The Chewys’ Guide to Valentine’s Day

_MG_3313

What comes right after Chinese New Year? Yes, Valentine’s Day! Rejoice because you should have collected enough angbao money just in time to splurge on this fabulous occasion! Yipee! Ummm.. But if you are giving out angbao instead then.. hmm nvm la ๐Ÿ˜› While The Chewys are not dating or love gurus, we would still like to share some ideas as to how to spend Valentine’s Day with The One this year! ๐Ÿ˜€ Please note that the following listed below are based on our personal tastes and preferences ๐Ÿ˜‰

Begin the Special Day with Brunch

_MG_2462

Nothing beats waking past noon together with your loved one and digging into some thick, fluffy blueberry pancakes the laid-back way at the charming and majestic Alkaff Mansion. Go for a stroll at Telok Blangah Hill Park after brunch!

Jiemei meetup @ Au Chocolat 012

If you wanna impress your date, take her to Au Chocolat at Marina Bay Sands. The eggs benedict smothered in dark chocolate infused hollandaise sauce are something unique. Remember to thank us if she happens to be a chocolate lover.

_MG_4836

Not a fan or eggs or pancakes? The Lawn at Biopolis serves really great tasting salads with a wide range of delicious grilled meat. The location might be a bit off, but hey, The Star Vista is just opposite!

Daytime Dating Activity

_MG_3445com

If you belong to the group who thinks that everyday is Valentine’s Day and prefer to spend it in a relaxing way, grab a kite and head down to Marina Barrage! Remember to slather on some sunblock!

RWS S.E.A Aquarium 420

Your date doesn’t like the sun? Well, there are plenty of indoor activities! The S.E.A. Aquarium at Resorts World Sentosa is certainly not to be missed! Be marvelled as the colorful fishes swim by~

DSC_1155

There’s always a first time for everything. Make your Valentine’s Day a memorable one by doing an indoor skydiving at iFly Singapore together! It might only be a few seconds of excitement in the wind tunnel but the memories are yours to keep for a lifetime.

Unwind with an Afternoon Tea

_MG_3827

Always remember, ladies love to be pampered. After a long day, take her to a cosy and dainty place such as Fullhouse Themed Restaurant. We’re sure that she will be thrilled for being treated like a princess.

Us @ Arteastiq

Located at Mandarin Gallery, Arteastiq gives a unique high tea experience in Orchard like no other! The famous apple cake and orange cake are some of their must-try items besides their dessert teas.

_MG_0446

Duxton Hill area at Tanjong Pagar has a number of eateries and cafes. If your lady has a sweet tooth, she is likely to say yes to the drunken Spanish sponge cake and churros at Sabio Tapas Bar & Restaurant. Oh, there are many bridal studios around the area. If you are ready to take your relationship to another level, you know what to do ๐Ÿ˜‰

Romantic Dinner for Two

_MG_3569

Try not to max out your stomach space during afternoon tea because this is where the important part comes. I’m sure you wanna make this really memorable for your special one right? One of our top picks for a romantic dinner for two is Backyard@Dempsey. You can totally be in a world of your own, surrounded by lush greenery around you. The atmosphere is casual and unpretentious so you and your date can really be yourselves and enjoy the moment! Toast to the occasion with a glass of Kronenbourg or two.

_MG_6693

Oh yeah, it’s the Kronenbourg again. Haha. In our opinion, the more inaccessible the dinner place is for special occasions like this, the more brownie points you score. The Coastal Settlement is kinda secluded but the truffle mushroom fettuccine makes the trip worthwhile.

_MG_6978

For exquisite Italian fare, Senso Ristorante & Bar is the place to go to. Don’t forget to open a bottle of wine and clink glasses! Psst.. Senso serves really awesome chocolate molten lava cake!

_MG_4101

Stellar at 1-Altitude is bound to burn a hole in your pocket but it’s only a small price to pay to make your date feel on top of the world. Don’t forget to dress to impress.

