Tag Archives: Travel

Club Lounge at the Vdara Hotel in Las Vegas

03/09/2020 Shirley

During my recent visit to Las Vegas I stayed at the Vdara hotel, which is one of the two properties that has no casino floor in the City Center in Las Vegas. The other hotel property that has no casino is Waldorf Astoria, which formerly known as the Mandarin Oriental.

Like many of the hotels on the Las Vegas Strip, Vdara has its own private lounge for hotel guests. Hotels guests can get lounge access by booking special suites on the property, or by paying an additional daily lounge fee. The private lounge usually offers drinks and light snacks.

The Vdara’s private lounge is called the Club Lounge. It is open daily from 7:00am to 7:00pm, and serves complimentary coffee, tea, soda, and light snacks throughout the day.

The coffee machine at the Club Lounge gives you various choices from Americano coffee to Cappuccino, with fresh milk and syrups. They even offers Chai tea latte, mocha, and hot chocolate.

(These are some of the fresh fruits and pastries served at Vdara’s Club Lounge every day.)

In the morning from 7:00am to 11:00am, the Club Lounge provides selections of self-serve breakfast, fresh fruit, pastries, bread, and donuts.

(Scrambled eggs, cheese crepes, fresh berries, and caramel macchiato.)

In the afternoon, from 4:00pm to 6:00pm, the Club lounge offers hors d’oeuvres and selected beers, wines and champagne. Other cocktails are available for an additional charge.

(These are some of the hors d’oeuvres I had. The asparagus were so good; I had them everyday during my stay in the Vdara hotel.)

Between 6:00pm to 7:00pm, the Club Lounge offers desserts. I tried the key lime tart and chocolate mouse cake. They were really delicious.

(These are two of the desserts served at Vdara’s Club Lounge. They were really delicious.)

In my opinion, Vdara’ offers the best-value lounge compared to other hotels’ private lounges I’ve been to. Just the breakfast selections at the Vdara alone covers a full meal. In the hotels on the strip, getting a breakfast meal with coffee would easily cost you at least $30 per person.

The complimentary afternoon hors d’oeuvres with wine is the perfect light happy hour before your dinner.

The next time you stay in Vdara in Las Vegas, consider trying their Club Lounge. Even if you don’t get the complimentary lounge access with the suite you stay in and have to pay for the daily lounge fee, it’s well worth every penny.

(This donut tree is one of my favorite items at the Vdara Club Lounge. It’s served every morning.)

All Posts, Food, Travel

Returning to Joel Robuchon at MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas

02/05/2020 Shirley

The first time I ate at Joel Robuchon, at MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, was ten years ago. My overall dining experience at the restaurant back then was great. In fact, the Joel Robuchon restaurant is on my top five favorite restaurants in Las Vegas.

Read my previous post on the Joel Robunchon restaurant.

Throughout the years, I’ve been going back to Joel Robuchon many times. The food at the restaurant was very delicious; I always ended up overeating.

Other than the exquisite quality of the food, the impeccable service, and the fancy decoration at Joel Robuchon, I love their bread cart and dessert cart. I could just eat them all day.

(Picture of their bread cart)

Of course, there’s always their famous Le Souffle – Chocolate Hot Souffle. I had so many of their Le Souffle in the past, I even have pictures of them being served on different kind of serving plates over the past decade.

(Le Souffle – Chocolate Hot Souffle)

From eating at my favorite restaurants in Las Vegas, I noticed that they are constantly trying to reinvent their menu and make changes to stay current. Sometimes, they’d remove food that I happened to love or add new items that I enjoy.

However, one thing I am grateful about Joel Robuchon is that while they update themselves, they still keep providing everything I love about eating at their restaurant. This includes their bread cart and dessert cart. Among all the bread their offer, they still have my favorite ones!

(Joel Robuchon’s butter with sea salt and my favorite bread selection.)

Below are the food my friend and I ordered during my recent visit to Joel Robuchon.

Appetizers

(Le Potiron – cream of pmpkin with mimolette cheese and Parisian gnocchi, served with black truffle.)

(L’OEuf de Poule Miroir – pan fried egg on pearl rice with shaved Iberico Ham, served with black truffle.)

Main Courses

(Le Black Cod – Caramelized black code in Maiabar pepper sauce with wasabi spinach.)

(Le Boeuf – Wagyu rib eye with stuffed macaroni and Parmesan.)

I enjoy eating at the Joel Robuchon so much, there are just so many good things about it.

There’s another dessert I ate during this trip. It’s so exquisite. I think it deserves to have its own dedicated blog post, so I’ll write it up later.

