[REVIEW]: Mega Boutique Hotel and Spa, Bali

Hello peeps!

After a long wait, I finally got the time to update this blog *cleans up spider webs off of this blog*. 

Been very busy with work until I forget that I still have this blog. I also realized that I have a shitton of unfinished posts stored in the draft. Finally, after some deep cleaning, I am back and ready to dedicate my time for at least week to post here cause I genuinely think that blog is still #in amirite?

So, back in May, one of my best friends for 11 years gave me a call to let me know that she had been asked for marriage by her boyfriend for two years. Words couldn't describe how happy I am for her because she was going to be the first one among us five to tie the knot. When she asked me if I could come to her wedding in Bali, of course I said yes! I was finally going to attend my first wedding in Bali!

Unfortunately, bunch of my friends were either flying with their partner or flying out on different dates so I had to travel alone to Bali. However, I always believe that solo traveling is a blessing on its own because that means I have all the luxury to determine my own itinerary without having too many heads interfering or I have to submit to other's requests.

After a rigorous search for a plane ticket (I bought the ticket back in May for a departure in July and it cost me literally an arm and leg, it was expensive!), I stumbled upon an article by IDN Times about some selection of boutique hotels in Bali. I actually had booked a room at Swiss-Belhotel Rainforest in Seminyak, but my booking was canceled for whichever reason weeks prior my arrival in Bali.

I finally decided to stay at this Mega Boutique Hotel and Spa because it looked really good on the net. However, I was really skeptical that the hotel would look in real life because you know, you can never trust those pictures that are posted on Agoda/Traveloka. I opted for the hotel's Executive Suite because they ran out of their Junior Suite when I booked the room via Traveloka. However, a couple of days before my departure, I found that the rooms were available and cost even cheaper than my Executive Suite that I booked. Unfortunately, you can't upgrade your room if you've paid for it using CC on Traveloka. What a weird mechanism, indeed. 

The hotel is located in Bypass Kuta, not that far from the airport (± 15 minutes). Like any other hotel there is, check-in time is at 2 PM. Lucky for you, you don't have to store any deposit so you can keep your money with you for shopping! You will only be given one access card which can be used for entering and lighting your whole room.

The room that I stayed in was quite spacious, measuring up to 34m². It comes with your usual amenities like toiletries and two towels. Nothing to be desired though. Pictures below:

Not the comfiest (and tidiest) bed I've ever slept in

The Walking Closet

My favorite feature in a hotel room, Jacuzi!

Afraid to miss that Game of Thrones episode when you're in the tub? Worry not!

Separate shower and toilet seat are available to your right

Working space with LCD TV that swivels so you can watch in bed 

Le bed

Huge ass mirror to help you get dressed in the morning (or for a night out)

A couch to help you get ready while tying  your shoes

The hotel's pool. It looks like this I swear (not my picture, courtesy of Traveloka)

Considering the amount that I paid for a room like this, I thought I got a better deal than expected. This hotel, however, fell short in some areas such as:

1. The towel's texture feels weird. It doesn't absorb water? I don't know if it's the fabric used in the towel or what, but I could never dry myself off with the hotel's provided towel, unlike any other towel I've used before. 
2. The water feels weird as well. The more I washed myself with it, the dirtier I felt? It doesn't scrub away soap and dirt well. I don't know if the water had chlorine in it, but I didn't like the aftertaste the water left on my skin.

The breakfast menu was quite varied and okay at best, but they had unlimited ice cream for you to scoop as much as you want, so that wasn't really bad.

So, if you're looking for an affordable hotel to stay in Bali, I would gladly recommend the hotel for you. Bear in mind that it's quite far from where the magic happens, like Canggu or Seminyak but it's really close to the airport so you will have little chance of missing your flight.

Till next post peeps!

Marcel

VERDICT

Mega Boutique Hotel & Spa
Address: Jalan By Pass Ngurah Rai No. 259, SImpang Siur, Kuta, Pemogan, Denpasar Sel., Kabupaten Badung, Bali 80361
Phone: (0361) 753111

🏙 : ⭐️⭐️⭐️

🥘 : ⭐️⭐️⭐️

💵 : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Leaving Your Digital Mark - How Important Is It?

