Travel: Staycation at Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel (Part II of Birthday Treat)

Surprise, surprise~!! After my sister treated us to a sumptuous lunch at Boneless Kitchen, my next stop is~~~ *Drum Rolls*~~~

Staycation at Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel!!!

Lobby - Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel

As expected of renowned hotels, the hotel staff are well trained, i.e. great customer service. The facilities that are available are comprehensive as well. And yes, they provide free in-room WIFI ;)

I did not managed to explore every single facilities that they offer. What I did take a look at are the cafeteria, swimming pool and pool grill.

View of the swimming pool from our room

The room which was allocated to us was Room 1415.
Disclaimer: If you are going to buy 4D based on this number, we are in no way responsible for the outcome.

Quite often, we have to swipe the keycard to open the room door. But at this Marriott, I liked that the room door can be opened with just a tab of the room keycard. Totally WIFI :) How cool is that?

The decoration in the room is pretty luxurious and sleek. The wardrobe is well stocked with the usual items such as steam iron, ironing board, hair dryer, safe, slippers and hangers. There is a king size bed which is a good size for QW to co-sleep with us. FYI, they did set up a play pen for QW after I took the photos of the room.

King-sized bed

Smart TV
*please pardon the messiness. We dumped our barang barangs there :p*

I am not sure why they left the mineral water bottles in the restroom :/

Dressing table within the restroom

Guess what?
They left me a surprise :)
A birthday cake *Yay to mango flavour!!* and a signed birthday card :)

One bummer we faced started because I forgot to bring our handphone charger along. I got even more jittery when the room service staff told me that they do not loan out chargers to us. The only way is to bring our handphones or power banks and ask the receptionist to help us charge (using their PC).

Having said that, similarly to our experience at Marriott Mai Khao Beach Vacation Club @ Phuket, our stay this round had been a pleasant one :)

Coincidentally, it was "Pedestrian Night on Orchard Road"[2] that night. So, we had our evening stroll along Orchard Road and joined in the fun :) Walking on an iconic road usually occupied by vehicles kind of brings me back to the times when I was in Times Square, Manhattan, New York.

It was a very vibrant and loud event with bands singing, people skating, balloons being distributed, etc. QW's all the favourite was of course playing with the helium balloons we got for her :)

A memorable day indeed to be continued in next post~

References:
1. Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel
2. Orchard Road A Great Street - Pedestrian Night
3. Tripadvisor - Singapore Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel

Travel: A Walk in SunPlaza Park

QW went on her walk again :) This time, we went to explore SunPlaza Park[1][2]. In case you are under the impression that QW does not go for her walks in the parks often enough, I assure you that it is all because my blog posting speed is very much slower than the number of parks she had visited. Also, it is because we tend to bring her to the parks near our place or our parents' place.

Some may think that SunPlaza Park will be located near Sun Plaza, a shopping mall located in Sembawang. Just as Punggol Park is not located in Punggol (but in Hougang), SunPlaza Park is actually located in Tampines. Yup, no where near Sun Plaza.

PCN bike shop

As you can see from the above photos, SunPlaza Park is connected to the Park Connector Network (PCN) and has a PCN bike shop. The nearest parks are Tampines Eco Green Park, Bedok Reservoir Park and Paris Ris Park.

SunPlaza park is one of the sensory parks which I am aware of. The other sensory park is Toa Payoh Sensory Park. Unlike SunPlaza Park and Punggol Park, Toa Payoh Sensory Park is actually located in Toa Payoh.

Being a sensory park, that there are features which appeal to your senses of touch, sight, smell, sound and maybe taste. From its National Park and Wikipedia websites, SunPlaza Park is said to have 10 stations of interactive play features which give their visitors a treat to their senses.

These stations include textured walls, organic texture walk, talking tubes, tumbler, entry sign with recessed wordings and symbols, ladder wall, slider beads, herbal walls, "toes", and chimes. They will probably keep their visitors occupied for quite a while. As there are no signage, here are my attempts at identifying them (no guarantee on accuracy!):

Entry sign with recessed wordings and symbols

Chimes

Organic texture walk?

Tumbler

Slider beads

Talking tubes

Ladder wall

Textured wall

"Toes"?

Herbal wall?

Unlike Punggol Park, SunPlaza Park does not have a pond. But having said that, the number of facilities and activities which you can find at Sun Plaza Park is comparable to that at Punggol Park. Similarly to my blog post on Punggol Park, I will (again) let the photos do the talking on some of the facilities and activities that you can find in it.

Signage that summarizes the park's facilities and activities

Fitness corner with a rest bench near it

Woodball course has 12 fairways
that complies with internationally accepted standards.

