Visit my previous blog: Hokkaido Travel Blog (Overview) I mentioned in my previous post that this hotel was one of the reason why I wanted to stay at least a night in Tokyo. Ever since my trip to Japan in 2011, I have been longing for the Japanese and continental buffet breakfast served at Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku Hotel. The spread was pretty decent but most importantly it is delicious :).
Daily Breaksfast will be served at Vilazza Cafe Source: Google Maps
Breakfast @ Vilazza
Grilled mackarel, seaweed, japanese omelette, pickled mushroom, sausage and bacon served with rice :).
Counter service was good and prompt. Since it is an international business hotel, the service staff speaks good English too.
Lobby @ Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku Source: Google Maps
I had originally reserved a standard double room for JPY19,600/Rm600 per night including breakfast. The room comes with a queen bed which is cosy enough for Wifey and I although we still considered the room to be a little small. This time around we were pleasantly surprised to know that we were upgraded to a larger Universal Standard Room instead of the normal standard room. Everything was still the same except that the room is bigger and can fit a sofa.
Universal Standard Room @ Sunroute Shinjuku
Each floor in the hotel has a vending machine where you can buy canned drinks including your favorite Japanese alcoholic beverage. Mine is Asahi Beer!!
The location of the hotel is considered quite good about 10 minutes walk from Shinjuku station. The fact that the airport bus makes scheduled stops right in front of the hotel is an added advantage.
Finding food around the area is pretty easy as well. There is a convenience shop right across the street and a Mcdonald's just less than 100m away.
Last weekend decided to watch Jurassic World with Wifey at KLCC. Since we had some time to kill, we decided to have high tea at Mandarin Oriental Hotel which is just nearby. The dining place is actually called Lounge In The Park. I guess it's much more a cosier place as compared to the cafes in KLCC or Avenue K. Furthermore, the pianist playing to some relaxing tunes makes this place a much classier one as well.
The table has been properly set up for the high tea. I decided to take the set for one person only and share it with Wifey after I realised that the table was pretty small and may be difficult to fit two tea sets. It turned to be a good idea as I am able to try out other items in the menu as well. As in the menu below, the high tea is available 2.30pm to 6 pm. During dinner time, the lounge area will be combined with Mosaic Restaurant for the buffet. I will suggest to place reservation earlier to avoid disappointment or to get a bigger table or a table with a better view. The price is Rm91 and inclusive of service tax and GST.
The Hi Tea was pretty satisfactory although not considered extraordinary. I think it tasted better than the one served in YTL's Camerons Highland Resort (CHR) where I had my last high tea. One criteria that is most important is the freshness of the bread or pastry served. Otherwise it would have tasted hard or dry. One thing for sure Mandarin Oriental is definitely more generous when it comes the types of spreads for the scones. In fact, they provided portions for two person although we ordered the set for one person only. Thumbs up for the quality service which exceeded my expectations. Once we are done with the high tea set, we decided to order a pizza to fill our tummy since we will be skipping dinner to watch the movie. We ordered the Salmon Pizza (circa Rm60) which was fantastic. The base was soft and crispy and the smoked salmon and mayo topping brings out a wonderful flavour. Great!!
The overall ambiance of the lounge area is quite good as well. There is a resident pianist playing and the lighting used adds up to the relaxing feel.
Ratings
Pricing a bit on the high side but if you are looking for a classy and decent place for high tea, this is a good option available.
As there is no direct flight from Kuala Lumpur to Hokkaido, Wifey and I decided to stay one night in Tokyo. We have been there in 2011, so it is like a refresher trip for me. As in the trip in 2011, our Malaysian Airlines (MH88) flight arrived at Terminal 2, Narita Airport early morning at around 6.30am. It is indeed a good timing as there will be one full day to explore the city. For info, Japan is one hour ahead of Malaysia.
MH88 at Narita Airport
Internet Connection
As soon as I arrived, I headed to the postal office located at departure level of Terminal 2 to collect my Portable Wifi that I reserved earlier from Global Advanced Communication (http://www.globaladvancedcomm.com). The rental cost me about 731 yen/day for the speed of 75 mbps. The speed was superb with no issues watching videos on youtube and was also usable throughout my trip in Hokkaido.