Ku De Ta Valentine's Day Tasting

Another very romantic dinner location is none other than KU Dร‰ TA at Marina Bay Sands. From the 57th floor, the beautiful view of the city will take anyone’s breath away. After dinner, adjourn to the KU Dร‰ TA club lounge and party the night away!

Staycation in Singapore

_MG_0189

This is not a must but a staycation in Singapore is one of the most romantic thing that a guy can plan for a girl and vice versa. Grand Park Orchard is very ideal considering that it is located along Orchard Road. You have the option of catching a midnight movie at Cineleisure or borrowing a DVD from the hotel which means you can snuggle up to your partner under the sheets ๐Ÿ˜‰

_MG_7113

For a romantic staycation experience like no other, Wanderlust Hotel is our favorite pick. There are various themed rooms but we reckon that the Space room is the best.

Just relax, be yourselves and have fun. Hope this gives everyone an idea or two about how to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year! Connect with us at our Facebook page and feel free to ask us any questions! ๐Ÿ˜€

Dining at Grand Park Orchard: Open House Restaurant and Bar Canary

Media Invite

_MG_0102

Happy Friday, chewy chewy folks! As mentioned in my Grand Park Orchard staycation post, I am gonna tell you more about the buffet dinner that misterchewy and I had at Open House Restaurant on the day that we checked into the hotel.

_MG_0099

Located in the heart of Orchard Road, Open House Restaurant focuses on dishing out numerous local culinary delights as well as serving a la minute signature dishes such as pizzas and dim sum.

_MG_0033

The Cold Buffet Selection consists of sushi, salads and other cold cuts.

_MG_0031

We kicked off our dinner with some Japanese Sushi! Of course, we had to resist carrying the entire tray back to our table. It was a pity that they don’t serve sashimi.

_MG_0043

There are four ‘live’ cooking stations at Open House Restaurant. Starting with the Roast Meats with Noodles or Rice station, we have Chef Jacky Chua expertly chopping up a roasted duck for us.

_MG_0046

_MG_0068

We don’t have an enormous appetite so we decided to only try two of the roast meats. We were very satisfied with the Roast Duck as it was tender and had a very nice, deep flavor. The sauce was so good on its own that we didn’t even bother with the chili. Not forgetting the crisp and crackling skin!

_MG_0070

I have to say that the Roast Pork Belly was equally good too and it went really well with mustard. Very tempted to order another serving.

_MG_0048

Actually, I would see the Noodles station as separate from the roast meats station because they have laksa etc and you don’t really need to order say a plate of chicken before you can enjoy your laksa.

_MG_0077

Again, we only had two types of noodles. The Laksa was pretty decent and I guess the spiciness would work well for the average Singaporean and probably suitable for most tourists who are keen on trying our local food.

_MG_0079

We were recommended to try the Szechuan Noodles but I felt that it wasn’t sour and spicy enough like how the typical Szechuan noodles should taste like. In fact, it was neither here nor there.

_MG_0028

Both of us were excited upon knowing that there is a Dim Sum station!

_MG_0229

Heh heh.. Dim sum gone in a flash! Can tell that it’s very popular with the rest of the diners too right?

_MG_0071

Both the Har Gau and Siew Mai did not disappoint and I kinda regret that we did not eat the glutinous rice, radish cake and BBQ pork bun!

_MG_0036

We were pleasantly surprised that there is a Claypot station too!

_MG_0035

_MG_0081

I wish I could put in some good words for the Waxed Meat & Chinese Sausage Claypot Rice but it could have tasted better with more salted fish (if there were any at all, I can’t remember). Also, the claypot rice wasn’t cooked long enough for the fragrance to come through. And also, more sauce please!

_MG_0030

_MG_0034

_MG_0082

We went for our usual choice of pizza which is the Frutti Di Mare. Pizza dough was thick and chewy enough for our liking. Crust was also quite moist.

