Given the current situation in Myanmar, I cannot recommend making any travel plans to this country. Please refer to your government’s travel safety guidelines ahead of making any travel plans.

This time, 2019, I would be in Yangon for several days. Armed with what will henceforth be known as “Elelta and Dana’s Yangon Foodie Guide,” I tasted a variety of Burmese cuisine, from ethnic Wa foods to foods from the Shan state, to traditional Chinese food (from Myanmar’s large Chinese diaspora!). I tried it all, with a variety of cocktails and tropical fruit juices to wash it down with.

So behold.

The Dana and Elelta Yangon Foodie Guide

Brief Introduction to Elelta and Dana, and the Yangon Foodie Guide

As part of my insane travel schedule/life, in November 2019, I traveled from Afghanistan to the Maldives. And by December, I had to be in Austria for graduation. Where to fill the time, with the world as my oyster?

Of the people I have met through my life in Kabul, three of them had or now have connections to Myanmar. Two of the three lived and worked there previously. And though I didn’t know it at the time, but a third would be moving there by the end of 2019. The choice of Yangon literally went like this:

L: We could do Yangon.
There’s a little more character than BKK (Bangkok)

D: Waaaaay more character.
And I do really love Yangon
For a long weekend we can eat well and go to some cute places

Dana was all for picking Yangon. But what about Elelta? I didn’t know it at the time, but when asked to pick a country that you felt had impacted you the most, Elelta chose Myanmar, because of her experiences from living there before. Mine? Cook Islands. Someone else? Lebanon. Another? Yemen. Ya, we are a diverse group of humans. All gathered together in Afghanistan, of all places. Back to Yangon before I get too nostalgic..

The idea for a long weekend in Yangon was born out of the promise of eating well and the hope of being positively impacted for life.

And that is the premise behind the creation of the Yangon Foodie Guide. Without further ado…

1. Rangoon Tea House (RTH)

As I was thinking of how to describe the Rangoon Tea House, or RTH to the expat community, the phrase “grand dame” of Yangon restaurants kept popping into my head. Although it’s probably not an apt description in technicality, that’s what I want to call it. The Grand Dame of Yangon.

When I was in Yangon, I visited the Rangoon Tea House twice, at different times of the day. And both times, it was completely packed to the brim. There is also an upstairs bar/seating area (where the restrooms are) but I never saw them seat anyone in that section.

As a Yangon Foodie, doesn’t this look delicious?

Please allow me to introduce the utter delightful dishes I ate at RTH. Yes. This is one person’s consumption – no judgment.

• Soft-shelled crab bao – absolutely delicious. It combines two things I love – soft shell crabs and baos. For me, it wasn’t a knife and fork action, but a “take a huge bite and hope for the best” method.
• Nan Gyi – thick rice noodles, with crispy (shrimp, I think) chips and shredded chicken. Because of the curry paste (I think), it was a little dry, similar to the dry like peanut butter. However, the order comes with a little bowl of broth or consomme to wash it down. You can order it with either chicken or fish cakes.
• The famous pennywort salad (myin kwa ywet thoke) – this was probably my absolutely favorite thing at RTH! Pennywort is a leafy vegetable uncommon to western cuisine, which I have rarely encountered in my food adventures. The salad was absolutely delightful, and the crispy shallots on top were to die for. The lime added a light and refreshing touch to it. I ordered this both times I went to RTH – it’s that good!
• Grilled pork neck – for someone who has been living in a Muslim country and thus deprived of pork, this grilled pork neck was quite possibly one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten – period! Tender, fragrant and grilled to perfection! Described on the menu as “200g tender pork neck marinated overnight in tea leaf tapenade, grilled over an open fire” 6500 ks | $4.40 USD
• The BFF dessert – right when you enter RTH, there is a large display counter of all of their desserts. Do yourself a favor and get one!! They are delicious. The BFF comes highly recommended!
• Salted caramel brownie with vanilla ice cream – Ok, really… could this ever go wrong??? No. It was a little too big for one person, given all that I had eaten already. But REALLY. GOOD. 7500 ks | $5 USD

(Not pictured and not tried by yours truly, but recommended by the Yangon Foodie Guide: banana blossom salad!)

Unfortunately, I cannot find a good version of the menu online, so I could only include the prices for the grilled pork neck and the brownie. Ironically, the brownie was probably the most expensive thing that I ordered, at 7500 ks. Also, I think RTH is classed as a $$$ restaurant in most lists. As an expat, and given the long list of things I ordered above, (and if you add in cocktails, which I hear are great at RTH) you could probably easily spend $15-20 USD at RTH.

Rangoon Tea House: Ultimate decision: absolutely worth it and amazing! For foodies and non-foodies alike! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

2. Root Kitchen and Bar

Root is a delightful “ethnic Wa” restaurant, located in the 5th ward of downtown Yangon. The Wa people are an ethnic group who live primarily in northern Myanmar (in parts of Shan and Kachin States) and Yunnan, China. The food at ROOT is a wonderful blend of modern and traditional flavors, and their cocktail menu, fun and exciting. The food is also intended to be served tapas/family-style, so everyone can try some of each dish. However, being the solo traveler that I am, that just means I’ll still order a bunch and eat it all. Behold – my first Wa experience!

• Grilled pork belly (Regular order) – The first thing that came out was this amazing grilled pork belly. So tender and expertly grilled. 5500 ks | $3.75 USD
• Wa Tang Clan cocktail – How could you not order a cocktail with this name? Not to be confused with the Wu Tang Clan, the WA Tang Clan is Gold Rum, cinnamon syrup, lemon, ginger, and ginger ale. Deliciously made. I want to go back and try more of their cocktails! 7000 ks | $4.75 USD
• Stir fry beef with bamboo shoots – I think if I had to rank each of these dishes at ROOT, this may be my least favorite, although it was still really delicious! I think the bamboo shoots were slightly pickled and had a bit of a sour taste. Maybe you don’t know, but I am not a huge fan of pickles or pickling. But I am a huge fan of bamboo. For me, I guess what I wanted was regular bamboo shoots and beef. But alas. Still really good, and worth a try! 6500 ks | $4.40 USD
• Stir fry green beans with minced pork – This is just a classic dish in many ethnic Chinese cuisines. Very rarely can a restaurant mess up a green beans and pork. Classic and nostalgic. 5000 ks | $3.40 USD

(Not pictured and not tried by yours truly, but recommended by the Yangon Foodie Guide: moik! Moik is made from brown rice, and is like a “Wa risotto”. The pumpkin moik or beef or pork were specifically recommended. The Wa people eat three different kindsm of moik: dry, wet and soupy. ROOT mainly serves the wet moik.)

ROOT was definitely one of my favorites too. My only regret was that I didn’t have more meals in Yangon in order to go and try more different Wa foods. I loved everything I ate, but especially that grilled pork belly and Wa Tang Clan cocktail!

The regular menu can be found here. There is also a “visual menu” found here, which also provides an introduction to the Wa peoples and cuisine.

ROOT: Ultimate decision: So, so good! and fun to try a new cuisine! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

3. Xi Yang Yang Xiao Long Bao – 喜洋洋小籠包

Anyone who knows me, knows that Xiao Long Bao (or “XLB” as seasoned connoisseurs will call it) are probably my all time favorite thing to eat. Din Tai Fung (the famous Taiwanese franchise) is an age-old favorite. Wherever there is a Din Tai Fung, there will be a Lannie eating an XLB and a pork-chop fried rice. Now, XLBs are obviously not Burmese cuisine, but rather Shanghaiese in nature. The Chinese diaspora brings the XLB to Yangon. Right now, the ethnic Chinese population in Myanmar stands at about 30-40% of the population. So, it’s not totally out of left field that a Chinese restaurant makes it onto the Yangon Foodie Guide.

