Review: Oriens Hotels & Residences (Korea)

I visited Korea last year in 2016 and stayed at this hotel called Oriens Hotels & Residences. This is located within walking distance (about 10 minutes' walk) from Myeongdong so it's quite convenient. One thing to take note though, you might want to remember which point to start walking from Myeongdong or you might get lost. Myeongdong is like a maze that could get confusing, especially at night when the crowds are in attendance.

I decided upon this hotel because my ex-colleague had glowing reviews of it when she visited Korea some time back. I booked both accommodation and airfare via Expedia so the price was quite reasonable. I can't remember the exact price but I do remember it being quite reasonable and of course, cheaper than a hotel room in Japan. Heh.

Anyway, its address:
50 Samil-daero 2-gil, Jung-gu Seoul, Korea



What I like about it:

• spacious room equipped with a small kitchenette, big fridge and dining table
• friendly and English-speaking front desk 
• walking distance to Myeongdong and various subway lines
• accessible to a few eating places and convenience store
• it's near the airport limousine stop from Incheon airport
• it has a lower level at the front door where you can leave your shoes before you step up to the room level.

What I don't quite like about it:

• The toilet's water flow is a bit weird. It flows outside the shower area to the toilet drain under the sink instead so it wets the entire toilet. 
• It's a little confusing to walk from the airport limousine bus-stop but you can actually access the hotel lobby via its indoor car park. 
• The lift is a tight squeeze for 4 people and their luggage, especially our big and bulky ones.
• The rooms are fairly close to each other, for example, we were able to look into our friends' room when the blinds were not drawn so you may want to take note of that. 

Review: We enjoy our stay at this hotel for a few reasons. It was quiet and reasonably near to Myeongdong. The rooms are quite spacious and come with a kitchenette, but could do with some improvement to their toilet design. You might be a little confused as you come up from the airport limousine bus-stop though so remember to access the hotel lobby via the indoor car park. The front door is quite prominent so no worries there. It just takes a bit of an uphill walk.

Review: The Berkeley Pratunam Hotel (BKK, Thailand)

So I visited BKK in July and I decided to stay at a hotel in Pratunam because of its proximity to Platinum Mall, TALAD Neon etc. I had stayed at Asia Centara Watergate Pavillion previously in 2015 but I decided to try another hotel. This time: The Berkeley Pratunam Hotel.

Its address:
559 Ratchaprarop Road, Makkasan, Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400, Thailand




To provide some perspective on Centara Watergate:

1. rooms were spacious
2. bedsheets had holes in them
3. front desk was ok but seem to lack a little of the famed Thai friendliness they were supposedly known for
4. walking distance to Platinum Mall etc.
5. entrance was around the back, not very obvious from the main road
6. 2 restaurants, only tried one of them and food was acceptable. 
7. access to amenities like a swimming pool, spa room and bar
8. next to a shopping centre that was nearly devoid of people
9. cable channels were available at no extra cost

As for The Berkeley Pratunam Hotel, things I liked were:

1. spacious rooms, like really spacious
2. proximity to Platinum Mall, Pratunam Market, etc.
3. well-defined and grand entrance that you can see from the main road
4. next to The Palladium World Shopping, where there is a shop selling Zebra products and really cute Hello Kitty plates
5. provides breakfast vouchers for buffet breakfast, which was ok
6. friendlier front desk, but looked overwhelmed due to the huge number of guests checking in and out
7. next to TALAD Neon
8. cable channels were available at no additional cost
9. opposite to this apparently famous chicken rice, but I wasn't too impressed by it.

Things that I didn't like:

1. our first room was leaking water onto our luggage and the hotel repair man promptly came to fix it but to no avail. They moved us to another room instead.
2. certain lights weren't working 
3. rooms were spacious but in some cases, quite worn out

Some pictures of our rooms:

TALAD Neon Market during the day

TALAD Neon Market at night

First room

Replacement room

Review: The hotel was ok due to its location and spacious rooms. I can tell the hotel is trying its best to take care of its guests although the rooms are a little worn out and need maintenance. Not exactly a hotel I will stay at again, but it's great for families and quite value for money. Breakfast buffet was ok...nothing much to shout about but acceptable. 

Review: Namba Oriental Hotel (Japan, Osaka)

Booking a hotel has got to be one of my most favourite things to do when planning a trip. I'm not much of a hostel/AirBnB person so I often turn to hotels to provide accommodation. In this review, I'm gonna talk about Namba Oriental Hotel that's located in Osaka where I travelled to on my last vacation.

First off, its address:

2-8-17, Sennichi-Mae, Chuo-Ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka 542-0074, Japan



I gotta say I'm really pleased with my choice this time because:

1. the room was more spacious than I expected, it even had a sofa where my husband happily napped on from time to time
2. close to railways and MRTs like Namba Station
3. smack in the middle of a shopping district and walking distance to Dōtonbori
4. near to food places (there were many restaurants just downstairs) and Kuromon Ichiba Market
5. walking distance from a limousine bus service that you can take from the Itami airport 
6. quite clean and tranquil 
7. beautiful water fountain for Instagrammable moments
8. not very important but it had an ice machine that we could get ice from when I hurt my foot

What I didn't quite like:

1. the lift we took to go to the lift lobby was a little smokey, probably due to the Pachinko arcade that was located in the same building on a lower floor
2. it didn't have a safe to keep our valuables
3. no cable channel that we could watch, you had to purchase a movie card for 1200 yen in order to access additional content
4. WiFi was a little slow so I resorted to using my own WiFi egg for Internet access
5. sometimes the chambermaids forget to clear an ice bucket or replenish our toothbrushes, but not a biggie...

