It's interesting how many looks of surprise we receive when we explain our road trip holidays to people. The conversation usually going something like this:

"So, where are you off to on your hols?"
"France!"
"Ooh! Where abouts?"
"Not really sure, yet. There's a vague route, but we're camping, so we haven't booked anywhere."
"Oh, nice.... "/"That's brave!"/etc.

The truth is that it's neither brave, nor as flippantly unplanned as it sounds. The idea of camping randomly for 2 weeks sounds like a nightmare for some, but we have our reasons for not making any bookings, and for camping rather than hotel-ing.

1. How do you know how long it will take you to travel between bookings? The beautiful thing about travelling by car means you can deviate from the road as and when a road sign takes you. This could mean not quite making it to your hotel on the day you'd hoped, and thus being charged for a night you were not there.

2. What if you feel like moving on early? This time around, we made it all the way to beautiful Montpellier in the South of France. We spent a day in the centre, but out by the sea where the nearest campsites were, was a little grubbier, and the overweight, half-naked men more plentiful. We decided to head back North again after just one night.

3. Campsites are everywhere in Europe. Don't think for one minute that we're just lucky that we've always found a place to stay whilst driving through Europe. When driving in the country in the likes of France and Germany, there is plenty of choice. Don't worry. You'll find somewhere.

Camping is flexible and economical, and there has never seemed any point in booking. As long as there's petrol in the car and money in our wallets, we know we'll be alright. If we have to kip for a few hours in a lay-by at the foot of the Alps because we're tired and it's too dark to find a campsite, that's fine too.

The only times we would ever pre-book a campsite would be a) if we had a plan to be somewhere on certain dates, and it was important to us to be close by (such as a festival), or b) we were travelling with a larger group. Generally most campsites can squeeze in a car and a small tent, even when they profess to be fully booked.

Possibly you are thinking that 'roughing it' in this way means that we miss out on the finer things that people enjoy when holidaying on the continent. On the contrary; the shower blocks at campsites more than suffice for scrubbing up in preparation for ten courses at the Michelin starred restaurant in the nearest village.

Fling your tent in the boot and just go.

Wagyu, 60 Wyndham Street, Central, Hong Kong

As tired and travel weary as we were, as soon as we landed back in Hong Kong, we were back on the foodie trail. Before going back to Melissa's apartment to sleep, we went for breakfast at Wagyu, which is a stylish, contemporary restaurant on Wyndham street in Central. The main theme of the menu, as the name suggests, is Australian Wagyu beef, but the breakfasts are amazing, and the a la carte has a lot more on it besides steak.

We really enjoyed our breakfast, but felt that we'd been overtired and hadn't quite given it our full attention the first time round, so we went back on our last morning for some brunch. The second time was just as good, if not better. As a brit, it's a really good thing when you can find decent bacon abroad. To be honest, the website doesn't do them justice. It looks a bit tacky and cheap, which Wagyu definitely is not. Castelo really ought to give them a proper page!


Sepa, 61 Caine Road, Central, Hong Kong

After a shower and some kip - whaddya know? It's dinner time. This evening is particularly hazy in our memories, due to overtiredness, compounded by staying out 'til 5am to watch the Champions League final of all things. However, who could forget the unctuous, generously-sized ball of Burrata on the menu at Sepa? Or the rich and flavoursome veal reduction lacing the veal ravioli? An Italian restaurant, proclaiming to be the first in Hong Kong to encompass the "traditions, history and culture" of Venice, Sepa delivers some pretty solid eating. Plenty to choose from, with a mixture of classic dishes and those with a more contemporary twist, the food is good and reasonably priced for Hong Kong.

I absolutely loved the branding of the restaurant. The setting, at its base, is styled like a traditional Venetian wine bar. What makes it however, is the homage to Italian Playwright, Carlo Goldoni's, "The Servant of Two Masters", in the form of these incredible and creepy illustrated characters that are the theme throughout.


The Monogamous Chinese, 59 Caine Road, Soho, Hong Kong

It would have been frankly wrong for us to travel to Hong Kong and not eat at least one Chinese meal. As it happens, we had two in our final days, but Monogamous was the favourite. My only real qualm about the place is that the lighting wasn't great for photography, but as soon as the first sweet morsels passed our lips, all was forgiven.

