The Andana spa at Pan Pacific Hotel Glenmarie is the latest addition to Malaysia's popular spa at HLA and Menara Citibank. It serves both men and ladies, and the facilities here are newer too.
I've been a regular customer for this spa since 2005. The entry fee of RM145++ (about US$38 ++) comes with a 40 minute shiatsu or aroma massage, usage of spa facilities like the jacuzzi, steam bath, sauna, and unlimited servings of food & beverages. I arrived at about 6.45pm and decided to go for a triple session meaning that i can have up to 120 minutes worth of massage. You just need to add RM55++ (US$14++) per extra 40 minutes / per session.
Started with the shower before entering the jacuzzi that has even has water beds where i can lie down and enjoy the movie. After about 20 minutes, i was getting warm and had a shower splash before going for my steam bath. The environment here is clean and quiet. Most of the guests are tourists on holiday staying at this hotel. After my final shower, i headed to the unisex lounge for refreshments and snacks. You can have fresh juices, light snacks, main courses (western and local Malaysian delicacies) and even desserts like Haagen Dazs ice cream.
Before your massage session, don't be tempted to overindulge so i started with light snacks, fruits and a glass of orange juice at about 7.30pm. My session for massage started at 8.15pm till 10.15pm. I had a mixed combination of shiatsu and aroma but enjoyed the latter as i normally enjoy light to moderate pressure. However, i found that 2 hour of massage was actually rather tiring and next round, i'm gonna just have a single or double session. After your massage in a private room, then they will serve you hot ginger tea to detoxify your body.
Then, it's back to the lounge for your main dinner. I particularly enjoy the boiled soup that they have, and spent the rest of the hours reading through magazines and watching a movie too. You will be sitting on a cosy sofa chair with a nice view of the green golf course (which you can only see during day time) so you will really have a nice relaxing time.
Apart from body massage, you can also get foot reflexology, facial treatments, and manicure too. All of these are on add-on basis.
I left the spa at 12 midnight (that's their closing time) and drove back home. Do bring along your Genting Worldcard for points accumulation and you can even sign up as the VIP member of this spa for extra privileges if you enjoyed your treatment.
In between all the Andana spas i've visited, i loved Singapore Andana Spa the best (located on top of Paragon shopping center at Orchard Road) as it's the newest one with very elegant designs, and Glenmarie Andana will be my choice for Malaysia. I've also visited the Wisma HLA along Jalan Raja Chulan, but i found the facilities there to be smaller in size and not as new, while the one at Menara Citibank, Jalan Ampang is only reserved for male customers.
Saturday, September 10, 2005
Saturday, September 03, 2005
Shopping Trip in Shanghai
On Saturday, visited several shopping destinations in Shanghai. Check out my journey here.
Started with a cab ride to the FoxTown factory outlet mall, who's advertisement boosted brands like Prada, Gucci and Versace. You can get the address from their website and when in China, it's always good to carry the print out of the location map with address in English and Chinese as the typical cab driver will only be able to read the chinese address. I forgot to do that so we were circling around the Shanghai Stadium and he called his pal on the cell phone for instructions. However, this cab driver was so good that he even gave me a discount on my taxi fare since he couldn't find the location. This was the first time i was actually given a discount!
However, this so-called shopping mall was such a big disappointment and had very limited range, so i was out of there in 10 minutes. Next i headed to Nanjing Xi Lu (Nanjing Road West), Plaza 66. The chinese name for this grand shopping mall, doesn't even have the word 66 in it (which i learnt on my very first china trip in early 2005). You will get Louis Vuitton (LV), Prade, Gucci, Chanel, and all the big international brands here. One great thing is that, there's hardly any other shoppers around so you have big space and quiet relaxing shopping even on a weekend. You should check out the chinese restaurant upstairs that serves pretty nice dim sum, which i especially liked the crab meat / roe pork dumpling.
You can either shop at the huge shopping mals on the same row of Plaza 66, or cross the street for small little stores across it. I had a Japanese set lunch of salmon sashimi, and then went to a dessert shop for a nice steamed egg white with milk dessert. I absolutely love this dessert and always make it a point to have at least 1 serving each trip i'm in China or Hong Kong.
