Luxury resorts, Maldives

Photo 1: Lux, at North Male Atoll.  Photo 2: Cheval Blanc Randheli (a resort under LVMH, notably as in the brand Louis Vuitton)

Kaiseiki meal set part 2 - the breakfast, Lake View Toya Nonokaze, Hokkaido

 

Lake View Toya Nonokaze, Hokkaido

Standard room, Lake View Toya Nonokaze, Hokkaido

This hotel looks very cozy with a superb view to Lake Toya.  Somehow it seemed the room wasn't occupied for quite some time that it took quite a long time to heat the room.  Even though there are 1 large onsen on the rooftop and another nostalgic onsen on the 2nd floor, there should be a bath tub in the room as some guests may not prefer the public bath.

New resorts in South Male Atoll, Maldives

The Thai Singha Estate's new entertainment hub The Crossroads (in the centre of photo 1) has taken shape.  This hub contains a yacht marina, a big venue for live and entertainment performance, and a diverse dining places including Mango Tree, Baan Khanita, Hard Rock Cafe, Cafe Del Mar...  Connected to this hub, on the right is Curio by Hilton and on the left is Hard Rock hotel.  Noted there are more resorts being built on the further top left.

On photo 2, Waldorf Astoria finally came to the South Male Atoll, about 15-20 minute boat ride south of Crossroads.

Avista Grande MGallery Karon beach resort, Phuket

A burger meal by the pool, Avista Grande MGallery Karon Beach, Phuket

The pool side bar offered a burger deal covering a charcoal burger, fries and a soda at THB390++.  

 

Pool Access Room, Avista Grande MGallery Karon beach, Phuket

Got a very good deal from a local hotel booking site, almost 50% cheaper than those int'l ones.  The room is a bit interesting with a king size and a queen size bed.  Though I thought it could be good for a family, the bath room design isn't that family-friendly.  Besides, having 4 persons using the bath room in turn would take more than an hour.  Another draw back is the hotel is located right in front of a football stadium.  If you stay here over an weekend, the noise from the stadium is really annoying and spoil the ambience of a pool access room.  So the photos can't tell it.

Dinner at Cape Nihdra Hua Hin

The mains and the salad were quite nice for me to try their dessert. It's a bit risky for me to check the pear soaked in red wine.  It was a bit too sweet and the red wine wasn't aromatic enough.