Yacht Charter in Singapore - An Amazing 4-Hour Getaway for 10 Persons via Deal.Com.Sg!

I was just sharing with my colleague last week that i have been attempting a lot of new things this year; threading, forest adventure, first visit to Taiwan etc. The one event i missed out was a yacht trip i embarked with former colleagues around two months ago! 

Rewinding back to the day before the start of the hungry ghost month, all seven of us arrived on time at ONE°15 Marina Club (Sentosa Cove); prepared with loads of snacks, bottles of soft drinks and a pack of ice (you are allowed and encouraged to bring along your own food).

The yacht that would service us for the day; SZH1227H! 

Entering the off limits area under the marina club. Unlike in the past, there is now a retail and dining section within Sentosa Cove which is accessible to everyone; so do not be overly worried about "security clearance".

Outdoor, sheltered area where we deposited our belongings! Time to check out the rest of the yacht, which wasn't big yet comfortably sized for even more than the maximum of ten persons allowed in the deal purchased from deal.com.sg. 

Helm of the boat - well, given i have no technical knowledge unlike Alex, the ex Navy sergeant who was featured on Navy Newsletter, i think it's better i don't mention anything in case i embarrass myself! 

Additional seating near the helm that was better protected from the weather elements.

If you need more comfort, check out the cozier seating at the bow, in front of the helm! I am very prone to motion sickness, especially when i am housed in such contained areas! So it's a no no to keep me inside! 

I did make a mistake of visiting the tiny water closet (WC) when the boat was travelling to its destination; the constant motion caused me to have a minor headache! 

Second level - partially shaded and accessed via a ladder. Another no no for miserable, motion sickness prone individuals like me as the seats were placed against the direction! Bloody! 

Another helm. 

Back view from the second level. Notice the floats? More on that later even though i was totally expecting a boring boat cruise to nowhere.

Time for the engine to roar! Cruising past the The Pinnacle Collection; an establishment with over 300 premier units and marketed as the tallest buildings in Sentosa Cove.

See, all the others all short short ones. Having said that, the short ones (namely the bungalows) commanded a price tag of over S$30 million each a few years ago! 

Crew for the day! There were three in total and the person in charge is this Mr Alex Yip! Shall share his contact details later so that you can liaise with him directly for yacht charter.

A cloudy morning (our reservation was from 11am till 3pm).

Incredibly sad to see all the water... because i forgot to bring along any extra clothing!! I was in a haste to leave the house and didn't even bring along my snorkeling gear! :(

Let's go back to explore the yacht again; there's a sink, an induction stove and even an electric kettle! We should have brought along cup noodles for a slurping competition! 

Two large ice boxes were available for your usage. We didn't check beforehand and i had to lug along my classic Kentucky Fried Chicken ice box! That thing still works okay!

There was even a barbecue pit! You may of course bring along your own items although you may arrange beforehand with the yacht; top up separately with a bit of money for a BBQ session! I am already thinking of arranging another yacht session with my family (p.s. most of them hate the sun though). 

I believe this is a good luck charm to ensure good weather and a smooth sailing journey. 

We were supposedly allowed to anchor at the island of our choice (Pulau Tukukor, St. John Island, Kusu Island, Sisters' Islands, Pulau Seringat or Lazurus Island) or even island hopping but i guess we were not even sure what we were in for except for a yacht cruise.

Nevertheless, it was company that really matters and our companions that day were great! A pity Kaijing, Xiangrong and Alex couldn't join due to last minute commitments. By the way, the two islands above are the Sisters' Islands.

I maybe good in directions when i am on land. On the water, i am just lost most of the times. According to the photos i took, the yacht anchored shortly after going past the above sign that clearly indicated St. John Island.

Chanced upon another yacht which was quite similar in design with the one we were on. The people there were clearly having a fun time! 

From memory, i think we were anchored somewhere at/near the "red star"; a lagoon that was only recently formed when a connecting route was built for Lazurus Island and St. John Island.

Our fun would be beginning shortly!

With a splash, the rectangular float was first to hit the water! We were hesitant as i guess most of them are not strong swimmers and we know how different swimming pools are compared to the sea and ocean! 

Besides the floats, there was also a kayak! Although i can swim, i have never attempted kayaking due to a fear for deep waters (thanks to the movie series; Jaws).

KJ had the balls to jump off from the second level! One wrong move and his balls shall bear the responsibility of enduring indescribable pain that only a man can empathise with! Anyway, it was a successful jump!

Lovebirds trying their best to navigate in that super tight position! Eventually, it became a battle of sacrifice as they veered too far off course. 

Restricted view (hence the mosaic) as i was goofing around with a person who is as an equal nutcase; Mr Lock Li! Correction: i am mild compared to him!