The weather in early September is less hotter compared to the mid summer months like July so walking along the streets were still alright.
Then after about 2 hours, hopped into a cab to Nanjin Road East. If you continued to walk on foot, you can probably reach here too but it'll be a very long walk (at least 45 minutes of non-stop walking). Here is the place where you will get lost even shopping on 1 floor at some of these big shopping malls. For instance, the New World Shopping Center and Shanghai No.1 Shopping Mall. One word of caution, you will be approached by many people to try out their cafes or restaurants upstairs, and you will probably end up with an unhappy experience where you might pay higher rates than usual for food that aren't even that delicious.
You will see many KFCs, McDonalds, Yoshinoya japanese bowl rice and Ajisen Ramen. If you have not tasted Ajisen Ramen before, you really need to try it out. Lots of variety for noodles and snacks like Chicken Wings, Grilled Eel, and more. Shopping in Shanghai is not just limited to women apparels, even bed & furnishings, and lots of choices for mens apparels are available. Suits / jackets are aplenty and can range from RMB200 to RMB500 for the jacket and pants.
I ended back at my apartment by 6pm, and headed to the hair saloon for my hair colouring. Since it was gonna take some time, i also tried out the manicure with nail arts. Looks like a busy shopping day and look forward to Sunday!
Started with a cab ride to the FoxTown factory outlet mall, who's advertisement boosted brands like Prada, Gucci and Versace. You can get the address from their website and when in China, it's always good to carry the print out of the location map with address in English and Chinese as the typical cab driver will only be able to read the chinese address. I forgot to do that so we were circling around the Shanghai Stadium and he called his pal on the cell phone for instructions. However, this cab driver was so good that he even gave me a discount on my taxi fare since he couldn't find the location. This was the first time i was actually given a discount!
However, this so-called shopping mall was such a big disappointment and had very limited range, so i was out of there in 10 minutes. Next i headed to Nanjing Xi Lu (Nanjing Road West), Plaza 66. The chinese name for this grand shopping mall, doesn't even have the word 66 in it (which i learnt on my very first china trip in early 2005). You will get Louis Vuitton (LV), Prade, Gucci, Chanel, and all the big international brands here. One great thing is that, there's hardly any other shoppers around so you have big space and quiet relaxing shopping even on a weekend. You should check out the chinese restaurant upstairs that serves pretty nice dim sum, which i especially liked the crab meat / roe pork dumpling.
You can either shop at the huge shopping mals on the same row of Plaza 66, or cross the street for small little stores across it. I had a Japanese set lunch of salmon sashimi, and then went to a dessert shop for a nice steamed egg white with milk dessert. I absolutely love this dessert and always make it a point to have at least 1 serving each trip i'm in China or Hong Kong.
The weather in early September is less hotter compared to the mid summer months like July so walking along the streets were still alright.
Then after about 2 hours, hopped into a cab to Nanjin Road East. If you continued to walk on foot, you can probably reach here too but it'll be a very long walk (at least 45 minutes of non-stop walking). Here is the place where you will get lost even shopping on 1 floor at some of these big shopping malls. For instance, the New World Shopping Center and Shanghai No.1 Shopping Mall. One word of caution, you will be approached by many people to try out their cafes or restaurants upstairs, and you will probably end up with an unhappy experience where you might pay higher rates than usual for food that aren't even that delicious.
You will see many KFCs, McDonalds, Yoshinoya japanese bowl rice and Ajisen Ramen. If you have not tasted Ajisen Ramen before, you really need to try it out. Lots of variety for noodles and snacks like Chicken Wings, Grilled Eel, and more. Shopping in Shanghai is not just limited to women apparels, even bed & furnishings, and lots of choices for mens apparels are available. Suits / jackets are aplenty and can range from RMB200 to RMB500 for the jacket and pants.
I ended back at my apartment by 6pm, and headed to the hair saloon for my hair colouring. Since it was gonna take some time, i also tried out the manicure with nail arts. Looks like a busy shopping day and look forward to Sunday!
Friday, September 02, 2005
Ice-cream in Shanghai
I just had a nice team break at Haagen Dazs restaurant at Raffles City Shopping Center. This is just next to my office building so it's easy to get food, and shop.
