CASCADES AT THE VICEROY: Indonesia's Best Restaurant

We downloaded this threesixty: Bali travel guide app for iphone, which lists down the premiere luxury destinations in Bali, and this is how we learned about Cascades Restaurant at the Viceroy.

photo from viceroybali.com

When we arrived in Bali, we asked our guide if he knows how far the Viceroy is from Kamandalu Resort (read about our accommodation in Bali here).  He didn't know where the Viceroy is so he asked if we have the number and offered to call the resort.  As it turns out, the Viceroy is only a hundred or so meters away from where we're staying!  Hooray!  We decided we MUST spend one night at the Viceroy for dinner.

KAMANDALU RESORT: Our Home in Bali for 4 Days

For our Bali trip, we decided to stay in Ubud -- the heart of Balinese culture.  We checked out other hotels and resorts in the areas of Nusa Dua, Kuta and Seminyak (all too touristy), and realized that Ubud is the place to be if you want REAL Bali.  

We chose Kamandalu, a 5-star all-villas boutique resort located in the midst of Ubud's terraced rice paddies. 

 

INDONESIAN AIRPORTS

Remember we almost cancelled our trip because of our Bali Dilemma (read about it here) but decided to push through with it anyway?

Well, we just got back from Indonesia where we flew into three of their airports and fortunately, we didn't have any problems with any of the immigration/airport officers just because we're Filipinas.

Soekarno-Hatta Airport, Jakarta

Adisutjipto Airport, Yogyakarta

Ngurah Rai Airport, Bali

In fact, many of the locals love Filipinos because according to them, we smile a lot and are very friendly too.   So for those planning to go to Bali or any other city in Indonesia, go ahead!  There's nothing to worry about!  =)

More about the trip on our next posts!

GUCCI CAFE

We were walking around Milan with friends when we saw the Gucci Cafe in Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.  We have to try it, we thought in chorus.  We stood in front of the cafe for a few minutes, discussing if a cup of Gucci coffee is gonna get us bankrupt (as if we weren't already).  We figured, each of us can just order one cup (they won't see us again anyway, who cares if we're not spenders! As if we live there!) and really, it can't be THAT expensive. 

We checked the menu... oh my God, it's Guccissima leather.  We slowly opened it, hoping to see right away which one's the cheapest item. HAHAHA. Holy cup.  They don't indicate the prices on the menu.  No no no, we can't risk it.  What if it's 200 euros per cup?  By european standards alone, coffee already costs a fortune.  What more if it's Gucci?  Ayoko maghugas ng plato.  We backed out.

Imagine how happy we were when 3 years later, while walking around Ginza, we saw another Gucci cafe!  The only other Gucci cafe in the world!  We cannot let this opportunity pass again!  Without thinking, we ditched our Disney Sea plan and spent the afternoon having coffee instead. 


Gucci building in Ginza 

Gucci cafe is on the fourth floor of their flagship store in Ginza, Tokyo.

the cafe's reception desk

the cafe's interiors

Guccissima leather menu

Macy check check checkin' out the menu

The price isn't as bad as we thought.  This panna cotta for example, is 1300yen.  

Panna Cotta

 Hot drinks, salads, and other light snacks are around 1000-2000 yen. 

Belgian Hot Chocolate

Prosciutto Panini

They also sell these Gucci chocolates and we couldn't stop ourselves from buying.

photo from vanillaseven.com

And oh, it was raining that day and we find it so cool that their paperbags come with raincoats!

1001 THINGS WE DID BEFORE WE DIE: Go through Harry Potter's Platform 9 and 3/4 to Hogwarts

Click here to see the rest of 1001 Things We Did Before We Die.

FRIENDSHIP LUGGAGE

We all have different needs and requirements when choosing what luggage to buy.  Some would go for giant-but-light practical backpacks, while some would go all out with designer trunks.  Let's just say... we're somewhere in between. 

When choosing a travel luggage, we consider two main things.  First, the color must be yummy.  We don't want it to be just one of those black bags in the carousel.  Second, it must be light.  Yes we're scared of excess baggage.  Durability, price, and everything else come next to that.

Our old purple maletas

We were so tempted to get the purple Salsa Air Rimowas since we-don't-know-when.  It's exactly what we need!  It's purple, it's light, it's chic, it's durable, and relatively affordable compared to Goyard trunks! 

But... we thought we're not worthy because we NEVER fly business class.  We thought it'd look so odd to be walking around the budget airline terminal towing a Rimowa, just like how odd it is to carry Lanvin while riding the FX colorum in Makati (okay maybe we're just hypercritical).  After so many discussions and brainstorming, we gave up the idea of getting one.

Until... we got to ask our friend Jiro (who lives in Germany, birthplace of Rimowa) about it.  We told him that Economy class and Rimowa don't go well together, but he said it's completely okay!  Because Rimowa is just like standard issue for Germans!  Everyone uses it!  Hooray!

Fast forward to Adora Greenbelt 5, we found ourselves getting our Salsas! Yihaaa!

Karol's size 70 and Macy's size 77

the distinct Rimowa ridges

countersunk combination lock with ABUS TSA cylinder, whatever that means

wala lang. we just love the tag.

Rimowa

Rimowa Flagship Store, Greenbelt 5

Rimowa is a German brand synonymous to travel.  The Cologne company has been around since 1898, known for its perfect craftmanship and precise production.  According to Traveling Fashionista, it was recently given the 2010 Product Innovation Award by the Travel Goods Association and was also named Best Luggage by Travel + Leisure Design Awards for 2010.

In Manila, Rimowa is available at Greenbelt 5 (+632-7573048), Powerplant Mall (+632-7283060), Adora Greenbelt (+632-6874809) and Newport Mall (+632-6593558).

