Hawaii - The Shopping

No holiday is complete without great shopping! Specially for a shopaholic like me, that's number one on my agenda. Hawaii has amazing shopping whether you go to the Ala Moana Mall or if you prefer a shopping strip like the Kalakaua Avenue where shops are open till 11pm every night (H&M till midnight) for post-dinner shopping - win! But one place that's a must-visit for bargain-loving shoppers is the Waikele Premium Outlets Centre. Even though its a fair way away from Waikiki where most of the hotels are, its definitely worth setting aside an entire day to go here. You won't be disappointed. This is where I did my best work as you can see below ;)...

Waikele Outlets house outlets for brands like Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Gap, Calvin Klein, Kate Spade, Banana Republic, Michael Kors just to name a few and also larger specialty stores for Sports goods, Perfumes, Sunglasses etc. Something for everyone.

Change-rooms at Kate Spade New York

My shopping from the Outlets

Inside the shopping bags- From top Left to Right: Prada Sunglasses at 50% off, Kate Spade cos bag $11.79, Kate Spade Bangle $17, Kate Spade top (as seen in photo above) $62, Michael Kors Gold Watch at 50% off, Bobbi Brown Shimmer Bricks (not from Outlets - bought at Nordstrom) $40 each (price is Aus $76).

Some more shopping -Turquoise & White Striped Maxi Dress $12 and Paisley Print High-waist Shorts $17 from Forever 21, Grey & White Sequins Striped Tank and Cream with Gold Sequins Tank from Banana Republic $7 each (Waikele Outlet), 2 for 1 Body by Victoria Fragrance Mists from Victoria's Secret $15, Daisy by Marc Jacobs 100ml perfume from Duty Free shop at Hawaii Airport $75 (comparable price in Aus $120) 

Given that I had just 2 hours at Waikele (because we had to make it back in time for the last shuttle out to Waikiki) I think I did pretty well, although I do recommend taking the earliest shuttle to get there and the last shuttle back so you can take your time because there is lots to see. I was pretty chuffed with the bargains I got. My new favourite shopping destination ;). What I would give to go back!

Another year older but none the wiser.

Welcome to my Birthday party! It was a crappy weekend weather-wise (as it always is on my Birthday) but no winds or rain or hail (or drunk footy-fans after the Grand Final) could stop me from painting the town red! My house was the staging area, where everyone met to share some Champagne, nibbles and cake.

My Birthday Cake: Chocolate Mousse Cake from The Cheesecake Shop.
If the candles say ^that's my age - then that's my age! And no, it's not mispelt,
that's how Mr. Pre spells "Sweetie" :). (The dips were for the chips not the cake, don't worry.)

Nibbles: Chips, crackers, dip and the pink, yellow and peach stuff is Sushi!
Don't those colours look great! 

I found a Groupon Voucher for limo hire (you know it, I can sniff a bargain from a mile away) and I couldn't resist ! So we drove to the city in a 10-seater Porsche Cayenne!

More Champers!

My Neon Pink Heels glowing in the LED lights on the limo-floor

It was G-L-A-M all the way! My friend HB got us into the VIP section at Fusion in Crown. Thanks for that, HB. You are the man!

This was our view from our very own private balcony!

Birthday Outfit

White Peplum Scuba Dress: *$48.95 (Dotti)

Fluoro Waist Belt: $16.99 (Forever New)

Neon Pink Heels: *$149.95 (Wittner - they're now $99.95 - damn!)

Yellow Bracelet:  $19.99 (Lovisa)

Blue Bracelet & Pink Bangle: *$7 each (Forever New)

My Favourite: Layered Rhinestone Bib Necklace: Approx. $20 (Forever 21) 

Gold Clutch: *$22 (Colette)

Outfit Total: Approx. $291.88

* = sale prices

The other fluoro bracelet on my left hand is the one we got at the club as the VIP access pass - trendy huh!