If you haven’t been to Joel Robuchon, I hope the pictures in this post are enough to entice you to make the trip. Believe me, it’s totally worth it.

All Posts, Food, Travel

Top Ten Restaurants in Las Vegas

01/24/2020 Shirley

I’ve been going to Las Vegas with different groups of people, such as friends, family, and co-workers in the past years (why I like to go to Vegas). After trying so many restaurants on the strip, I came up with my top ten list of restaurants in Las Vegas. Depending on who I am going with, my top restaurant list might vary. Below is a list ideal for trips to Vegas with anyone who enjoy great dinner.

It is in no particular order. I will go into details in my future posts.

Allegro at Wynn
Bardot Brasserie at Aria
Harvest at Bellagio
Joel Robuchon at MGM Grand
Le Cirque at Bellagio
The Mansion at The Mansion
Michael Mina at Bellagio
Picasso at Bellagio
Sinatra at Encore
SW Steakhouse at Wynn

Las Vegas has way more great restaurants than I could fit into my list. There are three more I would have considered to add to my top ten list, except that they were closed in the past few years, mainly for economic reasons. They are: Restaurant Charlie by Charlie Trotter, David Burke, and Switch. I will explain why I like them later.

LasVegas Restaurant AquaKnox — American Red Snapper from AquaKnox at Venetian

LasVegas Restaurant Allegro at Wynn — Osso Buco D’agnello from Allegro at Wynn

All Posts, Beauty, Travel

The Must-have Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask and Balm

12/23/2019 Shirley

(DISCLOSURE: This post may contain affiliate links, meaning when you click the product links and make a purchase, we may or may not receive a commission for the referral.)

When I travel, I like to bring skin care products that have plenty of hydrating elements, which is especially important when I travel or stay in hotels with air conditioning blasting on all the time.

For years, I’ve been using some of the Sisley’s skin care products (see my blog post for more detail) when I travel. Recently, I added another beauty product to my travel essentials. This beauty product is called Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask, and Balm for Baby Soft Skin by Charlotte Tilbury. (The product is packed with vitamins, floral extracts and antioxidant ingredients.)

As the Charlotte Tilbury’s Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask and Balm for Baby Soft Skin product name indicates, this cream-based skin care product is for multiple purposes. You can use it to clean your skin by massaging it on your face and rinsing it out. You can also use it as a facial mask by massaging it on your face, leaving it on to let the product penetrate into your skin, then rinsing it off after 10 minutes. Or you can simply leave it on your skin overnight as a skin balm.

What’s even better about this Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask & Balm for Baby Soft Skin product is that it can also be applied to your body to moisturize your skin and add some healthy glow. (I use it on my arms and legs when I go out.)

The Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask & Balm comes in a 3.4 oz. container. When I travel, I like to transfer some of this product into a small jar. I’d use it as the second cleaner after I wash my face with Shu Uemura cleaning oil. When my face gets really dry, I’d also use the Multi-Miracle Glow product as a mask and balm for overnight. The floral smell of the product is so pleasant; I found it very soothing. I also use this product on any area of my skin that feels dry.

Of course, I use the Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask & Balm for Baby Soft Skin product whenever I want to at home; it’s not only limited to traveling. But if I was stranded on a island and ould only have one skin care product, the Multi-Miracle Glow Cleanser, Mask & Balm for Baby Soft Skin product would definitely be my choice!

For more skin care products I recommend you to try, visit Skin Care page.

All Posts, Top Five

5 Things to Try This Month – October 2019

10/25/2019 Shirley

There are a couple of things I wanted to do in Summer and didn’t have the chance to do. One of the things was go to the Victoria, BC. I am glad that we still have some sunny days in the Northwest before the cold raining season kicks in.

Below are the things I am doing in October, which includes the afternoon tea at the Fairmont Empress hotel in Victoria.

Afternoon Tea

I enjoy having afternoon tea and I always wanted to try the afternoon tea at the Fairmont Empress hotel in Victoria, BC. I finally had the chance to experience the afternoon tea when I visit Victoria, BC, in the beginning of this month. I love the atmosphere of the lounge where the afternoon tea was at, and all the desserts that came with the afternoon treats.

New Beauty Product

As we are getting close to the holiday seasons, many beauty product brands are launching their holiday products. One of my favorite makeup artists, Pat McGrath, just released her holiday eye shadow products – Blitz Astral Quad. The Blitz Astral Quad comes in three palettes. One of the palettes, Nocturnal Nirvana, has all my favorite eye shadow colors – green, blue, and purple. Of course, this item goes on my “5 Things to Try This Month” list!

