The Gardens – A St Giles Signature Hotel & Residences at Kuala Lumpur

Location, Location, Location!

Any Aussie would tell you that where you reside is all about the location, so staying at the The Gardens – A St Giles Signature Hotel & Residences did not disappoint. I couldn’t be happier to discover how central the hotel was, especially that a mall was attached to the hotel! It wasn’t just a mall, The Gardens Mall is a Fashionistas’ paradise of high end fashion brands such as Gucci, Hermes, Balenciaga, Mulberry, Louis Vuitton, DKNY, to name a few; and their local designer brands and food markets. I was also in complete awe by their immaculate presentation of shopfronts, fit outs and of-course their individual marketing campaign images which gave me so much photography inspiration.

Puffy eyed, and dishevelled after an early flight I was delighted to step out of the humidity of the city to the crisp, clean, and very elegant hotel lobby. I was greeted by the enthusiastic Synthia Kek, who kindly gave me a tour of the hotel facilities and my room at the Executive Premier room. All I could ask is that I had more time to enjoy everything the hotel had to offer. Pool, gym, and all the modern comforts you’d expect from a five star hotel.

The hotel’s award-winning, Sage Restaurant & Wine Bar did not disappoint either. Well of-course since it is consistently voted among the Top 5 restaurants in Kuala Lumpur! The elegant dining room and attentive service set the table for Chef Daniel’s creative take on French & Japanese classics. And when you sit at the open kitchen table, the Chef and his team prepare their heavenly delights right before your eyes. I’m still salivating as I’m reliving my foodie experience.

Therefore if you are like me, who is after convenience and being central to all the touristy hotspots like Central Market, Petronas Twin Towers, Train stations and mega malls, then look no further. I definitely recommend staying at the Gardens Hotel & Residences.

Next up I’ll delve into my adventures out and about on the streets of KL so stay tuned xx

 

 

images // KAREN WOO
words and images of me // DEE DARWICHE of AdaptTrend

printed top, pants and playsuit // SHEIKE
rose gold sandals // BARED FOOTWEAR
caftan // CAMILLA

karenwoo-stgiles360-camila_0002

karenwoo-stgiles360_0125

karenwoo-stgiles360-camila_0004

karenwoo-stgiles360-camila_0011

karenwoo-stgiles360_0005-Edit

karenwoo-stgiles360_0007

karenwoo-stgiles360-day2_0033

karenwoo-stgiles360-day2_0035

karenwoo-stgiles360-day2_0038

karenwoo-stgiles360-day2_0042

karenwoo-stgiles360-day2_0048

karenwoo-stgiles360-day2_0050

karenwoo-stgiles360-day2_0052

karenwoo-stgiles360-day2_0057

karenwoo-stgiles360-day2_0062

karenwoo-stgiles360-day2_0066

karenwoo-stgiles360-day2_0069

karenwoo-stgiles360-day2_0071

 

Our tasting menu as it unfolded throughout the night:

Entre:
Carpaccio of Wagyu Rump with Plum Infused Konbu Sauce
Royale of Maine Lobster with Yuzu Citrus and Fresh Chives

Main:
Smoked Duck Breast with Watermelon and Foie Gras
Grain Fed Beef with Yuzukoshou and Noisette Miso Sauce
Slow Cooked Almond Crusted Lamb Rack with Meaux Mustard Sauce

Dessert:
Fresh Berries with Champange Sabayon and Vanilla Ice Cream
French Chocolate Fondant with Earl Grey Tea Ice Cream

 

 

Address: The Gardens Residences, Lingkaran Syed Putra, Mid Valley City, 59200 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

In the mood for summer prints

Prints, and shirt on shirts are my latest obsession. What better way is to try out this trend at the beautiful Batu Ferringi Beach?

Location: Batu Ferringgi Beach, Penang Malaysia (Outside Shangri La Rasa Resort Hotel)
Images by Alan Woo

shirts and denim jeans // ZARA
sneakers // BARED FOOTWEAR
batu-feringgi-beach-malaysia_002

batu-feringgi-beach-malaysia_004

batu-feringgi-beach-malaysia_014

batu-feringgi-beach-malaysia_025

batu-feringgi-beach-malaysia_041

batu-feringgi-beach-malaysia_039

batu-feringgi-beach-malaysia_034

batu-feringgi-beach-malaysia_032

batu-feringgi-beach-malaysia_048

Finding rest in Penang

“He that can take rest is greater than he that can take cities.” —Benjamin Franklin

I wasn’t expecting to go overseas with my family this holiday season, but Alan whisked me and JJ away for a week of family fun and soaking in the warm golden sun. We had a few destinations in mind: Hamilton Islands, Bangkok Thailand or Hong Kong, but we decided to go back to Penang, Malaysia; to the place we first had our overseas trip together when we started dating.