_MG_0075

Festive All-You-Can-Eat (till 23 Dec)
Lunch: S$42++ per person
Dinner: S$58++ per person

All-You-Can-Eat (26 โ€“ 30 Dec)
Lunch: S$25++ per person
Dinner: S$33++ per person

Here’s something for you guys! Quote “missuschewy” during reservations via phone (6603 8855) or email (fnb.gpor@parkhotelgroup.com) and 1 gets to dine free with every three paying guests at Open House for All-you-can-eat lunch or dinner! Please note that this offer is valid till 30 December (not applicable on 24 & 25 December).

Christmas Eve All-You-Can-Eat (24 Dec)
Lunch: S$42++ per person
Dinner: S$98++ per person
(Includes free flow of wines, chilled juices & soft drinks)

Christmas Day All-You-Can-Eat (25 Dec)
Lunch / Dinner: S$68++ per person
(Add S$50++ per person to enjoy free flow of Champagne, wines & soft drinks)

New Yearโ€™s Eve All-You-Can-Eat (31 Dec)
Lunch: S$33++ per person
Dinner: S$148++ per person
(Includes free flow of Champagne, wines, beers, House Pour spirits & soft drinks till 12.30am)

_MG_0050

_MG_0097

_MG_0064

_MG_0156

After a bit of strolling around after dinner, we headed to Bar Canary for drinks. It was fantastic chilling out under the stars!

_MG_0158

On ladies night (Wednesday), there is a 50% discount on champagnes, wines and standard housepours.

_MG_0159

Bar Canary’s talented bartender, Ryan, has come up with some Christmas specials that will put a smile on everyone’s faces! Misterchewy and I really enjoyed the drinks!

_MG_0161

_MG_0162

_MG_0166

_MG_0168

_MG_0169

Peanut Butter Martini ($18++)

_MG_0172

_MG_0176

Santanilla ($18++)

_MG_0304

Thank you Park Hotel Group for the invitation.

Grand Park Orchard
270 Orchard Road
Singapore 238857
Tel: 6603 8888
Email: info.gpor@parkhotelgroup.com

Grand Park Orchard Hotel Singapore Staycation Blog Review

Sponsored Staycation

_MG_9907

Hola chewy chewy friends! The kind folks from Park Hotel Group invited misterchewy and I for a staycation experience review at Grand Park Orchard Hotel about two weeks ago! Guess what? This is our fourth staycation this year! ๐Ÿ˜€

_MG_9951

Grand Park Orchard is situated in the heart of town, right smack in the middle of where all the bustling activity is! Its strategic location makes it a very popular hotel choice among locals and tourists because there are so many shopping centres nearby. Do you know that the hot and half naked bodies of the A&F guys are just downstairs?!

_MG_9982

Lobby is on the 4th floor and Grand Park Orchard’s hotel ambassador had already positioned himself outside the lift, waiting to greet us with his dazzling smile. We were promptly showed to our room on level 9.

_MG_0335

We were given an ultra swanky room with high speed Internet access simply by logging in with my name and the password written on the card.

_MG_9883

Our 29 to 32sqm Premium Room was simply gorgeous! We love the floor-to-ceiling glass windows which gave the lofty room a more dramatic and posh feel. And not forgetting the artistic designer wall mural! <;3 – sure beats turning up to the office in downtown Singapore!

_MG_9888

A large glass window for your viewing pleasure. Oh no I meant that you could soak in the tub and watch TV at the same time! What a brilliant idea! ๐Ÿ˜‰

_MG_9886

Can the hotel be any more generous than this?! It’s as though someone went grocery shopping at the supermarket and picked up every single variety of fruit that she saw. If you like fruits, good for you! If you don’t, I’m very sure there must be something on that plate that you will fancy.

_MG_9887

_MG_0001

A handwritten welcome card from the General Manager, which is a really nice gesture ๐Ÿ™‚

_MG_9913

_MG_9992

The hubs was trying to use the hotel wifi while I continue snapping photos in our room.

