Location of 15th Arrondissement

We have an apartment in 15th Arrondissement on 1 August 2017 which is 8 minutes walk from the Metro (Light Blue) Line 13 – Plaisance for short term or long term rent. The apartment was last renovated in 2014 and is situated in the south of Paris.

The apartment is suitable to accommodate 1 to 2 people. It consists of a living room, a bedroom with two single beds, a wardrobe, a kitchen and a bathtub in the shower room together with the toilet.

Windows have been fitted double layers to ensure a quieter interior and not easily affected by external noise. Pillow, bedsheet and blanket are not provided.

There are supermarkets nearby – Franprix and Tang Frères (Asian Supermarket). There are also some Asian restaurants around the neighbourhood.

* The ideal person would be one that has a permanent job with a CDI (Contract Duration Indefinite).

=============================================

Rental Charge

For one/two person: € 750 (charges comprise)
1-month deposit to be paid in advance
Availability: 1 August 2017

=============================================

Contact Me

Please send me an email at admin@sensationalsavvy.com or drop me a comment below if you are interested in viewing the room or have more questions to ask. Your email address will not be reflected.

†Kindly include in the details below about yourself when you send me an email:-

1. Name
2. Gender
3. Age
4. Nationality
5. Employment Nature
6. When do you need the room?

Ideally, you should already be in Paris to view the apartment or arriving in Paris in the next few day when you write to us.

NO RESERVATION OVER EMAIL, ONLY IN PERSON.

If you are a foreigner, first time staying in Paris for long term or have not arrived in Paris yet, you may like to read more about finding apartments in Paris and the mentality of most landlords so you can deal with the situation better.

Accommodation in Paris (Guide for Foreigners)

Vous pouvez m’écrire en français si vous voulez.

Thank you.

PHOTO GALLERY

* The window images are blurred intentionally below to protect the privacy.

Bedroom
Another single bed has replaced the sofa bed in the room

Wardrobe in the bedroom

Chandelier in the Bedroom

Romantic Effect of the Chandelier Light

Room lit with Chandelier Light

The kitchen is on the right of the image

Main Door and Bedroom on the right of the image

Floor Area in the Living Room

Bathtub in the Toilet

Clean Toilet Bowl

Immediate Listing

• Room Rental in Paris (La Courneuve) on 21 July 2017
• Apartment Rental in Paris 13th Arrondissement on 21 July 2017 (French-Speaking Ladies)

Related Articles

• Room Accommodation in Paris (Introduction)
• Room Accommodation in Paris (Guide for Foreigners)

(Postal Code 93120)

*Click this link to see clear full image*

We have 1 room available for rent in La Courneuve on 21 July 2017. Exact The apartment is located in North-East of Paris, 2 to 3 minutes of walking to the last Metro Station of Line 7 – La Courneuve 8-mai-1945.

The whole building is newly constructed in April 2014. The apartment has 5 bedrooms in total. A common kitchen, bathroom, toilet and patio will be shared among all roommates who are mostly students. Smoking is allowed on the patio.

During summer, the patio is very sunny. You can dry your laundry outside, relax and bask in the sun or have a barbeque session with your roommates. During winter, 24 hrs of central heating is turned on.

There are a lot of restaurants, big supermarkets and shops nearby in the lively neighbourhood all within walking distance. There is a big bazaar around the metro every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday mornings until 2pm, one of the biggest you can find in Paris vicinity.

The bazaar sells cheap, fresh food and clothes which is a huge advantage for people who would like to have an economical lifestyle while enjoying the multi-racial culture in Paris.

Points to Note

• You have to be a neat, tidy and clean person.
• Participating in housework once/twice a month among all roommates is compulsory.
• The bed is single and suitable for 1 person to sleep only.
• Bed sheet, blanket and pillow are not provided.
• Wifi provided.
• Washing machine and clothes rack provided.
• 24 hrs central heating provided during winter.
• You should not have too many things to keep in this room because the space is limited.

===============================================

ROOM RENTAL CHARGE AS PER BELOW :

€ 300.00 / 1 calendar month
1-month deposit to be paid in advance
Availability:  21 July 2017

===============================================

Please send me an email at lacourneuve@sensationalsavvy.com or drop me a comment below if you have more questions to ask. Your email address will not be reflected.

Ideally, you should already be in Paris to view the apartment or arriving in Paris in the next few days when you write to us.

NO RESERVATION OVER EMAIL, ONLY IN PERSON.

†Kindly include a brief detail about yourself when you write.

If you are a foreigner and your first time staying in Paris for long term or have not arrived in Paris yet, you may like to read more about finding apartments in Paris and the mentality of most landlords so you can deal with the situation better.

Accommodation in Paris (Guide for Foreigners)

Vous pouvez m’écrire en français si vous voulez.

Thank you.

PHOTO GALLERY

Immediate Listing

• Room Rental in Paris 13th Arrondissement on 21 July 2017 (French-Speaking Ladies only)
• Apartment Rental in Paris 15th Arrondissement – 1 August 2017

Related Articles

• Room Accommodation in Paris (Introduction)
• Room Accommodation in Paris (Guide for Foreigners)

(Postal Code 75013)

*Click this link to see clear full image

Description

We have two rooms available for rent at 13th Arrondissement Avenue de la Porte d’Ivry immediately. The apartment is in the South of Paris, 2 to 3 minutes of walking to the Metro Station Line 7 – Porte D’Ivry.

13th Arrondissement is the heart of the Asian community in Paris and has the most number of high-rise apartments. Chinatown is within walking distance of the building.

There are a lot of restaurants, big supermarkets and shops around the vibrant neighbourhood nearby. It is ideal for people who enjoy immersing in Asian culture.

The apartment is on a high floor with a lovely panoramic view. Not for the acrophobic. The apartment has four bedrooms in total. All the roommates will share the kitchen, bathroom and toilet.

Points to Note

• Female tenants are preferred.
• The layout of the room may differ from the photo shown.
• You have to be a neat, tidy and clean person.
• Participating in housework once or twice a month among all roommates is compulsory.
• The bed is single and suitable for one person to sleep only.
• Bed sheet, blanket and pillow are not provided.
• Wifi provided.
• Washing machine provided.
• Clothes rack provided.
• Prefer working adults, students with local guarantors and †others.
• Mandatory to speak fluent French for communication among roommates.

==============================================

ROOM RENTAL CHARGE AS PER BELOW :

€ 430.00 / month (charges comprises)
1-month deposit to be paid in advance
Availability: Immediately

==============================================

Contact Me

Please send me an email or drop me a comment below if you are interested in viewing the room or have more questions to ask. Your email address will not be reflected.

†Kindly include in the details below about yourself when you send me an email:-

1. Name
2. Gender
3. Age
4. Nationality
5. Your Purpose in Paris (Working, Studying or Both?)
6. When do you need the room and for how long
7. Your European contact number

Ideally, you should already be in Paris to view the apartment or arriving in Paris in the next few days when you write to us.

NO RESERVATION OVER EMAIL, ONLY IN PERSON.

If you are a foreigner, your first time staying in Paris for long term or have not arrived in Paris yet, you may like to read more about finding apartments in Paris and the mentality of most landlords so you can deal with the situation better.

Accommodation in Paris (Guide for Foreigners)

Vous pouvez m’écrire en français si vous voulez.

Thank you.

PHOTO GALLERY

⊗ Fourth Room Advertisement in July 2017

[Back to Top]

Immediate Listing

• Room Rental in La Courneuve on 21 July 2017
• Apartment Rental in Paris 15th Arrondissement – August 2017

Related Articles

• Room Accommodation in Paris (Introduction)
• Room Accommodation in Paris (Guide for Foreigners)

Why Keep A Life Journal

Importance of Keeping a Journal

1. Start Writing Your Life Story As Early As Possible
2. Get In Touch with Expressing Your Emotions
3. Develop Creative Writing Skill
4. Writing Prompts
5. Record Exact Date for an Event or Activity

Motivation in Writing Journal Entries

Features of a Good Online Journal App

5 Best Free Online Journal App

• Journey
• Diaro
• Private Diary
• Better Diary
• Diary with Lock

Why Keep a Life Journal?

We have beautiful experiences in life that we would like to keep as vivid memories for a lifetime. We have vague impressions of many of those but regret not having a record of the minor details that went with it. If we have looked back at our life as an exciting journey that we can keep reading, would you have done it differently today?

Importance of Keeping a Journal

1) Start Writing Your Life Story As Early As Possible

We will discover how we have changed over time physically and mentally. Our values in life might differ over the years from the time we started out writing our journal entries.

2) Get In Touch with Expressing Your Emotions

Most of us have no problem stating the facts but may lack the capability to express our emotional selves verbally. Maybe we are painfully shy to voice out our emotions. Diary writing makes you face up to your emotions as no one is going to know.

3) Develop Creative Writing Skill

Writing journal frequently release creative potentials and improve creative writing skills. Fragments of thoughts are captured instantly with the right journaling tools which we can refer to them later with appropriate tags.

4) Writing Prompts

Just do it for the sake of fun. We might never know that we have collated enough information on a particular topic from writing prompts to start our unique blog! Enjoy the writing journey!

5) Record Exact Date for an Event or Activity

The occurrence of an incident laid out in a timeline helps us to recall important and precious events in our life such as the first time which the baby called out our name, the first time he learns to flip over and walk.

In another instance, when I forgot a Gmail password and asked Google to reset, one of the questions that Google verified was “When did you create the account?” Frankly speaking, who would remember that stuff? The date of creation was so negligent and yet frustrating when we ever need that.