This town park does cater to all ages. I have on many occasions seen visitors cycle, jog, in-line skate, play guitar, walk, relax etc. around the park. I must say that majority of the activities seem to take place at three main areas: playground, beach ball court and amphitheatre.

Young ones are often seen having fun usually at the playground, while the elderly watched them from the rest benches nearby. The two swings in the playground are well loved by all ages. By the way, the swings are not the typical ones which looks like a metal piece seat. Take a look at QW enjoying a ride on the swing and you will know what I mean.

Far view of the playground

Close up on one side of the playground 

Close up on the other side of the play ground -
the two swings are on the right of this picture.

QW on the swing :)
QW ootd: Carters onesie and Tollijoy pants

BBQ pits opposite playground

I have not seen anyone fly a kite in SunPlaza Park before. But, I think it might be possible to do so near the Beach Ball Court. You might be wondering why are those circular pathways around the two trees in the below picture. I was told that the circles are created by those who practice Qi/Chakra while walking in circles around the trees.

Beach ball court

It was mentioned in the National Park and Wikipedia websites that the amphitheatre has the capacity to hold 700 people (seating and standing). With such a large space, it does make an ideal venue for events such as band performances, exhibitions, etc. True enough, I often see music enthusiasts often gather at amphitheatre (or one of the pavilions) to sing songs and/or play musical instruments ranging from guitar to Kompang and Rebana.

Music enthusiasts playing at one of the pavilions 

Amphitheatre with stage

Toilet near amphitheatre
I heard it is very clean (but yet to verify)

I like that this town park has rest benches and sheltered areas (like Punggol Park) which are quite closely scattered around it. As I have mentioned before, sheltered areas are great to have within sight in case of sudden downpour.

Shelter/Pavilion near amphitheatre

Shelter/Pavilion undergoing maintenance

Again unlike Punggol Park, SunPlaza park does not have a restaurant within its compound. But, if you ever feel hungry, you can always grab a bite at the town centre located opposite to the park, at nearby coffee shop or at void deck shop houses.

SunPlaza Park with its many facilities does cater to its growing visitors as more flats and condominiums are being built around it. If you happen to be in Tampines, do pop by and breathe in some fresh air.

References:

1. National Parks - Sun Plaza Park
2. Wikipedia - Sun Plaza Park

Travel: Happy New Year and Introduction to Up and Coming Halal Warehouse

Happy New Year Everybody!

Sadly, 2014 did not end on a happy note with the many aviation accidents close to home. Hope 2015 is a better year than 2014!

In recent months, there have been some talks on warehouses (where we can hopefully buy things are a cheaper price). So, I am going to start the year with an introduction to a newly discovered (by hubby of course) halal warehouse[1].

Yes, you saw it correctly. Halal warehouse. Not the Warehouse Club[2] which is newly opened in Joo Koon Circle. This one is located at east-central Singapore.

Expect to see mostly food stuffs (ranging from condiments to frozen food) and some everyday items such as shampoos, shower gels, etc. Although you will still see some big brands such as Coca Cola on their shelves, most of the displayed items are brands which I am not aware of. I heard that is because the warehouse aims to help SMEs gain exposure to the public.

In case you are worried about the quality of the goods, the warehouse do have samples for some of them. So, do your quality assurance before you buy :) Do pop over to my hubby's blog post for more details! For enquiries, feel free to drop us an e-mail or comments :)

Last but not least, HAPPY SG50!!!

References:

1. Singapore Local Tour - Warehouse Tour - Halal Warehouse
2. Warehouse Club

Travel: The Seletar Mall Visit

The Seletar Mall opened in Nov 2014 only meant one thing to me: A new place to explore! :) And that was exactly what I did on 15 Dec 2014, Monday.

Being so new, some of the shops have yet started business. There are also vacant spots here and there, waiting for their potential bosses' to lease them. Hence, I think I should probably revisit it in a few months' time.

Once you step in, you will definitely notice the many food eateries scattered on various levels of the mall. It not only houses the usual McDonald, Pizza Hut, Starbucks, but also the less commonly seen Delifrance. In any case, you will be spoilt for food choices if you are a non-vegetarian. 

But for a vegetarian, the food court operated by Food Fare does not have a vegetarian stall. Hence if you want to grab a bite, you will have to settle for the vegetarian dishes offered by one of the eateries or exit the mall and walk to the nearby non air-conditioned Koufu food court.

Some of the pull factors would probably be NTUC Finest and Shaw Theatres. For those staying Seng Kang/Punggol area, it definitely beats going to The Seletar Mall than travelling to Kovan and Serangoon MRT station respectively. 