There was a promotion for Rock Melon "ha mi gua" ice cream so i ordered that. It came with 1 slice of rock melon ice cream (yes it was made to look like a slice of fruit, complete with the skin and the flesh in perfect colours), 1 scoop of lychee ice cream and about 2 scoops of fresh fruits. It costs RMB79 (US$12).
Prices shown in China restaurants are normally nett price so it means that that includes the service charge (tips) and the goverment taxes. These type of high end ice-cream restaurants don't even exist in Malaysia and the price per scoop is double the price of the same 1 scoop, back in Malaysia. Therefore, the Chinese population especially in top cities like Shanghai, do have good purchasing power.
The restaurant was packed, and this shows that ice-cream is popular no matter where you are!
There was a promotion for Rock Melon "ha mi gua" ice cream so i ordered that. It came with 1 slice of rock melon ice cream (yes it was made to look like a slice of fruit, complete with the skin and the flesh in perfect colours), 1 scoop of lychee ice cream and about 2 scoops of fresh fruits. It costs RMB79 (US$12).
Prices shown in China restaurants are normally nett price so it means that that includes the service charge (tips) and the goverment taxes. These type of high end ice-cream restaurants don't even exist in Malaysia and the price per scoop is double the price of the same 1 scoop, back in Malaysia. Therefore, the Chinese population especially in top cities like Shanghai, do have good purchasing power.
The restaurant was packed, and this shows that ice-cream is popular no matter where you are!
Shanghai food, restaurants & dining stories
Looks like it's now Friday. In Shanghai, China, you can experience all types of cuisines so you'll not get bored.
Last night for dinner, i was at a Chinese restaurant, popular for the Beijing Roasted Duck and this restaurant had a history of more than 100 years. I had tasted this dish about 3 weeks ago, so i only had seafood on Thursday night. Fresh live prawns, scallops and a fish. All swimming actively till they were chosen by me, and then served up in a whisk. The price is very cheap too, considering that these were live seafood and a meal for 2 only cost me about RMB100 (US$15).
In China, you can pamper yourself with body massages, hair cut, and more as the beauty salons, especially the hair salons are open till up to 11.30pm. After dinner, did some shopping (yes, it's more convenient and comfortable to shop during weekdays) before i headed to a hair saloon just 3 minutes walk away from my apartment. Be sure to check the prices and confirm before you proceed with any services. The stylists will definitely want to recommend you upgraded good versions of the services you choose.
I had a hair treatment for RMB128, and a hair cut with wash at RMB38. Pretty good deal, till i voluntarily gave them RMB1000 for their VIP cards which i can prepay and get huge discounts on future services. And i thought i was good at bargaining.... I'm gonna go for their body massage and hair colouring on this weekend, to ensure that i'm gonna use the pre-paid funds. When shopping in China, always ask whether they accept credit cards and mention it's international Visa / Mastercard as most of the smaller shops only accept the local Chinese debit cards. I even went back to my apartment to get the RMB1000 to pay them last night since they didn't accept any international credit cards.
When dining in China, the food price is normally not to high, but you'll probably pay more for the desserts and drinks. If you're on budget, then you can check out their local fast food companies. Friday morning, i had breakfast over at YongHe fast food. It's not as spacious as McDonalds or Hardees, but 1 interesting point is, everyone sits together really close. So, there i was at a table with 8 seats and there were actually 8 people on my table, but 3 different parties.
Here are some interesting points about this restaurant - Yong He.
- the logo looks exactly like Colonel Sanders of KFC and the restaurant theme even uses red and white
- you will order from the counter, prepay and the waiter will then send over your food to your table
- what are popular items you can try here? This restaurant is popular for it's soya bean drink (so good for protein lovers), "siau long pow" which are Shanghai pork dumplings filled with meat sauce, pork dumpling soup noodles
- you can even dip your Chinese breadstick "yau cha kwai" into the soyabean (so your drink can double up as a soup too)
However, if like me, you are not too interested in red meat, then you need to be extra careful. Most restaurants serve beef so they might even use the same serving spoon when preparing your dish. On Wednesday night, i decided to visit a Korean chain restaurant that features "Fruits" in their menu. So you'll have fruit sandwich, fruit juices, and even fruit pasta.
