Minsu (民宿) I Stayed in Taiwan

Normally, I would blog most of my travelogues in sequence (unless it required to blog urgently) but because lately I received quite numbers of emails asking about the minsu I stayed during my trip to Taiwan last year (My 2013 Year End Trip: Taiwan 台湾 - Sneak Peek), hence I decided to blog about them now.

Taiwan is well-known and popular for minshu (民宿), which is the type of accommodation that equivalent to homestay, guesthouse, B&B and some known as farmstay if there are animals within the property. The experiences of staying in minsu are completely different and unique comparing staying in a conventional hotel. Bear in mind, most of the minsu are mainly to accommodate couples, a small group of families and travellers. Therefore, if you are travelling alone, minsu might not be the best option unless you are willing to bear the cost of paying for 2 pax. One of the main reasons I chosen minsu instead of normal hotel because I love the way how majority minsu in Taiwan are decorated in varierty and colourful themes and decor to light up the atmosphere. 

NOTE: However, the main drawback I encountered with Taiwan's minsu was the owner or host replied me in Chinese when I sent all the emails in English. Therefore, you might need some help from those who know how to read and write Chinese.

Brief details of the Three Different Minsu (民宿) I Booked

1)  Minsu in Taichung 逢甲夜宿館 (In Chinese Name) - Check their Facebook Page

I came across this minshu from Facebook page and after inquired for the room rate (with the help from Boyfie to read, write and translate for me), I found it was indeed utterly cheap and I instantly booked without any second thought. Plus, no deposit of upfront payment required. However, they refused to give me the map of their exact location when I requested quite number of times via email and we need them when we reach Taichung. Overeall, the room is pretty simple, clean and convenient.

Room Rate: NTD1,000 per night (approx. to RM113)

Location: Less than 2 minutes walk to the famous Fengjia Night Market

Facilities: Free WiFi access, Air-Conditioning Room attached with Private Bathroom

Advantages: Cheap, great location and we are allowed to check-in and check-out at anytime if the rooms are not being occupied.

Drawback: Small bathroom and there was no proper place when taking shower. 

2) Sunny Room in Jiufen

(九份) - http://www.sunnyroom.tw/

Our room theme - Dark Chocolate 

 

Free breakfast provided by the owner

This was eventually recommend by a friend of mine. A bit pricey and the most expensive minsu I stayed but somehow, it was one of my travel wishlist to stay around Jiufen area and successfully accomplished now. The room was so spacious, beautifully decorated and most importantly, we had our own private balcony to enjoy the magnificent and breathtaking mountain and sea view. However again, this is also exactly the same as above whereby I send so many emails in English but the owner keep replied me in Chinese. Deposit of NTD1,000 is required and it is non-refundable.

Room Rate: 2,600 per night (approx. to RM294)

Location: 10 minutes away from the Jiufen Old Street. It is best to stop at the station between a post office and Hi-Life convenience store when taking a bus.

Facilities: Free WiFi access, Breakfast provided, Mini Bar 

Drawback: Not located right in the heart of Jiufen Old Street and required to walk up and down of countless of staircases and extra careful needed at night due to minimal lighting. Not suitable for elderly people.

3) Fox House Hostel Taipei - Facebook Page

This hostel was shared by a Penang based lifestyle blogger, Henry Tan. This minsu is very cosy and the host, Fiona was very friendly and helpful. If you are the type that love night life activities such as pub and clubbing, it just few stones away but unfortunately, both Boyfie and I dislike those.

Room Rate: NTD1,600 on weekday and NTD1,800 on weekday

Location: 5-8 minutes walk from MTR Zhongxiao Tunhua Station

Facilities: Free WiFi access, Air-Conditioning Room attached with Private Bathroom, Free Laundry Services. 
Advantages: No deposit or advanced payment require. Family Mart is situated right outside the minsu.

Drawback: Except for nearby Family Mart, there is no restaurant and cafe nearby the surrounding area. We always had hard time and difficulty looking for breakfast. 

Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with all the above three minsu but in case if going back Taiwan again in future, I will tend to choose and stay in other different minsu cause I believe there are plenty of them waiting for another truly lifestyle experience of stay. 

If you ever experienced staying in any wonderful and lovely minsu in Taiwan, feel free to share with me.

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Island Hopping at Mamutik Island

Mainly because my late grandfather was a fisherman and my dad spent the most of his teenager life living nearby the sea, therefore my dad always loves to spend his weekend by going to the islands or even fishing in the middle of huge and rough sea. Frankly speaking, I dislike the latter activity but I don't mind going for island hopping once in a blue moon with my dad and family.