_MG_9898

_MG_0197

Shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and lotion. All lavender! I like!

_MG_0198

Just about everything that you need, it’s in there.

_MG_9895

I was telling misterchewy that if the bath tub looks enticing enough, we could go shop for a nice shower gel for our bubble bath ๐Ÿ˜›

_MG_9897

_MG_9901

_MG_9903

I knew I didn’t have to worry about misterchewy feeling bored about being left alone because the reclining sofa (not sure what’s the exact term for it) looked really comfortable and he was already glued to the LCD TV.

_MG_9876

Oh let’s backtrack a bit. The hubs wore another set of clothing when we travelled to the hotel and he wanted to change into the set which I had picked out and packed for him. However, the shirt had some creases and I took the chance to use the iron and ironing board in our room to prove my caliber as a good wife. *AHEM*

_MG_9889

A quick look at the mini bar. Only the bottled water, tea and coffee are complimentary.

_MG_9891

The fridge certainly is very well-stocked with most of our favorite drinks in there!

_MG_9986

Takashimaya Shopping Centre is just across the street! I told you Grand Park Orchard’s location is awesome, didn’t I?

Grand Park Orchard Premier Room

Photo taken by misterchewy using iPhone 5’s panorama function ๐Ÿ™‚

The Chewys_Xmas tree

Our outfit of the day! Both our clothes were gotten during our recent trip to Bangkok. I wore a light yellow dip hem maxi dress and paired a metallic gold bangle to go along with it. Cheery colors! ๐Ÿ˜‰ The hubs is usually seen wearing jeans because he works as an engineer so I made him wear shorts this time. Totally love the white long sleeved shirt with navy blue anchor prints that I chose for him! ๐Ÿ˜€

_MG_9917

We were totally famished and decided walk over to Mandarin Gallery for late lunch at Ippudo because misterchewy was craving for ramen.

_MG_9928

_MG_9933

_MG_9931

_MG_9936

_MG_9973

We were walking around aimless and then misterchewy suggested that we go to *SCAPE to catch some toys! But nothing caught my eye ๐Ÿ™ Or am I too old for this? LOL.

_MG_9972

misterchewy_scape

*SCAPE is also one of the more popular locations for casual outdoor wedding photoshoot! I’m giving you people some ideas ok? ๐Ÿ˜› Oh yeah, misterchewy was carrying a Sephora paper bag because we bought a really sweeeeet smelling shower gel! ๐Ÿ˜‰

_MG_9977

Was tired from all that walking and decided to head back to our hotel room for a short rest before dinner. Took a mini tour around first. The gym faces the swimming pool so if you need some motivation on the treadmill, there you have it! ๐Ÿ˜›

_MG_9976

How nice and thoughtful of the hotel to supply gym goers with towels, bottled water and energy drinks. Yes the energy drinks are free!

_MG_9979

_MG_0294

_MG_0297

_MG_0291

Bar Canary is located right next to the pool.

_MG_0293

_MG_0299

_MG_0300

_MG_0021

I think I had stretched my walking limits and was really eager to head back. Sky was turning dark too, from what we see when we reached our room.

_MG_0024

_MG_0025

_MG_0018

LOL! The hubs was already waiting for me to turn around when I was done with taking photos and was waving at me from the toilet. He then proceeded to act as though he was surprised. -_-

_MG_0189

_MG_0102

Besides the hotel stay, we were also welcome to try the dinner buffet at Open House Restaurant.

_MG_0099

_MG_0031

Here’s a sneak peek!

_MG_0059

I will be sharing more about the dinner buffet at Open House in my next post ๐Ÿ˜‰

_MG_0103

After dinner, we decided to take a long leisurely stroll outside Grand Park Orchard and soak in the Christmas atmosphere! The entire Orchard Road lights up beautifully at night.