Our little family flew with Qantas and Jetstar Asia, and we checked into the Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa (Batu Feringgi Beach, 11100 Penang, Malaysia) for a 6 nights stay. Besides devouring bowls of Assam Laksa, sipping endless supplies of Mocktails and Teh Tarik, I spent a majority of my time braving the humidity and 37 degree heat exploring George Town. This little town was perfect in every way – a photographers and art lovers haven to say the least. There were plentiful of hidden gems to discover such as 3D interactive street art, textured walls, piles of ruins, and odd combination of coloured buildings which eventually grew on you. We were really lucky to come at a time of Hari Haya (Malaysian New Year) because the streets were quite deserted which made walking around town a breeze.

Here are some of our most favourite places spotted around George Town. Pictures of me taken by my love, Alan Woo, and the rest are from yours truly x

black jumpsuit // ALICE MCCALL purchased from Very Special Kids Sale
red dress // ZARA
rose gold sandals // BARED FOOTWEAR
clutch // OLGABERG

 

penange-travel-photography-035

penange-travel-photography-041

penange-travel-photography-002

penange-travel-photography-012

penange-travel-photography-005

penange-travel-photography-135

penange-travel-photography-178

penange-travel-photography-171

penange-travel-photography-184

penange-travel-photography-040

penange-travel-photography-039

penange-travel-photography-030

penange-travel-photography-044

penange-travel-photography-046

penange-travel-photography-121

penange-travel-photography-152

penange-travel-photography-197

penange-travel-photography-192

penange-travel-photography-194

penange-travel-photography-027

penange-travel-photography-015

penange-travel-photography-018

penange-travel-photography-206

penange-travel-photography-203

On the Streets with Aimee Manton

street-style-aimee-manton-001

street-style-aimee-manton-013-Edit

street-style-aimee-manton-015

street-style-aimee-manton-018

street-style-aimee-manton-037-Edit

street-style-aimee-manton-039

street-style-aimee-manton-043-Edit

street-style-aimee-manton-070

street-style-aimee-manton-066

street-style-aimee-manton-090

street-style-aimee-manton-094

street-style-aimee-manton-096

street-style-aimee-manton-103

street-style-aimee-manton-106

street-style-aimee-manton-110

Nice to meet you Aimee, and thanks so much for hanging out with me.

Well why don’t you tell us in a few words…

Your occupation/degree:
I’ve currently deferred my Uni studies to focus on Modelling.

The word you say too much is:
Amazing. (That’s true…she did say that a lot while shooting)

Describe your personal style in five words:
Minimalist, comfortable, chic, edgy, rock and everything black

One item of clothing you can’t live without:
Leather jackets.

Your prized procession is:
My dog.

What are your hobbies when you aren’t modelling?
Reading, Brunching, music and exercise.

What is the last item of clothing you bought:
Knee high boots and high rise stripey pants.

Solids or patterns:
Solids.

Who is your style icon?
Emily Rata.

Your favourite place in the whole wide world.
The beach.

One of the rules about how a girl should dress is:
Less is more.

 

model \\ AIMEE MANTON represented by Vivien’s Modelling Agency

FIRST LOOK
black and white magpie loafers \\ BARED FOOTWEAR
leather jacket \\ LEE COOPER
hat \\ LACKS OF COLOUR
striped pants \\ URBAN OUTFITTERS

SECOND LOOK
skirt \\ DELPHINE
leather jacket \\ LEE COOPER

On the Streets with Chervil Tan

Hey Chervil, tell us ….


Your occupation/degree:
Part time model at Viviens and studying Masters of Tourism at Monash University, Clayton.

The word you say too much is:
Yay!

Describe your personal style in five words:
Chic, elegant, comfortable, versatile and simplistic.

One item of clothing you can’t live without:
Hoodie or Jeans.

Your prized procession is:
My super collectable barbie dolls featuring Audrey Hepburn in her various acting roles and Scarlet O’Hara  from Gone in the Wind and Grace Kelly in her wedding dress

What are your hobbies when you aren’t modelling?
My hobbies outside of modelling are baking, frequent movie goer/watcher, travel nut, pole dancing, singing and dancing.

What is the last item of clothing you bought:
A black knit from Zara.

Solids or patterns:
Mostly solids, sometimes pattern.

Who is your style icon?
My mum and Audrey Hepburn.

Your favourite place in the whole wide world.
Lyon – France

One of the rules about how a girl should dress is:
Always dress appropriately especially for the weather. I love seeing a girl dress to her style and accommodating to the weather.

 

model \\ Chervil Tan represented by Vivien’s Modelling Agency

chervil_tan_067-Edit - Copy

chervil_tan_061-Edit - Copy

chervil_tan_063-Edit - Copy

chervil_tan_072-Edit - Copy

chervil_tan_055-Edit - Copy

chervil_tan_050-Edit - Copy

chervil_tan_045 - Copy

chervil_tan_043-Edit - Copy

chervil_tan_029-Edit

chervil_tan_025-Edit

chervil_tan_023

chervil_tan_028

chervil_tan_013-Edit

chervil_tan_005