By recording down as much detail as you can in a daily journal of the things that you do and encounter, you would be able to use the information one day which was once so trivial.

Motivation in Writing Journal Entries

Journal writing is a persistent effort that requires self-motivation. How to motivate yourself to love keeping a journal or writing prompts? With mobile and laptop technologies, many people are writing journals because they can do it anywhere with their electronic devices and mobility has replaced paper writing.

Many users reviewed the top reasons for choosing a good journal app is the attractive design and the reliability that it doesn’t lose any data. Users select a diary app based on how it looks like and whether it attracts them to use the apps for a long time. Many cited the design of the journal app motivates them to write frequently even when they least expect it.

Subsequently, when the online journal app that they used started losing data, not being able to sync or backup correctly, it caused distress and disappointments to the users for losing the most precious information that they have kept over the years.

The reliability of a journal app and the technical support from the developer is eminently important because you are entrusting the precious moments of your life to an application that could bust on you which would never happen to a book journal.

Features of a Good Online Journal App

Below is a list of the desired features in an ideal journaling app. You will not get everything in a free version. There are some premium features that the developer would want you to pay for using and to keep the development going.

√ Beautiful user interface design
√ Attaching photos, videos or drawings
√ Cross-platform syncing between devices
√ Backup with Google Drive, Dropbox or Cloud Services
√ Password Lock
√ Theme, font or background customization
√ Geotag manually or select a specific location
√ Weather and temperature detector
√ Sharing on social media platforms
√ Emoticons
√ Reminders
√ Importing and exporting files
√ Converting to PDF
√ Printing
√ Night Mode
√ Search function
√ Responsive technical support
√ Ad-free

Best Free Online Journal App

1) Journey

Journey is by far the best apps with the most functionality and can perform most of the important features listed above. It allows me to import my Diary entries using a zip file format with ease and integrate them accurately into the calendar.

It can sync across several platforms using Google Drive. I use it on my Android phone and also download the journaling app from the Chrome Web Store on my MacBook. The synchronisation between the two devices is seamless when I switched between them simultaneously. You can also write your journal online. Login with your Gmail account.

I appreciate that Journey uses Google Drive rather than Dropbox to back up the data. Google Drive has a 15 GB free storage space whereas Dropbox has a much lesser storage space of 2 GB for a free basic account unless one pays to buy more space or use other means to earn additional storage. The space limitation of Dropbox might be an issue later when the sizes of the photos and videos increase.

One journal entry can upload up to 4 images or 1 video. There are Geotag, weather, temperature, motion activity which you can turn on or off for each entry. A password can also be set to prevent people from reading your diary and various search functions by using any words, phrases, photos and locations within all your entries.

You can share and publish your posts and photo onto 6 social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, WordPress, Instagram and Google. Be thankful that the free version has no advertisement. You already have many goodies in the free version.

So, what are the Premium Features?

The premium version includes the Markdown Syntax that highlights the headings and keywords to your plain text such as bold and italic format. It is a must-have feature for people who journal a lot.

Night Mode is another unique selling point to take away the glare at night. The other less common features are bulk printing of PDF without watermarks and exporting single or bulk entries to .docx files.

Take note that the licenses are all sold separately for the Android and the Chrome Desktop due to different payment platforms. If you buy one license only, you will not be able to see the Markdown Syntax on another platform.

The customer service and technical support are first-class services. A developer who makes an effort to read and replies to most comments are taking the users seriously. The developer shows interest in helping users who have a problem and encourages them to write in.

What I do not like about this app is the unattractive timeline layout design which turns me off. There is a huge chunk of white space dividing between the entries.

I think that the developer should have a break-line, a border or a boxed up entry so that it looks prettier and easy for the eyes to distinguish quickly between entries. There is also no emoticon to express any mood. There is some room for improvement on the home page in my opinion.

Click on Journey website and download the app for the platform that you want.

2) Diaro

Diaro was the first online diary that I used in 2013 and 2014. I was intrigued by the design and colours and how much I wanted to keep writing. I stopped writing journals in Diaro for two years.

When I looked back at my past entries written in Diaro after I have purchased a Pro Version from Journey, I realised that the photo attachments were missing from the posts. I did another test recently by uploading some photos from my phone gallery into an entry and subsequently, I deleted the same photos from my gallery. I could still see those deleted photos stored in Diaro.

Several Diaro users commented that they suffered from a loss of data when Diaro upgraded its version or some technical mishaps that happened along the way. My photos were likely to be lost during one of these unfortunate incidents. Diaro developers might have improved the app stability and the storage condition over the years, but however, I have no more confidence to use it again.

Diaro uses Dropbox to sync across Android devices and Diaro on Mac and PC online. This important function is a paid version. It is as good as saying that if you want to use Diaro, you must buy the Pro Version so that the journals can be backed up.

I was contemplating getting the paid app a few years ago and wrote to the developer asking a simple question regarding syncing between devices. The developer did not reply back. It discouraged me from buying the app as I could foresee that I would not be able to get any support if I have a problem later.

The advantage of Diaro is uploading unlimited numbers of photos. I have tested up to 20 photos. The location detector is not very responsive. I had to try a few times to get it right.

Download Diaro from Google Play Store

3) Private Diary

Private Diary has one of the most attractive journal app designs especially the presentation of the photo which allows the user to slide them sideways. There are three photos per diary entry for a free version and unlimited photos upload for a paid version.

A noteworthy feature is the ability to synchronise between Android and IOS platforms (iPhone and iPad). It is good news for users who want to change their mobile phones without fretting over access to the app.

You can also back up the files on your SD card. Another option is to upload the archive file to Dropbox or download it out to your device. Online cloud service is also available to sync entries with all your devices.

In the “Standard View”, another impressive feature to search your entries is to use a date range, coupled with the selection of categories and tags to filter all the entries. Other plus points are password lock, geotag, weather, temperature, emoticons and a change of themes (limited). The font colour customization does not seem to work.

After reading users’ reviews of the pro version, Private Diary is better of as a free version. After upgrading from the free version to a paid one, there seem to be some synchronisation problems encountered by many frustrated users. The developers do not seem to reply as well.

Download Private DIARY Free from Google Play Store
Download Private DIARY from iTunes Store

4) Better Diary

Better Diary is another remarkable journal app because it has HTML rich text formatting options. The photo layout is an outstanding feature, unlike other apps. You can upload the photo at any spot on the entry and scroll the images up and down in it. There is no photo limitation. I have successfully uploaded 20 photos.

A notable selling point of Better Diary is the capability to share the diary with your circle of friends or family members. You can create multiple diaries for different groups and purposes.

Selecting “Accordion” in “Page Transition” makes reading fun when flipping the journal entry like a book. Change the flipping into slider mode when “Page Depth” or “None” is selected.

Better Diary uses Google Cloud to sync and backup across devices. If you plan to migrate to a new device, just log in to the same account, all your diaries will be automatically restored. I also import Diaro zip files into Better Diary with not much effort.

The diary tracks location, weather and temperature data and supports emoticons. A premium license is yearly or a lifetime which provides handy widgets on the home screen, more font styles, unlimited space upload and sharing diary together with close friends and family members. Ad-free.

Download Better Diary from Google Play Store

5) Diary With Lock

After reviewing the above four journal apps with several customizations, Diary with Lock diary is suitable for people who value simplicity with a no-frills style of writing and do not care much about figuring out complex customization or any sort. This journal app is very easy to use.

The diary uses solid colours as the theme. There are many choices of background colours. The months are also colour-coded so you get a different colour for every month. You can change the font size but not the font style.

Sync and backup your diary with their online private and secure cloud storage. You can recover the journals later if you change your phone by reinstalling the app after you have registered an online account with them.

The downside is that photos and videos cannot be attached to the journal entries at this moment. On the other hand, this user-friendly journal app highlights providing loads of emoji (200+) to express your moods and most of them are in the paid version. If the emoji in the free version is not enough, buy more.

This simple journal app has come a long way rivalling its competitors with a 10-million downloads and yet able to maintain a high score rating based on 200 thousand reviews. Lastly, If you hate ads, purchase the premium version at a low cost.

Download Diary with Lock from Google Play Store

Table of Content

*Click on the link to jump

Finding a Long Term Accommodation in Paris is Not Easy

1. Who am I?
2. Things to Know
3. Things Not to Do
4. Things to Do

The Final Solution

Interim Period – Where to Stay

a) Hostels
b) Airbnb
c) Couchsurfing

Group Articles

Finding a Long Term Accommodation in Paris is Not Easy

You should read this page if:-

• You are a foreigner going to Paris for the first time to study or work.
• You are still trying to find a long term accommodation.
• You have not arrived in Paris yet.

Paris is a remarkable city where the demand for accommodation is higher than the supply and the landlords know it. This article may help you increase your chance of getting a long term accommodation in Paris and also give you insight to why the landlords do not reply back to emails.

Who am I?

I stayed in a city, Nantes in France from January to May 2014 studying the French language at Université de Nantes. In June, I went over to Paris hoping to find some work to do there.

It means that I was once like you, a foreigner trying desperately to find accommodation in Paris a few months in advance and worrying that I could not find a place to stay when I arrived. No one replied to me back despite sending many emails and SMS to different advertisers even when I had a French number.