New Sequin Dress

Recently I am into full-on sequin dresses. As we are getting close to the holiday season, there’s no better time than now to start shopping for the sequin dresses. My recent addition is the Kooples’ Epaulettes and Pink Sequins short dress. I can’t wait to try it on when I receive it in the next few days.

Freaknight Festival

Freaknight is an annual Halloween related event in Seattle. It’s basically a large party for adults where almost anything goes. A friend of mine has asked me to go with her to this year’s Freaknight. My mission now is to find a costume for myself!

Entertainment Obsession

My recent comedy-drama television series obsession is HBO’s Succession. The show is about a dysfunctional family who owns a global media and hospitality empire, and how they fight for control of the business. I’ve heard that the show is very interesting to watch and I finally started to watch from the very first episode.

All Posts, Travel

Wynn Salon Suites at the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel

06/26/2019 Shirley

The first time I stayed at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel was in the beginning of 2006, not too long after the resort was opened.

My first stay at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel has forever changed my experience and expectation of the luxury properties on the Strip in Las Vegas! And after going back to the Wynn Las Vegas hotel year after year, the Wynn property is still on my top three favorite hotels list.

The Wynn Las Vegas property has a special Wynn Tower Suites which is separate from the resort’s general guest room tower. And the Tower Suites has its own private drive entrance, registration lobby and access to the exclusive Tower Suites pool.

The first time I stayed at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel, I booked its Tower Suites Tower King Suite. Upon arrival to the Wynn’s Tower Suite front desk, the friendly receptionists welcomed me and offered me a FREE upgrade to the Salon Suites at the Wynn’s Tower Suites. (The Tower King Suites is about 640 square-feet and the Salon Suite is about 1,890 square-feet.) It was a great treat for the beginning of my vacation!

The 1,890 square-foot Wynn Salon Suite has an entry foyer, a private massage room, a separate powder room, a large living room with dining area, and a granite wet bar. The living room and the private bedroom have floor-to-ceiling windows that offer views of the Las Vegas strip. The master bathroom has a glass-enclosed shower, dual sinks, whirlpool deep-soak tub, and walk-in closets.

As a Wynn Tower Suite guest, you get access to the exclusive private Tower Suites pool and daily complimentary breakfast for two at the Tableau restaurant (one of my all-time favorite place for brunch at Las Vegas), and morning coffee and tea service.

That first luxury Salon Suite room experience in 2006 has gotten me hooked on the Wynn Tower Suites. When I go to Las Vegas, I usually stay in one of my four top favorite hotel properties (Wynn / Encore Tower Suites, Bellagio Suites, Aria’s Sky Suites, and Skyloft at the MGM Grand).

If I stay at the Wynn Las Vegas hotel, my top room choice would be the Salon Suites inside of the Tower Suite. A nice thing the Tower Suite staff does to the returning hotel guests is complimentary chocolate with a card placed in the suite.

The Wynn’s Salon Suites is an ideal place when you want a lot of space and some sort of privacy. Once you shut the door, you won’t hear any activities outside of your suite.

The Salon Suites is also a great place to host private parties with friends. Last time I went to Las Vegas with a group of friends, I stayed in the Wynn’s Salon Suites while the rest of my friends stay in other properties of their choice. My Salon Suites became the go-to place after we chilled out by the private Tower Suites pool and ate dinner at our favorite restaurants. As a matter of fact, one of my friends really enjoyed bar-tending for us at the wet bar in my suite.

Each of my stays at the Wynn’s Tower Suites was great! All the service staff were very friendly and helpful. The breakfast at the Tableau restaurant was always consistently excellent. And the access to the exclusive private Tower Suites pool was another highlight for each stay.

If you haven’t had the chance to stay at Wynn’s Tower Suites, I highly recommend you give it a try on your next visit to Las Vegas!

Wynn Salon Suite Head Shot — Wynn Salon Suite Living Room

All Posts, Holidays, Travel

A Trip to Del Mar

06/14/2019 Shirley

During the holiday season I went to Del Mar (in San Diego) with my friends for a mini-vacation. The main purposes of the trip were to go to the Del Mar horseracing festival (a first time experience for me), and to have fun with friends (Khwan and Michael) and celebrate the holidays.

Below are some highlights of our Del Mar trip.

Our trip to Del Mar, San Diego, began with drinking mimosas on the flight before it took off at 7:00am. (I don’t usually drink on the flight, but hey, we were on vacation to a sunny place and celebrating the beginning of our mini-vacation!)

