Situated by the Parramatta River in Shepherds Bay, La Promenade is one of those local restaurants that attract both families, couples and celebratory parties alike. The night I tried out this joint, the place was full by 7pm.

Good generous servings of lebanese food and genuine service.

Dips with Hummus, Eggplant and Fresh Yoghurt -$16

Kafta $26

Lots of lamb, and delicious homemade hummus.

Linguini Marinara – $24

More seafood than pasta – this dish is smashing, amazing sauce to boot!

Address:

82-100 Belmore Street

Shepherds Bay

A week later, there was still no Violet Crumble in the machine but they had replaced it with Crunchie. So I asked my boss again – just replace her growing VC addiction with Crunchie. She looked at me with shock horror as if I had just suggested the most unheard of idea ever. To her, there was obviously a massive difference between the two and to even suggest a product replacement was a sin itself.

So I put it to you – can you taste the difference between Violet Crumble and Crunchie??

Stay tuned – I will be conducting come market research to see if my boss and others like her can really taste the difference. Personally, I don’t think there is much of a difference , but I’m not much a honeycomb lover.

Bring on the Violet Crumble and Crunchie challenge!!!

They say the best way to get around Phuket is by bike. This is true to some extent, the traffic and lack of road rules in Phuket means that you really be a confident rider or know the streets well to embark on a scooter ride across town. Best time to ride is during the quiet hours (early morning). If you are thinking of renting a scooter, limit the riding within the beach areas – and don’t try to ride in peak hour along the main roads.

Bike hire usually cost approx. 350 baht a day. Fuel is purchased from vending machines from the side of the road.

Other modes of transport include Tut Tuts and taxis. Although always ask for a price before stepping into the vehicle.

2. AVOID PHOTOS WITH LADY BOYS

Now unless you are actually looking to spend a fortune to have your photo taken with the lady boys (the extortion price is usually around 500 baht), best to avoid them on the Patong strip. You’re much better off going into one of the bars, getting a beer and watching the shows for less than 1/4 of the price. However if you do get approached for a photo and simply can’t get away, you can easily get away with just offering them 100 baht. (Although a Tiger beer is only 60 Baht, and this includes a free public show in most bars on the Patong strip)

3. RESTAURANTS

No.6 is the best cheap eat in Patong. Great green curry and Pad Thai. Great value for money.

For something more authentic, Restaurant 101 is the place to go. You can try the dried fish, the hot and sour soup or the sticky rice. The one thing to remember here is that chilli means HOT HOT HOT!

4. GETTING AROUND THE ISLANDS – BOAT TOURS

There are many tours that operate in Phuket taking visitors to the outer islands such as Phi Phi, Bond etc. The pricing of these range from between $3000 – $1600 baht/person. The important thing to note here is that all these tours end up going to same the same areas, and there is no difference in the quality of food or the travel experience in any of these tours. All boats end up docking in the same area.

One thing to remember is to ask if there are additional charges for a transfer from your hotel.

Another important thing to note is that they will always try and up-sell to you at every step of tour. For example, on a snorkeling tour I took to Phi Phi they tried to up-sell flippers at the start (150 baht), then photos at each stop (200 baht), renting beach chairs and umbrellas on the islands cost 300 baht, and then of course the snacks that they sell on the beach range from between 50-150 baht. On top of this they will ask for tips at the end of the tour, making Phuket a highly commercialised island.

5. GET A TAXI DRIVER GUIDE

A good way to see Phuket in a group is to hire a taxi driver to take you around. It’s quite common for the cab drivers to hire out their services by the hour, which is also negotiable. I hired a driver to take me around for 9 hours for 1200 Baht, and managed to see all of Phuket – including the main touristy things such as elephant riding in Cha Long, the markets and temples, Phuket Look-Out points, Karong beach, Kata Beach, Phuket City for massages and the night life in Patong Beach.

The best thing about hiring a taxi guide is that they can negotiate prices on your behalf with the locals and they know the best & quickest  roads to take around town. They’re locals so they can take you to all the not-so-well-known places and their price includes cost of transport.

So that’s my top 5 tips for Phuket.

What are yours? I’d love to hear them!

The best Katsu Don I had while in Japan. Good sized meal, with a side of pickles, served with unlimited salad which the waiters bring around every 5 minutes or so.

Tonkatsu (Fried pork cutlets), the best part of this dish is the dish of sesame seeds you can grind at the table to accompany the Tonkatsu saunce they serve with the food which really brings out the flavour of this dish.

