TRAVEL INSPIRATION

Hotel Review // The Prince Park Tower Tokyo

09/05/2014 by Kati | black.white.vivid. Leave a Comment

Tokyo had been on my bucket list for quite some time and so I was super excited to visit Japan’s capital for a long weekend beginning of August. Despite the heat, I loved every single minute of my sightseeing tour not least because of my hotel room in the The Prince Park Tower Tokyo.
Before arriving in Tokyo I was afraid that the city would quickly overwhelm me. I had heard of its many people and lack of English signs. As I entered The Prince Park Tower Tokyo hotel after a flight from Hong Kong to Tokyo and quite a journey on public transport (taxi prices are insane in Tokyo), the lobby and welcome of the staff felt quite relaxed and comforting. To my surprise it was very quite in the lobby in spite of the hotel’s 33 floor-size and the fact that it was almost fully booked. Yet, The Price Park Tower Tokyo has a strong focus on business traveler and even though I saw a handful of tourists, most people were wearing suits, among them a very few Westerners.
The hotel itself has several restaurants on different floors specialising in various cuisines (American, Japanese, sushi etc.). My personal highlight is certainly the bar on the top floor with an amazing view over the city and the Tokyo Tower….

24 Hours in Portland – How Much Can You Eat & Drink?

09/03/2014 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 1 Comment

Processed with VSCOcam with hb2 preset It is hard not to think of food when thinking about Portland. Before I even knew that I would go and visit Portland I already heard about its food-obsession. Having arrived on the foodie world map a few years ago I was curious to explore every little part of it. I currently live in Hong Kong where local food is rare and molecular cuisine is often favoured over slow cooking organic meals. Yet another reason to be super excited to visit one of the if not even the best destination for food lovers in the Pacific Northwest.

I had arrived in Seattle just a week before to visit friends of mine who recently moved to this wonderful and tasty city (check out 6 Delicious Pastries to Try in Seattle). As Portland is only a short drive away, two of my girlfriends and I decided to head south to Portland and the Oregon wine region for the weekend. Lucky me, I was not the only one looking forward to Portland’s culinary scene. So we decided to get up very early Saturday morning, skip breakfast, do the 2.5 hours drive and start our 24 hours food journey properly…meaning on an empty stomach….

3 Food Tips for the Great Ocean Road

08/21/2014 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 2 Comments

When I think about Australia, I think about delicious food – colourful salads, fresh fish, artisan snacks, dreamy desserts and great cocktails. The Great Ocean Road is no exception. Apart from the beautiful landscape, winding streets and ocean air, there are many great choices for food lovers.
During the summer months the Great Ocean Road and its hotels and little B&Bs can be really crowded. Since food options are limited because there are no big cities but only small towns on the road I was afraid that most restaurants would be tourist traps. We still found three amazing and partly off-the-beaten-path food experiences that I can recommend.

There is not much information online about the Great Ocean Road. Once you hit the Great Ocean Road and look for a place to stay or a good restaurant close by I suggest to check out the Tourist Information Centers. You find one in every town and sometimes in between. They regularly stock up on a lot of informative leaflets about attractions, activities, hotels and the culinary scene. Their staff members are also extremely helpful and competent. This is how we found the first two restaurants….

5 Misconceptions about Hong Kong

08/19/2014 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 1 Comment

End of May I passed my one year mark of living in Hong Kong. There were ups and downs, excitement and confusion, culture shocks and happiness. In the end, it has been one great learning challenge and I wouldn’t want to miss any second.

When I think about Hong Kong there are many things that come into my mind. The impression I have of Hong Kong now is very different to the one before I moved here. My perception of Hong Kong has completely changed throughout the moths and I absolutely love that I am able to understand Hong Kong and its people more and more. It still is a very different culture and I dare to say that it is almost impossible for a western mind to completely grasp the emotional and intellectual world that Hong Kongers live in and for. However there are some major misconceptions that many people have of Hong Kong and I would like to dispel the myths.