I strongly believe internet access is a must for travelling in Japan as I use it for directions, subway routing, Japanese translation and other tourist info. I feel much safer with it around. So important that I ensure there is a battery pack to recharge when required. Reservation is also really convenient which can be done online prior to the trip and upon arrival just collect it from the postal office. I don't even need to que for more than 5 minutes to collect the Portable Wifi.
Portable Wifi rented from Global Communications
Terminal 2, Departure Hall
Transport to the City
Once I completed running some tests on the portable wifi, Wifey and I proceeded to buy the ticket for the next available Narita Express Train to Shinjuku station. The cost is about 3,200 yen per person. Remember I mentioned that Japan being one hour ahead of Malaysia? I actually forgot to change the time on my watch and after purchasing my train ticket, I thought that I have another 80 minutes to spare (instead of 20 minutes only) so we went for a cup of coffee nearby. We only noticed our mistake when we were seated down and by that time, we only had another 7 minutes before the train arrives. It is fortunate that Wifey spotted the mistake in the nick of time.
Inside Narita Express...not many passengers in the morning.
You can buy hot beverage / simple breakfast from push carts.
Our hotel: Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku
Before able to go anywhere we need to drop off our luggage first so the first thing we did was to check into our hotel. Our hotel is located at the quiet side of Shinjuku which is just about 10 minutes walking distance from Shinjuku Station. It takes about an hour journey from Narita Airport to Shinjuku station which by the way is the busiest railway station in the world. Shinjuku is a major commercial and administrative centreknown for its department store, entertainment centre as well as the notoriously known Kabukicho which is Tokyo's own red light district.
Another reason why I wanted to stay at least a night here in Tokyo was partly due to this hotel. I will write a review about this hotel in my next blog :)
Entrance view of Sunroute Plaza Shinjuku
Source: Google Maps
Our Tokyo 1 Day Itenerary (Shinjuku →Harajuku → Shibuya)
After checking into the hotel, we proceeded with our plan for the day without wasting much time. We headed back to Shinjuku station and took the subway to Harajuku station which is just2 stations away. Harajuku is the place to experience the japanese youth culture and people watching. Every now and then you will come across cosplayers or anime fans dressed up as their favorite cartoon characters.
Without Google Maps...Think I will get totally lost...
Front view of Harajuku Station
(Pic Taken in 2011 Trip)
It is common to sight cosplayers in Harajuku on weekends although of late, the culture is getting less popular..
Once outside of Harajuku station, go left and follow the crowd and you will eventually arrive at Takeshita Street, a shopping street. You can find a lots of fashion boutique shops, cafes and restaurants there. If fashion is not of your interest, there is also a big Daiso 100 yen shop there where you can find interesting Japanese household items as your souvenir.
Takeshita Street
Daiso @ Harajuku
Source: Google Maps
At Takeshita Street you will also find two to three shops selling the famous Harajuku crepes with probably 20 choices to choose from. We decided to just have that for lunch since we expect to have more munchies along the way.
It tasted as good as it looks :)
As in the last trip, we decided to take a slow walk to Shibuya since the walk is less than 2km away and took us about 20 minutes to reach there. You know you are near Shibuya when you see this type of trucks with blaring music circling the area. It is used as advertisement usually targeting the youths.
Advertisement Trucks @ Shibuya
The place has not changed much since 2011. Probably just the weather since the last time we were here it was autumn while the second time around it was summer. The surprising thing was the night temperature was not as warm as expected since it was summer. In fact, it was actually pretty cool like 24-25 Celsius. Since the real reason being here is not for the fashion, which by the way is what Shibuya is much famous for. So what is the next most popular thing here?
Shibuya Crossing
It's called Shibuya Crossing which is considered as the world’s busiest intersection located in front of Shibuya Station. Seeing so many people crossing (or to be exact "crisscrossing") the intersection at one time is set to amaze anyone who is seeing it for the first time. One of the better place to view Shibuya Crossing is at the Starbucks in Tsutaya Building located at one corner of the intersection. Wifey and I decided to have afternoon coffee there as well. Be warned though... this place is always packed with people so you would expect long queues especially on weekends and difficulty in getting seats especially those with windows that have view over the intersection. When we were there in 2011, we weren't so lucky so we decided to give another try this time and bingo....