Before I go into the food, I wanted to comment on the first photo of just the table settings. You’ll see that the bowls, tea cup, and plate are all covered in plastic wrap. Though wasteful, it’s supposed to denote that these bowls have been expertly sanitized for your clean eating experience. This is very typical in Asia and you’ll come across this in many different countries.

I have so many questions about this. Does this mean that they outsource all of their dishes to a company to wash and then wrap up? Or do they have a wrapping machine in the back that washes and wraps? If you’re going to wash it yourself, do you need to wrap it? So many questions.. But I digress, and onward to the food!

• Beef noodle soup – I ordered this because of nostalgia. I have very fond memories of regular, if not weekly, beef noodle soups when I was in college. Beef noodle soup is also a favorite meal in Taiwan, where I spent a lot of time in my youth. This one at Xi Yang Yang did not disappoint! Served with thick noodles typical to a beef noodle soup, and with flavors reminiscent of my past. I don’t know how much this cost, but it should be fairly reasonable.
• The Xiao Long Bao – pork soup dumplings. For me, the general rule of thumb is, if there are soup dumplings on the menu, don’t faff around and try ones with different flavors – i.e shrimp, crab, truffle, whatever. You name it, I’ve probably tried it and felt disappointed by it haha. Go for the classic pork. The XLB has two main components to grade the experience on: the soup and the skin. There needs to be an adequate amount of soup. The soup cannot have dried up or been lost due to a puncture in the dumpling skin. I am happy to say that not only was there adequate soup, which was extremely flavorful, but the dumpling skin also maintained its integrity throughout the eating experience. This is a bold thing to say, but I feel comfortable in saying this – on par with Din Tai Fung. 2000 ks | $1.35 USD for 4 pcs, 4000 ks | $2.70 USD for 8 pcs.

(Not pictured and not tried by yours truly, but things I would have liked to try: pork chop fried rice, scallion pancakes, black sesame buns! Sounds great, doesn’t it?)

Xi Yang Yang was everything that I wanted out of a nostalgic Chinese meal, full of all of my favorites.

Sincerely, someone who has gone around the world and tasted tons of beef noodle soups and xiao long baos in their day.

Xi Yang Yang: Ultimate decision: Get yourself there immediately! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

4. Shan Yoe Yar

Shan Yoe Yar is a restaurant specializing in ethnic Shan cuisine. The Shan people are part of the Tai ethnic group, based in South China and Southeast Asian. The Shan mostly reside in the Shan State, but also in the Mandalay Region, Kachin and Kayin States in Myanmar. Outside of Myanmar, the Shan people inhabit communities in Thailand, Laos, India, and south China.

Shan Yoe Yar has multiple locations, including its original one housed in a renovated teak house in the Lanmadaw district of Yangon. I went to the location in Sule Plaza, due to its close proximity to the Sule Pagoda. If you go to the Sule Pagoda for vibrant sunset, it’s only a 5 minute walk to Sule Plaza for a nice dinner at Shan Yoe Yar. Tourism and food in one!

When I walked into Shan Yoe Yar at Sule Plaza (a shopping mall in downtown), I was excited to order a famous Shan noodles. I had tried them previously, at 999 Shan Noodles and liked it. I looked all over the menu at Shan Yoe Yar and did not see it. When my server finally arrived, I asked about it, and apparently there is a breakfast menu where the noodles are! Shan people typically eat their Shan noodles for breakfast, but is also eaten at any time of day. Makes sense! Now, with both menus, I was ready to go.

• Shan Noodles (khao swe) – thin rice noodles with chicken or pork, cooked in tomatoes, which is served either dry or with broth (soup). I got the dry version, which came with soup on the side. However, it’s not dry as you would think. It’s still sopping in broth, and by the time you start to eat it, the rice noodles have absorbed a lot of the flavor of the broth. Delicious!
• Chinese kai lan with stir fried pork rinds – this dish was just ok. I was in the mood for a large veggie dish, and that certainly fit the bill! The pork rinds added a nice salty flavor but I thought the texture distracted from it. I’d never eaten cooked pork rinds before and the crispiness turns into a sogginess.

I washed all of this down with a delightful papaya juice. If I had more time, more meals available or more stomach, I would have loved to try a smattering of other dishes. I think perhaps with the kai lan, I just chose wrong. It’s also possible that dining at the original location in the teak house would have been more of an experience than a restaurant inside a shopping mall. All things to consider for the future! I could find a copy of the English menu online, but this restaurant would be in the $$-$$$ range.

Shan Yoe Yar: Ultimate decision: Try it out and go to the teak house for an experience! Go with friends and try more dishes and report back. ⭐⭐⭐ 1/2

5. Sarkies Bar at the Strand Hotel

If RTH is the Grand Dame of Yangon, the Strand Hotel would be the male equivalent. I present to you, the Major Domo of Yangon – The Strand Hotel. Built in 1901, this Victorian-hotel was once the most luxurious, opulent hotel in the British empire. If I were going to the hotel back in the day, I would not be allowed in because I am non-white. The luxury was originally intended only for white clientele. Thankfully we are living in the 21st century now.

The Yangon Foodie Guide also includes great cocktails.

It was a hot, Burmese afternoon when I walked into Sarkies Bar at the Strand Hotel. You come in from off the streets, where the street vendors sell fruit and street snacks, and the sun beats down on you. You’re transported from hot Yangon, to an air conditioned, Victorian hotel of yesteryear. It was quiet and empty for the afternoon, and perfect for a cocktail. I had arrived during happy hour, so there was a selection of cocktails for $7 USD.

I chose the Strand Sour, which sounded like it’s signature cocktail. Mandalay rum, lime, sugar and bitter. Absolutely refreshing!

Sarkies Bar: Ultimate decision: Luxurious, opulent, and likely expensive outside of happy hour. The Strand Sour was fantastic though! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

6. Sofaer & Co

Back in 1906, the Sofaer & Co building was commissioned by the son of an Iraqi immigrant to Yangon and served as a center for commerce during its time. It was renovated in 2016 and converted into a restaurant named after its original name. The ceramic tiles are particularly special, a geometric pattern of green, gold, burnt sienna and lapis lazuli, shipped directly from Manchester, UK, at the time of construction. The steel beams supporting the ceiling come from Lanarkshire Steel Company in Scotland. Pretty cool, isn’t it? What kind of restaurant would a building named “Sofaer & Co” house? Mekong-fusion cuisine. I was super excited to try this!

When I arrived at Sofaer, I promptly ordered a Pansodan Old Fashion, 7000 ks | $4.75 USD. The first one I ordered is on the left. Is it just me or does it look like water with a little orange coloring in it? I complained and got a second one. Though still watered down, it was better. For $4.75 USD, I wasn’t going to complain a third time, and decided to just go find a proper cocktail when I was done.

I heard a story that the restaurateur’s mother used to be a bun cha street vendor in Hanoi. That made me even more excited, despite drinking water and whisky while waiting for my food. Vietnamese food (especially bun cha) is one of my favorite cuisines, which I do not get enough of while living on the go!

• Morning glory salad – I love morning glory as a vegetable. It’s also known as water spinach (or kangkong) and very popular in Asian cuisine. This salad had a very generous portion of beef and an oversized shrimp chip that came with it. It was good, flavorful. But a little too meaty for something that I wanted as a salad.
• Bun Cha – Most times I walk into a Vietnamese restaurant, I will order some bun cha and possibly some egg rolls. Although I hadn’t had bun cha in over a year at this point, I hoped it would be phenomenal, but it was just average. And while average bun cha isn’t bad, it was a disappointment considering I hadn’t had it for so long.
• Mango sticky rice – I was really looking forward to this mango sticky rice. I flew through Bangkok on my way to Yangon, and usually when I am in the Bangkok airport, I buy a mango sticky rice to go. But I was so exhausted from my flight, I didn’t manage to this time. So Sofaer for the win! Right? Wrong. I expected some coconut milk drizzle on the sticky rice, but it was dry, which made the actual sticky rice flavorless. With most foods, I don’t like a lot of sauces or drizzle, but come on. Mango sticky rice has to have the coconut drizzle. and lots of it! Disappointment…

This was the most disappointing meal that I had during my time in Yangon. From the watered down old fashion, to the meaty salad, and the underwhelming mango sticky rice.