Hong Kong is a very attractive destination in terms of vacation planning. You can do some sightseeing in this lively city for 3-4 days and then head out to one of the neighbouring countries like the Philippines or Vietnam for some time at the beach. At least, this is what most of our family and friends did. Why just going to Thailand if you can do a quick stopover in Hong Kong. Aside from the fact that Hong Kong is an 11-14 hour flight away from Europe, we had so many visitors as never before. Lucky us because I really miss my friends and family and love them having here with me. So, when people visit us they bring lots of questions and surprisingly we usually get the same questions aka misconceptions about Hong Kong….

6 Delicious Pastries to Try in Seattle

08/14/2014 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 32 Comments

I am starting to think that I only know three things once I visited a new city: Where to drink the best coffee, where to get the best pastry and where to eat the best food. I promise I am a very interested sightseer as well. When I went to Seattle a month ago I spent 5 days walking the streets from morning to early evening. I have seen most of it or at least the things that I found exciting.
As you might imagine, sightseeing can be exhausting and one needs some good treats in between to keep up the spirit and the blood sugar curve. So while wandering around I found some pretty awesome pastry places that I would like to share with you today….

Best Snack Foods in Tokyo

08/11/2014 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 21 Comments

We have all been there. You are on a sightseeing trip and feeling absolutely overwhelmed with emotions of joy and interest. You don’t want to waste any second on anything other than soaking in the city’s sights and you feel like there is no time to have a proper meal.
Now imagine you are in Tokyo where not many people speak English, almost all signs and labels are in Japanese and you have never seen or heard of most of the foods. It is that moment when Starbucks or McDonald’s offer a quick fix for an empty stomachs. I have been there but let me tell you that Japan offers one of the world’s best snack foods and there is something for everybody….

Best of Instagram // 10 Culinary Travel Accounts to Follow

07/30/2014 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 87 Comments

It is no secret, I have two passions. I love to travel and I love food and each deserves to be a topic by itself. I am addicted to check my favorite foodiegrammers posting mouth-watering images and I can’t get enough Instagram’s travel photographers capturing beautiful photos from around the world. The icing on the cake however is both genres combined. So here are 10 Instagrammers that share the love for food and travels and are worth following.

@cupofherbaltea

PicMonkey Collage insta7 …

Culinary Itinerary // 2.5 days of Vancouver Food

07/28/2014 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 40 Comments

Living in Hong Kong where food choices are sometimes limited, metropolitan cities like Vancouver mean foodies heaven. There are many things to love about Vancouver but food definitely makes it to the top of the list of many. Before planing my journey to Vancouver, before even looking for a hotel, I was diving right into Vancouver’s food scene. Where to find the best food market, the best brunch cafe, the best food truck, the best vegetarian restaurant. What are the newest food trends and how has Vancouver culinary evolved as a city for food lovers. I was eager to get to know Vancouver so I set for a 2.5 day, 2 night jaunt. I have only scratched the surface and my stomach didn’t have enough space for all the ‘to eats’ that I had on my list but I was still well impressed of Vancouver and its culinary scene….

Inspired // The Perfect Travel Outfit

07/11/2014 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 39 Comments

Packing a suitcase for an upcoming trip is a girl’s worst night mare. First of all, there are luggage restrictions so she can’t take her whole wardrobe and actually need to draw up a selection. Secondly, she needs to find something that looks stylish but doesn’t give her painful blisters the first day or makes her feel out-of-place (à la hiking pants in Rome). In my previous post I shared a few of my personal learnings when it comes to the ideal sightseeing outfit. Today I introduce you to some pretty smart travelling bloggers that all have great tips on hand about what makes a perfect travel outfit.

1. Find comfortable heels – sidewalkready.com

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My Suitcase Packing Tips

06/28/2014 by Kati | black.white.vivid. 1 Comment

I am leaving Monday morning for a two-week trip to Seattle and Vancouver. Usually around this time of the year I pack for a warm and exotic summer vacation. Since I now live in Hong Kong and we have reached top temperatures and humidity levels here, I have to re-think my packing process. Less summer dresses, more sweaters and long pants.

Thanks to my many travels I have a routine when I pack, no matter if it is only for a few days or a few weeks or even a whole year. I have traveled and lived in a few countries that I believe I know what is necessary and what is a nice-to-have item in my suitcase. So, I have compiled my best tips….