After we arrived to San Diego, our first stop was the Old Town area of San Diego, for brunch and margaritas.

(Watch my short video below for the pitcher of margarita we shared and my brunch, Dark Chocolate Chicken Mole.)

Del Mar Racetrack

First day at the Del Mar Horseracing Festival:
After brunch, we went to the Del Mar Racetrack for the horseracing festival. It was my first time to the horseracing and it was definitely an interesting experience.

Horses are one of my favorite animals. It was stunning to see how pretty they were when they walk from their stables to the race track, and watch them race towards the finish line. It was fascinating!

(Watch my short video below for the first day at the Del Mar Racetrack.)

At the Del Mar Racetrack, we had the opportunity to meet my friend’s two favorite TVG Network (American sports-oriented digital cable) hosts and racing analysts, and had a group picture with them! (My friend was so thrilled about this encounter; it was one of the highlights for him.)

(Group picture with the TVG hosts and racing analysts, Todd Schrupp on the left and Simon Bray on the right)

Second day at the Del Mar Horseracing Festival:
We had brunch at the Del Mar Turf Club. Our brunch included a three-course meal and unlimited mimosa (or champagne) and liquor (i.e. vodka and rum). And we have a great view of the horseracing track.

(Group picture taken on the second day of the horseracing festival.)

My friends and I made small bets on each round of the races. Even though we didn’t win much, we had a great time watching the races and cheering for the horses. In my opinion, watching horseracing is a fun group event. It’s just like buying ticket to go to a concert — you are paying for the entertainment experiences.

(Picture taken at Del Mar Turf Club restaurant.)

Fairmont Grand Del Mar Hotel

The Fairmont Grand Del Mar hotel is just as pretty as I expected based on their Web site pictures. The check-in process was quick and easy. And I love my room and the private balcony.

(In front of the hotel driveway, picture taken on the first day, in the afternoon.)

(The fountain in the hotel driveway.)

(Holiday decorations.)

(Picture of my room.)

After I settled into my room and got ready for dinner. I had a pre-dinner party in my friend’s room. My friends have traveled over the world and have great connections with many Fairmont hotel managers. The hotel concierge even sent my friend a complimentary bottle of red wine to their room.

(Pre-dinner party selfie; from left to right: Michael, Khwan, and me.)

Addison Find Dining Restaurant

For dinner my friends made a reservation at the Fairmont hotel’s signature Addison restaurant. Our ten-course dinner (and wine pairing) was delicious and the service was great! I was so full towards the end of the meal, I had to ask my friend to finish some of my food and wine. (Stay tuned for a blog post on my dinning experience at the Addison restaurant.)

(One of our ten-course meal – Duck.)

Like many upscale fine dining restaurants, Addison provided us a printed copy of our ten-course meal and shortbread cookie as parting gift.
(Picture of the menu and cookie)

Hotel Turndown Services

Did I mention that the services at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar hotel was great? When I first checked into my room there were some complementary snacks on the desk. And when I returned to my room for the after dinner, I found a stack of chocolate covered oreo cookies in my room. The housekeeper organized my makeup tools / products and lined them up perfectly when they did the turndown services. They even organized my shoes. (Before I left for dinner, my makeup stuff and skin care products were all over the counter.)

(Picture of my organized bathroom counter, after the turndown services. )

My overall experience of our mini-vacation to Del Mar, San Diego, was great! I had such wonderful time with my friends, Khwan and Michael, and we had so much great food and great drinks. It was definitely one of the memorable trips I’ve had!

(Picture taken by one of the fireplaces in the Farimont Grand Del Mar Hotel.)

(The Christmas Tree in the Fairmount Grand Del Mar Hotel lobby.)

All Posts, Food, Travel

Five of My Favorite Places for Brunch in Vegas

02/13/2019 Shirley

I love Las Vegas. When I am in Vegas I often eat breakfast, which is something I don’t normally do at home. Here are five of my favorite places to eat breakfast in Las Vegas.

1. The Mansion at MGM Grand

The Mansion is a semi-secret, very exclusive invitation-only restaurant. I was offered the chance to eat breakfast at The Mansion when I stayed at the Skylofts at MGM Grand. The Mansion was unbelievable!

2. Tableau at Wynn Hotel

Tableau is a fantastic restaurant at the Wynn hotel. The breakfast menu is incredible and I love some of their unique items including White Chocolate and Orange French Toast.