For those of you who know me, i'm a strict no beef / no mutton person, and i don't even like pork. My favourite is chicken and seafood. Therefore, i double checked and asked the manager whether there were any meat in the pasta sauce if i were to order the fruit pasta. She said "No." Then my dish came and there were small pieces (actually looked more like specks of dots) of dark grey item. I asked the waitress again, what are those? "They are herbs" she replied so i tried poking my fork into the dish and i got myself a mushroom. Must be safe then since i've asked more than once. But after having the 2nd mouthful, i was very confident that there were actually meat in it, so i demanded that the manager come and explain. It seems that since this was a new Korean snack store, so all the ingredients were from Korea and the pasta sauce label of ingredients was also in Korean language. The manager said she wasn't sure what meat it was....
No refunds were given, and even when my dining companion explained that this was not the proper way to do food business especially since some customers could be forbidded from eating certain meat and as the restaurant staff, then it's common sense that food menu on the list should be fully understood before they recommend the dish to the customers. One thing for sure then, i'm never gonna come back to this restaurant. The name is CanMore, located at the Fuzhou Road, Shanghai.
I had to gargle for more than 3 times, and brushed my teeth twice when i came back home as i've had experience of rather starving than to eat beef or mutton. In my twenty over years of life, i've only once accidentally eaten beef burger (1 bite when i was about 6 years old, when my mom accidentally purchased beef burger from the supermarket, thinking that it was chicken burger).
Thank god, that there was a KFC just beside so i could buy the chicken wings (hot wings) for my dinner on Wednesday night. For all travellers, it's always a relief to see something familiar where you can be assured on the food quality and speed, the fast food chain stores.
Last night for dinner, i was at a Chinese restaurant, popular for the Beijing Roasted Duck and this restaurant had a history of more than 100 years. I had tasted this dish about 3 weeks ago, so i only had seafood on Thursday night. Fresh live prawns, scallops and a fish. All swimming actively till they were chosen by me, and then served up in a whisk. The price is very cheap too, considering that these were live seafood and a meal for 2 only cost me about RMB100 (US$15).
In China, you can pamper yourself with body massages, hair cut, and more as the beauty salons, especially the hair salons are open till up to 11.30pm. After dinner, did some shopping (yes, it's more convenient and comfortable to shop during weekdays) before i headed to a hair saloon just 3 minutes walk away from my apartment. Be sure to check the prices and confirm before you proceed with any services. The stylists will definitely want to recommend you upgraded good versions of the services you choose.
I had a hair treatment for RMB128, and a hair cut with wash at RMB38. Pretty good deal, till i voluntarily gave them RMB1000 for their VIP cards which i can prepay and get huge discounts on future services. And i thought i was good at bargaining.... I'm gonna go for their body massage and hair colouring on this weekend, to ensure that i'm gonna use the pre-paid funds. When shopping in China, always ask whether they accept credit cards and mention it's international Visa / Mastercard as most of the smaller shops only accept the local Chinese debit cards. I even went back to my apartment to get the RMB1000 to pay them last night since they didn't accept any international credit cards.
When dining in China, the food price is normally not to high, but you'll probably pay more for the desserts and drinks. If you're on budget, then you can check out their local fast food companies. Friday morning, i had breakfast over at YongHe fast food. It's not as spacious as McDonalds or Hardees, but 1 interesting point is, everyone sits together really close. So, there i was at a table with 8 seats and there were actually 8 people on my table, but 3 different parties.
Here are some interesting points about this restaurant - Yong He.
- the logo looks exactly like Colonel Sanders of KFC and the restaurant theme even uses red and white
- you will order from the counter, prepay and the waiter will then send over your food to your table
- what are popular items you can try here? This restaurant is popular for it's soya bean drink (so good for protein lovers), "siau long pow" which are Shanghai pork dumplings filled with meat sauce, pork dumpling soup noodles
- you can even dip your Chinese breadstick "yau cha kwai" into the soyabean (so your drink can double up as a soup too)
However, if like me, you are not too interested in red meat, then you need to be extra careful. Most restaurants serve beef so they might even use the same serving spoon when preparing your dish. On Wednesday night, i decided to visit a Korean chain restaurant that features "Fruits" in their menu. So you'll have fruit sandwich, fruit juices, and even fruit pasta.