The concept is one of sharing, with an extensive menu of authentic sichuan and peking dishes to please everyone. We ordered a mixture of sizzling beef, pork dumplings, vegetables, etc, but the pièce de résistance was the deep fried whole fish in the house sweet and sour sauce. Already satiated by the time it came out, there was a split second where we thought "have we gone too far?". Turns out we went just far enough. The fish was presented as juicy, bite-sized chunks, with the head and tail either end, slathered in sweet and sour sauce and dressed with pine nuts, which I love. So good! Not being massive Chinese food eaters back at home, it was a real treat.


We got in plenty more walking and exploring over our remaining days in Hong Kong, clambering up and down the winding hill paths on Cheung Chau Island, and trying our very first Pastel de Nata (I know!) on Macau. We did some shopping, and sourced some ingredients for the Japanese Dashi stock that is now residing in our freezer, waiting to become ramen, and we ate at some other great places (including 22 Ships, which Mark wrote about), finishing our time with a top-notch burger at The Butchers Club.


Hong Kong is an incredible place if you're a foodie. It's an incredible place if you're an explorer. It's massive, and vibrant, and awe-inspiring, and I can certainly see why Westerners stick around. I really hope we can go back some day, but there are a few other places on our bucket list before then. (Japan, for instance!)

C

Koh Phi Phi is a pretty popular destination for holiday makers and travellers, so you are never going to be stuck for somewhere to eat outside of your hotel or hostel. For the second instalment of our time in Thailand, we thought we'd share with you the places we enjoyed eating the most, and possibly help narrow down your many options if you ever decide to make the trip.

Jasmin Restaurant, Laem Tong Beach

There's a really good vibe about this restaurant. We liked it so much we went back a couple of times for food and cocktails. The prices are very reasonable, with a decent menu made up of mainly seafood and Thai dishes. Everything is cooked fresh in massive woks in the open kitchen, and there's a BBQ that gets fired up in the evenings.


Across the two nights that we ate there, we ordered the likes of spring rolls, tempura vegetables, pineapple rice (I only want my rice with pineapple now, thanks), basil chicken, BBQ prawns, and other dishes that I forget. On the first night, after ordering, the lady of the establishment (concerned for our cardiovascular health I assume) came to our table and tried explaining to us that what we'd ordered was a lot for two people. We told her not to worry, and polished everything off in turn before perusing the desserts.

There are no pretensions about this place. The walls of the family-run restaurant are lined with photographs taken over the years, of friends and visitors to Laem Tong beach; testament to the lovely people and the honest food they cook. One night, a particularly sweet waitress noticed that my long hair was being whipped all over the place by the wind, so she took her hair down and offered me one of her spare bands. The business also does a lot for the local Sea Gypsy community, particularly the school and its kids. There's a plaque above the bar thanking them for all their work and support.

And if you're not convinced by all that, you've at least got to drop in for one of their boozy smoothies.


Oasis, Ao Loh Bagao

One evening, we decided to explore a little and walked the path from Laemtong Bay down to Loh Bagao, which is a cool little village of bamboo and thatch buildings, hosting bars, shops and restaurants. We arrived to find there had been a power cut that had affected the whole village, and so we ate by candlelight at Oasis.


Here I tried my very first fresh coconut, and my first Pad Thai; both excellent experiences. In fact, it's only writing about it now that I'm remembering just how good the food was, and for simple fare, how nicely presented. I think it's also a pretty popular bar, of an evening when they have power and lights, so it's impressive that they manage to serve both purposes so well.

Definitely worth a visit if you're looking for good Thai classics in a nice atmosphere. They also supply you with mozzy repellant on your table, which is a bonus!


Aroy Kaffeine, Ba Keao Bay

How I'd have loved to dine here! Aroy Kaffeine is a cafe bar, also in Loh Bagao village. The stylish Thai woman who manages the place is very cool, and clearly knows what's up, when we consider the extensive Belgian beer offering. Unfortunately, Aroy was closed on our first visit due to the powercut, but we did manage to swing by after an afternoon walk with a few baht in our pockets and drink some incredibly good smoothies and milkshakes.

Looking out on to Phi Phi's very own 'Golden Gate Bridge', this place is currently ranked TripAdvisor #1 restaurant on Koh Phi Phi, and I know for sure that we missed out in not grabbing dinner and drinks there. As such, I am imploring--no, demanding--that you go here if you are ever on Koh Phi Phi. I know you won't regret it.


