KAMPUNGBOYCITYGAL A MALAYSIAN FOOD & TRAVEL BLOG

Full Itinerary “6D5N @ Bangkok + Hua Hin – Purely R&R, Food & Shopping!”, click here!

Read more about our room at Rest Detail Hua Hin here!

Inspired by the “Hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil.” adage, Rest Detail Hotel is rated as one of the best hotels in Hua Hin. The hotel’s location is just lovely and quiet but near the action.

It offers free shuttle bus services several times a day, providing easy access to tourist spots in the city, including shopping malls, markets, and night markets. We always got a tuk-tuk or taxi back for about 200 baht whenever we missed the schedule.

Rest Detail Hotel appears modern – with a touch of minimalism. The lobby is dominated by swaths of crisp white and unexpected pops of bright color.

These marvelously crafted water features are changing the look of every corner and cranny of the hotel.

reading corner for hotel guests

Rest Collections is offering a range of locally made products found throughout the resort make perfect souvenirs and gifts. Remember those beautiful iPod pouch, key pouch and even beach dress found in our room?

Hotel guests can also take a dip at the stunning pool while enjoying panoramic views of the Gulf of Siam.

Breakfasts is served at Rest Gastro, offering buffet overflowing with fresh fruit and vegetables from the hotel’s hydroponic garden. The breakfast selection was awesome; we especially love those Thai coffee, char kuey with pandan kaya, freshly squeezed fruit juice and pad thai!

Each morning after breakfast, we would take a walk around the resort in our most comfy pair of flip flops.

We also took a peep at the Pool Village. Featuring 65 square meters of spacious interiors, the Pool Village offers the ultimate privacy.  Each of the 12 units literally has the swimming pool at their doorstep together with double sun lounges built out over the pool. Sounds like another good choice, apart from our stunning Rest Horizon room.

Opening on to the main pool and out to the Gulf, Rest Scene restaurant serves up flavorful Thai and Mediterranean favorites. Did I mention that we had the best FRESH coconut and rack of lamb here? Coconut water was so naturally sweet and refreshing and the taste was just unforgettable! With just the right ratio of fat to lean, the beautifully presented rack of lamb was so delicious! The lamb has a delightful crunchy crust encircling a juicy interior. So good!

Rest Detail Hua Hin, we’ll be back!

Full Itinerary “6D5N @ Bangkok + Hua Hin – Purely R&R, Food & Shopping!”, click here!

Having spent two nights at Rest Detail Hua Hin,  we both left feeling uplifted and totally rejuvenated. Overlooking the Gulf of Siam, the Rest Detail Hotel is a very small hotel with only 52 rooms. However, size does not really matter as we don’t think we can praise this hotel enough. It offers guests a perfect respite from the outside world. In keeping with its name and playful logo of the “three wise monkeys”, every detail is anticipated to ensure you truly surrender to the charms of this tropical seaside resort. A true testament to RDH’s logo “you rest, we take care of the details”

Rest Detail Hua Hin is excellent in every respect. We loved the relaxed atmosphere and all the little attention to details. We were served with complimentary drinks and wrist band upon checking in.

room 141

cute rotating sign board

beautiful key and card holder

Even our smiling hotel staff was cladded in a beautiful custome. We were being told that the hotel has an in house graphic + interior designer. Some of these pretty knick knacks such as ipod pouch, key holder, etc can be purchased at the souvenir shop downstairs.

Our Rest Horizon Room is located on the fourth floor with 65 square meters of spacious interiors, enjoy uninterrupted sea views and total privacy. While tasteful interiors and a deep soak tub are featured indoors, an oversize daybed and a relaxing Jacuzzi await on the terrace.

Our bed was massive and comes with three types of pillow – orthopaedic, feather or memory foam.

Our room is equipped with Wifi, iPod dock (iPod available from reception and loaded with many gorgeous holiday tunes) and LCD tv with DVD player (DVD for rent at reception).

tropical fruits platter (complimentary)

The balcony with a day bed was my favourite place to sit and read, while KampungBoy enjoys his jacuzzi bath.

The private jacuzzi on the spacious balcony enjoys a breathtaking view of the Gulf of Thailand.

It was very sweet of the hotel staff to send in some freshly cut fruits every afternoon.

As we got back to our room in the evening, there’s a beautiful jar filled with sweets on a tray

The large bathroom had a separate bath, shower and toilet.

huge bathtub = love

shower gel and shampoo with nice aroma scent

two types of bath salt

The hotel is also very thoughtful in providing flip flops, beach wear and beach bag.

