Hawaii is one of my favorite destinations and I was beyond happy that my husband decided to gift me a vacation to Oahu for my 30th birthday. We really wanted a relaxed week, lay out, eat delicious and fresh seafood and just enjoy each others company. We stayed at The Royal Hawaiian Hotel directly located at the famous Waikiki Beach. Even though we arrived pretty early on that day, we were super jet lagged. It is a 12+ hour journey from New York City to Honolulu and after a delayed flight we only wanted to relax and kept it super mellow. We enjoyed lunch by the beach followed by a cocktail under palm trees and a fresh Ahi Bowl later that day. The evening was basically the same and it was wonderful to just follow your feelings instead of a tight schedule. We started our second day pretty early and went for a long walk around the Waikiki Beach area, stopped by a cute coffee shop for breakfast and walked back to our hotel.

Aladdins true home or a fairytale which became reality – Qasr Al Sarab by Anantara. Admire endless dunes from palatial luxury in the heart of the Empty Quarter. Located in the legendary Rub’Al Khali, the largest contiguous and uninterrupted sand desert in the world, encompassing most of the southern third of the Arabian Peninsula. The desert covers some 650,000 km² (250,000 sq mi) including parts of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. The resort is a 90-minute drive from Abu Dhabi. The resort offers different kind of accommodations, from beautifully designed rooms to incredible Royal Pavillion Pool Villas.

After traveling for over a month we made it to our last stop on this journey: Singapore. Singapore was another incredible, bustling and growing city which reminded me again a lot of New York City. Singapore, an island city-state off southern Malaysia, is a global financial center with a tropical climate and multicultural population. I prefer walking around cities instead of taking an underground subway system and since there was no Hop-on-Hop-Off bus tour available walking was the best way to explore a few different areas. We visited Chinatown and Little India and later that day the Waterfront Promenade. When in Singapore I highly recommend spending at least one night at the famous Marina Bay Sands. We stayed the whole time there and it was a different experience for us as well. I usually prefer small hotels, after Bali I felt ready for a huge hotel complex. Marina Bay Sands is unique and different compared to other big hotels but in my opinion worth the money. The views are incredible and it is the only hotel with an infinity pool at that height which offers breathtaking views over the city. The restaurants are excellent and the cocktail bars are unique. We enjoyed the last few days of our trip and sipped the first night on a Singapore Sling overlooking the city.

Gedang Mekuah is a traditional Indonesian green papaya soup. During our stay at Munduk Moding Plantation in Gobleg, Bali, we got the chance to cook this soup the traditional way. It was a completely different experience and I highly recommend doing it. You get another chance to dive deeper into another culture and learn more about their background.

Ingredients:

• • 1 large, unripe green papaya (1½ lb)
  • 6 cloves of garlic
  • 6 shallots
  • ½ cup natural/unsalted peanuts
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 4 stalks of lemongrass, bruised
  • 4 large or 6 medium bay leafs