Address:
Ganko Nara City
19 Higashimukinaka-machi
Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan

Service is efficient – there a little bell type devices on each table when you want to call the waitresses over, and the meals come out relatively quickly.  We waited about 5 minutes for their Takoyaki, and then another 3 minutes for both Ramens to come out.

Takoyaki

Nothing special here – wished I had tried the soft shell crabs instead!

The Volcano Ramen $11.80

If you want a bit of a kick this is the one to try. Visually it’s a vibrant dish with the hot red chilli sauce balanced out by the lightness of the pork and chewiness of the seaweed and a rich Tonkotsu base.

The Ajisen Ramen $10.80

The soup is packed with richness, the noodles are chewy and the pork slices are tender.

The best part? The massive spoons that you can slurp the soup off!!

Ajisen Ramen

1002/85 Liverpool St

Sydney NSW 2000

(02) 9267 8816

For a bit of adventure try sand boarding down the 45 degree angle dunes. You can hire boards for about $10 at the service station near the entrance to the town. There’s also an opportunity to hire quad bikes from a few to go sand dune bashing if you’re there for a few more hours!

It’s about an 1-hour trip from the Airport and about 35 minutes from the nightlife, bars and restaurants of Patong. Panwa is isolated from most areas of Phuket, which means that taxi fares from the Hotel can go from between 600-1200 Baht, so if you are looking for a private getaway, this would be the only reason to stay here.

The best part of the hotel is the beautiful heated pool which looks out onto the beach with views of the shores of Chalong Bay – ideal for a private night time dip.

I stayed in Room 207, a beach view room with a small balcony that overlooks the beachfront. Rooms are well sized, but the house keeping is slower than most hotels with rooms being made up in the late afternoon. Internet costs 200 Baht for 1-hour.

You can give the buffet breakfast a skip – in fact use the 350 Baht to take a trip into Phuket Town and grab a bite to eat there from a variety of different food vendors around the area.

TIP: Cocktails at the Novotel cost about 180 Baht, and 120 Baht for a stubby of Tiger Beer. If you’re looking for a cheaper drink close by, take a walk up the road to the small hut located at the top of the hill – about a 7 minute walk from the Novotel. A long neck there cost 100 Baht only, and the nice Malaysian man who owns the place lets you buy a few for storage in the hotel mini bar! And there’s an amazing view of sunset from here too!

Like the name suggests the cafe is famous for it’s coffee. For something refreshing try the Hazelnut Blended Ice. Also on the menu is the classic Malaysian dish – Nasi Lemak. It comes in a basket with rice cooked in coconut milk, and sides of cucumber, peanuts, anchovies, boiled egg, sambal, and a piece of fried chicken. Slightly different to the traditional rendang version, but still good.

Miyajima is amazing by night, the lights that reflect off the water onto the Otorii and the Itsukushima Shrine gives a sense of magnificence to the otherwise fading red gate.

Having previously booked a Japanese style room at the Miyajima Morinoyado, we decided to retire early for the evening and had our Shigemori meal set delivered to the room.  

The Morinoyado is a great value ryokan for a night’s stay at Miyajima, it cost us 17,010 Yen for the room including dinner for two. 

The hotel itself is located very close to great views of the Otorii gates. The rooms are well sized with a separate bathroom, toilet and sleeping area. There are two public onsens available and also a large dining hall for large groups.

Alternative accommodation options are to stay in a hotel in Hiroshima and travel to Miyajima in the day. The only thing to be aware of are the times for high and low tide, as the famous Otorii pictured in tourist brochures is only surrounded by water during high tide. The rest of the time you can actually walk right up to the gates!

Admission into Himeji Castle including the nearby garden (Koko-en) is 720Yen.

The castle is a short walk up the main street from Himeji station. Bicycles are available for hire for free at the information booth at the station.

Personally the castle itself is not really all that interesting, however that being said I much prefer food & shopping over gardens and buildings, so perhaps if you are interested in the cultural differences of how western and eastern castles were built this may prove fun for you.

As you face the castle from the station you’re looking North. The best view is from Otokoyama, a small hill to the West.

The tourist guides suggest that you allocate ½ a day to see Himeji. We managed to walk around the castle, up through the many steps to the top, back down, and around the nearby Koko-en garden in 2.5 hours.

We even had time to stop by the nearby café for a bite to eat before picking up our luggage and catching the Shinkansen Hikari Railstar 565 to Hiroshima.

Whilst it was good to see this famous tourist site, it wasn’t as grand as what I had expected. Perhaps it was the proximity of the Castle to the city itself which made it such a non-event. Worth seeing as a first timer, but if you don’t have the time it is something you can skip on your trip.