Sofaer & Co: Ultimate decision: Skip this, but maybe stop by to see the old building ⭐1/2

7. Gekko

If you went to Sofaer & Co and wound up disappointed as I did, fear not. Gekko, a Japanese restaurant known for its yakitori grill and cocktail lounge, is on the other side of the Sofaer building (and around the corner). Luckily, you can marvel at the ceramic tiles from Manchester and the steel beams from Scotland in a trendy new setting, while drinking a delightful cocktail.

When I came to Gekko, during their happy hour, I really just wanted a snack and a cocktail. I promptly ordered two salmon hand rolls (unpictured) and a Hanami old fashioned for 4000 ks $2.72. I rounded out the evening with a dram of Kirin Whisky’s Oak Master. It was nice…but I like my scotches better. (… is that the plural of scotch? scotchs? ..)

I bet the yakitori there is great too. Just based on my limited experience of salmon rolls and whisky cocktails, I still really enjoyed it.

Gekko: Ultimate decision: Really fun place with great drinks and sushi! ⭐⭐⭐⭐

8. Babett at Hotel G

When I was in Yangon, I stayed downtown at the Hotel G. The hotel stay was great but also so was the restaurant downstairs. From the expat community, I hear Babett is the place to go to for a nice brunch. I had breakfasts covered in my stay, so I never tried their actual brunch service. But I can say from just my regular hotel breakfasts and my lunch at Babett when I first arrived, the food is delicious!

• Mohinga – Generally considered the national dish of Myanmar, Although normally a breakfast food, hawker or street stalls everywhere serve Mohinga throughout the day. Because I had my mohinga at a hotel breakfast, it would of course be a little different than the street variety. At its core, mohinga is fish soup and chickpea flour. I loved how the chickpea flour thickens up the fish broth and gives a little cushion to mute the fishy flavor. The rice vermicelli also soak up the broth, which give the noodles this wonderful flavor and richness. I loved the fried fritters on top to add a crunchiness and texture to the noodles.

It is served with rice vermicelli, dressed and garnished with fish sauce, a squeeze of lime, crisp fried onions, coriander, spring onions, crushed dried chillis, and, as optional extras, crisp fried fritters such as split chickpeas (pè gyaw) (ပဲကြော်),^[2]urad dal (baya gyaw) (ဘယာကြော်) or gourd (bu thee gyaw) (ဗူးသီးကြော်) or sliced pieces of Chinese donuts (အီကြာ‌ကွေး), as well as boiled egg and fried nga hpè fish cake (ငါးဖယ်ကြော်).

From Wikipedia’s description of Mohinga

• Please note that mohinga is not served on the regular or brunch menu, and is only available as a breakfast option for hotel guests. However, I wanted to introduce you to mohinga (the national dish) and give you an option for western dining. I don’t need to introduce my carbonara pasta and grilled asparagus (or provide a rating for it), which I had ordered off of the regular menu at Babett. But just a quick comment to say it was delicious and if I needed a solid western meal, Babett is the place to go for it.

9. Allamanda Inn

Numbers 1-8 on the Foodie Guide have all been vetted and eaten by yours truly. For this entry, the recipient of the original Foodie Guide, stayed at the Allamanda Inn and has kindly offered a photo and review, in the form of a haiku.

#YangonFoodieReviewHaiku

The steak at the Inn,

that is named Allamanda,

is okay. Thumbs Up.

-A

So, in case people are wondering about the description – why “okay”? why “thumbs up”? The answer is simple – really amazing, great steaks are rare and expensive. “Okay” steaks, on the other hand, are plentiful. But especially when you are an expat living in Southeast Asia, a steak deemed as just “okay” is in fact a “thumbs up.” It’s pretty darn good and was never going to be earth shattering. (I hear). But also, the review in haiku form is a nod to our dear friend who is currently championing the hashtag #humanitarianhaiku on Twitter.

Besides the steak, Elelta noted Allamanda’s great tagines and salads. While this review will not have a rating in the end, come for the steak (or salads), stay for the delightful garden. And see if you can come up with a better #YangonFoodieReviewHaiku for Allamanda. It’ll be fun, trust us!

10. All others I did not try, but are included in the Yangon Foodie Guide:

Both Dana and Elelta inundated me with so many food recommendations that I could not eat all of them in the time span of 4 days! The below are some places that I did not have time to try, but were included in the original guide. These locations are mostly outside of downtown Yangon, and are included in the Google Map below.

• Sharky’s – an artisan-based restaurant, which promotes local and organic foods, with locations in Yangon and Bagan! I visited the Bagan location years ago and the was really delicious and fresh. There are several locations in Yangon, including one next door to Rangoon Tea House! Be like Elelta and go for ice cream at Sharky’s on Sundays!
• Yangon Bake House – Elelta specifically recommended this bakery, as she used to live near this shop and it would be her weekend breakfast joint. Yangon Bake House also supports women’s initiatives, giving apprentice opportunities to empower women with disabilities.
• Onyx Wine Tree – despite the name, this is a Korean steak house!
• Cask 81 – a whiskey bar with great reviews and a shred of lingering regret that I didn’t visit! (Cask 81 is currently in the process of relocating. Check the link for updates on their progress!)
• Fuji – Elelta describes it as the place for sushi in Yangon, whereas Dana’s description places the caveat on being “for sushi in Yangon”. Wherever the emphasis, this (or Gekko during happy hour) would be your sushi fix.

Parting Thoughts

Firstly, a general comment about service in Yangon. You’re better off if you recognize that the service industry is still in its infancy, and make efforts to proactively flag down servers whenever you need something. Don’t wait – you may be waiting forever.

All in all, Yangon is a delicious destination. I think that Thai and Vietnamese cuisines, the obvious culinary powerhouses in the Mekong region, tend to overshadow Burmese cuisine and Myanmar as a foodie destination. But the food and cocktail scene in Yangon is going through a renaissance and I cannot wait to go back and try more food!

Are you a Yangon Foodie, but want an organized food tour instead? With an exclusive discount?!

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Looking for a place to stay in Yangon?

Look no further than Hotel G, a wonderful boutique hotel in downtown Yangon! Click below to read a review, and click here to book!

Disclosure: Please note that the above booking link in this post is an affiliate link and if you go through them to make a hotel booking, I will earn a commission. I share these links because they are related to the post and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours whether to click through and make a booking through these links.

Need some ideas on things to do in Yangon?

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Acknowledgements

I would not have made this Foodie Guide were it not for Dana and Elelta, the authors of the guide, and Anthony, the original recipient of the guide. As a travel blogger, I find inspiration everywhere, including from those nearest to me. No clue who these people are? I introduce them in this post. Enjoy or dislike the food highlighted in our guide? Leave a comment for Elelta and Dana! or me!

Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/

Back when I started the blog in 2018, I recently completed a 2 year stint working in Singapore. I was unemployed and I had just started a Master’s program based in Vienna. Fast forward to the end of 2018, and I finally got a job in… (prepare yourself) Afghanistan! Yes, it’s true. For most of 2019, I had been living and working in Kabul, while going to school at the same time.