The Salsa Air


photo from travelingfashionista.com

The Salsa Air is a newer and even lighter (by 26%) version of the previous Salsa series that are already half the weight of an average suitcase.  It is apparently very sturdy as it is made of polycarbonate (same material used in airplane windows), and its lining is as light and tough as the parachute silk. 

They come in four sizes - 52, 63, 70, and 77.  The smallest one weighs only 2.4kg and the biggest weighs 3.7kg (think: more room for shopping).  They come in four fashiony colors - Ultra Violet, Inca Gold, Aquamarine, and Navy Blue.

The Problem

Getting the Rimowas didn't go smoothly as planned.  We went to the Greenbelt flagship branch only to find out they only have one piece left - the smallest size wheeled carry-on, which we don't need.  We want the check-in luggage!! We need two size 70s so we asked them to call the other branches to check their stock and guess what?  The whole effin country only had one size 70 left in Adora (thank God it's just an escalator away from the flagship store).  Horrors!  Fortunately, they have a couple of size 77s left in Adora, so Macy decided she'll just get the bigger size.  Everything's settled, hooray!

NOT.

As we were about to pay, the sales person mentioned something about the size 77 as 'acceptable by most airlines'.  We were like Huh!? Why 'most' and not all??!  Apparently, the 77 is considered as oversized baggage.  It exceeds the allowable linear dimensions by 2 inches!  The sales person kept on assuring us that it's okay and that it won't be a problem especially if we fly First Class.  Hello!!!!  Remember we didn't want to buy Rimowas at first because we don't even fly Biznez!!!  She added that we can also opt to just pay for the Oversized Baggage charge (ka-ching) in case we have to.  Another Heeeeellllloooo!!! We're scared of baggage charges! 

We spent our good 30 minutes deciding whether Macy should still go for the 77 in violet or settle for the 70 in a different color a.k.a. boring color (gold, blue, bleh!).  After getting back to our senses, we realized it's a no brainer.  Get the 77 and just pay for the charges if we have to!  What's important is that Macy's luggage is violet.  That's all that matters.  May this blog entry also serve as a contract that in case there is a need for Macy to pay baggage charges, Karol willingly offers to split the bill.  

Now we can look like Elizabeth Hurley...

...in economy.  Minus the taga-buhat. 

IT IS SHIT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT

For Filipinos, the toilet paper is never enough.  In a typical Filipino bathroom, you'd see either a bidet, a telephone hand shower, or a dipper (which we call tabo).  We always cap off our visit to the throne with any of those three.

So you can just imagine how inconvenient it is for us Filipinos to travel to another country and check-in at a superb hotel, only to find out that all you'll see in the bathroom is a roll of toilet paper.  Horror roll.  Which is why, to be on the safe side, Macy has been assigned as our official tabo provider.  She always brings her Hello Kitty dipper (honestly kind of a hassle to bring) whenever we go out of the country.  It is light, but its shape is not one that we would consider as 'easy-to-pack'.

Thank God Filipinos are very good in improvising whenever the need arises.  We may not realize it but we've actually come up with different solutions to fulfill our bathroom needs.

For example, Filipinos use an empty mineral water bottle in lieu of a dipper, but we find it confusing at times.  We always have this fear of mistaking the butt-bottle as our complimentary bottled water from the hotel, thus the question "Is this the bottle I was drinking from a while ago or is this the one we use to splash water on our bunzz?" always arises.

Filipinos also try to make do with the glass bathroom cups that are provided for brushing our teeth, but those aren't easy to use either.  One would need at least 10 refills before it gets the shi+ out.  Try to visualize how troublesome it is to sit down the throne, wash with a cup, stand up again, walk to the sink to have it refilled, and do everything 10 times. 

We understand that the Filipinos aren't a significant chunk of international hotels' target market but we really hope they'd be willing to consider what is basic for us. 

In relation to this, allow us to thank Japan for their well-equipped toilet seats, even in public places.  We love the seat heater function, the setting for water temperature, and the adjustable water pressure.  Oh, and the music-or-flushing-sound option izz the bezzzt!

a toilet in Fukuoka

a toilet in Tokyo

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MUI NE IN PHOTOS

Mui Ne is a town 4 to 5 hours away from Ho Chi Minh.  We hired a private car, driver, and guide from Ho Chi Minh that took us to this wonderful coastal town. 

Its main road is lined with resorts, restaurants, souvenir shops, and other establishments.

We originally intended to stay at Sailing Club Mui Ne, but it was fully-booked.  So, we ended up staying at Tien Dat Beach Resort & Spa, which turned out to be a good move as it is a relatively good but cheap resort. 

We got the Beach Front Deluxe Room, right by the pool.  It has a spacious balcony with this view.

1001 THINGS WE DID BEFORE WE DIE: Have a photo by the Burj Al Arab

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DESIGNER BICYCLES

We don't know why, but we have this thing for bicycles.

We think it'd be so cool to go around in matching pink and purple bicycles with baskets in front, pompoms on the handles, equipped with loud horns.  We especially love the vintage (or vintage-looking) ones, and we always take photos of them.

Osaka

Ho Chi Minh

Palma de Mallorca

Shanghai

Milan

Ho Chi Minh

Palma de Mallorca

Imagine how stunned we were when we saw this bike in Gucci Nanjing Road while we were in Shanghai.  We seriously drooled over it.

Gucci Bike displayed at Nanjing Road in Shanghai 

We know we're not allowed to take photos inside the store but we just had to sneak one shot for this bike.  It probably costs as much as a Honda sedan, but then riding a Gucci bike is way cooler, isn't it?.  If it's any consolation, you get free Gucci clutches. Haha.

Here are photos of other designer bikes we found!

Okay we're getting depressed now, gottta go!!! Bye!