Central Europe [Part 8]: Ljubljana, Slovenia's Charming Capital City

 << Previous Post: A Day Trip to Innsbruck, Austria <<

LEAVING SALZBURG FOR LJUBLJANA 

After staying in Salzburg for two nights, it's time to bid goodbye to this city in central Austria and continued with our journey to the next country. A country which I've never been before and this round, I got to add another new country in my list which is Slovenia (my 59th country). From Salzburg, we took train to the capital city of Slovenia, Ljubljana. The train ride took around 4 hours with a short interchange at Villach Hbf. As usual, we used the Eurail Global Pass bought from Klook.  

#1: Goodbye Austria! See you again next time. 

#2: Hello Slovenia! Hello Ljubljana too for the very first time.

OUR STAY IN LJUBLJANA 

Ljubljana railway station is situated just north of the city center and short walk to most of the popular attractions. The accommodation we booked sits right in the middle of the railway station and the main square - within 10 minutes walk from the railway station and less than 5 minutes to the Ljubljana's main square. 

#3: Fully equipped kitchenette with microwave and fridge

#4: One bedroom apartment

Viva Rooms 

Date Stayed: 30 October - 1 November 2022 (2 nights) 

Total Room Rate: RM588 for One-Bedroom Apartment (Booked from Booking.com) 

Things I Like About This Accommodation:

• Centrally located in the middle of Ljubljana railway station, bus station and main tourist attractions.    
• Fully equipped kitchenette with microwave and fridge. 

Things I Dislike About This Accommodation:

• No lift and required to climb 3 flight of stairs before reaching the entrance

THINGS WE DID & SAW IN LJUBLJANA 

Ljubljana is pretty compact and a small town where you can reach most of the main attractions on foot, except for the Zoo and the Architecture Museum. Like most of the time, the Old Town of certain city is always be the top on my list to explore and visit, including for Ljubljana. Here, you will spot countless bridges, fountains, churches, statues, monuments and more.    

#5: Franciscan Church of the Annunciation 

#6: Prešeren Square, the central square in Ljubljana. 

It's part of the old town's pedestrian zone and a major meeting point. 

#7: Dragon Bridge (Zmajski Most) 

#8: Ljubljana's Town Hall

#9

#10: Charming canal view from the square 

#11

#12: Unique building

#13: Honestly to say, I always love to try McDonald's in different country because they have different variety. Like the one in Slovenia, their McD served Chicken Bacon burger and Fries Cheddar & Bacon. 

#14: Magnet and postcard are must buy for my personal collection

My verdict on Ljubljana - although this city is less popular compare to the rest of the cities in Western Europe, for me, Ljubljana is surprisingly charming and mesmerising. It's less crowded with not many tourists and making the atmosphere so much relaxed and calm. How I wish I could stay longer here? Spending two days are totally insufficient.

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Shangri-La Rasa Ria, Kota Kinabalu & Kozan Teppan-Yaki

For your information, there are two Shangri-La Resorts in Sabah; which are Shangri-La Tanjung Aru and Shangri-La Rasa Ria. 

Previously, I blogged about Shangri-La Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu.

For this post, I will share about my experience staying in Shangri-La Rasa Ria Kota Kinabalu.

  

Talking about location, Shangri-La Rasa Ria is situated nearly an hour from Kota Kinabalu International Airport. So, either you need to do early arrangement with the hotel for the pick-up, or taking Grab (approx. RM60-70 per way) or perhaps, you can consider to rent car from a reliable and trustworthy car rental such as Mirai Travel. Despite the location which it's quite distance away from the city centre, this hotel is absolutely the perfect spot for you to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and take this moment to unwind your body, soul and mind.   


GARDEN WING & OCEAN WING
With just shy of 500 rooms and suites, Shangri-La Rasa Ria is split into two distinctive wings - the Garden Wing and Ocean Wing. Both wings have their own gracious lobby for the guests to do check-in and there are plenty of spacious parking lots too.  

So which is better?
Rooms in Garden Wing are popular among the family, especially with small children as the children's facilities are more closer, such as kids club, swimming pool with slides and an outdoor playground. Whereas for the rooms in Ocean Wing, each and every room has its own oversized outdoor bathtub built at the private balcony. Because we don't have any lil kid and the outdoor bathtub looks pretty inviting, hence we chosen to stay in the Ocean Wing. 

#1: Garden Wing - Perfect for family with children 

#2: Ocean Wing 

OCEAN WING JUNIOR SUITE SEAVIEW KING ROOM

Right after we parked our car, we went to the open-air lobby at the Ocean Wing building. The check-in process was pretty fast and smooth - they just required our identification card for verification and after that, we're given two room cards. 

#3: Check-in process at Ocean Wing's lobby 

#4: Ocean Wing Junior Suite Seaview King Room 

To our surprise, the room is indeed spacious and enormous. Furnished in warm earthy tones with natural wood furnishing, the room is well-equipped with:

• Luscious king-sized bed
• Marble-clad bathroom with twin hand basin, a separate toilet and shower room 
• Walk-in wardrobe with dressing table and ironing facilities
• Flat screen television with numerous in-house movie channels
• A dining table and writing desk 
• Mini bar including mini fridge, kettle, coffee and tea facilities. They even stocked some snacks and soft drinks.
• Cozy long couch next to the bed
• Large private balcony with oversized outdoor bathtub and sitting area

#5: Large bathroom with a separate toilet on the left side and shower room on the right side 

#6: L'Occitane toiletries 

#7: Walk-in wardrobe with dressing table

#8: Mini bar stocked with snacks and soft drinks  

#9: Private balcony with oversized outdoor bathtub and sitting area

#10: And the best part of our room - facing the sparkling South China Sea 

#11: Can even witness the most gorgeous sunset view from the balcony 

Date Stayed: 15 January - 16 January 2022 (1 Night)
Type of Room: Ocean Wing Junior Suite Seaview King 
Room Rate: RM600 per night (Booked from the official website)
Breakfast: Included


DINNER AT KOZAN TEPPAN-YAKI 
As for our dinner, my husband and I decided to dine-in at Kozan Teppan-Yaki which located below of the main lobby at the Garden Wing. You don't have to worry about walking from one wing to another cause both wings are connected internally. 