The nearest islands that we could go for hopping would be Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park and this marine park consists of five beautiful and charming islands - Pulau Gaya, Pulau Manukan, Pulau Sapi, Pulau Mamutik and Pulau Sulug. From the five islands, I've been all except for Pulau Sulug which is the farthest island compare the rest. It is considered relatively remote and undeveloped, hence not being well-known if comparing the first four islands. Maybe someday when I able to persuade my dad.

And so lately, everytime we had visit from our valuable guests, either our relatives or even friends, one of the staple itinerary would be the island hopping and most of the time, my dad would prefer Mamutik Island.

#1: Mamutik's jetty

Among the five islands, Mamutik Island is the smallest one. Despite the size, this tropical island host beach activities as well as water sport activities such as snorkelling, kayaking, diving and more. If comparing the rest, I think this is the best spot for snorkelling cause there are variety of colouful fishes and interesting sea creatures that you can find underneath it.

#2:

#3: Welcome to Mamutik Island signboard

In Mamutik Island, basic facilities are provided such as toilets, changing rooms, tables, picnic shelters and barbeque pits. As there is no restaurant or cafe available here, it is advisable to bring along your own foods and drinks. If you are interested for overnight trip, there is 3 bedroom resthouse available for rent.

#4: Beautiful blue sky with crystal clear water

#5:Snorkelling is one of the water sport activities must do in Mamutik Island

Despite the unpredictable weather, we're lucky that the weather on that particular day was on our side. Hence, this is an ideal time for swimming, snorkelling, diving and even sunbathing, which apparently I did see that most of the tourists were doing so. As Mamutik Island is getting well-known and popular among foreign tourists currently, be prepared that it will be overcrowded especially during weekend.

 

#6: My friends and I did kayaking as well 

#7: View of Mamutik Island from the jetty 

#8: Barbeque chicken wings and fishballs by my dad

One thing that I love to go island hopping with my family was both of my parents would definitely prepare such a scrumptious and delicious foods for all of us. Mommy will cook fried noodles or fried rice and daddy will bring along his barbeque facilities to barbeque chicken wings, fishes, prawns, fishballs and more. My dad even being approached by some random China tourists asking my dad how much were the chicken wings cost. That's the most hilarious part! Now I can't wait for another sun-drenched paradise trip with my family.

How To Get To Mamutik Island

The departure and arrival point for the boat transfers is at the Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal - See more at: http://www.sabahtourism.com/destination/tunku-abdul-rahman-park#sthash.MabyQHpg.dpuf

For the boat transfer in economical way, the departure and arrival point would be at Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal and these are available from 7:30am to 5:00pm daily. 
Depends on how many island you plan to visit, the boat transfer would be varied. The following list is the boat transfer fares to the islands:


Visitors are also required to pay additional charge for terminal fee [RM7.20 (adult) and RM3.60 (children under 12 years old] as well as the admission fee of RM3.00 for the local and RM10.00 for the foreigner.

And by the way, do you know how Mamutik Island looks like from the aerial view? This is one lucky shot I managed to snap when I flew with Fireflies to Kuala Lumpur few years back:


The top left that look alike a heart shape is Mamutik Island whereas the top right is Sulug Island and the one on the bottom is Manukan Island. Check out my old post on Aerial View of Kota Kinabalu.

This post is mainly to support Visit Malaysia Year 2014. #vmy2014

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The departure and arrival point for the boat transfers is at the Jesselton Point Ferry Terminal - See more at: http://www.sabahtourism.com/destination/tunku-abdul-rahman-park#sthash.MabyQHpg.dpuf

Snapshot Sunday: Putrajaya, Malaysia

I was in Putrajaya few days ago in conjunction with Girl Guides Malaysia National Annual General Meeting & Conference which held annually and the host for this year is none other than Putrajaya itself. Previously, I lived in Kuala Lumpur for almost 5 years but I never have the chance to visit this federal administrative centre of Malaysia, not until recently. And with this, I unofficially complete visited the whole 13 states and 3 federal territories of Malaysia (Kuala Lumpur, Labuan and Putrajaya). 

The host was so kind that they even offered us few sightseeing tours around Putrajaya, including night cruise along the magnificent and magical Putrajaya Lake (Tasik Putrajaya) and here are few snapshots I took during the sightseeing:

#1: Perdana Putra which houses the office complex of the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

#2: This pink-domed Putra Mosque is the principal mosque of this federal administrative capital.

#3:Panoramic view of Putrajaya from Putrajaya International Conventional Centre (PICC).

The bridge on the left is Seri Gemilang Bridge and the fun fact of this bridge was it was built beforehand the man-made lake of Putrajaya.

#4: Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque which also commonly known as "Iron Mosque" is the second principal mosque in Putrajaya.

