Tulipmania

 

Tulipmania 2014

Tulipmania is back at Gardens By the Bay.

We had missed last year's event , but we made it up his year by being part of the gardening crew for Tulipmania. Tulipmania opens its doors to public on Monday 14 April at the Flower Dome. Without waiting for the weekend , I had decided to pop in over lunch time during a work day for a peek without the Wackies.

Little Lego Man

If you have been following our instagram or Facebook Fanpage, you would probably noticed that a Little Lego Man had joined our family. He was inspired by Legographer Andrew Whyte . Being the photographer for this journal , I rarely appear in the pictures. Thus this little dude will be my representative in this journal. As for his name , he will simply be known as Little Lego Man . More about him and his adventures on a later post !

Colourful Tulips

Back to the action at Flower Dome. After so many praises for last year's Tulipmania by fellow bloggers, I was all prepared to be overwhelm by sights of colourful tulips all around the Flower Dome. Alas, that did not happened. Perhaps the timing was not right as only half of the Tulips are blooming at the Flower Bed during the visit.

Little KLM houses

At the entrance, you would be greeted by little KLM houses on display. These houses are actually given to KLM Business class passengers. Do you know that some passengers specifically choose KLM as their choice of flight just to get the houses?

Windmills

The Flower Dome is transformed to a little Holland during Tulipmania. Other than Tulips , Windmills are also found everywhere.

Blooming

Do you know that tulips started from a bulb that was cultivated for at least 7 years before they start to bloom. Given the beauty it creates, it is worth the wait.

Let the pictures do the talking...

Orange bulbs.

Orange Flavour

Official colour of Netherlands

 

Yellow

Yellow Flair

Blooming soon

Pink power

Pink Tulips

Other than Tulips, there are Hyacinths of various colours in the mix. These followers are pretty to look at, but do note that handling Hyacinth builds are mildly poisonous and can cause skin irritations.

Purple Haze

Purple Hyacinth

Purple Haze

Brown Hue

Shades of brown

There is one new rare species of Tulips in the gardens this year. Look out for the Black Tulips or 'Blackjack' as they are affectionately known. Too bad it was not blooming when I was there.

BlackJack

You would probably find a lot of photographers trying to get a good shot. Little Lego Man was no exception.

For that perfect shot...

Probably most are looking to participate in the Tulipmania photography exhibition and competition. More information available here.

Windmills

For photography tips, you can also include the props around the gardens for inspiration.

Dutch lady shoes

 

Tulips in shoes

 

Tulip table

 

Mini Netherlands

 

Full bloom

Just take note not to trample on the tulips while taking your photos.

Anything for a good shot?

The best time to visit would probably be this Easter weekend. The Tulips are expected to be in full bloom by Sunday. Fret not if you miss this weekend. Tulipmania will be on till 4th May. There will be 50000 bulbs in total , so there should be sufficient builds to replace those blooms once it starts to wither.

Single bloom

Do not go too early or you may be disappointed with the blooms . The picture below was taken yesterday.

Not full bloom yet !

As for the family, we may just pop in this weekend to take a peek . See you here!

Don't forget your camera!

Other activites to take note during his period

Garden Trail: Tulipmania

14 Apr - 4 May, 9:00 AM - 9:00 PM | Flower Dome

Easter Egg Hunt

20 Apr, 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM | Flower Dome

Tulip Cheer

26-27 Apr

For more details , do hop over to Gardens By The Bay website

Miffy

Lastly, we heard that Miffy ( and probably a KLM flight attendant ) will be there at the Flower Dome during the Easter Egg Hunt sessions. So get your cameras ready!

 

 

Marco Polo Hong Kong Hotel: Room Review

Hotel collections is a regular series showcasing the hotels or apartments we stayed in during our vacations. Full listing can be found on our Travel Tales Page.

Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel

We are no strangers to Hong Kong. This is our 4 the trip to Hongkong in over 5 years. For the past few trips we had stayed at the Sailsbury YMCA Tsim Sha Tsui. We loved the place as it has a Family suite that comes with a King size bed and a Queen sofa bed. It was also fairly priced at slightly above a normal hotel rate and most importantly, the location is excellent However The Sailsbury was fully booked and we had to look at other alternatives.

The Hotel

It was quite difficult to find a room that accommodates 2 adults and 2 child ( legally) . Most can at most house 2 adults and 1 child. During our search we managed to source out Macro Polo Hotel . We made it our choice for our vacation as we were able to have an extra bed for our booking ( extra cost for this).

The Room

Bar and Bags area

The best word to describe the layout of the deluxe room we had is compartmentalized. Each area area given a space by themselves. We have a separate bar and bags room, a writing desk, an open concept washing cum clothing area and thankfully a closed door toilet with bathtub.

Desk

Of all the spots, we were most impressed with the well equipped washing cum clothing area.

Washing area

The space comes with a washing basin, a hairdryer and Marco Polo branded toiletries.