RDH bracelet + complimentary sweets

beautiful beach bag

beach dress for her and fisherman pants for him

mini-bar and refrigerator

Our room in the evening was equally stunning, especially with illuminated ceiling with LED backlit.

With work and our hectic lifestyle, we have not being doing this for a very long time – relax and watch a DVD on the LCD TV in the evening.

All in all, Rest Detail Hua Hin is a lovely hotel where nothing was too much trouble. The room was awesome, the hotel staffs were so accommodating and I especially love all the small little touches that is lacking in a lot of chain hotels.

Rest Detail Hua Hin
19/119 Soi Hua Hin 19
Tambol Hua Hin, Amphur Hua Hin
Prachuabkhirikhan 77110 THAILAND
Phone: +66 (0) 32 547 733
http://www.restdetailhotel.com/

Updates: Sage’s Valentines Day Menu is out! 5 courses meal at RM 288 nett per pax, breaching our criteria of not being massively expensive. Ops!

Valentine’s Day, one of the most dreaded days of the year for men is just 14 days away! Well, Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be another source of stress because we are here to help! Together with KampungBoy, we have selected 5 restaurants in KL based on the following criterias:

1) We have personally been there, tried the food and walked away happy.

2) Ambiance, ambiance, ambiance!

3) Not massively expensive (< RM 400 per couple)

So yeah, in case you are wondering why Cilantro (too expensive), Lafite (never been there), Il Lido(never been there), Upper Deck (our favourite, but V-Day set at RM 600++ per couple), Garibaldi (love the food, but V-Day set RM 238 per person) or whoever never made it onto the list.

#1 Samplings on the Fourteenth

Samplings on the Fourteenth is  equipped with an unparalleled views of the city, making it a perfect place to take a date.

Continue Reading

Nestled in a 100-year-old building in the heart of Chinatown, Ril’s Steakhouse opened its door last December with the aim of providing KL-ites with the best meat in the city. We chose to have our Christmas dinner here after hearing some good comments about the food. Parking could be an issue. We parked at an open car park on a back alley about 50 meters before Ril’s Steakhouse and the 50 meters walk was pretty terrifying. We felt as if we could get robbed/mugged any time because Jalan Tun HS Lee was dead quiet at night.

Taking the parking issue aside, The Warehouse Gallery and Cafe which houses Ril’s Steakhouse is a nice place. One can take a stroll to admire the art work on display or simply enjoy a cuppa.

Continue Reading

Remember the TALK-A-THON CAMPAIGN which started from 5 December 2011 until 31 March 2012? To-date, 46 winners were identified nationwide and few winners have received an exclusive Vespa LX150 valued at RM10,988.15. With the success of the first Talk-a-thon program, Celcom is launching the second in the series, offering even better prizes to reward our valued customers. So you have 74 more chances to win a Vespa LX150 each day for the month of January until 31 March 2012. Winners will be identified and announced on Celcom’s website.

To be eligible to participate in this campaign, customers just need to make three additional calls in a day on top of their average trend calls based on the previous month, answer simple questions and winners will be selected randomly on a daily basis. To check your eligibility and the average trend calls on the previous month, simply dial *128#. So, what are you waiting for? Start making 3 additional calls a day until 31 March and you might be the lucky customer to win the latest Vespa LX150. Don’t miss this! For more information, please log onto www.celcom.com.my or visit the nearest Celcom branch or call Celcom Customer Service at 1300 111 000 or 1111 from Celcom mobile.

Famous for their aroma and taste, truffles are the jewels in Italy’s gastronomic crown and Garibaldi is offering a special menu as part of white truffle season, which started in October and lasts till January.

Haiing from our neighbouring country of Singapore, Garibaldi is perhaps one of the most renowned Italian restaurants in town.

Continue Reading

With stylish new cafes popping out by the dozens since late last year, Publika @ Solaris Dutamas is my current (f00d) playground. This time we found ourselves at The Red Beanbag, a modern contemporary Australian-inspired café situated same row as our favourite French Bistro – Nathalie Gourmet Studio.

The Place – This café interior has a striking combination of contemporary lines, clean, warmth and rustic charm. Adding to the cafe’s rustic flair, a number of bean bags imprinted with words like “play”, “passion” and “creative” adorn the walls.

The Menu – Printed on a corrugated cardboard, the menu item is created with quirky names such as The Nutty Professor (tiramisu), Shroom Shroom (mushroom fettucini), Beef Me Up Scotty (grilled beef fillet) and many more. Apart from serving all day breakfast, there’s also main meal such as pasta and burger.

