Following last Tuesday's post about going barefoot in New Zealand, here's another interesting travel post from Switzerland. I think this may be the start of a new blog series called WOW: What in the World! where I will feature fun facts about places all over the world. Yes, why don't we do that? (I have just added 'WOW 02' on my post title. WOW 01 being the post on "Barefoot in New Zealand").
So there's a hotel in Switzerland that has re-opened last July 2016 called Null Stern Hotel. To fully experience the beauty of the Swiss Alps, designers Frank and Patrik Riklin, together with hospitality professional Daniel Charbonnier came up with a hotel that allows you to sleep in rooms with no walls. That's right, no walls!
Sleeping with no walls means you get an unobstructed view of the swiss alps during the day and you get to sleep under a canopy of stars during the night. The room just comes with a bed, night tables and lamps. You have a butler on hand who can serve you breakfast in bed and address your other requests. However, the nearest toilet and bathroom is about 10 minutes away.
Staying at the Null Stern Hotel costs 250 Swiss Francs per night and they only accept guests during spring and autumn seasons for obvious reasons. They also allow for last minute cancellations due to bad weather.
Interested to experience sleeping in the wild? Check out their site here.
Given the advance notice of our friends on the geographical size of the island, we decided to book in a nicer resort in Guam. This way we would have the hotel amenities to enjoy in case we run out of activities to do. And a week after our trip, I must say that was a pretty smart move.
We had a rough criteria of the hotel that we're looking for. We wanted a hotel that has access to the beach (Tumon Bay) and located along Pale San Vitores Rd in Tamuning - this is where most of the action happens. That way we would be pretty much walking distance to the duty-free shops and restaurants.
So after some research, we narrowed our choices down to the following based on reviews and ratings.
1. Hyatt Regency Guam
We stayed at the Hyatt Regency and do not regret it one bit. The hotel is beautiful. A few of the toilet fixtures have seen better days but it's still relatively good compared to most 4-star hotels I have stayed in. The hotel has a nice beach front and the pool area is perfect for the kids. Lots of slides and waterfalls. Truly felt brought me back to our vacation in Hawaii last year.
2. Hilton Guam Resort & Spa
Hilton was recommended to us by a friend who knew someone who stayed there already. The hotel is located very near the Duty Free shops. Definitely walking-distance. At around P7,000 (USD 150), it is probably the best priced hotel with access to Tumon Bay in the area. Although we eventually decided on Hyatt since activity and pool area was perfect for the kids.
3. Outrigger Guam Beach Resort
The photo below will show you how centrally located Outrigger Guam Beach Resort is. The shops and restaurants are practically housed in its lobby! While that does seem very attractive, we decided not to book with them since the hotel does not have direct access to the beach. This was pretty important for us since the kids wanted to enjoy both the beach and the pool on a daily basis. But if you are after the nightlife and the shopping, then this hotel is definitely for you.
4. Dusit Thani Guam Resort
Dusit is the newest resort to open in Tumon Bay. It is located right behind Outrigger Resort which makes the located just as perfect. What's even better is that it has direct access to the beach. So you get the best of both worlds as far as shopping and swimming are concerned. The only problem with Dusit is that unless you find a promo, it's quite pricey. But if money is not an issue, I highly recommend that you stay at Dusit.
So there's the rundown of our top hotel choices in Guam. Do post a comment when you get to visit. I'd love to hear your feedback!
Last week, I had the privilege of being invited to try Kiwa Korean Grill Dining in Solaire. Kiwa claims to be the only Korean fine dining barbecue restaurant in South East Asia so it's definitely worth visiting.
The word "Kiwa" refers to a roof tile that is used in traditional Korean homes. The owners wanted the restaurant to be a place for shelter, comfort and relaxation. And I must say, the beautiful interiors will certainly give you that relaxing vibe. Kiwa is owned by Dr. David Shim, CEO of Solaire Korea and his associates.
Entrance to Kiwa
These Korean bears are probably as big as Dawn. They welcome guests at the foyer.
The hallway leading to the main dining area. Behind these walls are private dining rooms.
Kiwa has 8 private dining rooms that can accommodate anywhere from 8 to 48 persons.
This photo taken from my iPhone surely does not justify the beauty of the place. I promise you, it's amazing!
Our table with the beautiful bay view
Kiwa promises fresh ingredients. They only use the best available grade A+ Wagyu beef from Japan and those that are USDA. They follow strict 5-star hotel sanitation regulations which is a great comfort when you're eating in a restaurant that serves raw food. The quality of the meals and the top-notch service easily justify the average cost per person starting from P800 for rice sets, P1,500 for lunch sets and P3,000 for the full course menu. I must say though that the servings are quite generous. I was already pretty full with the appetizers alone.
So now, I present to you some photos of our fabulous meal.
Haemui Pajeon
Platter of scallop sashimi, steamed shrimp, salmon sashimi, steamed octopus and marinated tomato
Tomato-Yangsangchu Salad
Seasoned seafood in a whole tomato salad
My favorite appetizer! The Pumpkin Salad. Mashed pumpkin with assorted nuts. I will surely be back for this.
Baebaek Kimchi
Rolled white kimchi inside a whole pear. The server cuts the pear up in front of you as soon as they serve it. How beautiful is that?
Haemui Pajeon
Pancake mixed with seafood, spring onion and assorted vegetable with spicy soy sauce and sesame oil on the side
Japchae
And now the main course! They serve the pork first followed by the beef. I am not a meat person so it's worth mentioning that I had double servings of the beef! It melts in your mouth and I love how they marinated it very well. Wrapping it in various vegetable leaves, true to Korean barbecue style, makes the dish quite healthy (or maybe I'm just trying to convince myself!)
Seasoned Pork Belly
Yang Neyom Gal BI
Grilled marinated beef with Kiwa's special sauce
Another thing that sets Kiwa apart from the many Korean barbecue places in Manila is that it's smoke-free! You read that right - smoke-free! The grillers practically inhale all the smoke so they do not stick to your clothes. You can head back to the office without smelling like your lunch.
Check out this video I took while we were grilling the beef. Notice the smoke is going to the sides and does not go up.
Finally, the dessert! If you like red beans, you will love this. It's like Halo Halo but mostly red beans. I love love love it!
Kiwa is having their grand opening on January 28 and will be serving more items on the menu and will be adding lunch sets in the P500 to P700 range. It's a great place for dates (go during sunset!), business meetings, and with the family. The kids will enjoy watching the meat get cooked in front of them.
Thank you, Mish, for inviting us. It was wonderful dining experience. I will be back very soon.
I saw this awesome YouTube video yesterday. If you're a light packer like me, you need to watch this! If you're not a light packer, then you really really need to see this and know that you don't have to bring the entire house when you're checking in the hotel.
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