In a previous post – Accommodation in Paris (Introduction), I mentioned that I am helping my ex-landlord to find potential tenants for her apartments/rooms whenever someone terminates the rental contract. I had plenty of opportunities to communicate with different prospects both in emails and in person. This time, I am screening potential tenant profiles standing in the position of a landlord.

My experience in Paris was unique transpiring in two polar. From the position of being a tenant to the task of finding the tenants, I could visualise that some people would not find a place to stay easily from the things they said and did, online and offline.

My judgement was further validated when these people responded to my second advertisement online (an entirely new unit and location) not knowing that I was the same person whom they had communicated with before. They still had not found a place to stay after so many weeks of searching.

Although the accommodation is not so easy to find for many people, it is still possible to find it quickly if you pay attention to some of the following things below.  Always be conscientious about the things you say and do.

Remember first impression counts. 
You only have one chance to make it or break it.

Make it or Break it

[Back to Top]

THINGS TO KNOW

1. In Paris, the demand for long-term rental exceeds supply especially when the rental charge is low. I cannot stress enough of it. It is not tough for the landlords to find tenants as during peak period before the school term starts, their mailbox will be flooded with people desperately trying to find accommodation when they have not even arrived in Paris.

2. The landlords are not going to confirm the reservation over emails without any downpayment because the prospects may back out last minute if they find a better housing choice. Downpayment is the only form of proof to show that the tenant has serious intention to rent the unit and will stop looking around.

3. The landlords would prefer to meet up with potential tenants who are already staying in Paris after 1 or 2 emails/calls and can do the negotiation and payment right away. If you make known in the email that you are not yet staying in Paris, chances are many would not bother replying to you back if they have other real prospects on hand.

4. Your financial stability is a priority concern. They want to know whether your source of income is independent, from your parents, any guarantors in France, whether you work full-time, part-time or just a student with no other job. The landlords want to ensure that the tenant doesn’t default payment and is fully capable of paying the rent on time.

5. The landlords want to judge the character, suitability and chemistry if they are going to stay with the person long time or when it is “en colocation” (house-sharing) with others. For this reason, they cannot commit to a person whom they have never seen before. Knowing a person’s attributes is a critical decision for staying together for a long time.

6. Discreet preferences over some particular group of people. Indeed, a very sensitive subject that most people would not talk about or admit openly, but the elimination of the prospects is very real. Some landlords may have disappointing experiences with some people and thus, would not consider the prospects that fall into that category.

Another example, a particular gender may be more preferred over the other gender due to privacy and security issues. They also try and anticipate whether the new tenant can get along well with the rest of the roommates.

7. A case by case basis for APL/CAF. Some rentals are on “sous-location” (sublet/sublease) and is technically not allowed in France. The advertiser is likely not the landlord but a tenant who sublets out some space in the house or the whole unit. The tenant may already have applied CAF for his/her benefit and consequently, will not be able to pass the subsidy to someone else.

• Even if APL/CAF is possible, it does not imply that the landlord is willing to do APL/CAF for you if you are only staying for a short term of 2 to 3 months because a lot of administration work and long waiting time is involved.

• It takes 2 to 4 weeks to process CAF application. Do note that CAF will not give subsidy to the first month of your stay. They will only calculate for a full month, starting from the second month onwards. You will receive your CAF housing allowance in your bank account on the third month of the application.

8. Both the landlord and the tenant have the right to terminate the rental before the contract period ends up by giving one month’s notice to each other. During the final exit, downpayment (also known as “caution” in French) is returned in full amount if the tenants return the keys and the room is in good condition.

[Back to Top]

Hmm…

THINGS NOT TO DO

1. DO NOT start sending emails to all the advertisements too early (that is more than one month in advance) to ask the landlords whether the room will still be available 2 or 3 months down the road because no one can foresee or promise you that. Rental is on a first come, first served basis when the advertisement states that the room is available immediately.

2. DO NOT use one-sentence email without any other information in your first email. For instance, “When can I see the room?” Make the landlords do less work by not asking you questions that you should have provided in your first email. Otherwise, they may not reply you at all among the heap of email requests they have.

3. DO NOT expect landlords to make an overseas phone call to you if you are neither staying in France nor possess a French SIM card but you want them to call you back. Having a French phone number encourages landlords to reply you back faster.

Alternatively, ask for their contact number and call them on your end. It takes some time for most French people to reply back to emails or never so call them to get your answer if they leave their number inside the advertisement requesting interested tenants to call them.

THINGS TO DO

1. DO make an effort to read the advertisements COMPLETELY before asking questions that are already in the information. They are likely not going to repeat themselves and will not reply back knowing that you are not paying attention to the details carefully.

2. DO write a polite email by including brief details about yourself:-

• Your age,
• Your nationality,
• Your gender (It is challenging to guess from some unusual names),
• Your purpose of coming to Paris,
• The intended length of stay.

3. DO reply to the advertisement closest to your ideal move-in date. If the room availability is on 1 April, you have to try and be able to move in on 1 April or closer to the available date. The landlord may be in the process of closing a deal with a few interested tenants. The person who can move into the house closer to the landlord preferred date is likely to get the deal assuming that the landlord has no preference for any tenant.

4. DO pay for a few more days of rental even if you cannot move in exactly on the stated date of the unit that you are very interested in but want to lock the agreement fast. This method is pretty effective as some landlords are not willing to let their rooms go without rental even for a few days. They may give the room to someone else who makes the offer to pay more or could move in on time.

Ask the landlord first whether you can pay the rent starting on the day that you move in before offering to pay for the extra days that you are not staying.

5. DO show that you have the financial ability to pay the deposit. Hesitation on your part may hint to the landlord that you have financial difficulty and may not be able to pay your rent promptly. It is a huge risk to every landlord and they will think twice to rent the room to you.

Time is Money

[Back to Top]

The Final Solution…

• Search for accommodation only when you arrive in Paris or
• Establish contacts a few days before your arrival with as many landlords/advertisers as possible.
• Inform them about your arrival date.
• Ask them whether the unit is still available.
• Set up appointment dates with them so you can view as many units as you can within the shortest time.
• Ask for their contact number.

Interim Period of Searching the Accommodation – Where to Stay?

Use Hostels, Airbnb and Couchsurfing temporarily when you arrive in Paris. Book for a few days so you have a place to stay while you search and visit apartments. Book a new room or extend your current stay if you still cannot find your long term accommodation.

a) Hostels  

Hostel Rate in Paris (Hostelsclub)

Besides being free, staying in a youth hostel is the next cheapest accommodation in Paris you can find temporarily without burning your pockets from as low as € 15.00 per day. At the same time, you may meet like-minded people sharing valuable tips to find a room rental.

Book more days during the peak period especially in summer. If the number of days of your booking is not sufficient before you find long term accommodation, a lot of hotels, hostels and guesthouses would be fully booked by then. You will end up feeling desperate when you cannot find budget accommodation.

Book earlier to secure a low rate as low as € 15.00 as last-minute booking during peak periods is always more expensive.

If you prefer more privacy instead of sharing a dorm with a large group of people, opt for a private room or a lesser number of beds per dorm in a hostel.

The advantage of using a youth hostel as compared to Airbnb and Couchsurfing is the stability that it will not be subjected to a last-minute cancellation from whatever circumstances or excuses that the owner might come across.

*Photo Illustration from Hostelsclub.com based on a random check on 20 March 2015 showing € 15.00 being the lowest rate found in Paris.

b) Airbnb

For people who have not used Airbnb before, the website allows the house owners to rent out their rooms or the whole apartment/house temporarily. There is more privacy with Airbnb as compared to a hostel stay but the rate is more expensive starting from € 28.00 per day based on a random check in March 2015.

There is always a risk of last minute cancellation by the owner due to unforeseen circumstances since the agreement is between you and the owners. Always have a backup plan ready or a second Airbnb place to stay if that happens.

Some owners rent out their units for long term use which is much more expensive than the mainstream website for long term rental. Most of the monthly rental rate advertised in Airbnb use a formula that calculates it per day, for example, €28 x 30/31 days.

Such a calculation will undoubtedly inflate the monthly rental because Airbnb is not the correct channel for long term rental. The owners want to profit quickly on short term rental.

Some owners give a discount on the total amount if a tenant books for a month. Still, it is more costly than the standard market rate for long term room rental in Paris. Airbnb benefits travellers who require short-term booking as it targeted mainly for the tourism market.

If you decide to use Airbnb and do not have an account with it, you can use this Airbnb friend’s referral link to sign up. The marvellous point about the referral programme is that both the referrer <me> and the person referred <(that is you :)> will get a € 22 discount which you can apply it immediately for your first booking.

If you sign up on your own, you will not get any discount for your first booking and have to pay the full booking amount as usual. So, do take advantage of the Airbnb link for your benefit immediately. Please ask me if you have any other questions.

c) Couchsurfing

One of the Positive Couchsurfing Experiences in Paris

As the name suggests, it started out with the idea of letting the couch to the travellers by staying with the locals while exploring the city and learning about the culture.

Most people reported satisfactory and meaningful experiences for meeting friends you haven’t met yet from all over the world. Despite the positive feedback, one has to take precautions with regard to the safety and security of both the tenant and the landlord.

Couchsurfing is free. The hosts would welcome the guests to stay with them on an average of three days or over the weekends if the hosts are working on weekdays. Many hosts could not host a couch surfer for too many days with their daily routine going on. You have to find another host after the agreed length of stay.

Some hosts may extend their stay to couch surfers who are nice, easy-going and are willing to contribute something during the stay such as offering to cook a meal, wash dishes and buy some food. Some guests are known to be freeloaders so the experienced host will choose their guests carefully by reading the reviews left by other hosts on the requester’s profile.