Starbucks @ Shibuya
Source: Google Maps
After afternoon coffee, we continued to stroll around Shibuya area and as usual Wifey will be very interested on those pharmacies which also sell skin care products like the one below.
Soon it was already about 7pm and we decided to call it a day as we wanted to rest early and be prepared for our trip to Hokkaido on the following day. Before heading back to the hotel, we had dinner first (our first proper meal since our arrival this morning) at Shinjuku Station.
Dinner was at a random Katsudon Restaurant. Katsudon is basically a bowl of rice topped with a deep fried pork (or sometimes chicken) cutlet and egg. It tasted quite good. I have always felt that having fried food in Japan (including Tempura) tasted better than those outside of Japan. I find that the variant here is usually less soggy / oily hence it felt to me like its healthier here. Maybe it's just a perception :)... For more info of food you can find in Tokyo:
It was such a memorable trip for me. Not entirely because Hokkaido is my favorite holiday destination to date but also the fact that I traveled there just one day after the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) in Ukraine. I remember that I was packing my bags for the trip the night before departure and learned from a friend's whats app message that another MAS flight met with a disaster. I thought it was a hoax but it turned out unfortunately to be true....
I remember going to airport with a sombre feeling. On the way to the airport I saw a news van parked outside the airport as they get prepared to report any latest updates in relation to the flight disaster. Its a similar scenario inside the airport...just kinda sad feeling.
Not sure how it was related but the plane used for my flight was changed and since it was a smaller plane, the seating arrangement was changed without prior notice to the passengers. It was a lucky thing that my wifey checked our seat number to ensure we had side by side seats or otherwise we would be seating apart throughout the entire journey. Nevertheless, I salute the service crew of Malaysian Airlines who remained focused to deliver the required service standards although most of them were probably saddened by the fact that they may have lost their close friends the night before. There was one thing weird that happened during my flight though. In the midst of our flight while entering the Vietnamese air space, the service crew instructed all passengers to shut the the window shades. This is something unheard of especially during mid flight but the memories of the missing flight MH370 as it entered Vietnamese air space did trouble my mind....
Anyway... back to my trip.
My Hokkaido travel turned out to be one of my most adventurous trip as I decided to have a self drive trip with Wifey. I am writing this blog about a year after so what do I remember the most about Hokkaido? Mmm... let me close my eyes. Focus...focus....Okay. Here are things that I remember about Hokkaido and miss the most:
April 2015. Hehuanshan is just circa 25km from Cingjing but the drive up there may take up to an hour due to the climb and winding road. Overall I would sum up the trip as fun but disappointing at the same time. Sound confusing?
For convenience, we took the Hehuanshan Sunrise Tour Package recommended by our hotel (Old England Manor) located in Cingjing. The tour bus was supposed to pick us up at 3.30am so wifey and I woke up as early as 3am to get prepared. The tour bus operator gave morning call reminder sometime around 3am as well.
3.30am Waiting for tour bus @ Old England Manor
As you can see its total darkness at Old England Manor. So yah..it's a little scary but at the same time made me feel adventurous as well. We walked towards the main road as we waited for our bus. The bus finally came to pick us up at around 4am and it turned out that we were the first passengers. The bus spent the next 30mins picking up the rest of the passengers and unfortunately one passenger was overly late and the bus driver decided to leave him or her behind yikes….
As you can expect the road up to Hehuanshan is very winding and dangerous. The bus actually went up the mountain with other buses like a convoy. The drivers will alert each other on oncoming vehicles or obstructions.
Enroute to Hehuanshan... Nothing much to see.
Enroute to Hehuanshan, we made a pit stop at a rest area and finally reached Hehuanshan at around 5.30am. Unfortunately weather was not so conducive with dark clouds over shadowing part of the view. Though not entirely bad, the view was less than perfect. Well…. To console myself maybe it could have been worse. From our view point it looks like heaven is just behind the mountains. Don’t you think so?