Hey peeps!

Can't believe that it's been more than a year since the last time I uploaded my blog! *blows trumpet* *eats firecrackers*

This post is actually a post that I made on the first day of 2017, however, I am that lazy to hit that 'Publish' button, even when the post was already done - sue me. 2017 has not been an easy year for me to go through, but I believe everything will be alright moving forward, hence the late posting here.

Anyhoo, I realize that this blog needs a little bit of color, not only post about fashion and lifestyle but also my personal stories. I've been wanting to make a personal post - not about my personal life but rather my take on things. So to kick things off in 2017, I want to share my recent thoughts about digital footprint. This post was actually inspired by one of my friends who got rejected from his application solely because he does not use nor own social media and boy does my friend have a good reason for that.

Quick story about my friend, he is a content writer working for a production house in Jakarta. To me, he is a really good writer with good use of words and creative ideas, both in Indonesian and English. One time during his interview at one creative agency in Jakarta, he was asked whether he is familiar with current social media platforms and which of the social media channels he regularly uses. Do not get him wrong though, my friend knows every bit of social media there is out there but he chose not to use it because of the footprints that the channels might leave behind. He does not want to leave unnecessary marks on the Internet because once the data is out there, you can never get it back. My friend does not own a Facebook, Twitter, Instagram let alone a Snapchat account. He has never been tempted to install one despite reasons like to connect with old friends and family and what not because he thinks that there are better ways to reach them out personally, than stalking their account. He obviously failed the interview because the job requires him to be social media savvy, despite his experiences. At the end of the day, his decision costs him a great deal to his career, but the question would be, is it necessary not to hire someone because of his decision not to use social media?

I respect him so much for his decision because it is not easy living without social media. To me personally, I find social media as an essential tool to help me get through the day. In my current profession as a Public Relations Consultant, social media has become an essential tool for me to track my client's performance and the public and media's sentiment towards it. So yeah, owning and knowing how social media works are important for me.

If you are unaware of what digital footprint is, it is all the stuff you leave behind as you use the Internet. Comments on social media, Skype calls, app use and email records- it's part of your online history and can potentially be seen by other people, or tracked in a database. Want to know more how harmful digital footprint is, try watching Snowden or the real documentary, Citizenfour.

All those likes, Retweets, and Facebook comments (even private ones) leave a record. Make sure you know what the default privacy settings are for your social media accounts, and keep an eye on them. Sites often introduce new policies and settings that increase the visibility of your data. They may rely on you just clicking “OK” to whatever terms they are introducing, without reading them. Make no mistake about it – the web is listening every time you use it! It’s important that you understand what you’re leaving behind when you visit a website.

See you on the next post!
Marcel

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National Gallery of Singapore

Hello there peeps! 

Don't burn me just yet, it's just - the year has been undeniably tough for me to walk in plus, work got in the way, even on weekend. But worry not, am back and would devote at least a week to turn all those drafts to something worth reading.

So this post would be about my last trip to Singapore. So after I indulged myself with fancy installations at the ArtnScience Museum at the Marina Bay Sands complex, I continued my artsy trip to some galleries and museums the next day. Being a sucker for galleries and museums, I knew that I just couldn't miss the National Gallery of Singapore and boy did I not regret my decision. 

I decided to go to the National Gallery of Singapore since I've seen a lot of my favorite influencers that I follow on Instagram post their travel photos here. I got out of my hotel early in the morning so that I would have an empty gallery for me to browse and take picture around and I made the right decision. The gallery opens from 9 - 10 AM in the morning and it was empty as heck. So without wasting any time, I took the opportunity to roam around the gallery. The admission fee was a bit pricey though. Same like ArtnScience, this gallery has a general and special exhibition sections in which you have to pay extra if you want to see the latter. I couldn't remember how much it was but I guess it's around SGD 30 for all access.

Enjoy the awesome architecture that this gallery offers, and no, I didn't take pictures of all the paintings and sculptures. I hope you like this as much as I do. See you on the next post!

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