You know how they always say that brides and grooms never get a chance to actually enjoy their weddings together as it’s such a hectic day of meeting, greeting, and saying hello to everyone? Our wedding last year was a little bit like that (read about our ceremony, and our reception). While it wasn’t a large wedding by most Asian wedding standards (only 80 guests), it still took a lot of time for us to go around to everyone before we finally let loose on the dancefloor.
Luckily, our wedding booking at the Ivy entitled us to a free night of accommodation at the boutique Establishment Hotel on our wedding night so we could have some quiet time together. After getting picked up by the custom fancy Rolls Royce (oh la la!) from our reception, we were dropped off at the Establishment and shown straight to our very fancy suite. It’s rare for us to splurge on fancy accommodation – Airbnb apartments are more our scene when travelling – so this one-night stay was definitely a real treat!
It was nigh on midnight by the time we arrived at our suite, so the room was set up with dimly lit atmospheric evening lighting with the blinds pulled down. The large king size bed with its overload of cushions (I never understand this – what can two people possibly do with ten cushions?!) was calling to me after a long and tiring wedding day, but we decided to explore a bit first…
We’ve now decided that our future dream home will include double sinks on the bathroom vanity, as well as a two person walk-in shower with a waterfall shower head.
As well as a chaise lounge for general “lounging around with a book in a silk robe” purposes.
A really lovely touch was the bottle of complimentary sparkling that was left for us as newlyweds. A really special touch, especially with the bottle of Moet that the Ivy staff gave us as we left the reception!
After a night in the most comfortable bed I’ve ever slept in, we woke up just in time for a late breakfast in the Establishment’s Gin Garden. Going down in the lift and walking through a service door, we found ourselves in a large open space with glass roofs and rustic exposed brick walls and detailing.
The calming water feature to one side made for some soothing background noise. Surprisingly, despite the large cavernous space, the sound quality in the garden was really manageable and even as more people arrived for brunch, we were never accosted with noise, allowing us to have some quiet time together as newlyweds!
K had to start the day with a strong cappuccino, to help kick-start his morning after the overwhelming fatigue of recovering from our wedding day.
Whereas I opted for a strong green tea (look at all those tea leaves!) for my preferred source of caffeine.
I chose to go with the Garden’s signature continental buffet, which came with a vast selection of breads, pastries, fruits, yoghurts, cereals, and more. It took pride of place in the centre of the room, and more than a few people helped themselves to servings from the buffet.
With more than a few different loaves of bread available on the buffet, there’s options for all. Gluten-free bread is also marked out as well, for those who are gluten intolerant. With some Hank’s Jam on top, you really can’t go wrong!
I started my meal though with a slightly healthier option – some house-toasted muesli with a healthy single serving of Barambah Organic‘s delicious real apple and cinnamon yoghurt. In fact, it was so creamy, smooth and subtle-y like apple pie, that I gave up my low-dairy diet and had the full tub of yoghurt rather than the half-tub I was intending on having.
I helped myself to a slice of that wholegrain with Hank’s Triple Berry Jam – the simple pleasures in life! And of course, when you’re at a breakfast buffet, you need to make sure that you have a balanced meal with a small serve of fruit salad. Needless to say, dessert at breakfast is a must as well, so a flaky and buttery chocolate croissant with (importantly!) even chocolate distribution somehow made it onto my plate as well…
K was more in the mood for a hot breakfast, so went with the Establishment Breakfast, or their version of a “breakfast with the lot”. His eyes were definitely bigger than his stomach in this case, and he struggled to finish his full plate as well as the side breadboard of baked beans and toast. The highlight here was definitely the crispy potato rosti – other elements on the plate weren’t cooked as much as we would normally prefer. The bacon for example, simply wasn’t crispy!
With our wedding night at a fancy hotel and morning-after breakfast over, we reluctantly checked out of our little taste of the high life and returned to our small apartment…to pack for a short honeymoon away where we would be enjoying more of the high life at a secluded rainforest retreat!
More on our honeymoon at Crystal Creek Rainforest Retreat to come…
Looks like the perfect place for a little quiet time after what I imagine was a crazy stressful day.