A surfboard that doubled up as a kayak! They were having so much enjoyment; i decided to attempt the kayaking and boy was it fun despite soaking my pants (with seawater, not pee)!

As expected, there were loads of splashes! Come to think about it, Lock chalked up the best record for constantly getting into the water; there was once he even attempted to jump across when i was kayaking! Seriously, that was frightening as i could not afford to be thoroughly wet! 

He also doubled up as a one-man rescue team! 

Water skiing! I often see people doing this near Seletar dam. Since i have been trying quite a few new things this year, maybe the next one would be water skiing! 

Bloody hell; isn't this the flying fish?!!?!? Thought this happens only in places outside of Singapore like Bintan and Batam Islands?!?! By the way, the aforementioned two activities were not conducted by us. 

The connection between Lazurus Island and St. John Island - after close to two and half hours, it's time for us to leave the lagoon.

Anchor was so small; how did it manage to keep the boat from floating away?! Never mind, i would leave to Alex, the guru, to explain the rationale to me. 

Another yacht (looks like a catamaran) - this time, with a weirdly designed float! Is that supposed to be a dining table concept?! 

On the way back; after all the energy sucking water activities, everyone were snoozing except for the crew and myself. When life gives us opportunities, grab them! Haha.

Kidding! I only have Lock in his incredible sleeping mode; this man can sleep literally ANYWHERE! Anyway, i was mostly on the second level taking picture after picture of Singapore's skyline. 

Private yachts of the super rich in Singapore - some even came with personal jet skis! Envious? Should i be? A rich person may not be always happy and a poor person may not be always sad. Be contented with what we have and we will be happy too! 

Reaching the private pier of ONE°15 Marina Club. I am not sure about the rest but for me, it was an amazing getaway where i can have a good time with a big group of friends without burning a hole in the pocket! 

-The End-

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Location

Embark / Disembark from the private pier of the club. Meeting point shall be the arrival plaza of Sentosa Cove, where 7-11 convenience store and cold storage are located.

Booking

You may contact Mr Alex Yip at 9382-2720 for more details on the chartering rates. We paid S$350 nett for our 4-hour session with a S$100 top up for weekend charter. Food can also be arranged. 

Mr Yip was recommending a 12-hour overnight charter from 8pm till 8am which comprises visiting some of the offshore islands at low tide for spectacular viewings of marine life. If i recollect correctly, the cost would be S$900. 

Whimsydale - The Colourful Cartoon World for Diablo 3

Diablo 3 is known for its devilish gore and bloody horror and i would never have imagined that an entirely different world exists beyond a rainbow portal (activated by a dead rainbow treasure goblin).

The manliness associated with the game was entirely disregarded in this place known as Whimsydale; everything was so cheerfully coloured and it seemed like a happy place where i can get rare weapons, precious stones and loads of gold coins! 

Remember what you can find at the end of the rainbow? A pot of gold! Actually i don't need gold coins as my character has ample; i need more legendary items! There were around three pots i found although the items inside were not very rare.

For a place that was so kiddish, the least i expected was to find out that the cute characters (purple unicorns, teddy bears and walking flowers) were as murderous as their counterparts outside the rainbow realm! 

Reality set in; i had to kill them before they kill me!!!! This is surely a nightmare for children like Agnes (Despicable Me) who treats unicorns as the friendliest and cutest being in the whole world! 

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Map.

As above

Additional Information

This is said to be similar to Whimsyshire although entry to the latter requires five unique ingredients and the Staff of Herding plan.

Wawawa - Bistro by the Reservoir: Their Weekend Brunch (11am to 4pm) @ Bedok Reservoir [Singapore]

A bunch of fun loving colleagues and myself were famished after a session of hysterical laughter (with one who could not stop herself from spewing vulgarities in front of innocent children) and excitement at Forest Adventure! 

Although the Eastern side of Singapore is known for its heavy concentration of good food, we decided not to anger our stomachs further and chose a place that is just a javelin-throw away in Bedok Reservoir; Wawawa Bistro. 

Said to serve German-influenced cuisine that is moderately priced, the non air-conditioned bistro overlooks the peaceful looking reservoir that used to be a sand quarry. 

Although the place wasn't packed with four staff manning the space, service was really sluggish. We initially thought it was because of the lack of service charge (that's what we heard from a staff in Forest Adventure) but our final bill has that bloody addition! Darn!!!

Six hungry women and one forever-hungry man = very angry and pissed off group! The service staff really have to thank the kitchen staff for the delicious looking food that was eventually placed on our table (after 25 minutes, if i may add). This is the luxurious Wawawa English Breakfast; i stole a small bite and found the brioche bread to have that lightly toasted softness with a butter-ness to it! 