The Food -We stared with the RBB Signature Breakfast (RM 19.90) with poached, fried or scrambled eggs on toasts, sauteed mushrooms, grilled tomatoes, beef/chicken sausages, beef bacon, baked beans and hash brown(RM 19.90). Everything was decent (but not exceptionally good) except for the rubbery and tasteless scrambled eggs. I am secretly hoping for pork bacon too; but The Red Beanbag is a pork free eatery. Savings grace came in the form of Egg Benedict (RM 15.90). The perfectly runny yolk surrounded by nicely cooked egg white is the greatest part of the pleasure of Eggs Benedict. We poked through the yolk and enjoyed the runny hot mess. RBB’s Specialty Baked Eggs (RM 17.90)was pretty good too; with eggs cracked into a baking dish of lamb bratswurst, sundried tomatoes, potatoes and cheese, baked to perfection and served with crusty bread.

The piece de resistance is Classic French Toast (RM 13.90) coated with almonds, served with seasonal fruits and maple syrup (RM 13.90). It was so soft and fluffy! The almond coating gave it a nice, pleasant crunch too. However, RM 13.90 for ONE piece of roti is quite a steep price to pay.

Since there were 7 of us, each of us picked a dish and somehow Shaun is craving for risotto. Don Scallopino (RM 24.90) is seaweed risotto served with seared scallops and seaweed. A generous hand with the scallops but the risotto were on the bland side. My Crustacean Cousin (RM 27.90) on the other hand; was quite good. With tiger prawns and mixed seafood served with freshly pressed pasta, I felt like having lobster bisque with pasta. The lobster/prawn gravy was probably the key to this delicious seafood pasta. We don’t quite like the Shroom Shroom (entree RM19.90/main RM 24.90), creamy mix of mushroom and beef bacon bits on a bed of creamy fettucini. Those mushrooms and beef bacon bits had appeared for the third time (first & second time in our order of signature breakfast & egg benedict) and we find the pasta to be bland tasting.

Like for all caffeine oriented antipodeans, the key to a treasured breakfast haunt is the coffee. No complains! I also love how the barista tried to create coffee art for everyone around our table.

How do we like The Red Beanbag? It was a tough call. We loved the ambiance, the service (which was way beyond excellence), the vibe but the food was somehow disappointing. Don’t get me wrong. Food was actually decent, but it was a case of setting our expectations too high after reading some of the rave reviews.

p/s: will revisit for the Classic French Toast though.

p/s: still think Antipodean Cafe serves best breakfast

THE RED BEANBAG
Lot A4-1-8, Solaris Dutamas
(opposite Publika’s open space/Ben’s)
Jalan Dutamas 1,
50480 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: +603-6211 5116
Tue – Fri: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
Sat – Sun: 9:30 am - 6:00 pm
Pre-booked dinners for functions available.
http://www.facebook.com/theredbeanbag

Continue Reading

As I mentioned before, a lot of you have asked if we earn 7 figures each year to afford such a lavish lifestyle? My answer was we do not live a lavish lifestyle. We can only afford 2 – 3 holidays per annum and we usually spend less than RM 4,000 per person for one of those trips. Contrary to popular beliefs, we do not eat out every day for every single meals. Eat outs usually happens in the weekends, which we really enjoy doing so.

As much as we would like to have more holiday plans and lavish eat outs, the reality hits. We are working for someone else, and we do have BILLS to pay. To make the most out from our meagre income, the secret is to INVEST.

We have only 24 hours a day so there is a limit to how much we can do. That’s when investing comes into place; it’s all about putting your money to work so it earns you an additional income.. Find out more by clicking “LIKE” on the Prudential R U Ready’s Facebook Fanpage and read my article about INVESTING.

You can also sign up for the entrepreneurs workshop that will be held on the Feb 18th in PJ Live Arts, Jaya One. Participants will be getting insights from young entrepreneurs how to start a business and getting to mingle with like minded young people, etc.

Antipodean – pronounced “an·tip·o·de·an” (adj)

means

(1) coming from or relating to Australia or New Zealand

(2) Ancient Greek: anti “opposed” pous “foot” opposite points on the globe.

Antipodean is a kiwi style cafe that has taken the city by storm.Serving good coffee and delicious breakfast spread, this little premise is packed to the brim almost every morning. Expect to see expats with kids and/or their pets in tow, as this place is extremely child/animal friendly. Hence securing a table can be a difficult matter, so it is better to come in a group of 2-4 as they have only 2 tables which catered to a bigger group.

Antipodean Cafe carries an Aussie vibe – filled with lifting coffee aroma, cramped but cozy interior and buzzing with activities.

