Hard Rock Cafes and Hotels in Asia, in Malaysia, and Bikers' Day Out

Hard Rock Hotel, Desaru, Malaysia. Photo courtesy of Trevor Sharot.

Bikers and Their Bikes

The bike far left is a Ducatti monster.  Next is a

Suzuki GSXR -R750 (the range is called Gixxer by the bikers; the engine size is the second half of the name.)

The Moto Guzzi is, 'the oldest European manufacturer in continuous production,' their website says. Off the picture is a large bike, which was too big for one of the others to ride. 

After you've done your duty as a traveller and seen all the local stuff, it's sometimes good to relax somewhere familiar and internationally known.

Hard Rock Cafe in Melaka
In Malaysia we visited hired a car in Singapore and took two foreign visitors to Melaka, the tourist hotspot on the west coast. The Hard Rock cafe has pride of place on the central bridge to the main square.

After dinner a couple of us went to the Hard Rock Cafe for a drink. (The other couple shook their heads and raised their eyebrows.)

Desaru
A month later our biker and three friends went for a day's ride up the East Coast. They stopped for a photo at the new Hard Rock hotel at Desaru resort area, all hotels. The Hard Rock Hotel has a swimming pool and breakfast included in the room price.

Other attractions are the sandy beach, a waterpark, golf courses, and trips to the Kota Tinggi waterfall.

Alcohol
Of course, if you are driving a car or riding a bike, you won't want to drink a cocktail. But you might appreciate the food and non-alcoholic drinks and toilets.

Can you drink in Malaysia, although it is a Muslim country? If you are a Westerner, yes. the Chinese restaurants serve beer. Hotels serve alcohol to foreign visitors.

Useful Websites

Flag of Malaysia.

Hard Rock Worldwide
Singapore has a hard Rock hotel on the island of Sentosa.
Since 1979 they have expanded all over the world and plan yet more sites. Currently in 2020 they have 29 hotels, 12 casinos, 184 cafes and 241 rock shops.

Hard Rock Online
If you want to buy online there are tee-shirts in assorted colours with the name of your favourite location such as Amsterdam, Detroit, London. They also sell magnets, mugs, pins, socks, guitars, backpacks, bottle openers, clothes, hats, and jewellery such as ear rings with handing guitar picks.

Other destinations include in the USA, Daytona Beach, Las Vegas, Orlando, Miami and San Diego.
If you want to travel further, there's a choice including Europe, Asia and The Maldives.

Useful Websites
https://www.agoda.com/en-gb/resorts-world-sentosa-hard-rock-hotel/hotel/singapore-sg
https://shop.hardrock.com/en-us/0885575699428/womens-pigment-dye-logo-scoop-tee
https://www.malaysia.travel/en/sg
https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Desaru
Singapore Airlines
singaporeair.com

About The Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.

Wine Theme Finds In The Wine Shop At The Old Bridge Hotel, Huntingdon

The Old Bridge Hotel and Wine Shop, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Problem
Where do you find fun items on a wine theme for yourself or other wine lovers?

Answers
In the USA drive north of San Francisco and you will come to wine country where every few miles you will find vineyards and wine cellars with shops the size of supermarkets. They stock everything you could think of on a wine theme: diaries and tasting books, label printers and removers and albums for labels, tea towels, aprons, corkscrews in every shape, size, colour and design, imitation bottle lamps, barrel tables and chairs.

Over in Europe, in Spain in the city of Haro, capital of the Rioja vineyards region, the shops of Muga and others had a wonderful silk scarf with a bunch of grapes design. A few miles away in a wine museum I found silver bunches of grapes, and vine leaf napkin holders.

On Ebay I hunted for wine jewellery and found tee-shirts, grape theme fabrics made into clothes, aprons.

My bottle and glass ring bought from the internet.

Most wine shops offer one or two items. You just have to keep looking.

My latest find is the Wine Shop at The Bridge Hotel, Huntingdon. Their online wine shop sells their wines, but it's much more fun to visit the wine shop. Sometimes we have been lucky enough to speak the owner, who is a master of wine, other times we saw him wine tasting with a VIP seller or buyer. Other times he has been away on travels, probably wine buying.

At first sight there are not many gifts, but they are in four separate areas. On my last visit, some items were on the rack outside the shop, others by the counter, more in both of the windows.

Hand gels and lotions from the Wine Shop.

Fancy bags for bottles as gifts.

Here are my favourite items from The Wine Shop at The Bridge Hotel:

For sheer amusement, alligator shape bottle openers.

Corkers
Turn your old corks into animals with a kit made by Monkey Business.

Corkers turning corks into animals.

Wine Bottle Candles History.

Imitation Cork Candles

Origami Sets

Tea towels or glass clothes with pretty patterns, and wooden serving platters and te light holders.

Magnetic Animals which pull apart and hold notepaper.

 Bottle and Glass gift packs

Bottles Recycled As Storage Jars With Carved Wood Tops - Each One Individual

Bottle Openers

On the wine shop website I see only bottles of wine for sales, so I presume you have to go to the shop to buy the gifts. Visiting the shop also enables you to buy tastes of wine from the machine, which dispenses wine tastes in two sizes.

We enjoyed a very nice lunch at the Old Bridge Hotel, which we have visited several times. For the first time, prompted by the hotel and wine shop owner, we tried a wine called Grünerveltliner, which is the name of the grape, made by FX Pichler. This is a pricey wine for special occasions. We loved the aroma and taste and bought some from the shop to celebrate our wedding anniversary.

If you are looking for gifts for a birthday, wedding anniversary, Valentine's Day, Xmas, or for hosts at a dinner party, or to amuse your guests:
try these words:
bar accessories
barrel furniture
bottle gifts
bottle lamps
bottle openers
bottle stoppers
carafe
Coravin
corks
cork cutters
cork gifts
grape
Platypus
wine label gifts
wine label remover
wine accessories
wine bottle
wine gifts
wine glass markers
wine glasses
wine saver

Useful Websites
To visit the Old Bridge Hotel wine shop and restaurant and hotel:
http://www.huntsbridge.com
To buy their wine online:
http://www.oldbridgewine.co.uk
Other gadgets from other suppliers:
https://www.bottledandboxed.com/category/476/accessories
visitbritain.com

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. I have written other posts on The Old Bridge Hotel and Restaurant. Please share links to your favourite posts.