Eleven Two and co., 112 Thalang Rd, Phuket Town

And finally, we have Eleven Two and co. This place isn't technically on Koh Phi Phi, it's in Phuket Town on the mainland. Call me obsessive, call me determined, but I found this cafe on Instagram before we even left for Asia, and even though there was no real need for us to go in to Phuket, I planned our return to the airport to include dinner here.

We had a lot of hours to kill once we'd climbed off the return ferry at Rassada Pier, so we walked the 50 minutes in to town, to discover the delights of Eleven Two and co. and pass the time in comfort. We were not disappointed. Just follow their Instagram feed and you'll see what I mean.


They serve a mixture of Asian dishes with western influence thrown in here and there. Dishes that particularly stick with me are the cheesy gyoza and the soft mango crêpe (am I crazy for knowing I was going to order this crêpe weeks in advance?), but we also devoured things like Pad Thai, hot wings and prawn pineapple rice.


Another element to this cafe, which is right up my street, is that it also has a little boutique selling clothes, jewellery, art and handmade wares by independent designer-makers. Eleven Two and co. definitely strikes you as "the place to be" if you're in Phuket. If it was in London, the hipsters would be flocking for brunch! A truly creative vibe, and the food and drink are great. Don't forget to order a coconut milk latte!

-

Our nighttime journey back to Hong Kong was slightly less knackering and uncomfortable than the way there, but still not a classic. We were extremely happy to be received again by Mark's sister, Melissa, who took us straight for an excellent breakfast and gave us the keys to her apartment so we could sleep whilst she went to work.

More on our remaining time in Hong Kong in a final, upcoming post.

Related posts from our trip:
Hong Kong: Part 1
22 Ships
Koh Phi Phi: Zeavola Resort

Zeavola Resort, Koh Phi Phi Don, Thailand

After our first weekend in Hong Kong, we headed to Thailand for four days on Koh Phi Phi. We've got to start by warning you: AVOID PHUKET INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AT ALL COSTS. It's absolute chaos, and there's no workable queuing system, which as you can imagine, was utter torture for a pair of Brits.

In all honesty, in our aim to be cost-efficient on this break, I think we took the long way round, getting to Phi Phi. Our flight from Hong Kong landed at Phuket in the early hours of the morning, and our 3 hour ferry to the island from Rassada Pier wasn't until 8.30am. We spent a good deal of time bumming about the airport before getting our pre-booked cab to the pier at 6.00am. (We did meet a fantastic French-German lady and her daughter, who were winging their holidays around South East Asia. We let them share our cab to the pier, whereby the mother accidentally jumped in to the driver's seat! - not again! her daughter muttered in French.) If we were to do it again, we would possibly book a hotel room for the wait, or just spend the extra and come in from a different destination by speed boat.
Moaning aside, our mini break finally began when the ferry dropped anchor just off Laemtong Bay, and the jolly, grinning representatives from our chosen hotel, Zeavola Resort, came to collect us in a traditional long boat. Upon arrival on the beach, they carried our small amount of luggage across the sand to reception, and presented us each with a cold towel and refreshing glass of watermelon juice. After such a long, sweaty journey I could have kissed them!

Zeavola is a sustainable, luxury resort of traditional teakwood suites starting right on the beach and spreading back and up into the trees. We were booked in to one of the Village Suites, as there were only a couple left for our dates when we booked and I knew I wanted to stay here. It turned out that even their budget rooms are totally stunning, and we were jammy enough to be given one that backed immediately on to the pool, which we more or less got exclusive use of. I would go as far to say that I would want that exact room again if we were to go back (#39 FYI).
The Thais in general are incredibly smiley and accommodating, and at Zeavola especially, we found the service to be exceptional. We arrived just as a week-long tropical storm was starting, which caused all sorts of problems, including the plugs in our room to stop working. The maintenance staff worked quietly and unassumingly to get us back up and running, and there was even a letter from the general manager apologising for the weather! We booked ourselves in for and received a fantastic traditional Thai massage, and one thing I looked forward to in the evenings, was coming back to the suite to find our bed turned down, with a sweet pillow favour on my side each night.

