Maison Boulud - Where to eat in Beijing

 outside the posh, Maison Boulud, Beijing

with the Executive Chef of Maison Boulud



Okay, okay, as someone married to a Swiss, I have learned not to use his name even when necessary, haha
But when we went to Beijing to celebrate his birthday
I e-mailed Maison Boulud to book a party of 4, for our family

Of course, having my husband
We were given the VIP treatment and the chef pulled out all the stops
Much to our delight
Our children are gourmands, especially the eldest, and eating in such places is second nature to them,
Not my doing, all credit goes to the hubby

This was a memorable experience since the chef really made excellent dishes for us, even not in the menu, it was like a 7-course menu they served us

Fantastic ambiance, polite staff, and beyond delicious food, when in Beijing, you gotta go Maison Boulud

WHERE TO EAT - Beijing, The Noodle Bar

Beijing boasts of a number of excellent restaurants
One of which is the Noodle Bar
Limited seating available while you watch the chef make fresh noodles and cook them
When in Beijing, this is a must go and eat

Happy Sunday!

Just arrived!

Me standing outside Times Square
One of my usual stops in Hong Kong
This is where we usually go to shop, eat at City's Super
shop for some groceries, go to Page One bookshop, watch movies, etc

It's funny how when one travels
One tends to navigate and be drawn to the familiar

I love Hong Kong
It's home
Haven't I said it enough?

Come fly with me

my voucher

this was already around 10 a.m., it tamed down already

I've been saving up my swipes for a free ticket to Europe

HSBC has a promo that for every 10k peso purchase

Save 5 of those and you get a free trip to HK

Save 10 and you get to go for free to Beijing, etc

Save 15 and you take a pick whether Europe, U.S., Australia, New Zealand, or South Africa

You have to save these swipes within 3 months to avail of the promo

I never read promos before

I only found out last May when while in the American Women's Bazaar

the husband of the head of Credit Card Div of HSBC asked me if I was saving swipes

Su-wipes???

Then he told me all about the promo

To which I replied, why did you tell me only now, I was building !!!

To cut the story short, from that time on

I was a raging lunatic, thinking of ways how I can get those swipes

And hear this, my level-headed Swiss husband was in it with me

Levelheaded as he is, of course, he already advised me

Not to buy just for the sake of swiping

Du-huh, of course, then better just buy the ticket!

We have to purchase things that we really need

I got lucky cause

School fees and association dues came at this time

and the rest, well, I don't need to tell you, hahaha

So yesterday, as early as 6:30 a.m.

I was already at Cathay Pacific

August 8 was the last day of this promo

They have a new one buy one take one together with the swipes

It was a party!!!

Some people apparently were there since 10 the night before!

It reminded me of registration in U.P.

They opened around 3 or 4 a.m.

6:30 a.m. wasn't bad, my number was 428

they were quite organized really that day

I heard Friday was baaadd

Some also were denied for fraud like splitting, etc

So finally they called my number

Presented my swipes

And I got my free ticket to Europe

Thing is won't use it this year

Rest of the family have busy scheds

Am the only one who can fly ANYTIME, hahaha

Oh did I tell you I also got a free ticket to HK already?

Gotta hand it to them for this promo

Save your swipes and come fly with me!

Disclaimer: The proper use of credit cards is to pay off in full so as not to pay interest. Don't spend for things you can't pay in full. Save first before purchasing. Learned that from a Swiss guy I used to date, wink , wink, who I live with now, and date from time to time :).

Farewell to Siem Reap

On our way out of Siem Reap
We had a very lovely time

Thank you!

Nest

outdoor dining at Nest

We got 2 beds at Nest, 1 for my hubby & myself, another one for the kids

on the way to dinner at Nest

This doesn't belong to this post, I just like it, haha

On our first day in Siem Reap

We had dinner at Nest, a few blocks away from Hotel dela Paix

It was nice lounging outside

Food was not bad

What's interesting is everytime we travel

I just get to thinking how all these remote places

Alright, technically, not that remote as it's a tourist spot

for one of the wonders of the world

but you know what I mean

They have nice restaurants

which have distinct personalities

I miss that in Manila

So, when in Siem Reap

Try out Nest

People were so pleasant too

Despite their not- so- pleasant past

And that, I think, is one of Cambodia's treasures

Reminiscing

We only did one day of the tour of the temples in Angkor

Other days were spent relaxing, eating and for me, my fave- a spa visit

It's Sunday and though we just got back

I'm already missing the carefree lifestyle when you're on vacation

Ahh, counting the days til the next!

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.

The gorgeousness that's Hotel dela Paix

the stylish & hip Hotel dela Paix
Thanks to Jae Pickrell for letting me know about this hotel

their art gallery cum lounge

so gorgeous!

the bathtub in our room

Aside from the amazing temples in Angkor (will post more photos later)

What really made our trip relaxing, unforgettable & just truly wonderful

was the accommodation & hospitality which Hotel Dela Paix gave

Since I love interiors and I mean love them

Being in a hotel which suits my taste is utmost in the thrill of a foreign land

The hotel is part of the Small Luxury Hotels

and for me, no place to stay in but this hotel

They made our trip so convenient and special

from the pick up to the end

They even already sent a thank you e-mail when I was just at the airport waiting for the flight home!

Mere words cannot describe the style

and will not post all the photos

to keep the viewer intrigued about the place

When in Siem Reap

It's Hotel dela Paix

Here's to more wonders of the world!

Arriving Siem Reap

Siem Reap's International airport

Just arrived!

Not a lot of people go to Siem Reap at this time, low season

with the Luxe Guide, my fave when traveling

The flight to Siem Reap

was quite a challenge to book

as some flights were not flying due to low season

Apparently since it's raining this time of the year

Fortunately for us, it was good weather

albeit the drizzle we were given one day

Start of our trip, yahoo!

How I'm spending my birthday

41 today!

This is me at 5:30 a.m. today, waiting for the sunrise at amazing Angkor Wat

It's probably my first birthday that the only people

who greeted me

Aside from the most important ones, my family

are strangers from another land

I have no cellphone

and have not checked my e-mail, yet

Just really enjoying being away and admiring another wonder of the world
I was planning this post to be another way

But just to load one photo takes half an hour!

Will have to ask my hubby first to lower the resolution.

Til then, will be enjoying this amazing wonder of the world

Happy birthday to me!

Sightings

streets of Macau

Ruins of St. Paul's

dinner at Il Teatro while watching the Performance Lake show

Just random inspiring things in Macau.

Enjoy...

Ciao Roma!

It's soon summertime and travel season will be in full swing. Probably not the best time to go to Rome as it might be hot and crowded but hey give me a ticket and anytime is a good time to be in Rome.

Lots of history, beauty, intrigue and legend make this once Golden City still one of the best places to visit in the world.

Make sure it's on the top of your list of places to see and experience. It wouldn't have been called Golden for nothing.

Ciao bella!

Felix, Peninsula Hong Kong

Balik salmon , my fave dish, melts in your mouth. Chesa, Peninsula HK.

Dress by Culte Femme, Rustan's, Manila, Philippines

having drinks at Felix

One of my fave, fave, fave vacation spots in the world. Hong Kong was and will always be home to me.

Some of our fave spots with Jan Svoboda, then Resident Manager of the Peninsula HK and now Managing Partner of HK Kee Club. Jan is an excellent host!

Shown here : Felix restaurant , designed by Philippe Starck