Continue Reading

Full Itinerary “6D5N @ Bangkok + Hua Hin – Purely R&R, Food & Shopping!”, click here!

Upon checking into our beautiful resort, we hired a cab to Sofitel Centara. It is a classic colonial-era Railway hotel that has occupied an idyllic spot on Hua Hin beach front for almost a century. Sofitel Centara is well known for its colonial style architecture and topiary gardens full of bushes shaped like animals.

Our main purpose was to do afternoon tea at “The Museum”, a beautiful tea room which features the many histories of the old Railway Hotel. ‘The Museum’ is overlooking the gardens within the main hotel and another at the other side of the lounge area overlooking the topiary garden. As we studied the vintage black and white photos and various old ornaments in The Museum, we felt as if we were being transported back to the 19th century.

The afternoon tea menu is typical. We indulged in a beautifully arranged three-tier English afternoon tea (480 baht per pax) set with freshly baked scones, bite size sandwiches, tiny cakes and pastries. The tea or coffee was presented in delicate china sets. We were also served by a couple of charming Thai ladies dressed in silk Thai trouser-pants and fine lace blouses.

Sofitel’s afternoon tea starts at 15.00 and lasts until 17.00. We took a leisurely stroll around the hotel grounds after that. I have been fascinated by topiary gardens for years and in here, we got a sense of Sofitel’s passion for British colonial-era gentile country life.

What a beautiful evening (in a thick British accent)! Sofitel Centara is the place to go if you are planning a trip to Hua Hin. The fabulous ambience and great friendly services more than make up for the decent/average food, making it an excellent overall experience.

The Museum
Sofitel Centara Grand Resort & Villas,
1 Damnernkasem Road,
Hua Hin 77110, Thailand
Tel: (+66) 32512021
Email: reservation@sofitel.co.th

s

s Continue Reading

Full Itinerary “6D5N @ Bangkok + Hua Hin – Purely R&R, Food & Shopping!”, click here!

Happy 2012 to our dear readers! Have your got your holiday plans ready for the year? Well, we already have two places in mind for the first half of year 2012! If Bangkok is one of your holiday destination this year, why not consider making a 3D2N trip to Hua Hin?

Hua Hin is unlike any other beach resort in Thailand. There’s no all-night action of cabarets and discos, neither there’s any tourist crowds, traffic or anything for that matter. It is a quaint seaside resort city which is very popular among Bangkok residents as well as a small group of Japanese, Korean, Hong Konger and Taiwanese tourists. It is well known as a rainy season retreat and is closely associated with the Thai royalty. In 1926, King Rama VII built the Klai Kangwon (Far From Worries) Palace on the beach a few km north of the Railway Hotel and this palace is still frequently used by the Royal Family. The Hua Hin railway station is also frequently visited by the Thai royalties. There’s even a Royal Waiting Room in it!

Situated about 200 kms from Bangkok, there are a few ways to get to Hua Hin:

Bus:

From Bangkok Southern terminal every 40 minutes from early until late, about THB 160 each way, journey time about 3 hrs 15 minutes

Pros and Cons: Cheap, comfortable and relatively faster; but the location of Bangkok Southern Terminal is not convenient.

Train:

Fares vary depending on type of train and class. Journey time from around 4 hrs to 5 hrs. Most have 2nd class air conditioned some also 1st Class.

kampungboycitygal’s comment: Cheap (around 100 baht); but the trains go very slowly getting away from Bangkok so 2 1/2 hour road time to Hua Hin stretches to 5 or 6 on the train.

Air:

As of 2010, there is no scheduled air service between Bangkok and Hua Hin. Charter jets and helicopters are available if you are in a hurry and have lots of money. Hua Hin Airport is also convenient for Cha-am.

kampungboycitygal’s comment: Fast, comfortable and convenient; but we don’t have the money to charter a jet.

Taxis:

Easily available, journey time about 3 hours, fares range from THB 1,600 onwards.

kampungboycitygal’s comment: Fast, comfortable and convenient; but 1600-2000 baht is still a steep price to pay for 2 pax.

Limousines:

Easily available from airport and city, fares range from about THB 2,850 upwards, and more comfortable than normal taxis. Large sedans and min-vans available.

kampungboycitygal’s comment: Fast, comfortable and convenient; but 3000 baht is still a steep price to pay for 2 pax.

Hotel Transfers:

Some hotels / hotel groups such as Hyatt and Dusit have regular transfers between their Bangkok and Hua Hin properties, either large sedans or luxury mini-vans.