3. Bardot Brasserie

Bardot Brasserie is a French restaurant, by Michael Mina. Bardot Brasserie opens for brunch only on Saturday and Sunday. Among all the amazing food it offers, the French Toast is a must-have. It’s made with brioche bread and vanilla mascarpone, toped with the almond brittle, and orgeat syrup on the side.

4. Zen Kitchen at Waldorf Astoria

Zen Kitchen at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel was an unexpected surprise. One morning when I was at the Mandarin Oriental I wasn’t feeling like going out and so I ate there and I was pleased. The restaurant was casual but elegant and everything on the breakfast menu was great!

5. Bouchon at Venetian

The Bouchon at the Venetian was a bit hard to find, at the fourth floor overlooking the pool area. The restaurant is mostly French inspired but the breakfast items are all fantastic!

Fiave Favorite Breakfast Places in Vegas

All Posts, Beauty, Top Five, Travel

5 Things to Try This Month – November 2018

11/25/2018 Shirley

November is a busy month for me. Not only do I have many friends visiting from out of town, I also have several small trips lined up for the month. Below are some of the things I am doing in November.

Pat McGrath Blitztrance Lipsticks

It was just last month that I bought Pat McGrath’s new eyeshadow, Mothership V: Bronze Seduction Palette and Mothership Subversive Metalmorphosis eye shadow. Now, she has released eight new Blitztrance Lipsticks, which are part of her holiday 2018 collection. The new Blitztrance lipsticks are made with glitters and comes in a shiny bullet case. For someone who really likes glitters, it’s really hard for me to resist these new beauty products.

Out of the eight available colors, I bought three – Fuchsia Perfect (bright pink with blue and pink pearl), Cyber Orchid (pink with blue pearl), and Rebel Red (red with copper pink pearl). The Fuchsia Perfect is perfect for everyday wear, including work. Both Cyber Orchid and Rebel Red are ideal for dress-up and a night-out. I will have plenty of chance to use them this holiday season.

Pat McGrath Blitztrance Lipsticks — Pat McGrath’s Holiday Blitztrance Lipsticks

YSL National Makeup Artist Event

Nordstrom hosts many beauty brand’s national makeup artist events throughout the year. Last Saturday I went to the YSL’s beauty event and met YSL’s Director of Makeup Artistry, Dell Ashley. Typically, at such national beauty event, each makeup artist will work on a customer’s makeup (by appointment only) while the national makeup artists will go around and touch up the customer’s makeup and giving tips on how to improve the beauty look. Dell is really good at making intensified eye makeup.

Girls Trip to Palm Springs

My friends and I just got back from our Palm Springs trip. It was a special celebration for my dear friend who’s expecting her first baby. There were a total of eleven girls, which was the largest group I’ve ever traveled with. The four day trip to the Palm Springs was perfect; plenty of time for relaxation, good food, and excellent time with the girls.

2018 Palm Springs Group Picture — 2018 Palm Springs Girls Trip

Nordstrom Holiday Shopping Event

Nordstrom is hosting a holiday shopping event this Sunday. Two good things about most of Nordstrom’s shopping events are that the store will be less crowded (private event) and there will be free champagne (and light refreshment). In my opinion, shopping under champagne “influence” is one of the fun group activities you can do with friends.

Accessories for Del Mar Trip

Some good friends of mine are going to the Del Mar Racing in San Diego in the beginning of December. They have invited me to join them for the weekend trip. This will be my first time going to a horse racing event and visiting Del Mar. I am very excited for the trip and can’t wait to shop for my vacation outfits.
(We will be staying at the Fairmont Grand Del Mar. Picture from the Fairmont web site.)

All Posts, Travel

Summer Disneyland Trip with My Nieces

Video 09/05/2018 Shirley

During my most recent trip to visit my brother’s family in Irvine, California, we went to the Disneyland park.

(A short clip of the “Together Forever – A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular” fireworks at the Disneyland Park)

Because my brother’s family lives in Orange County, we’ve never considered staying in the Disney hotels when we visit Disneyland. However, this time my brother’s family and I checked-in to the Disney hotel the day prior to our visit to the Disneyland parks and took the advantage of the “Extra Magical Hour” opportunity to get into the parks one hour before they opened to the general public. We also did park hopping between Disneyland and the California Adventure theme parks.

We were at the parks from 7:00am to 10:30 pm, the longest time I’ve ever been in any Disneyland or Disneyworld parks in one day. By the time we got home we were exhausted! (But we had a blast!)

Below are some of the many pictures we took during the trip!

Brunch

Before we checked into our Disney hotel we ate brunch at the Storytellers Café, where my nieces took pictures with the Disney characters.