Tartine Bakery at Ryse, Autograph Collection

November 07, 2018 by Emily Shen in Food, Hotel, South Korea

Our first point of call in Hongdae was a light breakfast and coffee at Tartine Bakery which is inside Ryse, Autograph Collection Hotel. The decor of the bakery is inviting and definitely not your usual tables and chairs as you are welcome to have a seat on the stairs whilst sipping your morning coffee.

Iced yuzu tea, hot green tea and croissant for the morning.

The ambiance was relaxing and as we came here during the week, it wasn’t that busy but it does get busier during peak hours. Tartine Bakery is located a few minutes walk from Hongdae station exit number 9. Get here early and beat the crowd!

Mykonos - Old Town

August 17, 2018 by Emily Shen in Travel, Greece, Hotel

We visited Mykonos earlier on this year where it is famous for its beaches and turquoise waters. Mykonos is known for its nightlife but we actually went to enjoy the sunshine and the sightseeing. It was very easy to explore the main town and we did so in one day. The rest of the time here was spent lazing around the pool area.

We visited Mykonos town in the early hours of the morning and walked along the port which then leads into the main town where there are the shops and restaurants. Compared to the main shopping street of Santorini, there are definitely less crowds in Mykonos which made it easy to walk around.

Little Venice, isn't it like a painting?

Pink bougainvillea flowers, you can also see these in Santorini.

Can't miss taking a photo against the many white backgrounds here.

As you walk through the main town of Mykonos, you will reach the windmills. It's amazing how picturesque they are and we spent some time capturing some great photos.

We stayed at LYO Boutique Hotel which is about a 15 minute drive from the main town. We picked this hotel because of its location and its outdoor pool! We really enjoyed our stay here and as a bonus, it's only a 15 minute walk from the hotel to Super Paradise Beach.

Outdoor pool at LYO Boutique Hotel where we stayed.

It was a short but fun filled time spent at Mykonos and it was the perfect relaxing holiday for us! We had a safe time here and encountered no problems during our stay. We definitely recommend Mykonos for 2-3 days as you only need one day to explore the main town and the rest to enjoy the beach and sun!

Paris - My Favourite Places

August 08, 2018 by Emily Shen in Travel, Hotel, France

It was our second time staying at Hotel Henriette which is located in the 13th arrondissement just a few minutes walk from Les Gobelins metro station on Line 7. I love the decor of the hotel which makes it feel so inviting. For this post, I will be sharing my favourite places to visit in Paris.

Pont de Bir-Hakeim & The Eiffel Tower

This definitely feels like 'Inception'... To get here, jump on Line 6 of the Paris metro and get off at Passy station then follow the exit signs towards the bridge.

View of the Eiffel Tower from the bridge.

Killing two birds with one stone by visiting the bridge and also being able to take this wonderful picture of the Eiffel Tower.

Tuileries Garden

Places des Vosges

Always happy being in the Place des Vosges.

The nearest station is Bastille (metro lines 1, 5 and 8) and it is a 5 minute walk from the station.

Rue Crémieux

To reach here, get off at Bastille station (metro lines 1, 5 and 8) and walk for about 7 minutes along Rue de Lyon. You can even visit Place des Vosges on the same day as they are both close by which is what we did.

Santorini - Kamari Beach

August 04, 2018 by Emily Shen in Travel, Hotel

Our last two nights were spent at Bellonias Villas located right in front of Kamari Beach which is a black pebble beach on the east coast of Santorini. The villas itself were well located and the staff was friendly as they helped us with our luggage to and from the property. Our stay included breakfast and they have a vast breakfast menu where you can order as much of it as you wanted during the session.

Eating out was so easy in Kamari as there were a lot of restaurants along the beach front and also around the hotels. We had our last dinner at Bellonias Villas and the food was surprisingly good.

Most of the time we spent playing by the pool and hanging out at the beach. One thing to note is that the beach is a pebble beach and these black pebbles get really hot during the day so I recommend to bring swimming socks if you want to go swimming in the sea or just stroll along the beach.

On the last morning of our stay here, we went to see the sun rise. We got up at 6am and headed straight to the beach and waited patiently until 6:17am. We managed to capture the amazing sun rising, a rare sight in my opinion.

This marks the last day of our Santorini trip and even though we did not want to leave, we had an unforgettable time here on the island, Spending a few days around different towns in Santorini definitely made the trip interesting as we were able to explore more. If you are planning a trip to Santorini, I recommend spending a few days around the island like we did. Make sure to book your hotel and flights well in advance if you plan to go in the summer!

Santorini - Imerovigli

August 02, 2018 by Emily Shen in Hotel, Travel

After Oia, we took a taxi to our next stop which was Imerovigli where we stayed for a further two nights at Chromata Hotel.

As soon as we arrived at Imerovigli, we loved it. It is less crowded than Oia and definitely more relaxed. We were given a tour of Chromata Hotel and were then escorted to our suite where we were given a free bottle of champagne and fruit (as we made the booking through Mr and Mrs Smith).

Outdoor lounge and sunbeds at Chromata Hotel

Thira is a 20 minute walk from our hotel and we made the decision to explore just before sunset as that is when it is cool enough to walk. The Greek sun can be quite difficult to walk under during the day so if you want to explore the town and Thira, I recommend to do this after 6pm as you can see the pink skies just before the sunset.

A white dome roof along the way to Thira

What better way to have the view of the Aegean Sea beside you as you explore Imerovigli and Thira by foot?