Shared Mini Vans:

This option is available from most any travel agency in Bangkok, but must be booked ahead. It’s one of the most cost effective ways to get to Hua Hin. One way fares usually cost no more than THB 500. The trip takes a little over 3 hours, depending on your place in the pick up or drop off queue.

kampungboycitygal’s comment: Cheap, convenient to board (Victory Monument BTS) and relatively faster (2.5 hours); but seating can be very tight and there’s no luggage storage space available.

Information from Trip Advisor

To board a minibus, proceed to Century Shopping Mall (Victory Monument BTS). Cost is 180 baht, limited baggage. You might be asked to buy extra seat if you have a lot of luggage. If you’re traveling light, it’s a great way to go.

The Hua Hin vans board in the alleyway next to Century Movie Plaza close to the stairs at the southern end of Victory Monument BTS station. From the skytrain station, take the walkway towards south, descend the staircase on the east side to street level. The minibus area is next to the stairs. Look for a small table with “Cha Am, Hua Hin” written in English to buy your ticket. There’s service to Pattaya as well.

The mini van departs every 30 minutes, or when the van is full (~15 pax).

Our mini van stops near the Clock Tower. From there, we took a 2-3 minutes walk to Hua Hin Tourist Information Centre.

The friendly staff provided us with a range of information. They even helped us to call up our resort to arrange for pick up!

Can’t wait to explore Hua Hin!

ADS

Are you proud of your music taste? Let your callers listen to the songs that you like! Download the coolest hits from the biggest stars and entertain your callers. Now you can join the Call Me Tone-A-thon and get as many Call Me Tones as you like! Give them variety and let your callers hear a different song every time they buzz you. You can even ask your friends to join in the Call Me Tone-A-Thon and see who has the biggest Call Me Tones collection (or whose collection is more awesome)!

You are also in a chance to win up to RM7000 daily cash prize! Every day one lucky Call Me Tones subscriber will win cash worth anywhere from RM2000 to RM7000! New clothes, flashy sneakers, the latest smartphone and even a grand prize of Volkswagen Polo!

How to join? From 14th December 2011 until 12th January 2012, you can either:

Type CAR and send it to 22222

When you perform either one of the above, you’ll get 2 Call Me Tones and will be charged RM5.00. That’s ONLY RM5 for 2 Call Me Tones for 1 month! (normal price would be RM12!). You can then redeem your Call Me Tones at www.thecube.my. To qualify for the cash Daily Prize, you need to send at least 3 SMS-es to 22222 and purchase 6 Call Me Tones at RM15.00 from 12am until 11.59pm of each day.

So hurry and join the Call Me Tone-A-Thon and be on your way to getting awesome songs on your mobile as well as winning fantastic prizes!

Actually 5.26 million hits as of NOW! We have to say that we are overwhelmed with gratitude for all of you who have visited over the nearly 6 years we have been blogging here. You have made all of the early morning, bleary eyed typing worth every minute. More importantly, we always love hearing comments, questions, concerns, or suggestions on how we can improve. So please drop us an email or comment!

FAQs and suggestions will be posted below:

FAQs

1) Hi KampungboyCitygal, can you please send me a copy for your HK/Taiwan/Bali/Bangkok itineraries?

All our itineraries are being shared in blog post forms.

Bali – http://kampungboycitygal.com/2011/10/6d5n-bangkok-hua-hin-purely-rr-food-shopping/
Bangkok – http://kampungboycitygal.com/2011/10/6d5n-bangkok-hua-hin-purely-rr-food-shopping/
HK v1 – http://kampungboycitygal.com/2009/05/round-up-6d5n-at-hong-kong-macau/
HK x2 – http://kampungboycitygal.com/2010/12/eat-drink-hong-kong-2010-trip-report/
Taiwan – http://kampungboycitygal.com/2009/07/executive-summary6d6n-taipei-yilan-taiwan/

Information were being shared without any reservation. It’s even better than our own itineraries in excel/word form!

2) Do you earn 7 figures each year to afford such a lavish lifestyle?

No, we do not live a lavish lifestyle. We can only afford 2 – 3 holidays per annum and we usually spend less than RM 4,000 per person for one of those trips. Contrary to popular beliefs, we do not eat out every day for every single meals. Eat outs usually happens in the weekends, which we really enjoy doing so. We also conduct invited reviews on a very selective basis; with of course a full disclosure (we categorise them under “invited reviews” or we open the line with something like “thanks for the invitation…”.). Rest assured that invited reviews will never swayed our honest opinions. We also opted to not to write if the food is just plain bad.

3) What is your policy on invited reviews? (from PRs or restaurateurs)

Refer to Q2

to be continued…….