#5: Seri Saujana Bridge, a main bridge in Putrajaya. The design of bridge is unique cable-stayed arch bridge and it is resembles to the Sydney Harbour Bridge in Australia.

#6: Categorized as a 'signature bridge', Seri Wawasan Bridge is another main bridge of Putrajaya.

In the case where you didn't own any car to travel around just like me, there are few options available for you for a short tour around Putrajaya:

Putrajaya Sightseeing Tour

I'm not sure who and which offer the best affordable tour but I came across this half day tour around Putrajaya which is available in Putrajaya & Cyberjaya KLIA Transit Station.

Rate: RM15 nett for adult and RM7 nett for children. 

Daily Pick-Up: 10:30am and 2.30pm except on Friday. 

Cruise Tasik Putrajaya

As Putrajaya Lake is situated right in the heart of the administration city, the best ways to see the city's sights by day or night is by taking leisure lake cruise and for more info about this especially the rate, click here. 

This post is mainly to support Visit Malaysia Year 2014. #vmy2014

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Hotel Review: The Explorer Hotel, Malacca

Finding and booking accommodation for 3-4 people is kinda pretty easy for me but when comes to a larger group, let's said for 9 people, it's not that really as easy as I thought. Lucky enough for us, I came across this hotel by the name of The Explorer in Malacca which not only fit perfectly for 9 of us, it's also affordable and strategically located in perfect location.

#1: The Explorer Hotel is located within the latest mall of Malacca

#2: We were greeted by friendly hotel staff and the check-in process was fast and smooth

#1: A basic triple room laminated with wood flooring

However, once we entered our room, we were surprised and little bit disappointed with the size of the rooms which were incredibly small, compared to the one we stayed in Singapore, Hotel 81 Dickson. And we even had our hard time of placing our luggage bags. But at the end, this wasn't a big issue for us as we spent most of our time at outside exploring the town, as long as the rooms were completely clean enough and the beds were comfortable for us to rest our body. By the time we stayed in this hotel, it was a new hotel in town and not many people know about this.

#3: A double bed room

As this hotel is designed for eco-friendly concept, hence each and every room is pretty simple and basic one - a minimal designed room with beds, LCD plasma TV, a small bathroom and a small dressing table. Nothing less, nothing more. 

Tip:

Try to avoid from the room near the lift as well as small park cause the wall is so thin that you might easily being disturbed by the noisy sounds.

#4: A small but clean bathroom equipped with hot shower, towels and simple bathroom amenities

#5: Complimentary bottle drinks and coffee and tea maker were provided too.

Despite the size of the rooms, this hotel is compensated for its excellent and perfect location. The hotel is strategically located beside Mahkota Parade and opposite of Dataran Pahlawan Melaka Megamall. Besides that, the other reason I love this hotel location was because it was situated few minutes of walking distance from the notable A'Famosa Fortress, Jonker Street, Menara Taming Sari and few historical places of interest.

Overall, I think it's indeed worth every single penning we paid especially when travel in a big group of family like us and most importantly, credit to its strategic location. The hotel rates that we paid didn't come along with the breakfast but who need hotel breakfast anywhere when we were in one the city of Malaysia well-known for a food paradise? Scrumptious and delicious foods are aplenty surrounding the hotel. 

Date Stayed: 21 December 2012 - 22 December 2012 (1 night)

Rate We Paid :  RM138.00 per night for a double bed room and RM198.00 for a triple room (Booked via Agoda.com)

Disclaimer:
This review is truly based on my own personal experience and is my genuine and honest opinion of this hotel, and that I have no personal or business relationship with this establishment.

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And with this, I done with visiting the whole 13 states and 3 federal territories of Malaysia 

This post is mainly to support Visit Malaysia Year 2014. #vmy2014

The Colourful Chinatown of Singapore

Date Visited: 18th December 2012

Been to Singapore quite few times but most of the times, I rather spent my time visited the amusement and theme parks, zoo, shopping streets and so on. Not until when I saw someone shared a photo of Chinatown of Singapore in Instagram, then I realised this is another spot not to be missed by anyone, especially when one had visited most Chinatown all over the world. Oh boy, why didn't I realise it earlier but then, it's not too late for me to visit right? 

#1: It's so convenient and easy to travel to Chinatown with Singapore's extensive and great public transport system

#2: Colourful restored and well-preserved shophouses

Just when I thought this old street will only be decorated with red lanterns during the Chinese New Year Celebration and guess what, I was lucky enough eventhough they weren't decorated as many during the happening celebration but they were few still around and almost completely enough for me for doing my photoshooting activities. I was there few days before the Christmas during my visit there.