But other than that, the hotel was pretty great. Wouldn't mind staying at it again next time. Here are a few pictures I took of the hotel and room:

Review: Our stay at this hotel was extremely pleasant. I loved its central location and proximity to shopping districts, food places and transportation. It's A LOT OF WALKING but still considered quite close. The lift heading up to the hotel lobby was a little smoky due to a Pachinko arcade on a lower floor. Wouldn't mind staying at this hotel again. The front desk and chambermaids were all very friendly, and it's surprisingly tranquil despite being located in the middle of a shopping district. I also LOVE the fact that the shopping district is sheltered so you never have to worry about unpredictable weather! 

Taiwan 2012: Beautiful ilan (B&B)

宜蘭優質民宿-真水蘭陽白鷺鷥RESORT

Website: http://www.beautiful-ilan.com.tw/

Address: 宜蘭縣冬山鄉武淵村東八路130號, Ilan, T'Ai-Wan, Taiwan

Email: beautiful_ilan@yahoo.com.tw (They usually reply in Chinese but you can email them in English if Chinese is not your strong language)

How to get there: You can get there by alighting at the Luodong train station. Book your tickets here or purchase them at the counter that is situated at the Taipei Main Station. Once there, you can either take a cab or arrange for the B&B people to go fetch you. 

View from Luodong Train Station

Review: I love staying at B&Bs in Taiwan. If you manage to pick the right one, your stay becomes all the brighter because the proprietors of these lovely places always have a few tips on where to go or what to eat. This particular B&B that I stayed at was not exactly my first choice, but it turned out to be the best one ever because Steven the B&B owner was a really friendly person who made me feel at home. 

In fact, that was his mission: to make all guests feel as comfortable as possible so they feel like it's home sweet home. To do this, Steven didn't depend on any big-name designer to do up the place. He put the place together with his own personal touches like the pebbles along the corridor and the wooden rocking horses in the relaxation room. He even scattered photos of his own kids (I think) around the place so it really does feel like home. =)

And the scenery...OMGS...it's really damn beautiful. It wasn't as breathtaking as the one in Jiufen but it was still unforgettable. Check out its lovely website here and you'll know what I mean. Hehe. My photos don't really do it justice, but if you're there...you can feel the love and effort that the owners put into the place. The B&B faces the river and it can get pretty bright in the afternoon, but it has that restful vibe that is rarely seen in the hotels of Taipei. 

The exterior of the B&B...quite a zen and
minimalist feel to it, right?

Bobby the resident African Grey parrot...I
wanted to pat him but decided not to press my
luck. LOL.

A beautiful backdrop to the counter and that's
Steven the B&B owner checking me in there. Hehe 

Beautiful greenery to spice up the place

A relaxing space for guests to chill

The bedroom! Steven told me that this room is apparently
very popular with Singaporean visitors~! It's called the 明池森林二人套房 

Dah bed

The bathroom with the AWESOME shower
area cum bathtub

HUGE, right? It comes with bath oils so you can
soak to your heart's content!

A very resort-y feel to the corridor

The staircase faces a river! I love how the water sparkles with
the sunlight.

A swing for those who want to enjoy the cool breeze

Another relaxation area behind the house

There are a lot of empty lands in Yilan...

A touch of cuteness

The place behind the main B&B building where we have
all our meals

According to Steven, the room I booked was extremely popular with Singaporeans. BUT! He does recommend 礁溪溫泉二人套房 because it has an awesome view of the river that can be enjoyed from both the bedroom AND the bathroom plus it has a balcony. You can just open the door in the bathroom to admit the view while you soak in hot water. XD

One thing about this place though...it gets REALLY dark at night and there are absolutely NO shops nearby. I'll recommend you to stock up on the instant noodles in case you get hungry at night. You're also highly recommended to complete your bathing rituals early so you don't disturb the other guests. I guess it's coz when you release the water in the bathtub, it can cause quite a ruckus that echoes loudly especially at night. If you're visiting the night market, be sure to return earlier as well since the owners will lock up the place and it's not very nice to keep them waiting up for you too. =D

Breakfast is provided in a separate little house that is just behind the main building and it's from around 8 or 830 to about 9 or 930am, I think.

How to book: You can email them at beautiful_ilan@yahoo.com.tw with your name, number of guests, type of room and dates you want to book OR you can simply register online. They will get back to you within a few days. They have a couple of booking phone lines as well so you can give them a jingle. A 50% deposit is required, which can be paid via Paypal. If you ask me, being able to email them is a great plus point for me because it's a lot more convenient to email than calling them. Hehe. 

Hotel amenities provided? Yes

Rating: *****

Conclusion: I will highly recommend this place to anyone who wants to get away from it all. Take the time to explore Yilan and recuperate from your daily toils. =)