Working in Afghanistan, whilst dangerous for its many reasons, affords you a few benefits in life. Chief among them is a thing we call “R&R” (rest and relaxation)… a break from life in a conflict zone, which is both mandatory and subsidized. On top of that, you have tons of leave days and an entire world at your fingertips. So, my traveling and my adventures didn’t stop and won’t stop.

There is, of course, the question of why I travel blog. As I go to more and more places, and engage with more people in the travel communities on Twitter and Instagram, I realize that my travels offer a glimpse into a world most people do not see with their own eyes. People tell me that they live vicariously through me and my adventures. Not everyone is blessed with free time and the available budget to travel – I get that. So this is me, sharing a slice of the world, with the world.

I recognize that I did not blog much in 2019. Now that school is over, I don’t have to spend every weekend doing homework or writing my thesis. 2020 is the year that I’ll be focusing on travel blogging! This means that I’ll try to catch up on posts about my previous adventures and update old posts. If there are things that you want to see or hear about or would like me to update, let me know! Drop a comment below and throw some ideas out there.

Let me conclude this post with a list. Around my birthday, I made a list of things that I wanted more or less of in the next year. I’ll share that list so that you know my priorities for the year:

More

• Laughter
• Smiles
• Nature
• Acceptance in life
• Motivation to accomplish things
• Appreciation for those closest to me
• Gratitude for life
• Yoga
• Cooking
• Hugs

Less

• Cities
• Stress over things I can’t change
• Being hard on myself
• Assumption
• Excuses

Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/

As a solo traveler, I am usually the only single person wherever I go.  Saying that I need a “table for 1” does not bring me much discomfort. Not as much as the person on the receiving end of that statement.  There’s usually this “Oh” look.  Being the only solo traveler at the Park Hyatt Maldives, a luxurious five-star resort, just put a spotlight on my singleness and being self-partnered.  

My sister reminded me that I tend to choose honeymoon destinations to vacation in… Fiji, the Cook Islands, Hawaii?  Hmm.. she wasn’t wrong…  maybe it was me.  This isn’t to say I didn’t enjoy myself, I definitely did.  It was everything that I wanted.  So without further ado, here is everything on my trip, from costs to food to activities. Enjoy!

1. Costs

1.1 Flight to Male

The Park Hyatt Maldives was a reward to myself for completing my first year contract in a conflict zone.  It was luxurious, extravagant, and everything that I wanted my reward trip to be.  I remember buying my plane tickets to Male (the capital of the Maldives).  During the first bad week I had in Afghanistan, there was a flight sale from Abu Dhabi to Male.  I jumped on it. For $625 USD on Etihad, I had a flight for one day after my contract ended.  November 2.  

1.2 Park Hyatt Maldives

A few months later, Hyatt announced it was reevaluating their points. I hurried up and booked the Park Villa at the Park Hyatt Maldives at 25,000 points a night.  It is now 30,000 points a night for a Category 7 hotel.  Since I had points from both my Chase Sapphire card (which has a 1-to-1 transfer to World of Hyatt points) and my Hyatt card, it was easy for me to book 5 nights with points only.   I promised to always be transparent about my costs. So, here is what I spent on six nights in the Park Villa and two nights in the Overwater Sunset Villa.

• Park Villa – 125,000 points (5 nights @ 25,000 points per night)
• Park Villa – $760 USD (1 night)
• Overwater Sunset Villa – $2,945 (2 nights @ $1,472.50 USD per night)
• plus taxes.

1.3 Domestic Flight

On top of these costs is $520 USD transfer fee, per person.  This includes a domestic flight on Maldivian Airlines from Male to Koodhoo, and a speedboat transfer from Koodhoo to the resort on Hadahaa.  

1.4 Conclusion on Costs

Yes, this is extremely extravagant.  I’m fully aware, but my first year in a conflict zone was something worth celebrating.  I doubt my second year anniversary trip will be nearly as extravagant, and significantly less to celebrate.

Just a final thought on the costs – when you receive the bill at the end, it will be a surprise (22% service and taxes is a shock), as it was to the American couple I shared the trip back with.  But know that you’ve committed to spending money on this holiday and don’t be crass and sit there with a calculator and the bill, adding up everything one by one.  Mistakes can be made, but also remember, with service and tax, that’s already adds 22% to everything.  If you’ve committed to this holiday, then embrace it. There’s nothing worse than ending a holiday on a sour note.

2. Arrival to Male

The day of travel, I left Abu Dhabi in the morning and arrived in Male around 2 pm.  It was easy enough getting through immigration and customs.  Because the Maldives is a Muslim country, there is a prohibition of alcohol, which makes it only accessible on the resort islands.  As a traveler, you cannot even bring alcohol into the country.  (And thank goodness I didn’t buy that duty free whisky I was eyeing to save on drink costs…)

An attendant from Park Hyatt met me at the Male airport, and immediately identified me and waved to me as I walked out of customs.  “How did you know who I was?” I asked.  He said I was the only single woman deplaning and it had to have been me.  That was blunt.  But also, likely accurate.  

He escorted me to the Maldivian Airlines counter, where I dropped off my luggage and received my boarding pass in return.  He then brought me up to the lounge, which was comfortable, but not particularly exciting.  The buffet began serving food at 3 pm, which consisted of simple sandwiches and little cakes.  I promptly ate about 5 tuna sandwiches, knowing that I would arrive at the hotel very late.

3. Welcome to the Park Hyatt Maldives

Fast forward a domestic flight (with one stop in the middle), and a speedboat ride entirely in darkness, we arrived at the Park Hyatt Maldives around 9 pm.  Yes.  I had been traveling all day by then.  

Something to note – the time zone on the resort islands is one hour ahead of Male (the capital).  They said it had something to do with more sunlight during the day.  This, by the way, made it extremely confusing.  For some reason, I found it difficult to adjust my apple products.  When you turn off the “set automatically” time setting, it asks you for a time zone.  I couldn’t find a time zone that aligned with one hour ahead of Male.  (Further east, you have India and Sri Lanka, who have an extra 1/2 hour, just like Kabul).  Anyway, it’s possible, but in the end, my watch and iPad were at the correct time, but I could never get my phone right.  

Sunny, my host for the week, greeted me and whisked me away in a golf cart directly to my villa.  She explained everything on the island and gave me a quick overview of the resort.  She was absolutely wonderful and would help me with everything all week long.  I regret not taking a photo with her in the end.  Whichever host you end up with, you’ll be in great hands!  That, I am entirely sure of.  

4. My typical day at the Park Hyatt Maldives

4.1 Breakfast

For those staying in the Overwater Villa (or for Globalists in the World of Hyatt program, which I am not), breakfast is included.  Breakfast comprises of two hot plates for order and anything in the buffet, which had breads, croissants, a variety of tropical fruits and yogurts, and meats and cheeses.  For those who have to pay for breakfast, you can either order ala cart or the breakfast buffet (described previously) at $38 USD.  Hyatt adds service (10%) and tax (12%) on top of that, so breakfast usually runs $46 USD.  After a few days, they knew my usual, which was a coconut quinoa porridge, and some egg dish, with a side of pork bacon and French baguette.  I would drink a soy latte with my meal and a double espresso after my meal.  The servers were always great.  

Usually at breakfast, Sunny would come over to say hi.  So would Stavros, the new General Manager, who just arrived the day before me.  Stavros always checked in on me regularly, which I appreciated.  

After breakfast, I would go for a swim in the pool (there were two pools – one next to the Dining Room, where we had breakfast, and one next to the Spa.  I’d typically choose the spa, being a little further away from people.). I’d take breaks from swimming and go back to reading.  