_MG_0106

_MG_0109

_MG_0112

_MG_0119

_MG_0126

_MG_0132

At last! I’m as tall as misterchewy! Hahaha.

_MG_0145

_MG_0134

_MG_0139

_MG_0147

_MG_0149

_MG_0152

_MG_0125

_MG_0156

Time to chill out with some drinks at Bar Canary, which is located on the same floor as the lobby.

_MG_0158

_MG_0159

Shall tell you guys more about the drinks we had in the next post ๐Ÿ™‚

_MG_0196

Earlier in the day, we stopped by Sephora at Takashimaya and bought this Caramel Toffee bubble bath and shower gel. There were about 10 different ones for us to choose from. We smelled every single one and this is the one we liked best! Highly recommended if you and your partner like really sweet scent. A bottle costs only $15 and we used a third which was more than enough ๐Ÿ˜€

_MG_0310

The hotel provides bedroom slippers and bathrobes too. So there’s no need for you to pack your pyjamas along for your staycation! The bedroom slippers are of really good quality and very comfy too.

_MG_0309

_MG_0201

Good morning sunshine! We were supposed to wake up at 8am but overslept and woke up at 9plus instead! :O By the time we got dressed and reached Open House downstairs, it was nearly 10am. Good thing the buffet line closes at 11am during weekends! Phew! Hey, we both agreed that our bed was really way too comfortable and we had a really good night’s sleep! ๐Ÿ˜€

_MG_0223

_MG_0203

_MG_0225

Selection of bread and pastries are constantly being replenished. Everything is warm and toasty!

_MG_0218

_MG_0205

_MG_0206

_MG_0208

_MG_0209

_MG_0210

_MG_0219

_MG_0220

This was misterchewy’s favorite station! We had scrambled and poached eggs.

_MG_0226

You can choose either plain or pork congee and various condiments are available.

_MG_0232

_MG_0239

Below are some of the a la carte buffet dishes that we had that morning. We were totally spoilt for choice and tried a bit from each station. My favorite dishes were the mee siam, eggs and waffles! ๐Ÿ˜€

_MG_0246

_MG_0249

_MG_0265

_MG_0268

_MG_0277

_MG_0281

_MG_0316

After a hearty breakfast, we just wanted to laze in bed. Good thing it had been arranged for us to check out at 4pm instead! We borrowed Crazy Stupid Love DVD from the concierge at the lobby. There were many other movies but most were already loaned to other guests in the hotel. But it’s ok because I love romantic comedies! ๐Ÿ˜€

_MG_0314

We had not watched Crazy Stupid Love before and had a really good laugh at some of the scenes. Ryan Gosling is sooooo suave and hawt! *Drools* ๐Ÿ˜›

_MG_0319

The hubs continued to laze in bed and read soccer news on his iPad.

_MG_0321

Made a cup of Gryphon Earl Grey Lavender tea from the mini bar for myself!

_MG_0327

We found that a copy of The Sunday Times had been delivered to our room early in the morning. Decided to make myself comfortable on the reclining sofa and catch up on the news with my cup of hot tea in hand. ๐Ÿ™‚

creating a gif

All in all, the husband and I had a pretty marvelous staycation at Grand Park Orchard and managed to spend quality time with each other over the precious weekend. Currently, Grand Park Orchard is having a Christmas Escapade promotion from 15th to 30th December. Receive your last night free simply by staying for 3 consecutive nights or more! There’s no better way to spend Christmas with your loved ones than a luxurious staycation at Grand Park Orchard. ๐Ÿ˜‰

Thank you Park Hotel Group for the kind invitation!

Click here to check out our list of Singapore staycation reviews!

Grand Park Orchard
270 Orchard Road
Singapore 238857
Tel: 6603 8888
Email: info.gpor@parkhotelgroup.com
For room reservations, please contact 6603 8829/6603 8830 or email
rsvn.gpor@parkhotelgroup.com