For those of you who know me, i'm a strict no beef / no mutton person, and i don't even like pork. My favourite is chicken and seafood. Therefore, i double checked and asked the manager whether there were any meat in the pasta sauce if i were to order the fruit pasta. She said "No." Then my dish came and there were small pieces (actually looked more like specks of dots) of dark grey item. I asked the waitress again, what are those? "They are herbs" she replied so i tried poking my fork into the dish and i got myself a mushroom. Must be safe then since i've asked more than once. But after having the 2nd mouthful, i was very confident that there were actually meat in it, so i demanded that the manager come and explain. It seems that since this was a new Korean snack store, so all the ingredients were from Korea and the pasta sauce label of ingredients was also in Korean language. The manager said she wasn't sure what meat it was....
No refunds were given, and even when my dining companion explained that this was not the proper way to do food business especially since some customers could be forbidded from eating certain meat and as the restaurant staff, then it's common sense that food menu on the list should be fully understood before they recommend the dish to the customers. One thing for sure then, i'm never gonna come back to this restaurant. The name is CanMore, located at the Fuzhou Road, Shanghai.
I had to gargle for more than 3 times, and brushed my teeth twice when i came back home as i've had experience of rather starving than to eat beef or mutton. In my twenty over years of life, i've only once accidentally eaten beef burger (1 bite when i was about 6 years old, when my mom accidentally purchased beef burger from the supermarket, thinking that it was chicken burger).
Thank god, that there was a KFC just beside so i could buy the chicken wings (hot wings) for my dinner on Wednesday night. For all travellers, it's always a relief to see something familiar where you can be assured on the food quality and speed, the fast food chain stores.
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Happy Merdeka Day - Malaysia
It's August 31, Malaysia's Merdeka Day celebrations, which is our version of independence day. Most locals have taken the opportunity to travel and the same for me too.
I've just arrived in Shanghai, China and the airport in KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) was packed with tourists and locals this morning. Since i'm an internet marketing coach, so it helps to know that you can still make money online and get sales even when you are travelling. Fun right? Well, you too can have the lifestyle of your dreams, if you really put your mind to it.
The flight was good, and i managed to watch movies but didn't quite enjoy the airline food. Probably since i've been on planes too many times lately, that i'm no longer tempted to even eat more than 2 mouthfuls of each dish.
I'm now at our eOneNet.com office in Raffles Tower in Shanghai, and to work from here, it's still the same case as doing this in Malaysia, Singapore or anywhere in the world.
The good thing though is that, i can stay in my rented apartment here, so it's great to have homes in different cities. It's just 3 minutes walk to the office so that reduces any travelling stress. Traffic jam in Shanghai city is horrible, and i will not even attempt to get on their subway trains during the peak hour.
Let's catch up on what exciting plans i'll be having during my short trip here this week. As a matter of fact, it's the 2nd time i'm here in August, and my 4th trip to China this year. One thing for sure, SHOPPING....will always be on my list.
Happy Birthday Malaysia, and may each year be more prosperous!
I've just arrived in Shanghai, China and the airport in KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) was packed with tourists and locals this morning. Since i'm an internet marketing coach, so it helps to know that you can still make money online and get sales even when you are travelling. Fun right? Well, you too can have the lifestyle of your dreams, if you really put your mind to it.
The flight was good, and i managed to watch movies but didn't quite enjoy the airline food. Probably since i've been on planes too many times lately, that i'm no longer tempted to even eat more than 2 mouthfuls of each dish.
I'm now at our eOneNet.com office in Raffles Tower in Shanghai, and to work from here, it's still the same case as doing this in Malaysia, Singapore or anywhere in the world.
The good thing though is that, i can stay in my rented apartment here, so it's great to have homes in different cities. It's just 3 minutes walk to the office so that reduces any travelling stress. Traffic jam in Shanghai city is horrible, and i will not even attempt to get on their subway trains during the peak hour.
Let's catch up on what exciting plans i'll be having during my short trip here this week. As a matter of fact, it's the 2nd time i'm here in August, and my 4th trip to China this year. One thing for sure, SHOPPING....will always be on my list.
Happy Birthday Malaysia, and may each year be more prosperous!
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