One day, I had an amazing massage at the spa.  (I received an email before I arrived saying if I pre-booked my spa appointment, I would get 10% off.  I did, but I don’t think the systems are connected. The Spa never actually received my appointment.  They gave me the 10% off regardless.). Sometimes, I would be at the cabana reading, depending on the location of the sun.  By afternoon, when the cabana no longer offered any shade, I would retreat to my villa.  The sun in the Maldives is no joke, considering how close it is to the equator.  

I typically only had two meals a day while there, either breakfast and lunch or breakfast and dinner.  This was because breakfast was already enormous, with two entrees.  And generally, I didn’t do much besides find a spot, lay there, and read.  

4.2 Activities

There are a variety of things to do during the day at the Park Hyatt Maldives… if you are in a couple.  Most of the activities on the island require a minimum of 2 persons to do.  The full list of activities is here.  This is obviously understandable. However, I stuck to mostly the solo activities, being unwilling to pay double or be the third wheel on a honeymoon.  There is a sunrise and sunset yoga offered on different days.  

You can borrow snorkeling gear at any time and keep it through the duration of your trip.  And the snorkeling in the area is amazing!  I wish my underwater camera worked so I could show you guys…(there was an error message with the SIM card).  But the schools of fish in neon blue and yellow were everywhere and would just swim around you, feeding on the coral below.  I didn’t know, but the Park Hyatt had just hired a marine biologist at the resort to help with coral conservation.  Apparently all the resorts are doing that nowadays, which is pretty great to hear.  Much of the Maldives is expected to be underwater by 2100…

Disclosure: Please note that the above products in this post are affiliate links and if you go through them to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. I share these product links because of their quality and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours whether to click through and make a purchase through these links.

I had gone to register interest in visiting a local island, knowing that I would have to be a third wheel on someone else’s trip.  The next day, Stavros came to visit me at breakfast and said he had arranged for them to take me on my own.  That was exceedingly kind, especially knowing that the cost of the speedboat to take us to the local island, as well as the 4 staff on the boat itself and the guide himself… all of that must have added up.  But for $200 (plus service and tax), they were willing to take me.  (To see my photo journal of a local, Maldivian island, click here!)

Before dinner, I would always go out and shoot the sunset, which almost every night was a different color and absolutely stunning.  The two jetties on the island provided a good subject for my photos and therefore almost every sunset photo has the jetties in it.  

4.3 Dinner

For dinner at the Park Hyatt Maldives, you can either choose the Dining Room or the Island Grill.  There are also themed dinners, either at the Island Grill or out on the beach.  I attended the Maldivian local feast night, where I filled my plate to the brim with tuna, dosa, and random curries.  The Island Grill is built on sand itself, which was unfortunate as this was the only meal I wore shoes to. 

The majority of my dinners were at the Dining Room.  Toward the end, I discovered you could have really delicious ice cream for dessert at $4 a scoop.  Their coconut ice cream was absolutely amazing!

On my last night there, there was a cocktail reception on the beach.  They have these once a week, where they serve cocktails and small bites.  There are Maldivian drummers and dancers there to perform as the sun sets.  

5. Parting Thoughts

And that was how I spent 7 days in paradise at the Park Hyatt Maldives.  It wasn’t as isolated as I thought it would feel, for being near the edge of the known world.  Every where you go on the island, you are always connected to WiFi.  I was never out of contact with my friends and family in different parts of the world and different time zones.  Someone was always awake.  Secondly, the staff are very friendly and are always there for a nice chat.  

And the people watching was also something to look forward to on a daily basis.  

• There was a famous Croatian singer and her husband/partner, who did elaborate photo shoots that I found on Instagram.  
• There was a Korean woman and her husband/partner, who were in full gear, black body suits and head covers so that no sun would touch their bare skin, save for their feet.  They looked like they were going scuba diving, but actually were not.  They wore these into the pool, as well as the ocean.  
• There was the American family and their teenage daughter, who played a strange card game at dinner, and despite their best efforts, never got the gist of the game.  The night before, they couldn’t finish their soup, and asked the staff to save it for later. They couldn’t finish it because it had too much “spice”, specifically ginger.  When the server said they tossed it at lunch, they lamented over what a shame that was, and it was a perfectly good soup, if only there were less ginger.  Surprise, surprise, they got a free soup, with less ginger.  (I never knew that you could ask hotels to save something for later.  I always assumed it was a “eat it now or it will be lost” scenario.  And I think between the two of us, I am perhaps right.)

The Park Hyatt Maldives gives all guests a free voucher for a photo shoot and one free, printed 5×7. Knowing that the shots will be gorgeous, people obviously buy them.  So yes.  I did a photo shoot, and the shots were absolutely gorgeous.  And yes.  Of course, I bought some, in addition to my printed 5×7.  I rarely have photos taken of myself, so this was a great way to commemorate this trip.  

All in all, I had a wonderful time at the Park Hyatt Maldives, and for me, I knew what I was getting myself into, in terms of a) an expensive, but luxurious trip, and b) and isolated solo, yet kinda wonderful experience.  

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Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/

1. Arriving at the Hyatt Regency Cologne

The Hyatt Regency Cologne is located on the banks of the Rhine River, on the other end of the Hohenzollernbrucke (Hohenzollern Bridge).  In theory, it’s possible to walk from the Köln Hauptbahnof (main train station) to the Hyatt Regency.  You just need to walk about 20 minutes from the train station, across the bridge, which will take you directly to the Hyatt’s front door.  Me, I was carrying a ton of stuff for school and travel after.  The option I took was a quick taxi ride.

Lately, I’ve been trying to boost my Hyatt Points, having recently earned one anniversary night for free (and getting close to earning another night free).  So for 160 EUR a night, and a great proximity to the cathedral, the Hyatt Regency Cologne was the one for me.

Watch this video on YouTube.

2. Slight sign of trouble

When I first arrived in my room, I noticed that there were some spots on the bathroom floor.  I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt, but then I noticed more…

Suspicious right???  I called and asked to change rooms, and they were very apologetic about it and agreed to change to the room next door.  When we arrived next door, I inspected the floor and it was the same!  I was livid!  They called the head of housekeeping down and she explained that these dark spots were embedded in the stone – it wasn’t on top of it.  She even took out a cleaning cloth and tried rubbing one away … and it’s true.  The dark stains are not on the surface. 

BUT LOOK AT THE PHOTOS.  IT LOOKS SO REAL…

3. Kind gesture after a misunderstanding

I ended up staying in the second room – what was I to do?  Continue arguing?  no no…  A few hours later when I returned to the room, they had given me a bottle of champagne in an ice bucket with a nice note.  Thank you!  That was kind… 

4. Room Service

It went great with my room service dinner, which was this amazing burrata, heirloom tomato salad and grilled salmon on wild rice.

I didn’t eat the rice … or the delicious looking garlic bread it came with.  Yes, I am trying to be a keto-friendly while traveling, which is not easy and not without effort. 

Right now, I’m currently drinking an iced tea with lemon sorbet in it.  Why?  Because I thought I had ordered a regular ice tea.  Some things get lost in translation, I suppose..

5. Keto friendly breakfast

But back to a side tangent of being keto friendly on the road… the Hyatt Regency makes it easy for me to eat keto friendly.  I had two breakfasts there – one where I ordered eggs and bacon, with a side of avocado, and one where I ate the breakfast buffet.  Both were delicious and exactly what I needed at that moment in time.  Remember though, it is the Hyatt Regency – so expect to pay upwards of 20 EUR for breakfast.

6. Sunset photos!

But back to the original reason for staying at the Hyatt Regency – amazing, super easy access to the riverfront area for sunset and sunrise photos!  There is a great riverfront area less than 2 minutes walking from the front door, with places for people to sit along the river.  The sun sets dierctly across the river and is busy around sunset.

And voila!  Sunset!