Marco Polo brand toiletries

Add caption

The room was not large by any means, especially with an extra bed. Compared to the family suite at YMCA, space is a premium here. However the updated decor and comfortable beds made up for the lack of space.

Cozy

Location , location, location

View from Marco Polo Hotel Hong Kong

There are restaurants within the premises, but with its excellent location , you will be spoilt for choice when it comes to food options around the hotel. From Dim Sum to fast food to takeaways, you can find it all within walking distance. The hotel is situated in the heart of Tsim Sha Tsui ( which we reckon is a great vicinity to be in for tourist) . It does help that is is located just opposite of The Sailsbury, thus we were quite familiar with the surroundings.

HK Clock tower

It is a great starting point for sightseeing. You can began your sightseeing tour from the HK clock tower which is situated next to TST Victoria. This also means access to Ferries is a breeze. Tsim Sha Tsui station is also within walking distance . For those heading to Macau for a day trip, the terminal is located about 500 meters away from the hotel too.
For connectivity to the airport, the Airport Express shuttle bus stops at the hotel, thus providing a link for hose traveling into the city from the airport via the Airport Express.

Victoria Harbour

You could continue your sightseeing at the Avenue of Stars. Don't forget to stay and watch the nightly symphony of lights if you have not caught it yet.

Avenus of Stars

Alternatively head down to one of the 2 museums ( Space museum and Art Museum ) found along Victoria Harbour Waterfront.As mention, food is always just around the corner. Go ahead and explore. The restaurants are fairly price and there are Hongkong style food courts in the malls too.

Dim Sum

If shopping it on the cards, have no worries. The hotel is located next to Lane Crawford and Harbourcity. Directly opposite is charming former police headquarters known as Heritage 1881. For the shopaholic , this would be the perfect venue.

Toys r Us at Harbourcity

The food, play and shop options around the hotel are enticing. For those who wants to head out to major attractions around Hong Kong, this would be the perfect place to be.
Just in case you are wondering, Disneyland is a mere 35 minutes MTR ride away!

Guess where we are heading

For its excellent location, Macro Polo Hotel Hongkong comes at a reasonable price. It will be under our list of hotel to stay should we revisit Hong Kong in the future! 

Ps , if you need an itinerary for The family in HK, do check out our HongKong for Kids segment .

Marco Polo Hotel Hong Kong

Harbour City

3-27 Canton Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong

Egg -citing Easter acitivies for Kids in Singapore

It's Easter time!

This means the hunt for Easter Eggs will start over this weekend in Singapore. Have a whole load of egg-citing family fun during this Easter celebration with these Easter activities for kids and family this weekend.

Have a Hoppening time ahead!

Easter Egg hunt With Miffy @ Tulipmania

Easter Egg Hunt with Miffy @ Tulipmania

Date : 20 Apr 2014Place : Flower Dome Tulipmania Easter Hunt Sessions : 1am-12pm , 1pm-2pm, 3pm-4pmRegistration starts 30 minutes priorFee : Adults $12, Child $8 For Children 3-12 Year old ( 3-6 require adult supervision)

Miffy , the iconic Bunny joins in the search for Easter Eggs with the kids at Gardens by the Bay. More details here

Easter Festival at Resorts World Sentosa

Date : 18 Apr -20 Apr Place : Universal Studio Singapore

It's the best time to put all your eggs in one basket! Participate in the park-wide egg hunt and feast on our special Easter breakfast buffet and egg painting activities before you continue your day in the park.

Don't forget to catch the Easter Bunny showcasing his drummer skills from 18 Apr to 13 May

The Great Egg-Venture @ Sentosa Harbourfront

Date : 18 AprPlace : Emerald Pavilion

Easter Fiesta To kick start the Easter Holidays, head on down to the Emerald Pavilion on the 18^th April and have fun with activities ranging from sand colouring eggs, ukulele performances to learning how to walk on egg shells!

The Egg-hibition & Egg HuntThe Great Egg-Venture will see you flying to and from Mount Faber, across the Harbour Front and onto Sentosa Island, in search of 100 giant eggs! These are no ordinary eggs in a basket. Some 200 local artists from various associations, charity groups, independent labels and schools will be showcasing their unique interpretations of these Easter Eggs which measure 1.5 metres by 1 metre.Exhibiton starts 18 Apr

 

Eggy Day out @ Jurong Bird Park

Date : 18-20 Apr 2014Special promotion for kids at Half Price. There is a brood of egg-citing activities during these dates

 

Link for discount can be found here

Easter Hoppenings @ The Grandstand

Date : 18-20 Apr 2014Place : The GrandstandTime : 11 am - 6 pm

Join The Grandstand for a mega Easter Egg Hunt, Egg-Citing activities, open-house session, performances and a lucky dip for free.

Get a Children activity passport and enjoy tons of free egg-citing activities offered by participating shops, including dance, music, cooking, drawing and Lego classes, games and much more . The children will get a sticker for every activity completed at the participating shops. They can then exchange every five stickers for prizes at the registration desk.

More Details at Grandstand Facebook Page