Simple Staycation

Recently we decided to stay at The Conrad Hong Kong for a quick weekend staycation. A business hotel in the middle of the city is probably not our ideal getaway venue, but a room package that included breakfasts, executive lounge access and dining credits meant we paid (almost) next to nothing for the room itself. And being a hotel loyalty program junkie I thought it's a good way to rack up some program points for Hilton Honors for which I have been a member of. 

Tokyo in 40: From Toro to Totoro

The neighborhood of Kichijoji, a western suburb near Tokyo, is known to be a shopping haven for homeware and zakka, and being a self-professed shopaholic for both, I am still puzzled why I have never visited there before. And this time shopping wasn't even my main purpose as I hopped over to this side of town for a museum that I always wanted to go, after my sushi lunch in Tokyo.

Feb-ulous Kyoto: Plum Blossom

Mid-February is way too early for the annual cherry blossom festivities but we arrived at Kyoto right on time for the prime plum blossom season. These days, plum blossom might not get as much attention as the cherry blossom, which came later in mid-spring, but to me that means it’s less crowded but just as beautiful when the red or white plum flowers lined the street or park.

50 Hours in Tokyo: Shake and Shack in Line

I expected it's probably going to be a crowd when I decided to check out Shake Shack, the first Asia outlet of the New York-based burger joint, inside Meiji Jingu Gaien Park on a beautiful Sunday afternoon, but I definitely didn't expect by the time I got there at 1pm, the waiting line got to 300 people deep, stretching outside the restaurant and well into the tree-lined path that ran along the park.