Since it is free, couch surfers have to abide by the rules and regulations set by some hosts. Some hosts do not give spare keys to their guests and would expect them to leave the house when they go to work and come back to the house when they are around.

Some hosts do not have any WiFi to share with you. They use and share the public WiFi with you. Sometimes the public WiFi signal has a weak connection and is constantly down. The cases exemplified restrict you from making good use of online search for your accommodation effectively.

If you move to Paris with big luggage and have to change host every few days, it is not convenient. Find a host who can arrange to let you stay for a few more days. Again, they can always shock you by asking you to leave for whatsoever reason and urgency.

It is better to have a backup plan as well and not be caught unaware in any situation by totally depending on one source.

Immediate Listing

• Room Rental in Paris (La Courneuve) Immediately
•  Room Rental in Paris (13th Arrondissement) on 26 June 2016

Related Articles

• Accommodation in Paris (Introduction)
• Next Room Rental Listing in Paris (No Available Date)

[Back to Top]

Hope you find this article useful and improve your overall experience with a clearer understanding of the accommodation situation in Paris. If there are other information that I may help you with, kindly leave me a comment below. Thank you.

Pulau Tioman

• Hotel Comparison Sites for Berjaya Tioman Resort
• Searching for Tioman Ferry Tickets is Tough

How to Go Pulau Tioman Island from Singapore?

1. By Car from Singapore to Mersing
2. By Coach from Singapore to Mersing
3. By Ferry from Mersing to Pulau Tioman
4. By Ferry from Pulau Tioman to Mersing
5. Lunch at Mersing Food Centre
6. Inside the Ferry to Tioman Island
7. Arrival in Tioman – Kampung Tekek / Tekek Village

Berjaya Tioman Resort

• Lobby Reception
• Chalet and Its Surrounding
• WiFi
• River

Kampung Tekek aka Tekek Village

• Transportation in Pulau Tioman
  • a) Hiring a Taxi
  • b) Renting a Scooter for a Whole Day
  • c) Taking a Taxi Boat
• Shops in Tekek Village
• Food Review in Sarang Seafood Restaurant
• Along the Road

Things to Do

• Take Fun Photos of Jump Shots
• Watch the Magnificent Sunset
• Snorkelling in Clear Water
• Recommended Activities

Return Trip from Tioman to Mersing

• Shuttle to Kampung Tekek Ferry Terminal
• Food Review in Chamek Kopitiam
• Where is My Coach Back to Singapore?

Conclusion

Pulau Tioman

Just two weeks later after spending a weekend in Pulai Springs Resort (Johor Bahru, Malaysia) in my last blog with my friends, I went to Pulau Tioman (also known as Tioman Island) in Pahang, the biggest island situated in the South China Sea. I had been to nearly all the islands in the South China Sea region when I went fishing with my friends ten years ago.

The islands around the South China Sea are famous for their diving spots and fishing. The area experiences the seasonal monsoon from November to March and there would be limited activities during this period. Please check the schedules and activities if you are planning to go during the monsoon period.

A word of caution: It is dangerous to take a ferry or do water sports during monsoon season as the waves can go up very high and the water is very choppy. Many of my friends vomited non-stop due to severe seasick. The boat could capsize and therefore, please think twice before taking the risk to go during this period.

I remember that I stayed in a budget and rundown resort when I went fishing in Tioman Island. I did not know the name of the resort. I did not know the name of the resort. We stayed there for a night or two just to shower. Most time, we stayed on board the fishing boat. We used taxi boats to ferry us to the centre of Tioman so we could see more people and feel its vibrancy.

This time, I decided to stay somewhere in the centre of Pulau Tioman where they would be more activities. I began my hotel hunt online for the best place to stay in Tioman Island without burning a hole in my pocket this time.

I want a prettier and classy accommodation rather than a budgeted accommodation for a change. After screening through many hotel resorts’ photos online in Pulau Tioman, the images of Berjaya Tioman Resort attracted me the most as being the prettiest and most affordable within my budget. There were even more beautiful ones but they were very pricey and out of reach.

Hotel Comparison Sites for Berjaya Tioman Resort

My favourite hotel comparison websites are Expedia Singapore, Agoda and Zuji Singapore. Let us take a look at my screenshots at the same time on these three mentioned travel comparison sites based on the date of my hotel check-in.

Check-in Date: 20 July 2015 based on a per-day unit price for a Standard Chalet

With a few cents difference, there was no significant comparative advantage with Zuji Singapore having the cheapest rate in this case.

I have membership accounts with Expedia Singapore and Agoda so I would be booking with either of them to get some reward points. I chose to book with Agoda.

In case you are wondering why I did not book with Expedia Singapore other than the 7 cents difference, their terms and conditions did not state that breakfast was included in the travel package whereas the other two sites did.

I did not want to take the risk to book with Expedia Singapore for this trip as the cost of paying for a buffet breakfast @ RM $ 24 after I arrived was not worth it. I called Expedia Customer Service Centre to confirm again whether breakfast was inclusive and the call centre stated no and that I had to pay for it.

I booked the Berjaya Tioman Beach Resort very late, just a few days before departure. If you book earlier, you would be paying about 20% lower than what I had paid above.

Tips: Try Asian comparison hotel websites as they are likely to be cheaper based on some past online research experiences in its local currency.

Searching for Tioman Ferry Ticket is Tough

You can get a travel agency to arrange everything for you from getting a coach, ferry ticket and booking an accommodation which might save you all the hassles as buying an online ferry ticket to Pulau Tioman is the toughest search of all.

It took me many days to finally “got it” including the risk of not buying a ferry ticket at all due to the festive season. You can get 20 to 50% cheaper if you arrange everything by yourself depending on how much the travel agencies charge you.

I went during a peak period, a few days after Hari Raya. Most popular beach resorts around Malaysia were fully booked though I also tried to shift my travel focus out of Tioman Island and the South China Sea.

One does not have many choices of buying the ferry ticket online to Tioman unless you are prepared to pay more. I did not trust the source on the sales of online Tioman ferry tickets that I had found. When I found some reasonable ferry ticket prices online from some Malaysian travel agencies, they had no response when I emailed them.

I was afraid of having a problem getting a ferry ticket and thus, seek help from the travel agency who quoted me SGD 400+ per person for the coach, ferry ticket and accommodation which was way too expensive.

They wanted me to pay for everything first but put me on a waiting list as there was no more accommodation. They could only refund all the money three weeks later if confirmed at a later date that no room was available.

Most travel agencies in Singapore either do not sell ferry tickets or you have to buy their whole travel package to Tioman. I didn’t go ahead with this bad deal.

After a discussion with my friend, we decided to take a risk and buy the ferry tickets to Pulau Tioman on the spot when we arrived at Mersing while making the hotel reservation with Berjaya Tioman Resort from Agoda and travel coach from www.easybook.com.

How to Go to Pulau Tioman from Singapore?

1. By Car from Singapore to Mersing

Driving from Singapore to Mersing takes approximately 4 hours, 190 km of distance. One can park the vehicle at a designated carpark next to the Mersing jetty for RM $ 10 per day.

I have heard stories about people losing their car and tyres, theft, vehicle damage while parking overnight especially for vehicles and their accessories that are perceived to have a higher value by the thieves. Park at your risk.

Berjaya Air, the only commercial flight carrier serving Pulau Tioman had ceased its operation in March 2014. One can reach Pulau Tioman by chartering a private plane.

2. By Coach from Singapore to Mersing

Booking a coach ticket online from Singapore to Mersing was easy. We could choose from 5 departure points – Golden Mile Complex, Golden Mile Tower, Singapore Flyer, The Plaza and Boon Lay. The price ranges from SGD 25 to 37 for a single trip and is available at different timing.

*Bear in mind that it takes 5 hours to reach Mersing. There are three ferries departures time from Mersing to Pulau Tioman – 10.30 am, 12.30 pm and 3.30 pm. The number of trips and the timing per day changes accordingly to the season and month.

Easybook: Random Check from 1 – 4 October 2015 from Singapore to Mersing

If you take the earliest coach departing at 6.15 am from Golden Mile Complex shown above, it will go to Singapore Flyer then to Boon Lay pick-up point. It will arrive at Mersing between 11.00 am to 12 pm.

It is not possible to take the 10.30 am ferry unless you plan to take the night coach at 10 pm and stay for a night which cost RM $ 10 to 20 per person. (It is not difficult to find lodging there but book in advance because you will arrive in the middle of the night).

I took the earliest coach and arrived at Mersing around 11 plus. The coach did not pause during the journey so the passengers could take their breakfast. Eat some food before the trip or on the bus.

3. By Ferry from Mersing to Pulau Tioman

How to buy ferry tickets to Tioman? I was afraid not to be able to buy any ferry tickets in Mersing Ferry Terminal and hence called up Bluewater Express (+607 – 799 4811 / 799 8518) which was the main ferry operator before booking my coach tickets.

I asked them about their ferry schedules from Mersing to Tioman and Tioman to Mersing. They gave me three ferry schedules from Mersing to Tioman (10.30 am, 12.30 pm and 3.30 pm) and advised me to book the 12.30 pm slot based on the earliest timing that I departed from Singapore.

Each ferry ticket to Tioman cost RM $ 70. The trip took about 1.5 to 2 hours to your destination depending on which hotel you stayed in as there are many stops on Tioman island.

