: https://www.facebook.com/celavisingapore/
Location/ How to Go: Alight at Bayfront mrt station, walk for 2 minutes.
Opening Hours: Refer below.
Monday & Tuesday: 12pm to 2am
Wednesday & Friday: 12pm to 4am
Thursday: 12pm to 3am
Saturday: 11am to 4am
Sunday: 11am to 2am
Personal Rating: 
Taste ➪ 6.5/10 (1-3: Below average, 4-6: Average, 7-10: Above average)
Price➪  3/10 (1-3: Expensive, 4-6: Average, 7-10: Budget-friendly)
Ambiance ➪ 8/10  (1-3: Below average, 4-6: Average, 7-10: Above average)



💗 Author: Ng Mei Lian/ Adrian Yeoh Aun Hong
👉 Date of Visit: 23 June 2018




Share

Posted by at 2 comments:
Labels: , , , , ,
Location: 1 Bayfront Avenue Marina Bay Sands Tower 3, Singapore 018971

Saturday, 23 June 2018

My Melody Cafe, Suntec City Singapore




FAQ on My Melody Cafe:

1. What attracts you to come to this restaurant?
👉 The well raved and recently super famous newly opened cafe in Suntec City, Singapore! Because of the cute Sanrio character, My Melody (kawaiii rabbit)! It is super cute in term of all the foods decoration and ladies out there, be prepared to amazed by all the pinkish decoration either from the foods or the table decoration or the internal surrounding of cafe! You can find yourself in the garden style dining together with pink color dishes and My Melody everywhere! 

2. What you expect to dine in this restaurant?
👉 Specially pinkish foods designed with My Melody Sanrio character in mind. You can get the super innocent looking and kawaii rabbit on your every food dishes here. Their desserts are mainly focused on pinky pinky fruits - strawberry! They have beverages such as chocolates and strawberry which served beautifully or tea which pairs together with My Melody cookies. You won't go wrong with any dish selection here! Or maybe I am biased already when see cute stuffs and pink color? 😜

3. Any set meal available in this restaurant?
👉 No, only have ala carte meal. The menu is also easily divided into 3 sections only, which are mains, beverages and desserts.

4. Any promotion available in internet for this restaurant?
👉 No, you have to pay full for this cute dining experience. Worth to try out if you haven't do so. Who will say no to character cafe right?

5. What is the recommended time to dine in this restaurant?
👉 To us, both day and night time would be equally same. As this is a relatively new restaurant just opened in Singapore, be warned that you will find yourself in the queue area most of the time, waiting to be served in the cafe. Perhaps recommend to try on weekday off peak hours if you want to skip the queue.


On our recent weekend dating, we went to this famous Sanrio character cafe in Singapore. The cafe is called My Melody cafe and it is based on the cute rabbit Sanrio character named My Melody. The cafe name comes together with strawberry paradise as well. You can take cute rabbit photos together with all the pinkish decoration of the cafe while you are queuing for seating outside. The entrance itself is already very well decorated and many people are taking photos with it, be it kids or adults.

We chose to seat in the garden area of the cafe as they have cushion and most important, the background of photos is prettier! Thus, I let another 2 groups of diners to sit inside cafe 1st, then another 5 minutes just till our turn. When you enter the cafe, you can see pink decoration everywhere. Every table comes with My Melody cute looking face paper placemat. And, we ordered the foods by using Ipad, the Ipad has cute screen of My Melody too! After done ordering your foods and sent to kitchen, is time to get your camera ready and snap whatever you want! 😍

I got myself Princess Bunny and my bf got "I Heart You" Chicken Waffles for main course. As for beverage, we shared chocolates milkshake called Enchanted Woods. For dessert, I am interested to try My Melody's Strawberry Surprise, but too bad it was sold out when it was our turn. That's the price to pay for when I insisted want to wait longer to sit in the garden seating.. 😥

For the taste, it is quite delicious, provided it is fairly new cafe and is a character cafe. Many people tend to feel that character cafe is a cafe that is just for ambiance and nice decoration, and usually the taste of the foods will be just normal. To us, this cafe exceeds our expectation. It maybe due to they are sharing the same management (if not mistaken) with the Gudatema cafe beside. Gudatema cafe is a character cafe as well in Singapore and the crowds never seem to reduce although it has been opened for a long time. We never have chance to dine in Gudatema cafe but it certainly attracts me in future. However, bear in mind the pretty stuffs in life usually come in a hefty price tag. Hence, the dishes in both Melody cafe and Gudatema cafe are relatively expensive. The total price for the lunch for 2 comes up to ~$59. 😱

As you can see from the menu, all dishes have very cute and sophisticated name. You definitely will take some time just to choose your dish. I overheard another group of diners with 5 people, they wanted to try all the dishes in the cafe, not sure how many they able to order, but when i left the cafe, they still keep on ordering from time to time and sit there comfortably. Impressed.. 😲

Big cardboard menu standing outside the restaurant, nearby the queue line.
Can make decision here so it can speed up the ordering process!
After all, all dishes are so cute and it certainly takes time.. especially for indecisive person like me.. 

Ipad for us to order the foods. Even the homepage is so kawaiiiii nehh~~
Kids mode automatically turned on the moment entering the cafe

All diners have this cute pinkish little bunny paper placemat

My dish: Princess Bunny (A "Kawaii" spin of Japanese curry rice beetroot infused Japanese rice with pink curry,
served with cripsy chicken karaage, mashed potatoes, button mushrooms, carrots and brussels sprouts).
Price: $18.90

My bf's dish: I "Heart" You Chicken Waffles (Crispy chicken with thousand island dressing,
asparagus and romaine lettuce on heart-shaped pink waffles, served with fresh mixed berry salad).
Price: $23

Our beverages: Enchanted Woods (Chocolate milkshake topped with vanilla soft serve,
fudgy brownie, marshmallows and donuts).
Price: $12.90

 
Selfie time before eating this cute dish.. Too cute that don't want to destroy it..
Garden seatings for us

Pinkish and dreamy decoration of the entrance of My Melody Cafe


Photo with this cute little pinky Melody bunny


A Little Info. on My Melody Cafe
Official Website: N/A
Facebook Webpage: https://www.facebook.com/mymelodycafesg/
Location/ How to Go: Alight at Esplanade mrt station, walk for 5 minutes.
Opening Hours: Daily 10am ~ 10pm



Personal Rating: 
Taste ➪ 7/10 (1-3: Below average, 4-6: Average, 7-10: Above average)
Price➪  3/10 (1-3: Expensive, 4-6: Average, 7-10: Budget-friendly)
Ambiance ➪ 8.5/10  (1-3: Below average, 4-6: Average, 7-10: Above average)



💗 Author: Ng Mei Lian/ Adrian Yeoh Aun Hong
👉 Date of Visit: 23 June 2018


Share

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , ,
Location: 3 Temasek Boulevard, 01-361 Suntec City Mall, Singapore 038983
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)