On Sunday, it was still cold but sunny, perfect day for a drive to the Dandenong Ranges. We had lunch in Olinda and Hot Chocolate at Skyhigh, Mt. Dandenong.

See Melbourne CBD in the distance?

All in all, a great Birthday Weekend! A BIG THANK YOU to all those who made it so special! 

xxxx

Phuket Diaries

It was Phuket next on our (very short) itinerary (I'm very good with spellings - but that word always gets me). Bangkok Air got us there and I fully recommend using this airline if you're travelling within Thailand. At Bangkok Airport even on an Economy ticket we got full access to the Bangkok Air lounge. This included free wifi, coffee/tea/hot chocolate from a machine, sandwiches, cake, other local snacks and a popcorn machine - so all in all not exactly a gourmet feast, but its enough to keep you busy and its the thought that counts right? If your're anything like me and love freebies, you will appreciate the sentiment.

Now that I've actually sat down to write this post, I've realised I was so busy relaxing that I didn't take nearly as many photos in Phuket as I did in Bangkok. :(

  

Just lots of selfies at the beach!

We stayed at the Royal Paradise Hotel (it was a huge contrast from Grand Millennium) not the best hotel I've stayed in - but I've got say, great location! Right in the heart of everything Patong has to offer, and the tallest building in the area, so whenever we got lost - and its really easy to get lost in Phuket with all the One-Ways - we would just look for the tallest building and head in that direction. It's a 5 minute walk from Patong beach, where we spent our day lazying on beach chairs which you can hire for the day for 100B (Approx. $3). You can eat, drink, shop, get a massage/henna tattoos/mani/pedis without ever getting out of that chair. The beach-vendors come to you. And unlike some other places I've been to, they don't harass you - which is great!

Beautiful Sunset at Patong Beach

After lazying around all day, I finally got off my bum and went jet-skiing into the sunset all by myself! It was such a wonderful, peaceful and empowering experience. At first, I was a bit scared as the waves were getting a bit rough, but turned out I was really good at it. And I rode(?) the jet-ski to a quiet spot away from the beach and watched the sun go down, it was pure bliss! 

The next day, we went to Karon beach, 20 min. drive from Patong. And I have more selfies to show - but this is how I shopped on the beach. There were no mirrors, so I was trying things on and taking pics to see what they looked like.

Crochet top - that I didn't buy - I bought a crochet dress though for around $8

Sarong that I didn't buy

Sarong that I DID buy - finally! Approx $5

 I loved shopping at the beach! It just doesn't get any better than that! And remember when you are in Thailand ALWAYS bargain. Tourism is the biggest income of their economy and they'll try and get as much money from you as they possibly can, and yes, everything's pretty cheap when you convert to dollars, but its fun to bargain! Don't feel embarrassed to go down to half or even one-third the price they quote. They know how much they want and they know you'll bargain so they'll always start at a really high price and you've got to start at lower than what you are willing to pay, so that you can get to a mid-way compromise. And this goes for everything from shopping in markets to taxis.

Karon Beach

Karon - Relatively quiet as compared to Patong Beach

And that brings me to my last night in Thailand :(. How time flies when you are having fun! Well, I can't end without an Outfit Post. Time to see what I wore on my final night in Phuket...

Sequinned Top: Approx $25 (Forever 21)

Coral Laser-cut Shorts: *$22.97 (Forever New)

Colour Block Ballet Flats: *$25 (Forever New)

Bracelet: *$7 (Forever New)

Gold Clutch: *$22 (Colette)

Outfit Total: Approx. $101.97

* = sale prices

Oh and here's how we got to places while in Phuket, we hired mopeds for 300B/day (approx. $10). They were so much fun to ride around on, not to mention incredibly economical. Here's a couple of videos I took of the bike ride (and you'll see that's how most people get around in Phuket). This is Patong...

And that brings us to the end. I feel just as sad writing about it, as I did when I actually had to leave. We had such a wonderful time in Thailand! It was definitely an unforgettable experience! The people, the climate, the beaches, the nightlife, THE FOOD were all spectacular! I can't wait to go back. Here's hoping - to Thailand!