Upon arrival, I went straight to the Bluewater Express Counter in Mersing Ferry Terminal. It was very packed, messy, noisy and disorganised at the ticket counters. The feeling arising from the crowd and making sure that no one cut into my queue was unpleasant.

I didn’t tell the operators at the counter that I had reserved two ferry tickets in advance and just bought the tickets on the spot @ RM $ 70. Talking to the ticket seller and hearing them clearly over at the counter was difficult due to the noise. I felt impatient and wished to get out of the place quickly.

Out of the blue in the midst of the crowd after buying the ferry tickets, one kind Chinese gentleman approached me. He asked me to pay for the Marine Park Conservation Fee at another counter. Otherwise, I would not be allowed to board the ferry.

Malaysians pay RM $ 5 and foreigners pay RM $ 20 for the Fee. What bothered me was that while buying the ferry tickets and registering at two different counters, no staff directed us to pay the Conservation Fee at another counter.

I had read online somewhere that it was compulsory to pay. Had it not been the kind reminder of the stranger, I would probably forget about the Conservation Fee totally and get rejected during boarding after queuing for so long.

4. By Ferry from Pulau Tioman to Mersing

Going back from Tioman Island to Mersing to take a coach was another tricky decision. You have to know the ferry departure time from Pulau Tioman to decide the coach ticket timing back to Singapore.

There was a need for me to call Bluewater Express first because their ferry schedules always changed according to my online research. I could not find any website or forum that state their ferry timing online and thus, I was not able to plan in advance.

I was struggling to choose between the coach departure timing of 1 pm or 3.30 pm. The ferry left Pulau Tioman at 12 pm and would take 1.5 hours at least.

I would not be able to catch the coach back to Singapore departing at 1.30 pm if either the shuttle bus service from Berjaya Tioman Resort or the ferry delayed their departure time.

Assuming that I had booked the 3.30 pm time slot for the coach, I would have plenty of time arriving at 1.30 pm – 2 pm with nothing much to do and see in Mersing because it is a small town. I had been to Mersing several times so I know.

With time at stake, I booked the coach departing at 3.30 pm so I had sufficient time to eat. The shuttle bus eventually left around 10.30 am from the hotel.

5. Lunch at Mersing Food Centre

After buying my ferry ticket, there was a food centre beside the Mersing jetty where I took my lunch. Be careful of what you buy because there was no price tag on the food. I chose a large sotong (aka the squid), prawns and egg from the stall – Restoran Sutera Emas. The plate of food cost me MYR 40+ which I did not expect! The food was delicious especially the chilli.

6. Inside the Ferry to Pulau Tioman

The queue was long but orderly. The ferry tickets had seat numbers allocated. We were assigned to sit on the top deck which had fewer seats compared to the lower deck.

When we found one of our seats occupied by someone else, we sat at other seat numbers as we did not want to make a fuss about it and asked the person to shift away. Shortly, a couple approached us telling us that we had taken up one of their seats.

We told them nicely that someone else had also taken our seat, hinting that they should just find another available seat on the top deck. The man was unhappy and exclaimed that he didn’t care.

Well, we didn’t care either to surrender the seat. The woman walked down the lower deck to get another seat while the man sat in one corner sulking.

Soon, another family of three came and faced the same problem because the man had sat in their seats. They did not kick up a fuss. They found two seats for themselves while the husband sat on the top of a container as there was no more seat left.

From this incident, we could see that people did not bother to respect the seat number and the ferry operator might even count wrongly and issue duplicate seat numbers. Overall, it was very messy inside because everyone was moving around to find their seat numbers.

It would come as no surprise that some people would just sit anywhere they want in this mess when the direction was not clear. The whole ferry process can be quite a nightmare watching such an arrangement from the start.

Whenever the ferryboat arrived at each terminal, the staff would announce the name of the terminal for the passengers to alight correctly. The ferry terminal of Berjaya Tioman Resort was in the middle of the island so it took some time to reach.

7. Arrival in Tioman – Kampung Tekek

The correct ferry stop to alight for Berjaya Tioman Resort was Kampung Tekek. Upon crossing the road, there would be a bus shelter right in front of a food centre where the shuttle bus from Berjaya Tioman Resort came and picked us up at the assembly point.

There were also people distributing flyers for the various activities and things to do in Pulau Tioman for a fee. The activities were interesting such as diving and visiting t nearby islands for snorkelling.

Around Kampung Tekek Ferry Terminal

Berjaya Tioman Resort

Lobby Reception

The bus ride from Tekek Village Ferry Terminal to Berjaya Tioman Resort was approximately 15 minutes. I was bowled over by the first greeting of the large reception lobby which conveyed a warm kampong feel. I requested my chalet to be as near to the beach as possible.

Chalet and Its Surrounding

We were thrilled to have the chalet in the middle of the sandy beach. The gorgeous view justified our choice for choosing a beach resort as our destination. The surrounding was peaceful and the resort was beautiful.

The room was well maintained and had both the aircon and the ceiling fan fixed. The downside was that after showering, the floor would be splashed with water all over the toilet. It took a long time and likely overnight to get the floor dry up again.

After a day out to the beach and when we returned to our room, we would leave sand all over the floor. Whenever I stepped into the wet toilet, I could feel sand sticking all over our feet and this was annoying for me. You can bring an extra pair of slippers to walk around the room if you go to the beach and do not like to have sandy feet after showering.

WiFi

There was no internet in our room. There was WiFi in the lobby and inside the restaurant. You have to ask for another password in the restaurant.

River

My friend said that he had seen something that looked like a crocodile in the river when we were on the shuttle bus. We stopped at the river and tried our luck searching for that so-called “crocodile”.

Luck permitted us to clarify his doubt. Indeed, we saw it while talking about it. The crocodile that he saw from far was a big monitor lizard. We had seen quite a few of them on the road while going to the village later.

Kampung Tekek

The Malay word “Kampung” means “Village” in English. My friend wanted to get some beer and the small grocery shop inside the resort lobby did not sell alcoholic drinks. We were advised by the shop assistant to go to the next village, Kampung Tekek where they had a bigger shop.

We also decided not to have dinner in Berjaya Tioman Resort restaurant which cost RM $ 42 per pax. We preferred to explore more local food options in Tekek village.

There are two ways to go to Tekek Village – by foot or by vehicle. It will take about 15 to 20 minutes of walking uphill and downhill to reach Kampong Tekek. If you want to rent a bike or take a taxi, go to the security guard post and get the rate.

Transportation in Pulau Tioman

There are three ways to travel in Pulau Tioman. The prices stated below may be charged differently in other villages or other parts of Pulau Tioman and it is accurate at the period of my travel.

a) Hiring a Taxi

Taxi services use private cars in their operation. The driver inside the security post charged the passengers RM $ 30 per trip to drive them to Tekek Village that is 5 minutes away. We bargained the price and the man agreed to drive us there for RM $ 15 (one-way trip).

b) Renting a Scooter

It costs RM $ 70 to rent a motorbike or a scooter for one day if you want to explore the whole village. However, this option limits you to explore all of Tioman Island due to obstruction from forest and hills which prevent you from driving freely. The motorbike rental costs only RM $ 35 in Tekek Village and there are a few shops there offering at this price. To save some money, please walk and rent a motorbike over there.

c) Taking a Taxi Boat

You can pay RM $ 20 per trip for a taxi boat to bring you to other parts of Tioman Island such as Juara and Salang if you are keen to explore.

Shops in Tekek Village

True enough, there was a big grocery shop with many things to buy except alcohol. We bought drinks and tidbits there. We purchase the alcohol from “Duty-Free Shop Q. K. S. Trading”. They had some unique small-sized bottles that you can finish in a day or two (as you cannot bring the unfinished bottle back to Singapore). The price was good according to my friend.

Food Review in Sarang Seafood Restaurant

I must highly recommend this Chinese restaurant, Sarang Seafood Restaurant 肥佬中西式海鲜楼 in Tekek Village which was a hidden treasure in Pulau Tioman. The food was reasonably priced and very nice that I went back the next day to eat for the second time. I met another Chinese lady sitting at a table beside me who said that she also came back for the second time because the food was delicious.

On the first day, I had Tamarin Steamed Fish 阿三酸梅鱼 @ RM $ 40 (translated as Assam Plum Fish) which is recommended by the boss. I loved the sauce so much because the ingredients were so perfectly blended that I could distinguish the taste of plum, lemongrass, galanga, pineapple, tomato and onion in it.

The sauce was unforgettable and unique. The sourness of the plum and pineapple was not overpowering and had a ‘just enough’ effect which left me wanting for more. Needless to say, I finished every drop of the sauce. The fish was undoubtedly fresh because we were staying on an island with an abundant supply of fresh seafood.

I ordered the Tamarin Steamed Fish with a vegetable, Stir-Fried Baby Kailan with Salted Fish and Garlic 清炒小芥兰和咸鱼 @ RM $ 10. The leafy green colour in the photo (bottom left) indicated how fresh it was and again, very skilfully cooked with the right amount of salted fish to enhance the freshness without being too salty.

On our second day, we had Water Spinach also known as Sambal Kang Kong 马来风光 @ RM$ 10, Mongolia Chicken 蒙古鸡 @ RM $ 18 (recommended by the boss) and Nestum Prawn Ball 麦片虾球 @ RM $ 24. Again, everything was so delicious which was the motivation of walking up and down the slope just to eat at the restaurant again.