The sunrise view at Hehuanshan
After the sunrise, we proceeded higher up the mountain but this time the weather got even worse and there was nothing much to see other than the thick fog in front of you. L
Well, overall the trip was still okay I guess. I like the experience of the near zero temperature as I definitely will not be able to experience this in my home country. One word of advice, try not to go up Hehuanshan after a meal as the winding journey up the mountain can really make you throw up. Even though I did not eat prior to the trip, I still had this funny bloated feeling when I returned to Old England Manor which kind of spoil my appetite for the buffet breakfast.
As mentioned in my previous blog, this hotel or manor is really a tourist spot on its own. Designed and constructed by a Taiwanese architect, it took 10 years for the manor to be completed as the owner travels back and forth Europe to source the right materials for the construction. Trust me, the moment you set foot into the building, be prepared to be amazed by the level of attention given into the fine details of architecture, decorations, furniture and utensils used all apparently imported from Europe. In fact, I actually accidently left behind my belongings on two occasions (first being my handphone and 2nd being my jacket) as I was either too engrossed with taking pictures with my camera or simply too busy admiring the overall atmosphere of the place. You will really feel that you are transported to Europe at an instant except that… you don't really see many westerners around and mandarin / Chinese is the main language used of course.
Most of the time you will find many people outside of the hotel taking pictures / selfies against the backdrop of the manor. Unless staying / dining in the hotel, outsiders are not allowed into the manor and that kind of adds to the exclusivity of the hotel. This may not be the most expensive hotel that I have stayed in but I can say it feels like the most luxurious and value for money.
If I am not wrong, the manor is divided into 3 sections which are all interconnected although most residents will use a walkway outside the hotel to go from one section to another. The hotel lobby and restaurant is located at Section 1 and Section 2 respectively. At the 3rd section, you will find the banquet hall and also a big living room where the hotel will host a get together session each night. The host will play selected classical music from a very expensive Hi-Fi set and residents can indulge themselves with free flow of wine and other alcohol beverages.
The interior design of the living room (music room)
Another snapshot from the music room
Most people will just stay a night here as there are limited things to do in Cingjing however I would recommend a stay of at least 2 nights here so that you will have enough time to chill out / relax and explore the vicinity of the manor. I tried to navigate through the maze which connects the three sections mentioned above and it turned out to be quite fun. There is a mysterious feel to it as you will always wonder what lies behind this door you open, where the staircase leads to or where the existing path will bring you. Every now and then you will reach upon a little garden / living room to chill out or take some pictures.
The room
My wifey and I stayed at the Madrigal suite. It’s definitely one of the most luxurious and romantic place I have stayed so far. The room comes with a coffee making machine and a Hi-Fi systemwhich you normally would not find in a standard hotel room. Enjoying my cup of coffee while listening to classical music and overlooking a beautiful scenery outside the window do make me feel like Bruce Wayne :). The hotel also provides wine, fruit basket, drinks and snacks in the room with no extra charges. There is a also a fire place but I think one needs to specially request in order to use it. Otherwise there is air conditioning which can serve as a heater as well.. The bed is comfy enough that’s all I can say. Similarly, you can expect the bathroom to be spacious as well complete with a bath tube and separate shower area. At the balcony area, you will find a complete garden set comprising of a coffee table & chairs and a sleeping bench. I like chilling out there to enjoy my cup of coffee and fresh air.
Food review
There is only one restaurant in the hotel. The hotel package includes both breakfast and dinner although the hotel reservation done through Bookings.com showed that it only includes breakfast. Goodie!!
Food was overall satisfactory. For dinner, a fine dining menu was offered with 3 or 4 main course to choose from. Presentation wise was pretty good but the food tasted a little bland for my liking. Nevertheless, I think it would probably go well with people who are more health conscious. The atmosphere in the restaurant of course adds a little to the plus points. If you stay here more than a night, you can also expand your choices from the lunch menu as well.
Breakfast is western buffet style which is also at the same restaurant. The variety is pretty decent for a small hotel except that it is not changed. So if you go for breakfast on the second day it will just be the same as the one you had on the first day. I think the hotel should improve on this.
Starters: Bread and braised mini abalone with cucumber
You can bring the wine in your room for dinner here subject to a small corkage charge.
Salad...pretty good actually.
Main course: Cod fish
Main course: Steak
Outside the window
Final Ratings
Really good at almost every level. Value for money and very good customer service.