We didn't dine at the hotel, but that's not unusual for us. We like to explore and find eateries for ourselves when we're away (more on where we ate in a follow-up post), so each evening we set out to find dinner at one of the restaurants further down the beach. We did, of course, indulge in breakfast every morning. Served in the beautiful open-sided Baxil Restaurant dining room, the buffet had all the usual continental options one is accustomed to seeing on a hotel stay, plus a selection of lovely Thai options. The menu for cooked breakfast was also very good, with something for everyone. There was an American style breakfast dish, Chinese, Indian, Japanese, Thai and others. Each morning, the breakfast staff pop some little Chinese pastries on your table with honey, coconut, and pandanas leaf dips. I loved those. If you're lucky, you can also spot the handsome resort cockerel strutting around outside.
You might say we were sort of unfortunate to arrive on a tropical island just as the first rains after the drought started to pour. It was actually a wonderful experience. So, we didn't get to sun bathe underneath bright blue skies, sipping cocktails, but we did jump in to a warm Andaman sea, fully clothed, as a cooling rain pelted the surface and our faces, and sent schools of fish skipping and jumping around us, with the locals huddled under awnings and giggling at us from the shore. We still swam, and explored, and ate out, and managed to get sun burned. And we had a wonderful stay at Zeavola.

N.B. We booked and paid for our stay at Zeavola ourselves, and all opinions are our own.

22 Ships - 22 Ship St, Wan Chai, Hong Kong

It seems like only yesterday that Jason Atherton was heading up the kitchen at Maze. A restaurant that won numerous accolades during his tenure, and interestingly, the first place I ever tasted yuzu. In truth it was 6 years ago that Atherton left the Gordon Ramsay umbrella, to become his own master and shortly afterwards, deliver Pollen street social. A decision he must look on now, as a masterstroke.

Since we first travelled together, there has only been one void in time in which we had no plans to go away, and we consciously decided to not let that happen again, because it was rubbish. At the end of May, we took our first long haul trip together, to Asia. Mark's sister lives and works out in Hong Kong, so it was the perfect chance a) for me to finally meet her and b) to be guided round an incredible city by someone who arguably likes to eat and travel more than we do.

We wasted no time getting our gobble on, and after a 12 hour overnight flight, arriving at around 5.30pm local time, we dropped off our cases and headed straight out for dinner. Melissa took us to a fantastic Thai restaurant, Chachawan, followed by Belgian beers and some interesting Daiquiris at a couple of the bars local to her apartment.

The meal at Chachawan, on reflection, was probably one of the best of the holiday. The uncomplicated spicy Isaan dishes, hailing for Northeastern Thailand, were presented to share and centred around grilled meats and salads. We ordered flash grilled squid (Pia Mauk Yung), deep fried pork meatballs (Larp Tort) and plenty of other succulent meat and veggie dishes in between. The most impressive and recommended dish on their menu is the salt-crusted whole seabass (Pia Phao Glua), which is stuffed with lemon grass, padana and lime leaves, and cooked over a fire. Unfortunately, we were so knackered and hungry, we forgot to take any pictures! We finished the meal with coconut rice dumplings in salted coconut cream, which was like a lovely, warm hug after such a long journey, and one I might try to recreate when I'm in the mood for some comfort food!





We spent the rest of the weekend trekking around the greener parts of Hong Kong Island and dropped in at the indoor market in Wan Chai. We visited the monkey park, where a cheeky orangutan took aim through his enclosure bars and tried to pee on us, and spent a morning at the Peak to take in the incredible view. We also took the ferry over to Kowloon, wandered around the pier a bit and lunched at the cheapest michelin-starred restaurant in the world (?), Tim Ho Wan, a Dim Sum place that now has a chain of outlets across both Asia and Australia. We ordered a small but delectable selection, consisting of steamed pork buns and dumplings.




The weekend ended with a fine dining sushi experience at Sushi Sei, located at the IFC mall in Central. I have never eaten sushi like it. There were familiar items, like California rolls, and salmon and trout sashimi (which was the freshest, creamiest-tasting salmon I've ever eaten!), plus some food firsts. We ordered the sea urchin and grilled eel on Melissa's recommendation, and I threw a portion of firefly squid in to the mix. The squid was interesting, and tasted not unpleasant, but frankly was just really bloody weird to eat visually and texturally!

That night, after dinner, we caught the train from the IFC to Hong Kong International for an interim trip, four nights on Koh Phi Phi, Thailand. More about that next time.

- C

Places we ate:

 Chachawan
Eric Kayser
Tim Ho Wan
BLT Steak
 Little Bao
Sushi Sei