Parting Thoughts

All in all, it was a very comfortable stay at the Hyatt Regency Cologne. I’d stay there again!  It was touching that they gave a bottle of champagne for a misunderstanding.  And maybe, maybe I can see how those were the patterns in the stone.  But not all patterns in stone are obvious and look like patterns!  Some… just look like dirty spots…  But if they try to clean it in front of you and it still stays, maybe they’re telling the truth.  Thank you, Hyatt Regency Cologne for being so professional about this and not taking offense!  

Hotel Information:

Hyatt Regency Cologne
Kennedy-Ufer 2A, Cologne, Germany, 50679
Phone: +49 221 828 1234
Average King Room nightly rates: 149 EUR | $170 USD
World of Hyatt points: 15,000 per night
Category 4 Hotel

Sign up for a World of Hyatt Credit Card and receive up to 50,000 bonus points

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Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/

When I was in Oaxaca in April, I visited Olvera’s restaurant, Criollo. Honestly, I wasn’t impressed with it.  However, having a weakness for tacos, and wanting to see what a world class restaurant was like, I made reservations for Pujol’s 1:30 pm taco omakase.  The reservations, made about a month in advance online, required a credit card number for a “guarantee” (in case I cancel..).

Location of Pujol

Pujol is in the Polanco neighborhood of Mexico City, on a side street (Tennyson) off of Masaryk.  It was a nice walk down the shopping street, Masaryk, where LV, Gucci, Ferragamo and Starbucks are.  I walked to Pujol from a morning visit to the Museo Nacional de Antropología, which was a nice 20-30 minute walk away, if you didn’t keep walking in circles like I did that day…  But I digress.

Nestled on an unassuming street, you may not notice the entrance to the restaurant.

Arrival to Pujol Mexico City

Once inside, they seated everyone with the 1:30 pm taco omakase at the bar.  Each course comes paired with a drink.  The price is the same with or without the pairing.  I’m not a big alcoholic beverage drinker, so as the post and the courses continue, you’ll see how my drinks fared.

Also, before I begin, a big shout out and thank you to Mike, the electrician from Houston, who was my taco tasting companion and source of conversation during the meal. 

2022 update: Mike, the electrician from Houston, googled Pujol in Mexico City and found my blog! He emailed to say hello and that he found my post. Got to love the power of the internet!

Without further ado… the Pujol 8-course Taco Omakase.

1. Street Snacks

For local Mexican diners, the baby corn came with the husk intact, and the Mexicans next to me ate the husk. I didn’t realize it was edible! For us foreigners, the husk is peeled back and we only eat the corn.

Before we move on from the street snacks amuse bouche… The little blue corn puff…  For those of you unfamiliar with escamol (the white toppings on the blue puff), it is a Mexican delicacy.  Some people may be squeamish about it, but escamol is the edible larvae and pupae of ants.  Yes, that’s right.  Ant eggs.  Before you say anything… let me just say one word.  DELICIOUS!!!!  Don’t knock it til you try it!

2. Uni, Beans Tetela

Inside the tetela was black beans. Served with a uni (sea urchin) pico de gallo.  The uni pico de gallo was AMAZING, both on the tetela and on its own.  My favorite course!!

For those of you new to my blog, I was particularly pleased at the uni dish being so delicious.  To find out why, see my other post about sea urchins, here.

Drink Check:

New addition: Atolli, Mexican Pale Ale.  Made from corn.  2 courses, 2 drinks.

3. Eggplant Taco, Hoja Santa, Humus, Shisho

I spy a new drink – white wine.

4. Amberjack Taco, Avocado, Seaweed

(served with Mexican sake)

5. Scallop Tostada

(Dressed with lemon, sesame oil, and served with tequila)

Thinly sliced raw scallops lined the crispy tortilla, resulting in a delightfully fresh and crisp tostada.  I’ve never had scallops or a tostada like this!!

More than half way through – let’s keep going on this taco omakase!

6. Seabass Taco al Pastor

7. Softshell Crab Taco, Cucumber, Shiso

I love soft shell crab and shiso peppers!!  And the combination in a taco was amazing!!  So delicious.  Definitely my second favorite course!

Drink Check:

From L to R, drinks for courses 7, 6, 5, 4, and 3.  Water on the very right.  In here there is: tequila, mezcal, sake, rose wine, another beer and white wine.  You can mostly guess which is which. However, since the liquors are all kinda clear colored, I kind of forgot.  You’ll forgive me though.

8. Enmolada, Hoja Santa Tortilla

And now, for Pujol’s famous Mole Madre, aged 1681 days, or almost 5 years!!  The flavor is much richer and tangier than the normal mole.  I’m not a huge fan of mole in general, so this one wasn’t spectacular to me.  It’s definitely unique, I’ll say that!  From the NY Times’ T Magazine,

“Pujol’s mole madre is a contemporary version of [celebratory dishes]. Our own paste is reheated twice a day and is ‘fed’ with new mole whenever we are down to 10 liters. This Solera system gives us a mole that is exponentially more subtle and complex than your average mole. Additionally, since the mole is getting reheated through the months, ‘it has now been alive for more than 400 days’ the recipe adapts to seasonality and the ingredients change accordingly. It might have hazelnut or almond or macadamia or a mix of all three. The same is true for the tomatoes, the fruits, even the chiles.”

Since that review, the mole madre I tried had continued to age another 1,200 some days!

And with that nugget of information, the taco omakase finished on a high note of the legendary aged mole.

Dessert in the Garden

After, we were escorted out to the garden area for dessert.  Enormously tall trees, surrounded by lovely greenery, kept us company during dessert. Delightfully charming outdoor area to enjoy our desserts. However, it was uncovered… and I understand that Mexico City is known for their notorious but reliable 5 -7 pm heavy rain showers (according to locals).

9. Gaznate, Sake Kasu

From L to R: a plum, a cream roll, matcha green tea, and ice cream (i forgot the flavor) with ginger. In the upper right corner is the cloth napkin from our omakase, with a corn kernel pattern on it. They said we could keep it as a memento. Nice touch.

Even though the photo and description above goes L to R, we ate it R to L… They suggested it this way.  Although the plum was good, I was quite disappointed that it was the end.  Especially since I could have had the below pictured cream roll as the last delicious sweet taste in my mouth. But no.  I was good at following instructions.

But just as my disappointment couldn’t be any greater, the wait staff shuffled out one by one. With Beauty and the Beast’s “Be Our Guest” playing in my head, out came the real dessert.  You can see the beginnings of that in the background of my plum photo above.

And now, here is the real dessert.

The thinnest, lightest, most delicious fried churro I’ve ever had!!!  This was definitely the best way to end the taco tasting… if it truly ended with the plum, this review would have gone sour at the end.  But no!  PUJOL’S TACO OMAKASE.  AMAZING TIL THE END.

Parting Thoughts on Pujol’s Taco Omakase

I HIGHLY recommend trying Pujol’s Taco Omakase, if you:

1. want to eat at a world class restaurant
2. like tacos
3. want to try world class tacos
4. don’t mind dropping 2,998 Pesos | $160 USD for 8 tacos and 8 drinks
5. like having 8 different alcoholic beverages in one sitting (or if you don’t drink alcohol, if you like having 8 different non-alcoholic beverages in one sitting… btw, alcohol or not, the cost is still 2,998 Pesos)
6. are not afraid to eat ant larvae/pupae or sea urchins
7. want a souvenir (used by yourself) cloth napkin… (and finally)
8. don’t mind spending 1:30 pm to 4:30 pm eating lunch
9. WANT TO EAT AN AMAZING MEAL!