#12: Kozan Teppan-Yaki located at the below main lobby of Garden Wing 

Kozan Teppan-Yaki offers 4 different sets of Teppanyaki and both of us chosen the Kaze set which indicates the wind in Japanese. All sets are inclusive of appetizer, sautéed mixed vegetables, garlic fried rice, Japanese pickles, miso soup and dessert of the day. 

Our Kaze (wind) set comes with:

• Hokkaido scallop
• Tiger prawn
• Norwegian salmon
• Boneless chicken thigh 

#13: Kaze (wind) set Teppayaki 

For more info Kozen Teppan-Yaki especially of their menu, you can check out here.

#14

BREAKFAST

For Ocean Wing guests, we got to enjoy our breakfast at Oceano Modern Grill where they served breakfast in ala carte buffet style. We even got the choice either to sit indoor or outdoor and definitely for sure, we opted for the latter seating. Not just that we able to enjoy the extravagant breakfast with gorgeous view, we're also enjoy listening to the birds' chipping in the early morning. Such a relaxing and peaceful environment!    

#15: Outdoor seating for breakfast 

#16: Breakfast at Oceano Modern Grill

RESORT FACILITIES 

There are two main pools within the resort, one for each of the wing. Ocean Wing's pool is more bigger but less crowded compare to the one in Garden Wing. Garden Wing's pool is towards more kids oriented with a water slide. The perk of being Ocean Wing's guest, you can access to both side of the pools. 

#17: Pool at Ocean Wing. More bigger and less crowded. There is even an infinity jacuzzi. 

#18: Pool at Garden Wing. More kids oriented with a water slide 

#19: Mini outdoor playground for the little kids 

#20: Sunrise jungle trekking at Rasa Ria Reserve. You can read my post here.

#21: Early bird catches the early sunrise with a glimpse of Mount Kinabalu 

#21: Highly recommend to book the room with seaview because this is Sabah bah!

If you are looking for a family-friendly hotel, then Shangri-La Rasa Ria will be the best option as this resort offers plenty of activities to do. Apart from the swimming pools, recreational facilities, golf course and a nature reserve, there is even a stunning 3km white sandy beach where you and your family can enjoy the swim there and some watersport activities. 

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Central Europe [Part 7]: A Day Trip to Innsbruck From Salzburg

 << Previous Post: Hello Salzburg Again! <<

Austria is one of the countries in Europe that I don't mind going back over and over again. Being a landlocked country in Central Europe lying in the Eastern Alps, Austria offers sunny alpines meadows, snowcapped sky-high mountains and sparking turquoise lakes. Besides that, there is an abundance of castles, palaces and buildings, among other architectural works along with classical art and music can be found within the nation. 

To date, I have been to Austria three times.

First time back in 2008 where my friends and I had brief and short trip to Tyrol. 

Second trip in 2017 where I did my solo trip to Vienna, Salzburg and Hallstatt. 

Third trip in 2022 with my husband where we covered places like Hallstatt and Salzburg. And I managed to tick off another city of Austria which is Innsbruck. This has been one of my wishlists. 

FROM SALZBURG TO INNSBRUCK 

We chosen Salzburg as our base as the journey to Innsbruck takes nearly 2 hours via train. 

SWAROVSKI KRISTALLWELTEN

One of the main reasons why Innsbruck is in my wishlist is because of Swarovski Crystal World museum (Swarovski Kristallwelten). Saw few of my friends had been to this place and immediately added into my travel bucket list. However, this crystal museum is not situated in the city centre of Innsbruck and you either need to take shuttle bus or take another train ride.  

Opening Hours: 9am to 7pm (Last entry is 6pm)

Admission Fee: You can check out the latest fee here. It's best to purchase online for cost-saving. 

1) Shuttle Bus Service 

 

2) Taking trains

We opted for this means of transportation and the following is the route: 

• Train ride from Salzburg Hbf → Wörgl 
• Then, change train at Wörgl → Fritzens-Wattens Bahnhof
• From Fritzens-Wattens Bahnhof, we walked for almost 30 minutes to Swarovski Kristallwelten

(This is the cheapest option where we don't have to fork out any single cents of money as our train rides were covered under Eurail Global Pass)

Another bucket list ticked off 

Cinderella Slipper 

The Art of Performance - Elton John from the movie Rocketman 

Studio Job Wunderkammer 

Crystal Cloud & Mirror Pond

CAFE MUNDING

Established since 1803, Cafe Munding is the oldest cake shop in the very heart of Innsbruck. Not far away from the famous landmark of the Golden Roof, this cafe serves variety of cakes, pastries and even ice-cream. 

Opening Hours: 8am to 8pm

This is my pick - Raspberry with pistachio cake  

ALDSTADT VON INNSBRUCK (OLD TOWN) 

Exploring the city's medieval old town is one of the things I will always do in any part or city of Europe. Here in Innsbruck, you will see row and row of colourful buildings set against the Austrian Alps. 

The Golden Roof, one of the most recognised landmark in Innsbruck

Stadtturm, the town hall tower with an observation deck 

Hard Rock Cafe 

Triumphpforte, one of the best known sights in Innsbruck  

15 minutes walk from Innsbruck Hbf to Aldstadt (Old Town)

Can't leave any city without getting any magnet - It's a must for me. How about you? 

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