#3: Even the windows are painted uniquely

Unlike most of the typical Chinatown I've been to like in London, Manchester, Melbourne, Bangkok and even the one in Kuala Lumpur, the atmosphere here is totally different from the rest and the best thing was it is the cleanest one and less crowded. It even has excellent free public WiFi covering the whole street of Chinatown. So now you know where to go if you want to stay connected with your beloved friends and family.

#4: The street of Chinatown

Besides rich in history, archicture and culture, this is an ideal place for those who are looking for eclectic, impressive and colourful photoshooting spot. If you see clearly the photo, the guy in green shirt was making a video of this bustle and vibrant street. The whole shophouses were painted in variety in different colours of which pastal is most dominant. Without noticing the time, I spent almost two hours here completely for phototaking only - no shopping, no eating and no toilet break at all.

#5: Each shophouse carries its own character and you won't spot any repetitive colour and style at all

#6: Another row of the shophouses

#7: Chinese prefers red cause it believes brings good luck and its auspicious colour.

#8: Chinatown view from the above

Chinatown is commonly known by tourists and travellers for its cheap shopping and one of the best place for  local foods, although there are lots of small alleys for you to discover and explore which one is the best. My family and I didn't have the time to find the local foods there cause most of them prefer to have McD instead. McD is has been part of our stampler foods whenever we travel, it's really hard for us to run away from that. But in case you don't know where to get the cheap souvenirs in Singapore especially the typical type such as fridge magnets, keychains, T-shirt and so on, here is the place to go. There are even few shops selling gold and jade jewellery, fine silks and antiques.  

#9: Good news for TinTin fans cause you can find your collection here

#10: Fridge magnets, mugs, shot glasses, T-shirts, postcards, luggage tags and more but no doubt, majority are made from China. Don't be surprised cause after all, you are in Chinatown 

#11: Yes, Singapore has really strict laws by the way

How To Get To Chinatown of Singapore
Exit A (Pagoda Street) of North-East MRT line's Chinatown station

Hotel Review: Hotel 81 Dickson of Singapore

Because I travelled in a big group back in year 2012 for my family trip, it's not easy to find those lodging that suit our budget and preferences especially when travel to Singapore where most of the lodging could cost us a bomb. Hostel will definitely not in my list as I tagged along two middle aged ladies with me and I'm pretty sure, it will definitely not so convenient for them to stay. After searched high and low, my family and I agreed to book our stay in Hotel 81 Dickson.

#1: Hotel 81 Dickson located in heart of Little India street.

Hotel 81 is a chain of budgeted hotels and they have like more than 20 over hotels located in the city centre, Geylang, Joo Chiat, Lavender and more. For the one we pick, Hotel 81 Dickson is strategically situated right in the middle of Little India and it was just few minutes walk to the hustle and bustle of Bugis Street.

#2: The front desk staffs who were so friendly and helpful. No hassle upon check-in and it was fast and smooth.

#3: The huge and spacious lobby with the enchanted chandelier

#4: We booked two triple rooms

I always thought most of the budgeted hotels in Singapore were so small and limited in term of space but for this, it made me awed once I stepped into the room. It's not like the room was completely huge and spacious but at least we still could easily moved around eventhough we had plenty of luggage bags and shopping bags as well. My mom and aunt could even did catwalk with their newly bought clothes inside the room.


#5: Eventhough it was just a minimal decoration but it has all the basic necessities such as LCD Plasma TV, kettle, hair dryer and most importantly, free WiFi Connection. It's sufficient enough to satisfy me as long as I can keep in touch with my boyfie back in Malaysia.

#6: Another important part of the hotel room besides bed which is the clean bathroom. Everything is pretty fine but it would be best for them to have the shower curtain cause everytime we bathed, it makes the whole bathroom wet.

#7: Coffee and tea maker with complimentary bottle waters

Location wise, it's few minutes walk to Bugis Street and Sim Lim Square, the preferred shopping mall for electronics and for the nearest MRT, it takes less than 5 minutes to walk from newly Rochor MRT Station to the hotel. Our room rate didn't include the breakfast but restaurants and shopping options aplenty.

Date Stayed: 17 December - 20 December 2012 (3 nights)

Rate We Paid :  RM460.50 per night for triple room (Booked via Agoda.com)

Direction:
The nearest hotel to Hotel 81 Dickson is Rochor MRT Station Exit B. Take lift up and from the station, turn left and walk towards the traffic light. Turn left again and walk until spot Yong Kee Seafood. Turn left into the small alley and immediately will see Hotel 81 Dickson.

Disclaimer:
This review is truly based on my own personal experience and is my genuine and honest opinion of this hotel, and that I have no personal or business relationship with this establishment.