Restaurant Information

Pujol | map
Tennyson 133, Polanco
11550 Ciudad de México, CDMX, Mexico
Phone: +52 55 5545 4111
Reservations Required 
1:30 pm Taco Omakase 2,300 MXN | $115 USD
Prices, as of 20 April 2021

If using Uber, set the address to “133 Tennyson” (actual address), NOT “Pujol”, which will direct to their old location.

Need some help planning your foodie fun trip to Mexico City?

• Luxury hotel suggestions:
  • Hyatt Regency Polanco and JW Marriott Polanco are both within 10 minutes walking distance to Pujol!
  • Centrally located in the Reforma neighborhood, Hilton Mexico City Reforma and Mexico City Marriott Reforma Hotel are also fantastic options.
• More foodie adventure suggestions:
  • Check out the Must-Try Street Foods in Mexico City from Chef Denise, including all the favorites I had on this trip!
  • Instead of Pujol’s Taco Omakase, how about joining a Taco Crawl with a food critic?
  • Join Candelilla, Mexico City’s hidden supper club;
  • Experience a dinner exploring Mexico’s cuisine, from before and after Spanish colonization.

Please note that some products or referrals in this post are affiliate links (in green) and if you go through them to make a purchase or booking, I will earn a commission. I share these product and booking links because they are related to the post and not because of the commission I receive from your purchases. The decision is yours whether to click through and make a purchase through these links.

Keep Pujol Taco Omakase on your radar for later?

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Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/

In Scotland, there is no such thing as bad weather…only the wrong clothes.

I must be the luckiest gal alive to be in Europe during the freak “Beast from the East” winter storm.  Snow in Edinburgh crippling the whole city, but I’m not in Edinburgh.  I’m on the Isle of Skye, where temperatures have fallen below freezing for the first time since 2010!  But I am lucky because… I have all of my winter gear from Iceland.  So THANK YOU giant North Face coat and Sorel snow boots!  

1. The Spoons on Skye

My original plan for Skye was to go hiking and work on my essays.  The first day on Skye, windchill was 13°F | -10.5°C.  So hiking?  No thank you.  But I did manage to get some work done, in the coziest, most amazing place I stayed at!  The Spoons on Skye is a “luxury self catering” guesthouse, which to Americans, really just means it is a vacation rental, not a bed and breakfast. 

My stay at the Spoons on Skye was absolutely amazing, and big bonus, they do leave some food for you in the refrigerator for when you arrive (i.e. eggs, delicious bacon, juice, milk, yogurt, granola, and some tomatoes).  It’s actually a huge plus having those provisions, because everything in Skye is close, but takes a long time to get to. 

Portree, the main town on the island, is only a few miles away, but takes about 20 minutes driving to get there… mostly because of potholes and windy roads.  It’s not a single track road, like other roads on the island.  In order to buy anything, you have to go into town.  And when it is cold as it’s been in years on Skye, one is thankful to have some food at home before having to go out and buy more provisions.

And, through much trial and error, I finally figured out how to layer logs in the wood burning stove, and start a fire!  Which is SO COZY when it’s freezing outside.

Isn’t Spoons on Skye the most gorgeous place ever?

Anyone looking for an amazing, cozy, homey and super lovely place to stay, look no further than the Spoons on Skye! It’s extremely highly recommended by yours truly!

Eventually, I did end up venturing outward on the second day.  Hiking in the cold is fine, but hiking when there’s monstrous wind and the cold, can be tough.  Also, since I just got over my Jerusalem illness, I didn’t want to overdo it physically.

2. Hiking the Old Man of Storr

Hiking the Old Man of Storr was something that I knew I had to do on Skye. The Old Man of Storr is a rock formation, located a few miles north of Portree. 

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There is a small parking space, but most people just park up the road from there, since the parking space really only accommodates less than 8 cars (my educated guess).  There is one sign at the beginning and then a gate and the path up. 

It’s fairly steep on the way up, and that’s not to be underestimated.  It was supposed to be 40 minutes (one way) up to visit the Old Man.  I don’t know what pace that equates to, but going at a steep incline, I was taking several breaks “for the view” but also to catch my breath.  haha.  I passed through 3 more gates, and I still didn’t arrive at the Old Man.  Apparently during this time, I had gone up 52 floors, according to my phone.  And not wanting to overdo it, I gave up and started the much funner descent.

3. Visit to Portree

After my exhausting hike, I decided to stop by Portree and take a look around town.  It’s the biggest town on the island, and to be honest, the rest of the places on Skye that you can see on Google Maps are not towns.  They’re maybe a small grouping of houses (probably less than 10), maybe one post office that might double as a store, and likely no restaurants to speak of.  But Portree was a big town, with hotels, a grocery store, shops, restaurants*, and a harbor. 

*There is a little caveat with the restaurants, because most are not open in the off season.  And even then, the ones that are open close during afternoon hours between lunch and dinner, so there is very limited hours of service.

A visit to town isn’t complete without a stop at the co-op, or small grocery store, to stock up on goods.  Bought enough stuff to cook an amazing soup that kept me warm the rest of the day.

Stay tuned, for my next entry on my trip to the Fairy Glens and my road trip around the Trotternish Peninsula!  But for now, I need to pack, as I’m leaving Belfast for Dublin!

Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/

The intention was to always spend the whole day at the Blue Lagoon, even though it was January and therefore dead in the middle of winter. But it turned out to be an absolutely delightful experience. And I made a friend – another travel blogger, Barbara, who was also solo traveling in Iceland.

1. Important – Reservations for Blue Lagoon

You need to make reservations for entrance into the Blue Lagoon. Especially if you are going in the summer!! When I arrived (in winter), people were being turned away because it was sold out for the whole day. Book your tickets online here!

Also, there are several bus lines that will take you from the Reykjavik Keflavik Airport or Reykjavik town to the Blue Lagoon. BUT BEWARE – they don’t include entrance tickets to the Blue Lagoon unless you specifically include them.

2. Types of Tickets at the Blue Lagoon

There are three levels of tickets at the Blue Lagoon:

• Comfort – includes entrance fees, Silica mud mask, towel, 1 drink of your choice;
• Premium – all of the above, plus a second mask, slippers, a bathrobe, a reservation at Lava, and a glass of sparking wine at Lava;
• Luxury Spa – from 372 USD per room. I’ll let you look that one up on your own.

In 2018, I paid about $100 USD for the premium package (and an extra add on of an airport transfer). Right now (as of March 2021), Comfort packages are listed at $61 USD, and Premium at $68 USD.

3. Arrival to Blue Lagoon

It was raining that winter morning. Our ticketed arrival time of 8 am meant that we began wading into the lagoon before sunrise, which would happen around 10 am. It’s a pretty amusing experience to have at least 50-100 people in this large geothermal pool, in the complete darkness and rain.

I won’t write too much about the Blue Lagoon, since every other travel blogger will tell you how amazing it was. But here are the things that surprised me about the Blue Lagoon:

• It’s MUCH BIGGER than you imagine, and expansion is ongoing!
• The photo posted above shows the area near the bar…which is why it’s so crowded! Since the Blue Lagoon is actually quite large, you can definitely find areas that are quieter, with less people.
• There are several different areas, including a face mask stand. Silica mud masks are included, and algae mud masks for a fee. There are also steam baths, saunas, in-water massages, and a bar!
• The silica, while great for your skin, is terrible for your hair! Days later, my hair still feels a little rough and a little grimey from the sediment. The Blue Lagoon warns you, especially if you have long hair (which I do), to condition your hair immediately before and after entry into the baths. (I took a break at lunch time and reconditioned my hair and again that night in Akureyri.) In total, I conditioned my hair at least 4 times that day!!! I don’t entirely remember, because I was going on no sleep at that point.

4. Lunch Tasting Menu at Lava

After Babs left, I had lunch reservations at the Blue Lagoon’s famed restaurant, Lava.  I ordered the seafood, 3-course tasting menu, for 7600 ISK or roughly $77 USD.