The total amount for our dinner was RM $ 59 / S$ 21.85, including two rice for RM $ 4 and one beer for RM $ 5 on the first day. With rice, beer and lychee drink @ RM$ 4 on the second day, our last dinner in Tioman Island cost only RM$ 63 / S$ 23! You can gauge the value-for-money on those meals that made us happy tourists.

∗∗∗

If you want to take your food there, make sure you choose a table inside the restaurant and near to the incense as much as possible. On the first day, we sat at a table outside the restaurant and the food invited a lot of irritating flies. We spent a lot of time chasing the flies away while eating.

The next day, we were smarter. We chose a table near to the altar where the incense was and there were no more flies near us. The con was that not many people could stand the smell and might even be disturbed by it though I was not in the least bothered and immersed myself in that delectable food.

Address:

Sarang Seafood Restaurant 肥佬中西式海鲜楼 Lot 450, Kampung Tekek, Pulau Tioman, Pahang

Along the Road

The 15 to 20 minutes walk uphill and downhill became part of our daily exercise for our stay. We spotted Macaque monkeys and monitor lizards at a very close range. For animal and nature lovers, this should be a pleasant affair.

During sunset, it was easy to catch the shimmer from the sea and took some glistening photos along the way.

We made an effort to cut through the sandy beach whenever we walked back from Kampung Tekek.

A lovely sight of the chalets while going back to our room.

Things to Do

Take Fun Photos of Jump Shots

As there were not many people on the beach, I was free to do my favourite jump shots on the beach. I loved the moments of being free and liberated with not many pairs of eyes watching me! Being a dancer in the past let me create artistic body movement. With an amazing colour of sunset as the backdrop, what more could I ask?

Watch the Magnificent Sunset

On the first evening, we were sitting on the bench in front of the bar relaxing. The fiery red sunset engulfed the calm blue sea. The sight was so magnificent that for a minute, all the guests at the bar stopped talking and whipped out their camera. They snapped away at the splendid sight right in front of their eyes. All our reactions were as dramatic as the red colour in the sky.

On the second evening, we went to the same old place waiting and hoping to see another astonishing sunset like the first day. Alas, the sunset was not as attention grabbing as the first day. The sight of the sunset was typical.

I also had fun swinging and lying in a hammock alone for some time until nightfall. There were a lot of fruit bats flying around at high speed. They flew past me at a close range and I was alarmed and slightly paranoid that they would attack me.

Snorkelling in Clear Water

Pulau Tioman and all the islands in the South China Sea are hot spots for snorkelling, diving and fishing. We were there for snorkelling. Not being a good swimmer, I had an inflatable mattress to help me and spent the whole day in the sea.

The water condition has deteriorated over the past 15 years. Many corals are dead due to pollution and over-fishing even though marine conservation efforts attempt to preserve the natural marine beauty. The water was quite clear although far from being perfect, we could see corals and fishes easily.

Recommended Activities

When the tourists stepped out from Kampung Tekek Ferry Terminal, people were handing out the leaflets on the types of activities to do in Pulau Tioman. Some of the activities seemed interesting but I did not have sufficient days to explore them further.

I am not associated with them but would like to inform you about the things to do in Tioman Island if you wish to do more than lazing your whole day on a beach or in the same spot. Perhaps you like diving in Pulau Tioman or could plan more activities through my article.

I have copied out the activities from the leaflets in brief. If any of the activities interest you, you can click the link on the penguin to get more details such as group pricing, timing, places of interest and contact information via my Flickr page. Please remember to book at least one day in advance!

Itinerary

Dadini and Family

TRIP A: AROUND TIOMAN ISLAND + MASK + LIFE JACKET + MINERAL WATER
6 Sites Mukut Waterfall   Juara Village     Deep Bay Reef Shark           Marine Park      Renggis Island View the Twin Peaks (Dragon’s Horns) and trek up to scenic Mukut Waterfalls. Have lunch at Juara Village at your cost. Snorkel at Teluk Dalam (Deep Bay), then proceeds to the famous Monkey Bay. Feed the friendly fishes at Marine Park. The final destination is Renggis island. from RM$ 120.00 per Adult (sharing basis)
TRIP B (i): COASTAL TRIP MASK + LIFE JACKET + MINERAL WATER
4 Sites Soyak Island   Monkey Bay   Marine Park   Renggis Island From RM$  70.00 per Adult (on sharing basis)
TRIP B (ii): CORAL ISLAND / SNORKELING TOUR + MASK + LIFE JACKET + MINERAL WATER
6 Sites Coral Island      Malang Rock     Salang Village Monkey Bay      Marine Park     Renggis Island Snorkel at Coral Island (shallow beach safe for snorkelling novices) and Malang Rock. Explore Salang Village and stay for lunch at your cost. Snorkel at Monkey Bay, then feed the friendly fishes at Marine Park. The final destination is Renggis Island. From RM$  85.00 per Adult (on sharing basis)
TRIP C: MUKUT WATERFALL TOUR + MASK + LIFE JACKET + MINERAL WATER
4 Sites Mukut Waterfall   Semebal Island   Nipah Village   Renggis Island View the Twin Peaks (Dragon’s Horns) and trek up to the scenic Mukut Village. Snorkel at Semebal island. Lunch at the Nipah Village at your cost. The final destination is Renggis Island From RM$ 100.00 per Adult (on sharing basis)

Page 1

TRIP D: FISHING TRIP (DAY / NIGHT / TROLLING) + FISHING LINE + MINERAL WATER
From RM$  90.00 per Adult (on sharing basis)
TRIP E: 4W DRIVE RIDE TO JUARA
4 Sites by Car Turtle Project   Relax at Juara Beach   Juara Waterfall   Marine Park RM$ 150.00 (small car) RM$ 250.00 (big car)
TRIP F: SPEED BOAT SHUTTLE TO – ONE WAY, MINIMUM 4 PAX
Renggis Island   Paya Village   Genting Village   Salang Village   Nipah Village  Minang Cove   Mukut Village   Juara Village   ABC Village   Tunamaya   Japamala   Monkey Bay   Marine Park/Boat RM $ 25.00 – RM $ 150.00

Page 2

Return Trip from Tioman to Mersing

Shuttle to Kampung Tekek Ferry Terminal

The shuttle bus left from Berjaya Tioman Resort to Kampung Tekek Ferry Terminal at 10 am. There was a long queue at the ferry terminal when we were collecting the boarding pass.

During passenger boarding, the queue was more orderly this time as compared to the boarding situation when we first arrived. There was nothing to see and do there – no shop and no eatery.

Food Review in Chamek Kopitiam

In Mersing, we went for our lunch first before figuring out the exact pickup location of our coach. We had plenty of time, about 1.5 to 2 hours before departing at 3 pm.

We walked about 50m away from Mersing Ferry Terminal and spotted this café called Chamek Kopitiam from far and was drawn to its decor immediately. We decided rapidly that this would be the place for our lunch and was cosy enough to spend our time here.

My friend had Curry Seafood with Rice @ RM $ 12.00 which was thick and very flavoursome. I ordered my favourite Malay food, Mee Hoon Soto @ RM $ 5.50 that considerably paled off in comparison. The soup was bland like water. I topped off my meal with a cold drink, Soya Cincau @ RM $ 2.70.

Chamek Kopitiam No. 89 Jalan Sulaiman Bandar Tetian Sungai 86800 Mersing

Where is my Travel Coach back to Singapore?

It was tough to guess the parking position of the coach in Mersing going back to Singapore as there was no signboard to indicate. The reservation slip did not state the pickup point too.

Moreover, the area around Mersing Jetty was quite big and the coach could park anywhere. We asked many people and some travel agencies who also did not know where the travel buses would stop.

There was another coach terminal about 10 minutes of walk away from the Mersing Ferry Terminal. It was the same direction where we had lunch but much further away. We finally reached the coach terminal after asking for the exact direction again from Chamek Kopitiam.

After asking the same question to several people, a man told us confidently that the bus that we were searching for was parked near to the Mersing Ferry Terminal from where we came.

It was a very scorching and humid afternoon. The thought of walking back again with luggage on hand irked me. The man offered a taxi ride back for RM$ 10. We rejected him politely because we had spent all our money (Ringgits) away. The friendliness diminished on his face like lightning.

We asked around (again) where would the bus be parked after walking back to the ferry terminal. Finally, some young chaps pointed to us in the direction of the coach as shown in the first photo below.

In the photo below, the first one suggested the parking position of the coach. The next two showed the surrounding of the Mersing Ferry Terminal. The coach is on the left side of the photo.

We boarded the bus and saw the same friendly Malay driver who drove us to Mersing on the first day. We requested to alight in Boon Lay but he said he would stop at Golden Mile Complex first before proceeding to Boon Lay.

We decided to alight in Golden Mile Complex to have Thai dinner before taking a cab back home. As we had left a few dollars of Malaysian Ringgits with us, we gave the leftover to him as tips.

Conclusion

My travel review of Pulau Tioman –  The decision to stay in Berjaya Tioman Resort was wise. The breakfast in Berjaya Tioman Resort and our food from outside were scrumptious. My friend was so in love with the place that he asked me to stay one more night but we were not able to do so because I had to reschedule all the logistics which was just too cumbersome.

Booking coach ticket online to Tioman Island was a breeze. The challenge was buying a ferry ticket and it has to be purchased in Mersing Ferry Terminal unless you want to spend more money buying Tioman ferry tickets online which might not be too secure either.

