Monthly Archives: June 2011

Westin not so Heavenly Bed

29 Wednesday Jun 2011

Posted by in Bed Linen, Everything else..., Thailand, Travel

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The first thing that came to my mind when hub told me we are heading to Westin Siray Bay Resort and Spa in Phuket was the Westin famed heavenly bed ! Having heard so much good reviews about this ‘heavenly’ bed, I was lusting to sink my body into it and roll around under the blanket.

Yes – I am crazy, mind me. Hehehe.. the thing is, for those who know me well, I LOVE anything to do with bed. From mattress, bedsheets to pillows, I love em all.

Hub thinks I am crazy when I droll over 600 thread counts Egyptian cotton bedsheets or when I sigh in bliss when I sink my head into a 100% goosedown pillow. I can’t help it – like a Shopaholic who can’t stop shopping, I guess I am a bedaholic !

 

Anyway, back to the Westin heavenly bed.

Once we were let into our room, I hover over the bed getting ready to jump in until hubs remind me to take a nice picture of it first before messing it up so that I could put up on my blog later. Hehehe.. so, thanks to him, here’s a few pictures of how the bed look. I was a little disappointed that the bed didn’t come in the 10 layers as advertise in their website. Perhaps it was because we are in a hot tropic climate, hence, 2 layers of the blanket and deco sheet was not included.

Tracing my fingers across the linen, it felt like a 200 – 250 thread count, pressing down on the mattress I could feel the never ending layers of softness. Oh no… my heart sinks. I hope they didn’t call it a heavenly bed literally because it feels like you are sleeping on clouds. I gently climb into the bed and was super disappointed that the bed sink so much it doesn’t provide any support. Considering I am quite heavy, the bed sinks more. I know many fans out there who love the Westin heavenly bed to pieces, but, for me, it was not heavenly at all. This is the bed where when you first sleep on it feels really good but always wakes up with a backache. After the 3rd night, hub and I was already suffering backaches. Sigh…

Mattresses are really subjective and I guess there no such thing as one size fits all. In this case, hub and I definitely prefer that our mattress is a little more firm and supported.

Currently, for my bed mattress we got the slumberland Tempcool. To achieve the soft cloudish feeling, I layer my bed with mattress protector and top it off with gorgeous bedlinens of 300 or more thread counts, 3 fluffy pillows (2 x 100% duck down and 1 x 100% goosedown) cover with 100% silk blanket. When we come back from our little getaway and sleep on our bed, I was happy was I was sleeping on Chulet’s heavenly bed. 😉

Creamy Peach Cheesecake

28 Tuesday Jun 2011

Posted by in Baking, Gastronomy, Home Cook Food

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Ingredient for Base

  • 13 pcs digestive biscuits
  • 70 gm melted butter
  • Pinch of salt

Ingredient for fillings

  • 500 gm Cream cheese
  • 200 gm Crème fraiche
  • 80 gm icing sugar
  • 3 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp vanilla extract
  • 6 halves of diced can peach ***

*** The can peaches got from the supermarket here (around KL area) are all soak in syrup (couldn’t find those that are soaked in juice). It is a little sweet to me. So, what I do is to wash these peach with water, and then, let them drip dry before I cubed ‘em up. The can I got has 6 halves inside. Try not to get those which are already cubed as it tends to be softer. You would like to have the layers of different texture between the creamy cheese fillings.

Placing all the biscuit into a zip lock bag, I used a rolling pin to crush up them up finely. Then, I pour these into a bowl and add the melted butter. (For the melted butter, there’s no need to waste energy and time melting it in a pan. Just throw them into the microwave for about 16 sec. And it will be nicely melted – easy). I like the base to have a bit of saltiness in it to contrast with the sweet cheese. Mix them up until the crumbs resemble wet sand. Pour everything into a pan and pack them down. (You can use back of spoon, your fingers or anything you feel comfortable with). Once the biscuit is done, I place them into the freezer.

Cream Cheese (in room temperature so that it is soft), icing sugar, vanilla and lemon juice are all placed into a big bowl. Whisk all these to a creamy texture. Once all these are mix well, add in the Crème fraiche and continue to stir. The texture reminds me a little of mayo. Next, scoop in your peach. Remember to try and get them as dry as possible as introducing liquid will dilute the cheese and makes the base wet.

Then, pour the cheese filling over the base. Smooth it out on the top. Wrap the tray with aluminum foil and let it sit in the fridge for about 8 – 12  hours. As this is a relatively soft cheesecake. I prefer to let it sit for more than 24 hours before slicing it. You can add slices of peaches on top if you want. For me, I don’t bother as I find that it is a mess to slice them later. And I prefer to have the cheesecake in square tray as this is so much easier to divide and slice.


Look how amazing it looks with all the little cubes of peaches all over the cheesecake. Chulet LOVEs having a slice of this gorgeous yummy treat while sipping on espresso. Divine indeed. Enjoy !

Westin Siray Bay Resort & Spa, Phuket

28 Tuesday Jun 2011

Posted by in Thailand, Travel

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What a mouthful for a hotel name but what a glorious and amazing hotel. Hub and I sneak away to Phuket, Thailand for a little holiday last week – 5 days 4 nights of total relaxation and pampering.

This hotel is actually located on an island call Siray that is connected by bridge to the main Phuket Island. Hence, it is away from all the main activity area of Phuket town and also Patong beach.

Stepping out from the Phuket airport, the heat and humid hit me instantly but was glad we were quickly ushered into a nice cold van. The drive from Phuket airport to this hotel is about 45-50 mins (depending on the traffic and your taxi driver).

Turning left from the road into Westin, we were greeted by a wide space looking out into the sea. The view was breathtaking. To top it off, we were served with appetizing some sweet sour ice cold drink (which tasted a little of preserve plum + lime) and a nice cold hand towel. Registration was quick and we were presented with our room key after 5-8 mins. Our bags were tagged according to our room and we were transported to our room via the buggy. On the way to our room, the staff kindly pointed out the amenities around us. Hub and I was so mesmerised by the beautiful view we kind of just nod politely at him without really understanding what he was saying. (sigh.. we felt so bad – but, we did tipped him generously. Hehehe)

The first thing I did when I walked into our room was to head straight to the famous Heavenly bed (which I will blog about in a separate post). After settling our stuff and freshen up, we quickly head back out to just enjoy the ambience. The rooms are all strategically placed to get maximum sea view from your own balcony. They have 3 pools – Horizon Pool, Splash Pool and Prego Pool. (Personally, I prefer the horizon pool as the view from the pool was really stunning plus the water actually looks cleaner)

The hotel also offers a great selection of beach and water activities. Hub and I manage to squeeze in some time for kayaking. It was my first time and it was really scary. When the wave hit the kayak, I thought we would have flipped. Thankfully hub has some experience kayaking and he patiently teach me some tricks and helping me not to freak out. After 15-20 mins, I learn to relax and enjoy paddling. Hehehe..

Don’t worry about food as the hotel has 6 restaurants and bars. Or, you can easily hire a taxi to Phuket town (for 300 Baht) / van to fit 13 ppl (500 baht).

For those who wish to pamper your self, check yourself into the Heavenly Spa to rejuvenate. The price is not cheap at around 2,800 baht for a 50 mins heavenly massage. Since I was there for a seminar, we were given a 25% discount. So, I decided to give it a try. It was definitely relaxing and I felt so pampered after that. Since you are already there, might as well give it a try, right? :p

Definitely one of the most beautiful hotel / resort I have ever been to !! Would love to come back here… 🙂