My reservations were at 11:30. Besides a group that was still filing in, I was the first one seated.  Furthermore, I was the first table to put in an order. (Can you see where this is going?)

Watch this video on YouTube.

Yet, would you believe, that between my first and second course, 5 tables of 2 or more people already received their entrée?  And some tables had even finished and subsequently left?  I tried to complain in a friendly way to the waiter, who promptly brought out my second course, post-complaint. 

When the food finally arrived, I asked why it took so long. The waiter, poor guy, did not have a response, so I asked to speak with a manager about it.  The waiter came back shortly and said that the kitchen brought out the food as soon as it was done.  “Ok… May I still speak with a manager?”

I honestly felt like the manager did not want to speak with me.  When he finally came, he was not apologetic in any way. He said that the kitchen timed it, and 14 minutes elapsed from when I finished my first course to when my main course was brought out.  Other tables did not order the set menu, so their food came out faster.  (That logic does not entirely make sense to me).  

The manager accused me of being in a rush and not taking the time to enjoy the dining experience. I responded that I was in fact not in any hurry at all.  Somewhere in our conversation, he received a phone call, did not excuse himself, and left mid-sentence.

In the meantime, I cancelled my dessert course and was annoyingly finishing my cod.  The manager came back and jumped back into conversation. He says, of course, lunch is free. And that I did not need to cancel my dessert.  He reminded me that he already explained the mechanics of the kitchen. Unfortunately, because I did not accept that explanation, there was nothing more to be done.  And with that, he left.

Don’t get me wrong – the food was really very good. And the portions were generous for a tasting menu size.  I did not expect this level of service for a place so reputable.  In fact, my food tour guide in Akureyri, who is a trained chef, was immediately excited when I told him that I had eaten at Lava.  After I recounted the story to him, he replied, “hmm, something does not sound right about that story…”  AGREED

5. Don’t miss your ride

After lunch, I went back into the lagoon to shake off the annoyance of before.  Without Babs around, it wasn’t as fun as lively as the morning was.  I got out early to shower and condition my hair and wait for my bus to the Reykjavik domestic airport. 

I found my Flybus, off to the side, and the bus driver said we would not leave for another 45 minutes and instructed me to wait in the luggage storage area, where he would pick everyone up.

44 minutes later, and no bus, I walked outside, only to watch the bus fly by.  They don’t call it Flybus for no reason… The bus was there, however, with a larger passenger bus completely blocking it out of view.  At this point, I had no choice but to take a taxi to the airport, because although I had plenty of time, I did not have the time to wait for the next bus.  Another 45 minutes?  Perhaps an hour?

I knew the taxi ride would be annoyingly expensive, and sure enough, it was.  $180 USD for a 45 km ride.  Iceland, you’re killing me.

6. Departing Reykjavik

The Reykjavik domestic airport was a small, quite adorable place.  The boarding area was separate, but the rest of the airport, check in, car rental, café, baggage claim, disembarking area was 5-in-1.

Watch this video on YouTube.

Not only that, but the plane itself was a propeller plane!  I’ve never flown in one!

Surprisingly it was a smooth 35 minute ride, in which I promptly passed out.

Watch this video on YouTube.

And now, onto Akureyri!  Capital of the North.

Parting Thoughts on my day at Blue Lagoon

Despite having issues with my lunch, I genuinely had an amazingly relaxing time at the Blue Lagoon! There’s something so relaxing about wading around in hot water for long periods of time. (At least for me). If that’s not your jam, maybe skip the Blue Lagoon on your Iceland trip.

But for me, having been on horrible flights, and having not slept for days at that point, it was the relaxation and rejuvenation I needed to start a 3 month traveling journey!

For more information and bookings, visit The Blue Lagoon.

Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/

Before I explain my plans for 2018, I wanted to reflect on 2017. I had just completed a 2-year stint in Singapore and was desperate to move to Europe. Given the current geopolitical climate, it’s no wonder that companies think twice about extending work visas to Americans.  I was close a couple of times, which didn’t work out. I started looking for jobs in the US, which would allow me to travel, which is what I love to do.  Again, I got close a couple of times, but for one reason or other, nothing worked out.

I also began graduate school (again) in 2017 in a program which is completed mostly remotely.  What’s unique is that this program requires me to be in Vienna, Austria for two weeks of coursework, every quarter, for two years. Imagine trying to persuade employers to let me have that kind of time off.  Some were very flexible and accommodating during interviews.  Others laughed or scoffed in my face.  For me, the pursuit of education is a must for anyone looking to grow personally, emotionally, or even professionally.

And that’s how I arrived at my decision for 2018. I cannot, in good conscience, earn a degree and only see the four walls of my parents’ home (which is where I am holed out, as present). Learning is about going out and seeing and doing and experiencing. So, beginning in 11 days, I will be travelling almost full time, from place to place, and arriving in Vienna, every few months.

Join me as I eat and experience my way through the world!  So happy and content to have arrived at my decision and hope you enjoy living vicariously through me!

Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/

{1}  I mostly travel solo.  I’ve more or less been traveling solo since my 2012 trip to Sorrento and Capri.  I always try to include various wanderlust friends in my plans.  Sometimes we can work something out, most of the time we can’t.  I made a decision back then to go forward, even if it meant alone.  As Luke Cage says, “Forward, always.  Always forward.”

{2}  I tend to lean towards the luxury when I travel.  (This applies mostly to accommodations.)  There are many reasons for this, including various safety concerns that luxury accommodations tend to alleviate. This is not to say traveling in more modest conditions are less safe. Everyone has their personal preferences.

{3}  My travel is entirely funded by savings and utilizing credit card points and miles to redeem either hotels or flights.  Thanks to people like The Points Guy and my brother in law, who almost religiously reads and shares information about redemptions.  {Currently, I use the Chase Sapphire Preferred, which gave me 50,000 bonus points to start out with.  Having a healthy point balance is always useful}

I will always be forthcoming with how I pay for hotel rooms, either points or pay or a combination.

{4}   I also love Airbnb and comb through reviews and photos to make sure I have the homey experience I’m looking for.  So far my experiences with Airbnb have been amazing, and I have no complaints whatsoever.

{5}  Food tours.  I love to eat.  My first food tour experience was in Osaka (2016), and it was an activity recommended to me by my brother in law.  Since then, I have taken amazing food tours in Seattle, Yangon, Hanoi, and Hua Hin.  Upcoming food tours will include Montreal, Warsaw (hopefully!  If someone joins so we can meet the minimum), and Edinburgh.

{6}  Sustainable travel.  I will always choose options that help local communities directly and reduce the carbon footprint.  Sustainable travel and tourism is something that is developing now, with Iceland and Palau having visitors sign a tourism pledge, in essence to leave the country as you found it.

{7}  I tend to go to random places.  If you see my my travel map, there is no rhyme or reason to the places I go.  I mean, sometimes there are.  But for example, when I was living for two years in Singapore, some of my longer trips included extended stays in Europe, a few jaunts to the UAE, and of course all over Asia.  In 2018, even though I was based in Europe, I went to the Cook Islands, Hawaii, Mexico, and Israel. In 2019, being based in Afghanistan, I went to Uzbekistan, Fiji, and Scotland!

{8}  Let me introduce you to Scott’s Cheap Flights.  If your concern is over the price of international flights, this will blow your mind.

That’s basically it.  I’ll be writing about my adventures, all the great foods I’ve been eating, all the woes I suffer along the way, and hopefully I’ll be able to provide some entertainment and to feed the wanderlust you’re suffering from too.

Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

Click on the blue icons below to follow her on social media!

lanniesfoodandtravel.com/index.php/about-me/