My brother recommended East Ocean Teochew Restaurant | 东海潮州酒家 as one of the recent visits that he had. He was full of praises for its dim sum. Although East Ocean is a Teochew restaurant, it serves Hong Kong Dim Sum. Four of us went to the restaurant.

Diving down to the first dish served to my utmost satisfaction. Mini Egg Tart 酥皮鸡蛋挞 was my all-time favourite. It was also a dish that different restaurants would bake it differently. The taste would vary from restaurant to restaurant, shop to shop.

It requires the chef to have a high standard of making the crust and to make the egg yolk smooth and tasty. Some of the egg tarts that I have tried in the past added too much sugar into the egg yolk.

I was wild with excitement when I had my first bite. The crispy pastry and the palatable made the egg tart perfect. The Mini Egg Tart 酥皮鸡蛋挞 was so heavenly that I had plans to order the second round. Please remember to order the Mini Egg Tarts when you go to East Ocean Restaurant.

Having a marvellous start with the appetising Mini Egg Tart 酥皮鸡蛋挞, I was filled with anticipation to try out the next second dish which was the Three Kinds of Roasted Meat Assorted 烧味三拼盘 – Roasted Duck 烧鸭, Roasted Pork 烧肉 and Char Siew 叉烧. The assorted meat was well-presented and appetising.

The next dish, Pork Stomach Soup with Pepper & Salted Vegetable 胡椒咸菜猪肚汤, was another favourite food of mine. I ordered it frequently in the hawker centres and coffee shops. I was curious how the standard of cooking would differ from those eating houses as I have never tried the soup in a restaurant before.

The soup was very delicious, strong in flavour and distinctive that it certainly made all the others paled off in comparison immediately. It was no doubt the most delicious Pork Stomach Soup that I have ever had in my life!

Even my foreign friend who had never tried this soup before was sharing and fighting with me till the last drop of it. He was singing praises of them too. I could attest that the restaurant used high-quality ingredients to brew this soup.

Next to the soup was Steamed Prawn Dumpling 水晶鲜虾饺, more commonly known as ‘Ha Kau’ in Cantonese. The Prawn Dumpling was so-so only as I had eaten strong flavoured food earlier which rendered the dumpling tasteless.

Steamed Shrimp Rice Roll 鲜虾肠粉 was also another dish that was average in rating. It tasted as bland as the Prawn Dumpling even though it had some sauce to go with it but the combination was nothing remarkable.

At that moment, I felt that Char Siew 叉烧 inside the Rice Roll would enhance the dull taste of rice roll better than having shrimps as the main ingredient.

The three deep-fried Dim Sum plates below never failed to titillate the taste buds of many people as fried food scored points effortlessly. A lot of skill is not needed to know how to deep-fried.

Deep-Fried Crispy Chives 脆皮韭菜角 did not meet my expectation, however. I ordered this plate because I liked chives and expected some taste of chives in it. It didn’t have the taste of the strong chives which I was looking forward to as the distinctive flavour of this vegetable diminished in the pot of oil. It might be overcooked.

Deep-Fried Beancurd Skin Prawn Roll 鲜虾腐皮卷 might taste better when steamed. Fried food was not my ideal choice for this dish.

Deep-Fried Salad Shrimp with Mayonaise 沙律明虾角 dipped with mayonnaise was another fried food craze of all times liked by many of us.

We also had Steamed Teochew Dumpling 潮州蒸粉果, Steamed Siew Mai 家乡烧卖皇, Steamed Spare Ribs 鼓汁蒸排骨 which was not in the photos.

The Steamed Spare Ribs that my father made at home tasted better than what East Ocean had because he is a Dim Sum chef and always makes for my family to eat. In summary, the taste of their Steamed Pork Ribs was not that flavoursome and could give it a miss.

Steamed Custard Layered Cake 奶皇千层糕 looked very tempting and a recipe to get fat. It was sweet and suitable to eat near the end of our hearty brunch.

Steamed Custard Bun 黄金流沙包 was another sweet delight that was mouth-watering and on the must-order list.

Finally, to round up our sumptuous Dim Sum in East Ocean Teochew Restaurant, we had Chilled Honey Dew Sago 密瓜西米露 and Chilled Mango Sago with Pomelo 杨枝甘露 as desserts.

On the top right of the photo was the second round of Mini Egg Tart 酥皮鸡蛋挞 which lingered in my mind throughout the meal. I ordered it for the second time because it was simply unforgettable.

Overall, the Dim Sum in East Ocean Teochew Restaurant was worth the go as the food was delicious and the service level was commendable.

The menu of the food was included below, both for the daily Dim Sum and their Weekend and Public Holiday Special Menu.

Click on the icon below to redirect to my Dropbox page where I have uploaded two sets of the East Ocean Teochew Restaurant food menu where you can read without any download

Daily Dim Sum Menu

Weekend & Public Holidays Special Menu

Travel Review of Pulai Springs Resort in Johor Bahru, Malaysia

1. Best and Cheapest Hotel Website to Book Pulai Springs Resort
2. 1-Bedroom Suite Room *2 Different Sizes and Layouts
3. Sauna Room and Jacuzzi Pool in Pulai Spa & Sports Centre
4. Outdoor Swimming Pool
5. Food Review in Qing Palace Chinese Restaurant
6. Breakfast in Pulai Springs Resort
7. Pool Games in Pulai Spa & Sports Centre
8. Strolling around Pulai Springs Country Club Vicinity
9. Travel Insurance

Pulai Springs Resort

Pulai Springs Resort is a country club for golf lovers which is located 42 km from Singapore by driving according to the direction in Google Map. My friends and I spent one weekend, Saturday and Sunday, celebrating a friend’s birthday away from the bustling city life. No, we are not there for the golf. This type of short trip is what I am looking forward to once in a while.

I like the idea that we can get out of Singapore to somewhere very near such as Johor Bahru (JB) to rejuvenate ourselves over the weekend without taking any annual leave from the company nor spend a bomb on some exotic places just for a night stay.

I did not want any adventures or weekend shopping to exhaust my energy for such a short get-away. Ideally, such a trip is to relax and catch up with friends for some light activities and a value-for-money makan (eating) session.

Best and Cheapest Hotel Website to Book Pulai Springs Resort

We booked two rooms for four of us on two separate dates because I was not sure whether I could go. My friends did their research and compare the hotel price of Pulai Spring Resort for the lowest cost online and eventually booked with Expedia Singapore for S$81, three weeks before the departure date.

If you book early and during the off-peak season, you would most likely get a price as low as S$52 per night according to a random check-in Agoda for other months. That is not to say that Agoda has the lowest price. All hotel comparison sites would run their promotion at different periods of the year.

Sometimes, one site will have a significantly lower rate than the others. The best method to get the lowest hotel price is to check a few of your preferred hotel comparison websites at the same time and book your hotel as early as possible.

The prices of all these travel comparison sites will only become more competitive with the rates having a difference of a few cents to a few dollars when it is a few days to a couple of weeks away from your departure date.

One advantage of Pulai Springs Resort is that the rooms come with various bedroom configurations to suit all occasions and a large family nucleus. From Studio Suite, 1-Bedroom Suite up to 4-Bedroom Suite, it is perfect for a group of friends or several families for quality bond-building time.

The room size is spacious too. From the smallest Studio Suite of 40 sqm to 193 sqm of a 4-Bedroom Suite with three bathrooms, one is ensured of sufficient space to move about and be comfortable.

I procrastinated for a while and finally decided that I could go. I booked with Expedia Singapore at S$106 a few days before departure as the hotel price shot up.

What to Expect in Pulai Spring Resort?

1-Bedroom Suite Room *2 Different Sizes and Layouts

On that Saturday, after having a hearty Japanese lunch in Nijyumaru Japanese Restaurant, we proceeded to Pulai Springs Country Club for check-in at 3 pm.

We were arranged to stay on a different floor. The lift would only stop on the level of where the guest stayed. We only discovered the difference in size and layout of the room in the late evening when we visited each other. My friend’s room was smaller than mine. It was too late to request a room change that had the same size as mine.

Although my friends and I had booked online the same type of room – 1 Bedroom Suite, her room was obviously smaller in size and less attractive in the layout. My 56 sqm room looked exactly like the one shown in the advertised photo of those hotel comparison websites.

I was overjoyed when I saw my room. It was large, clean and neatly organised. It was perfect and very well-maintained that I could not find fault with it. I wish I had stayed for more than a night. The bedroom was spacious and the king-sized bed was very comfy and I had a peaceful sleep.

There was no bathtub but this was not important to me. There was Wifi in the room. I recalled that only one person could log in at any one time. Check with the reception again. I might be wrong.

Sauna Room and Jacuzzi Pool in Pulai Spa & Sports Centre

After settling into our hotel room, we planned for our next activity – swimming. There were two swimming pools in Pulai Springs Country Club, one indoor and one outdoor.

We went to the indoor pool located in the Pulai Springs Spa Centre and requested pool towels from the reception on the first floor. To access the indoor pool on the second level, we had to go up from the gents and ladies changing room separately.

We were thrilled to see a lovely jacuzzi pool and not the rectangular pool that we had anticipated in our mind. There was a small sauna room big enough to accommodate the four people comfortably. After 15 minutes of sweating and detoxification inside the sauna room, we went to the jacuzzi pool.

I think the water temperature was too high and I had a problem adapting to it. My friends also found the water to be rather hot but still got inside the water slowly. I had to force myself to sit on the edge of the jacuzzi pool throughout the time because I could not take the heat of the water.

