My Trip to Vienna, Austria

Period : 11th - 16th February 2016

The Belvedere

★ Travel Agent H.I.S
Price → Around JPY180,000± for 2 people including travel insurance and private airport transfer to our hotel
Review → I booked the package online and made payment with a credit card. The website was user friendly and I got confirmation straight away. For this particular package the airline and hotel is chosen by the travel agent but they do have a set list to choose from and you can choose the star rating of the hotel you want. A week before the trip we received our travel package which included the e-ticket and hotel information.

H.I.S always has sales and offers throughout the year so sign up to their newsletter to be the first to know.

★ Flight : Turkish Airlines
Osaka - Istanbul - Vienna
Vienna - Istanbul - Osaka
Price → Included in the travel agent package
Review → The flight itself was uneventful and as expected the food was delicious. The seats were average sized and we took off and arrived on time.

★ Accommodation : Novum Hotel Kavalier
Price →  Included in the travel agent package
Review → The room was spacious and looked out on to the main road but because we were not in the city center it never got loud at night which I am thankful for. The hotel breakfast is basic but was enough.
Sign up to Booking.com with this link and get JPY1,800 as a reward!


★ Schedule

We ended up switching around a few items while we were there & I left Monday blank just in case.

Getting around Vienna is very easy with their subway/trams. We got the 3 day pass, if I'm not mistaken. It came with a coupon book and maps.

Information on some of the sights.

★ Extras
Apple Strudel Show at Schönbrunn Palace link
The show was very fun and the pastry chef had a bright personality. Grab a hot chocolate and enjoy the show!

Austrian Parliament Building Guided Tour link
I learnt so much from our guide. He was friendly, really knew his stuff and was open to all sorts of questions throughout the tour. A must do in Vienna!

https://www.wien.info/en : Use this link to get itinerary suggestions, book tickets to shows and a whole range of other services.

。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。
Transferring money to different countries? Use Transferwise ! Great rates, low fees, fast service. Get JPY500 off your first transaction through my link.

My Trip to Taipei, Taiwan

National Theater and Concert Hall

Period : 13th - 16th August 2016

★ Flight : Jetstar
Price → JPY46,100 for 2 people with no add-ons
KIX - TPE 12:15 - 14:25
TPE - KIX 14:05 - 17:40
Review → The check in was smooth and the flight itself was okay. Crew were friendly and polite. We took off and arrived on time both ways.

★ Accommodation : Taipei Sunny Hostel booked through Agoda
Price → JPY 13,244 for Twin Room Ensuite Bathroom
Review → The room was comfortable and clean. The staff/owner was very friendly. It sits opposite a park with access to a train station 2 minutes away. Great place to stay.

Sign up to booking.com with this link and get JPY1,800 as a reward!

★ Schedule
Let me start off with I loved Taipei! I tried so many kinds of vegetarian dishes that were tasty and drank so much bubble tea! Also, I should have been more prepared for the walk(hike?) up Elephant Mountain. It was blazing hot and I was wearing skinny jeans, not the best workout gear. The view from the top was worth it.

We didn't manage to go to Tamsui but everything else went as planned

★ Extras
Book Taipei 101 tickets online to skip the long lines.

There aren't that many Halal places in Taipei but there are lots of vegetarian restaurants that sell so many kinds of dishes very cheap. Lots of mock-meat (made from tofu) cooked a hundred ways. Just search for vegetarian/vegan on Google maps or ask your hotel/hostel staff for recommendations.

。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。
Transferring money to different countries? Use Transferwise ! Great rates, low fees, fast service. Get JPY500 off your first transaction through my link.

My Trip to Hong Kong and Macau

Period : 2nd - 6th May 2017

★ Flight : Hong Kong Express
Price JPY78,020 for 2 people with 20kg add-on for 1 person
KIX - HKG 16:45 - 19:40
HKG - KIX 12:30 - 17:15

Review : We checked in online so when we went to the counter everything was smooth. Staff were polite and efficient. Our flight to HKG was originally for a different time but was moved forward a couple of hours which would have inconvenienced us but we were allowed to change to a different time free of charge, all done online. I would suggest grabbing something to eat before boarding because the food/snack choices are meager.

★ Accommodation : We stayed at 2 different hotels because 1) our flight would be arriving quite late, 2) I planned to explore Lantau Island which was closer to the airport.
Sign up to booking.com with this link and get JPY1,800 as a reward!

1st night → Silka Far East Hotel
Review : The room was smaller than I expected but this being Hong Kong I guess that's fine. If you've been to Japan, then you know what to expect. Please be aware that there is a Deposit at HK300 per room per night, which is required upon arrival. Good thing I'd already exchanged some cash at Kansai airport. You get the deposit back no problem when you check out as long as you haven't damaged anything.

2nd night onwards → Butterfly on Waterfront Boutique Hotel
Review : I booked the 「Deluxe Harbour View Room with Free 4G Pocket Wi-Fi Device」so we had a beautiful view to brighten up the small room (but I will say that it was bigger than Silka Far East Hotel's room). There's a tram station 1 minute away and within walking distance there are 2 subway stations. I have no complaints. The 4G Pocket Device is a great addition and helped us navigate our way throughout our stay in Hong Kong.

I booked both hotels through Agoda but you should also compare with Booking.com for the best deals. As always, there are better deals the earlier you book.

★ Schedule
Below is the schedule I set up. We managed to see and do almost everything you see there. This is the format I use to plan all of my trips : separated by days with targets/spots, with money stuff at the bottom.

Click it to expand

Sorry that it's got some Japanese mixed in there but I think you can guess what they're referring to.

Check out Klook (click on it, sign up and get JPY349 to use on your reservations!)for any coupons/special offers on public transport/ activities/ entrance tickets etc.

Also, check out Trazy for offers!

★ Extras
I ended up using Uber Macau to get from one area to the next because it was raining on-off while we were there and we couldn't be bothered to wait for public transport but I just read that Uber is no longer operating in Macau.

While in Macau, we used HKD. It's widely accepted on a 1:1 basis to the MOP(Macanese Pataca) which means you lose a bit but not by much.

While in Hong Kong we enjoyed delicious foods from various places but I want to highlight two here :
1. Wai Kee Halal Food
The chicken and lamb curry we had was delicious. There is an English menu on the tables right in front of the booth. There was a male waiter/owner who took our order and we spoke in English with him. You can just find the menu sheet on the table and point to it if the English-speaking man isn't there.

Find the building, go up to the 2nd floor and look for this sign.

The menu. Prices are reasonable. Big portions.

Delicious!

2. Ma's Restaurant (Halal)
Everything we ordered was so good! With such huge portions too. They have a wide range of food so if you go in a group you can try out a lot of Hong Kong dishes. The menu has English and the owner who sits at the counter speaks English as well.

We ordered spicy fried rice, beef noodle, gyouza, and beef goulash.

Also, the Popeye's at Hong Kong Airport is Halal.

YASSSSSS

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment.

。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。
Transferring money to different countries? Use Transferwise ! Great rates, low fees, fast service. Get JPY500 off your first transaction through my link.