         

Bangkok Diaries - Part 2

SO, in Part 1 I managed to cover all the important stuff from my first day and a half in Bangkok, in Part 2 I'd like to tell you about the next day and a half - so we are still basically on Day 2.

Bangkok is famous (or should I say infamous?) for its night life. It's a party-town and there's no denying it. Bangkok looks like a different place altogether at night. A really good example of this was the footpath outside a subway station near our Hotel that has street-food hawkers and stalls during the day, gets replaced by this street-bar at night! It's the craziest thing I've ever seen!

A Street Bar Named Fantasy

But having a drink at Fantasy Bar will always remain a fantasy of mine. For our night out, we chose something a little more "up market", something more "high end", a little bit more "top tier"...hehehe...okay I'll stop with the stupid puns. Well, we went to a roof top bar & restaurant on the 63rd floor (now you get the puns ;)) of Lebua State Tower Hotel, called Sirocco. Have a look at the photo and see if it looks familiar - whether or not you've been to Bangkok, I'm sure most people reading this would've seen this Bar...

Hint: Like I said before, things in Bangkok look different at night than they do in the day...

Sirocco

It's where Hangover 2 was shot (refresh your memory here)! Personally, I'm not a huge fan of the Hangover movies, but I like movies in general and love to see places where significant scenes from popular movies were shot, in real life. Once you go all the way up there, and most people go because they know this place from Hangover, you've got to have yourself a...

Hangovertini!

Not the best tasting drink in the world, but its one of those must-do things. Unfortunately, when we got up there, we got to enjoy the outdoor area for only 15 minutes before it started raining and for safety reasons they moved us all to the indoor bar and restaurant so I couldn't take many photos - but the view from up there, as you can imagine, is ah-mazing! But for your viewing pleasure, here's my night-out-on-the-town outfit:

Black Tube Top: Approx. $10 (from years and years ago, can't even remember where from)

Blue Skirt: $20 (YNot, Chadstone)

Turquoise Low-Heels: $120 (Hype)

Gold Clutch: *$22 (Colette)

Bracelets: *$7 each (Forever New)

Layered Rhinestone Bib Necklace: Approx. $20 (Forever 21) 

Outfit Total: Approx. $206

* = sale prices

I luuurve this bib necklace I bought from Forever 21! It just completely changes any outfit. I've already worn it twice since I bought it and it didn't even feel like I was repeating a look.

Day 3 - Last Day in Bangkok :(. More street-food and sight-seeing :).

We had Goh Pao Gai (I think that's how its spelt in English) which is a spicy chicken stirfry with veggies and rice. Unbelievably good! Again cost less than a dollar.

Reclining Buddha

You just can't go to Bangkok and not see the Reclining Buddha temple! It's magnificent! The Buddha is HUGE and yet so calm and serene.

Meticulous restoration works at the temple

The Wat Pho (Reclining Buddha temple) is the largest temple in Bangkok. It looks just as majestic on the outside as it does inside. 

All this sight-seeing and touristy-stuff brings us to...you guessed it...Tourist Outfit - 2!

T-shirt Dress + Coral Ballet Flats = 

The Perfect, Summery, Tourist Outfit

T-Shirt Dress: *$30 (Forever New)

Sunnies: $35 (Sportsgirl)

Bag: *$44.95 (Colette)

Coral Ballet Flats : *$15 (Rubi Shoes)

Assorted Bangles: Gift (Lovisa)

Outfit Total: $124.95

* = sale prices

My dress did cause a bit of a problem though, we were told we wouldn't be allowed to enter the Grand Palace because of its length, or lack thereof. TIP: If you want to visit the Grand Palace, wear full pants/a maxi dress - but we didn't really have time for it anyway. That's just something we'll have to leave for the next time we go to Bangkok. That evening we flew out of Bangkok....

Off to Phuket...

Next Post: Phuket Diaries. Coming Soon...