There were shower taps located on the huge rock beside the jacuzzi pool. The water was supposed to be cold but it felt warmer due to our tropical weather. In Europe, the water was icy cold. A correct approach for the body to make use of water temperature differences is to alternate between hot and cold water for health benefit.

Fun in Jacuzzi Pool

Outdoor Swimming Pool

We proceeded to the outdoor swimming pool. It has three pool sizes. We placed a big inflatable mattress into the largest pool and was told to get it out of the pool by the lifeguard. We shifted it to the medium-sized pool where no one would tell us off this time. The depth of the big pool goes beyond 1.8m or more gradually.

Food Review

Qing Palace Chinese Restaurant

After swimming, we were famished. We were deciding between two dinner promotions in Cinta Terrace and Qing Palace Chinese Restaurant. We chose Chinese cuisine. It cost RM $ 65.00 per pax for the “All You Can Eat” buffet.

The entire food menu was presented right in front of us. Everything inside the menu was inclusive in the “All You Can Eat” promotion and not limited to just some dishes. The price was unbelievable for such a buffet.

We ordered some of the most expensive dishes like Peking Duck, Fish, Salad Prawns, Cereal Prawns, Shark Fin and more. The waitress forewarned us before ordering that the food serving of a dish was quite a lot and for at least four pax.

If we could not finish any food that we had ordered, we would have to pay the full price of that dish. Having said that, we ordered one fish first because we intended to order two different types of fish later. We were worried that we could not finish the food and get penalised.

The first dish was Salad Prawn. After eating all the prawns, we were told by one waitress that we have to consume all the fruits that came with the prawns. The fruits were mostly honeydew and it was a huge serving.

We got bored eating so many fruits as we knew that they would fill us up very quickly. We had no choice because it was the rule of the buffet. Another dish came and it contained the same fruits again underneath the meat. We felt annoyed as we did not want to eat the fruits all the time.

We asked another staff who looked like the Captain or Manager whether it was necessary to finish the fruit as we had finished a big plate earlier. Fortunately, she said, “意识意识吃一点” (literally translated – to eat a bit out of courtesy) which meant to say that we did not have to finish everything.

We ordered an entire Peking Duck and the skin was nice. We requested the remaining meat of the Peking Duck to fry in dark soy sauce (宫保式). We were dumbfounded for a while when we saw a pile of dark mountainous-looking food served on the table. The duck meat looked unappetising.

On closer inspection, I estimated that half the dish used You Tiao 油条 (Chinese Cruller) to cook with the duck. Most ducks nowadays do not have a lot of meat and thus, the restaurant resorted to adding You Tiao 油条 to plump up the dish. Eating You Tiao油条 (made of flour and fats) was another smart move to make the diners full to make the diners get full quickly so they can order less food.

We were almost full after eating a few dishes. The next surprise was the ultra big Sea Bass with Nonya Sauce served in an ultra big plate. It was rare that we saw such a big fish served in a restaurant. Or maybe the large plate intimidated us and our almost full stomach distorted our logic.

Nonya sauce was sour and sweet. The sauce was nice but the taste was somewhat overpowering when one was full. We banished our initial enthusiastic thought of ordering another fish because the size of it was intimidating.

A waitress served someone’s fish to us in the midst of waiting for our desserts. Before she could place the plate on our table, my friend and I waved her off affirmatively and said that it didn’t belong to us.

There is a Singapore joke that goes like this. ⇒  Whenever someone served a plate to the wrong table where one was sitting, one would say jokingly,

“If someone had already paid for the food, please put it down.”

Apparently, for this time, this joke could not come out from our mouth as it was not funny anymore. We were eager to brush the waitress away. You should have seen our hilarious and idiotic reaction.

Here are two photos of the food dish that we had, Chicken Meat and Deer Meat. The Deer Meat was noteworthy as the meat was delicate, easy to chew and very mouth-watering.

We tried every single dessert on the menu. Peanut Dumpling 汤圆 was the most distinctive among all and highly favoured by all of us. Despite being full, my friends and I ordered a few rounds of it. Very heavenly! My sole complaint was sometimes the other desserts were too sweet.

I anticipated that the food for the buffet was generally of lower quality due to mass cooking and smaller in serving to cut cost. It was commendable that the food in Qing Palace Chinese Restaurant conformed to a high standard. It was sumptuous and we had no problems finishing all the food eventually.

Imagine if the food were not tasty at all, would it have been torturing to force it down the stomach? We did not think about this assumption when we ordered.

Maybe at times, it would be better to order à la carte dishes instead to avoid circumstances when the food was not palatable, we should not force ourselves to finish it for the sake of avoiding a penalty. Eating should be a freedom of choice and pleasurable.

Outside the Building of Qing Palace Chinese Restaurant

Breakfast in Pulai Springs Resort

The breakfast wasn’t fantastic. Just good enough to fill up the stomach and start the day. The coffee was bland like water.

Pool Games in Pulai Spa & Sports Centre

After breakfast and before checking out at 1 pm (we extended one more hour for check out), we had two rounds of pool games in Pulai Spa Centre to pass the time.

Strolling around Pulai Springs Country Club Vicinity

I think Pulai Springs Resort was a beautiful place to spend a weekend and the best value for money. The surrounding was well maintained and peaceful as there were not many people around. It was a golfer’s paradise overlooking the lush golf course from the distance.

My friends had differing opinions. While I appreciated the serenity of the greens for a short weekend, they felt that it was kind of boring to stay there with nothing much to do. One could not walk out of the area to explore somewhere more exciting as it was rather isolated.

I would recommend others to stay at the Pulai Springs Resort especially families or friends who are not seeking adventures or shopping but prefer quiet and precious moments together.

I was most satisfied with the hotel room agreeing with the motto of Pulai Springs Resort “Home Away from Home” because that was my exact sentiment of staying there.

Tranquillity in Pulai Springs Resort

Time to Say Goodbye at the Hotel Lobby in Pulai Springs Resort

Travel Insurance

Did you remember to buy your travel insurance?

It is advisable to buy travel insurance when one travels around Malaysia as it is not a very safe country. It costs less than S$20 for 1 to 3 days of travel in Malaysia. Having travel insurance is better than none in case something happens.

We planned a weekend stay at Pulai Springs Golf Resort to celebrate my friend’s birthday. The check-in time for the resort was 3 pm and thus, we made a booking for our lunch at 1 pm in Nijyumaru Japanese Restaurant. The Japanese food was strongly recommended by my friends who ate there before. They raved about how value-for-money the Japanese food was.

The four of us drove to Nijyumaru Japanese Restaurant located in Taman Sutera Utama on the way before stopping at our final destination, Pulai Spring Resort. The atmosphere of the restaurant was cosy and the colour was dark which gave a special feeling.

The restaurant was almost full but the noise level was very soft unlike the restaurants in Singapore which were always noisy and sometimes irritable. I would say the whole environment made me extremely comfortable to dine in.

The first plate, Sake Haru Cheese Maki was very well presented and appetising. It tasted as good as how it was presented – fresh and delicious. My favourite method of cooking, half-cooked salmon topped with a slice of cheese spiced up the mouthwatering effect.

The two chawanmushi (egg custard) were full of goodness in it. Ikura Chawanmushi had salmon roe topping (left photo) and Fukahire Chawanmushi had shark fin topping (right photo). Having tried both, Ikura Chawanmushi was tastier than Fukahire Chawanmushi if you are in a dilemma of choosing.

Domori comprises of raw fish that all sashimi lovers should order. Alluring assortment of fresh sashimi that would salivate all sashimi fanatics.

Having sashimi alone was never enough to fill up the stomach unless it was an “Eat-All-You-Can” buffet style. I always prefer eating only sushi rather than a bento set whenever I go to any Japanese restaurant.

My friend had gracefully shared with me her Nijyumaru Bento set which she claimed that she could not finish everything inside especially the sushi. Having an elastic stomach and an enormous craving for Japanese food, I gladly gobbled up any delicious leftover that she offered me.

Sake Kawa Salad and Soft Shell Crab Tempura are two Japanese plates that never fail to titillate the taste buds.

We ordered as much food as we could in Nijyumaru Restaurant because the food was value for money. We were also exploiting on the weak exchange rate of Malaysian Ringgit against Singapore Dollars (SGD 1 to MYR 2.76) at the moment.

We spent a total of RM$ 372.25 / S$ 135 for four people, an average of RM$ 93 / S$ 33.75 per pax inclusive of service charge and tax. I usually pay around the same price in Singapore when I dine in Japanese restaurants such as Genki Sushi, Sakae Sushi and Ichiban Sushi but the quality of food was not as high as Nijyumaru Japanese Restaurant and the quantity was not as much too.

I would highly recommend the adventurous souls driving to Johor Bahru (JB) to try out the Japanese food in Nijyumaru Restaurant with the help of GPS if you are not familiar with the roads in Johor Bahru (JB).

Reserve in advance to avoid disappointment. Be punctual. The queue could be long over the weekend and the staffs might release your reservation to someone else if you do not arrive within 15 minutes of your booking time. We anticipated to be slightly late on that day and so we informed the restaurant just to play safe.

Below is the breakdown of food that I had eaten in Nijyumaru Japanese Restaurant. You can gauge the price of the food if you are familiar with the Japanese name. The Singapore Dollar is calculated using the exchange rate of S$ 1 = RM$ 2.76.

In 2011, a post on Nijyumaru Facebook Page stated that their food was safe for consumption because it was tested by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) before importing into Malaysia. This notification gave an extra boost of security.