You will also see the usual variety of shops ranging from fashion to travel. But one thing did catch my eyes is that the mall would appeal to new parents because of the many kids related stores such as Mothercare, Lamkins, Baby Spa etc.

Being new to parenthood, one of the places that I zoomed into is the baby care rooms (again~ Haa~!), which are located at levels B1, 3 and 4. I managed to check out the ones at levels 3 and 4.

At level 4 (where the cinema is located), the main sliding door to the baby care room is automated with lock function. There are 2 diaper changing stations, a sink, a hot/cold water dispenser, a nursing section separated by a sliding door with lock function, dust bin and 2 power sockets (located in the nursing section).

Level 4: Automated main sliding door with lock function

Level 4: Water dispenser, 2 changing stations, sink, dust bin

Level 4: 2 power sockets in the nursing section

Level 4: Nursing section's sliding door

Level 4: Nursing section's cushion seat

The power sockets, which I feel is especially useful for pumping mothers, is hanging on the wall and not near any physical structure (e.g. table or shelf). Also, the distance between the sockets and the cushion seat is pretty far. So, it might be a bit of a inconvenience if you want to pump comfortably because you do not seem to have a convenient spot to place your pumping essentials.

Comparing to the baby care room at level 3, the one at level 4 is larger in terms of size (though still smaller than the one at Compass Point). It should fit in 3 strollers comfortably (2 to use the diaper changing stations and another in the nursing section). The nursing section is also better ventilated as it has a dedicated air-conditioning vent.

On the other hand, level 3 has 1 diaper changing station, a sink, dust bin and 1 nursing section separated by a sliding door with lock function. It is smaller than level 4's baby care room but it can probably fit in 2 strollers (1 to use the diaper changing station and the other the nursing section). I personally feel that if you close the level 3 nursing room's sliding door (which I can't seem to lock!), you will feel that it is very stuffy because of the lack of air-conditioning vent. 

Level 3: Water dispenser, changing station, sink, dust bin

Level 3: Nursing section's cushion seat

To end, I feel that the mall is a pretty kids friendly place. I hope that the mall management has/will looked into ways to ensure that people do not misuse the baby care rooms (for their water dispensers and/or sinks), so that those who truly need to use the facilities can access them.

In any case, I will write another post on the mall again with details on the B1 nursing/diaper changing room when I revisit it. In that post, I will also include the roof top garden (which I think is probably kids friendly too).

Travel: A Walk in Punggol Park

Brought QW out for some fresh air at Punggol Park[1], which is funnily located in Hougang.

QW playing in the playground
QW ootd: Pumpkin patch yellow romper

QW getting in touch with Mother Nature

Apart from the usual jogging/running/walking and cycling path, I will let photos do the talking on the facilities and activities that you can find in Punggol Park:

Playground (There are two swings in the behind too!)

Foot reflexology stone path

Restroom near the playground and foot reflexology stone path

Fitness corner

Took a picture of a man taking a picture of another drawing a picture :p

Pond

Parking rates

Car park

Wild Oats @ Punggol Park [3] 

Plaza area (Where activities such as tai chi takes place)

Inline skating at the plaza area

Woodball course

What I like about this town park are the rest benches and sheltered-areas which are quite closely scattered around the park. In case of sudden downpour, it is always great to have a sheltered-area within sight (especially with a baby in tow)!

For the record, I have not seen the water-sports activities (such as dragon boating) mentioned in their Wikipedia page taking place in the pond. But, my mum told me that she saw the dragon boating event before. Perhaps, I did not go at the right time?

I did see people fishing in the pond although Punggol Park does not seem to be on the list of designated fishing areas[4][5]. Do note that one may be fined if found not complying with the fishing guidelines observed in Singapore[6].

Also, I would not fly a kite there because my kite flying skill is not that great. I cannot find an open space which I deemed big enough to fly my kite such that it neither get stuck in the trees nor land the pond.

For a town park, it really does cater to young and old in the family. With it being connected to the Park Connector Network (PCN) and the opening of the PCN bike shop, also with the many HDBs and Condos which sprouted up around it, I think Punggol Park will get a lot more activities with days to come.

References:

1. NParks - Punggol Park
2. Wikipedia - Punggol Park
3. Wild Oats @ Punggol Park
4. Nparks - Designated fishing grounds
5. PUB - Fishing guidelines
6. Straits Times - PUB's effort against illegal fishing

[Slightly off-topic, I got to learn in Hualien, Taiwan, that bird nest fern (the fern in the 4th photo from the top which QW tried to touch) is edible! It is one of the aboriginal dish~ More on it in my future post on Hualien.]