Bangers & Mash; Ms Lau is going to hate this but i could not help comparing the bangers to something she would know what i am referring to! Wahahha. The portion was incredibly generous and the taste didn't disappoint. 

My order was the best seller on the menu; Four Flavour Mini Burgers! 

Even though the portion paled in comparison with the other two, i am not complaining as i prefer to eat lesser. Okay, not exactly a sound argument and especially not when my tummy was gearing for a filling meal! 

To be honest, i personally thought my order wasn't as nice as the other two; the burger buns were really nothing to scream about and i am not the type who read too much into ingredients like ham, smoked salmon and scrambled eggs. 

The grilled bacon, however, was a rendition of perfectness; it wasn't dry and salty like many on the market. Instead, what i had was tender, grilled flavourfully and good enough for me to regret ordering the mini burgers. 

I should have gone for the Wawawa English Breakfast! 

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Location

901, Bedok Reservoir Road, 

Contact Number

+6562858038

Location Map

As above.

Opening Hours

Monday to Thursday - 5pm to 12 midnight

Public Holiday (PH) - 5pm to 12 midnight

Friday & Eve of PH - 5pm to 1am 

Saturday - 11am to 1am 

Sunday - 11am to 12 midnight

[Note: Weekend Brunch is only available from 11am to 4pm on weekends]

Website

http://www.wawawa.com.sg/

Menu

As above.

Price

Wawawa English Breakfast - S$15.80

Bangers & Mash - S$12.80

Four Flavour Mini Burgers - S$16.80

[Subject to GST and Service Charge]

Platinum Fashion Mall - Building A @ Bangkok [Thailand]

Taking photographs do eat into precious time and my short three days two nights trip to Bangkok translates into even lesser time for me to take as many pictures as i would love to! 

The above sentence shall be a valid excuse for me to follow up with my next declaration; i have very few pictures of Platinum Fashion Mall, a shopping centre that any leisure traveller to the Land of Smiles would know. 

As an avid visitor to Thailand, i have been to Platinum Mall countless times although my last visit, as i mentioned before, was four years ago! Things remained unchanged, except for the temporary flea market right outside and a NEW extension (known as Building B) right next door! 

Bloody me got to know of it too late and hence, didn't manage to check it out. According to friends, the extension offered more than just clothes and featured a good selection of shoes and bags.

Oh well, i didn't even have the luxury to cover all the floors in Building A (the original building) which are renamed as reputable shopping districts in the world like Ginza, Soho, Camden, Nathan, Oxford and even Orchard (the top floor is just known as food centre; how unoriginal)!

Our lady friends were very aware of the enormous amount of clothes and accessories they can buy, often at a fraction of cost back home. In case you are unaware, there are often two prices quoted; the original and the wholesale price. 

The latter means you have to purchase at least three pieces and depending on the shop owner, it can be different items with the same price. Wholesale price is roughly about 30% cheaper! 

My lament a few years ago was that the duty of guys in Platinum was to accompany their girlfriend / mother as there was nothing much for us! 

Things seemed to have improved markedly since then; there were ample shops catering to us men! No doubt i had a great time going through the different shirts, tee shirts, polo-tees etc.

Sadly, i no longer command a slim figure and most of the Thai sizes are either too tight for me or too long!!!! Darn darn darn darn; i need to slim slim slim down!! :(

By the way, there was another reason why i didn't take many photos in Platinum; was scolded for snapping the above items (it works like a hairband). Well, my fault for not asking for permission. 

But it sure dampened the mood and made me more careful too. Many of the retailers also displayed signs to say "no photography". 

So it would be more of the above view which was totally boring! I believe most readers would be more interested to see what can be found in those shops rather than a whole bunch of shoppers cluttering the lanes. 

Unless there is a cool babe standing right in the middle.

Your feet are too tired after a shopping spree? Hobble down to the basement level (Ginza) of Building A where you can find two massage parlours (under the same operator);a Thai massage is 300 Baht, foot massage is 250 Baht while neck and shoulder massage is also 300 Baht an hour. 

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Location

Petchburi, Ratchathewi (next to Pantip Plaza),

Bangkok, Thailand 

Map

As above. I personally thought it is within walking distance from  Siam and Chit Lom BTS although some of the websites did recommend taking a taxi / tuk tuk. 

Opening Hours

The official hours on the website are not really accurate according to my personal experience. For me, the timing between 10am to 6.30pm would be the safest (most shops would be open for business). 

Website

http://www.platinumfashionmall.com/

Additional Information

My lunch was settled at Fuji Japanese Restaurant on level six of Platinum. For my review, please click here.