Wander |
"Not all those who wander are lost."
Address: 3/250 Soi Mahadlekluang 2, Rajadamri Road, Bangkok, 10330 Thailand www.hansarhotels.com Phone: +66 2209 1234 Hansar Bangkok is 28 km away from Suvarnabhumi International Airport (BKK) and 23 km away from Don Mueang International Airport (DMK). It took us about 30 minutes to get from Don Mueang to the hotel, but our cab driver was definitely speeding. Transportation from airport to the city is pretty easy peasy. The airport cab services will definitely rip you off. We were lucky enough that there were some cabs that just dropped off their passenger at the departure terminal and came by the arrival area to see if they could pick up a customer on the way back to the city. Grab taxi or uber also works here. With good planning, you should be able to use free airport wifi to get yourself a ride and just wait at the terminal. It was late (2:30AM) when we arrived, so I was like nah I don't feel like waiting for the uber driver after standing in line for close to 2 hours at the immigration line (CNY craze). It was really "no bueno." A's sister recommended this hotel as it is hip and eco-friendly. We absolutely agreed! We opted for the urban suite which came with a living area, a nice soft bed, a walk-in closet, and an open concept bath. Don't expect a view in Bangkok. After all, Bangkok is a city. The public transport train system is super close to the hotel. It definitely makes it extra convenient to get to places in Bangkok. Our suite was warmly lit. You can choose your pillow from their pillow menu. I am not a picky pillow person so I did not try out their selection of pillows. Our stay came with a free 30 minute massage at their signature spa: Luxsa. A and I both chose the neck and shoulder massage. It was heavenly. They gave us pre-massage purple tea and post-massage yellow tea. I really had no idea what was in the tea but both tasted fresh. The full 1 hour massage is on the pricy side. I know most people come to Thailand for cheap massage, but a place like Luxsa does offer more privacy and relaxation. The lobby and waiting area is just gorgeous. If we had the time, I would have just brought a book here to read.
The alternative caffeine source would be Elefin coffee, which sells exclusive Thai specialty coffee along with pastries made from organic, local, and farm-to-table ingredients. Elefin has another B&B in Old Bangkok for mainly small groups of travelers. Would love to check them out next time I am in Bangkok. BTW, their coffee is strong. It will wake you up! Check out their website by clicking the image below. Pool bar, come here if you feel like chilling. There is also a gym! Hansar is also a service apartment. If you are in town for business assignment, this would also be a great place to stay.
Overall, I loved my stay at Hansar but Bangkok has so much to offer in terms of boutique hotels. If it is not within your price range, check out other options like Airbnb.
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Above image credit from Katamama official website http://www.katamama.com/ Address: Katamama Jl Petitenget No 51B, Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia 80361 www.katamama.com Phone: +62 (361) 302 9999 Get ready for a long post! Katamama is where A & I stayed on our mini vacation in Bali. A brought up the idea of going to Bali about 4 years ago. I have always vetoed the idea because I did not like Indo food that much in Singapore. Thailand has always been first choice for a mini getaway. Well, Bali totally changed my perception on Indo food. When I was looking up places to stay in Bali, I realized that Bali is actually huge! In the end, we chose to stay in Seminyak and Ubud. Seminyak is known for boutique shops and hipster cafe (right up A's alley). However, we were also able to find some really excellent restaurants in Seminyak. Katamama has very stringent security checks at the entrance, probably to prevent people from bringing drugs into The Potato Head Beach Club. For the hotel guests, they will drive you in via their goft cart through the boardwalk. I prefer to walk the boardwalk because it is gorgeous! It is a boutique hotel made by artisans. According to their brochure, every detail has been handmade or hand-picked, using Indonesia's traditions interpreted in a modern and timeless context. They are going for the understated luxury vibe. Even the bricks came from handmade Balinese bricks. The architect Andra Matin designed the hotel with over 1.5 million bricks. The floors are all a mixture of two terrazzo (native to Bali) to create intricate small triangle patterns. Akademi is the ‘centre of mixology’ was launched by award winning mixologist Dre Masso. It is located right at the entrance of Katamama. One of the benefits of traveling during raining season is hotel upgrade. Katamama's manager was very kind and upgraded us to the island suite. The service was impeccable. Check-in was done in our suite with a tour of the amenities available inside of the suite. What I loved about their service was that they are really there to make sure you enjoyed your experience/not overly attentive to you. The suite has a in-room bar designed by Akademi, complete with ice well, recipe book and a full sized selection of fine infused spirits, natural syrups and aromatic bitters for you to experiment various cocktails that Potato Head is famous for. (Right) Our welcome cocktails. Their staff came into our room and mixed our drinks for us. It was smooth and refreshing. I am a super lightweight, so A had to help me finish it. I think my jaw dropped when I saw how gorgeous the bathroom was. It is all open concept and it is connected to the main suite via a gigantic wooden door. It has his and her sinks and comes with a bathtub/rainbath as well. Lush greenery is right outside of the window. You may want to lower the blinds (automatic switch) if you feel too self-conscious. The Breakfast
(Top right) Merah- Strawberry, mangosteen, dragon fruit, hibiscus, grape, beetroot, watermelon and apple slow pressed juice. Yes you should try this! (Top left) Pan Catalan- Organic Heirloom tomatoes with Jamon Serrano on sourdough toast. This was also amazingly delicious. The sweetness of the tomatoes went well with the Jamon Serrano. (Middle right) Huevos Revueltos- Scrambled free range eggs with soft shell crab and grilled asparagus on toasted sourdough. I got this 2 days in a row. The soft shell crab is soft but crunchy. (Middle left) 1/2 portion of Churros- Spanish Donuts with a rich drinking Flores chocolate 65%. This is by far my favorite Churros that I have eaten. I have eaten a lot of Churros in California, but they are always too sweet for me. This is a more refined Churros in my opinion. The chocolate is smooth and def not bitter. (Lower right) Mocktail Coco Loco- coconut water/flesh with citrus. A was like let's have mocktail for breakfast, so I was like okay why not since I love coconut so much. The clean crisp feel of coco loco really makes you feel that you truly left all your toxins at home. (Lower left) We are consistently the early-birds for breakfast. I guess no one wakes up at 7+AM on their holidays. Verdict for breakfast included by hotel stay: ✩✩✩✩ This is one of the best breakfasts I had at a hotel, on par with Trisara.
The NeighbourhoodZOMG. There are 4 little shops along the boardwalk. When you walk out of the Katamama front door, there is Escalier which sells atas (fancy) beachwear. 1/15 coffee smells great but we never tried it as MoVida is providing our caffeine fix. Alchemy is the organic deli. They sell raw food (aka non-processed food). Everything looks delicious but we did not get a chance to try it too because we left the hotel too early (they open at 9AM) to roam around. Canaan sells home decor made via sustainable practices. Their items looked simple but are actually more of a understated sophistication. The Potato Head Beach ClubIt opens at 10AM, so the security guy was following me around while I was taking pictures before they officially open. The draw is the infinity pool. This is the only way to access the beach. Our romantic walk on the beach at night ended in pouring rain (chuckle). The alcohols are great. We ate at Kaum (more about it on the food blog). Not really my kind of crowd. A said it is more mainstream than hipster, I would agreed with him. Would I come back? YES!
I love the boutique feel of the hotel. I love their management staffs. I broke my contact lens on day 1 in Bali. The manager on duty that day helped me called Seminyak Mall to see if they sell contact lens. They gave us some good luck bracelets when we departed (you know you need to be #blessed for calls). |