Touring Evason Hideaway with Jean-Paul Riby
Woke up 9am EH time (which is an hour ahead of Vietnam time so that guests can take advantage of an extra hour of daylight, saves electricity and gives guests the illusion of having travelled to some far-flung deserted island outside of Vietnam). It was pouring down with rain, but by the time I got to the restaurant for breakfast, the rain had subsided.
Following breakfast, Jean-Paul Riby, the GM, took me on a tour of the resort and its sights. First stop was Hilltop Villa no. 10, which isn't really a villa. It's still supposed to be a secret, so I won't ruin it for everyone here. But suffice it to say, it's stunning. Next stop was the Presidential Villa. Normally, it's easily accessible by boat from the main jetty. But given the morning winds, I opted to walk it. JPR warned me that it would be a bit of a hike, but it was actually a very pleasant walk. The villa has a butler and housekeeper permanently stationed there. There are separate spa, dining and living pavillions (the living can actually double as a second bedroom with en-suite guest bathroom). And then there's the main bedroom and bathroom with a tub that commands a view of pretty much the entire bay. In addition to the swimming pool, there's a ladder for those who like to take a dip in the sea water in the naturally-formed pool below. Poolside would make a great venue for a private dinner party, but so would the main swimming pool with its dramatic bamboo installation.
I had a great chat with JPR, gaining a much great understanding and appreciation for all the work and expense that goes into running a special property such as this, not to mention the constant challenges from have to deliver a high level of service in a remote and unpredictable location with staff that constantly require language and technical training. And imagine the cost of maintaining a vast property such as this: planks on wooden paths and staircases constantly have to be checked and changed if necessary, landscaping is a huge area of maintenance, all the equipment and services (plumbing, sewage, electricity, etc. Basically, they have to be pretty self sufficient. And then, there's the contingency planning for bad weather. Afterall, this is typhoon and tsunami territory (there is a safe-house where guests were recently evacuated to when a typhoon hit and there's a helicopter landing site should guests need to be evacuated off the island). Here, I feel that every cent they charge is justified. The experience they deliver is not an easy one to create nor maintain. Aside from conceptual and environmental reasons, there are practical reasons why the decor is so rustic. When the typhoon hit, all the Rock and Water Villas (the ones right on the water) had to be closed, because all the floors had to be changed. Walking around with JPR, I could tell that he is a very hands-on manager. He chats with guests, greets all his staff with what basic Vietnamese he's learnt since his arrival here six months ago and makes sure his staff are doing things correctly (he sent back the bread basket because it was supposed to be served hot). He tells me that he is very fit from walking around the resort all the time (buggies are only for guests; he has a bike), visiting each villa once a day to make sure everything is in order. He misses his Blackberry. When he was running a property in Bali, he could still attend to emails with his Blackberry while doing his rounds.
After all the talk about this property, we veered towards another topic I'm particularly interested in: developing new properties. In fact, he's scheduled to visit a potential site in Halong Bay for another Evason Hideaway. Evason Hideaway are management contract properties, which means outside investors (usually people with property and the capital to develop it) come to them for ideas on how to develop a marketable resort) whereas Soneva are outrigh owned by the founders of Six Senses. The Evason Hideaway product is their fastest growing; luxury travellers are getting more and more sophisticated. They are looking more for unique and complete experiences rather than just properties with well-designed rooms and the usual five-star facilities and amenities. I actually think there's potential for such a hideaway to be developed in Hong Kong. There are plenty of small islands around Hong Kong. Stressed-out city-slickers would definitely appreciate being transported to a luxurious, yet deserted, island experience for a weekend to unwind and recharge. Hong Kong, being a hub for business and tourist travellers alike from all around the world, offers easy access to such a destination resort. It would be even more convenient than Hakone for Tokyo visitors or Bintan for Singapore visitors. But, at the end of the day, it's all about the bottom line. And I guess the reason why it hasn't been done already (remember, Sanctuary Resorts toyed with the idea a few years back with a project around Sai Kung) has to do with the fact that its hard to make such a property deliver the level of returns and in a time span with which investors would be happy. Costs in Hong Kong are simply too high. So in the meantime, we have to fly at least 3 hours to get to a little piece of paradise.
Following breakfast, Jean-Paul Riby, the GM, took me on a tour of the resort and its sights. First stop was Hilltop Villa no. 10, which isn't really a villa. It's still supposed to be a secret, so I won't ruin it for everyone here. But suffice it to say, it's stunning. Next stop was the Presidential Villa. Normally, it's easily accessible by boat from the main jetty. But given the morning winds, I opted to walk it. JPR warned me that it would be a bit of a hike, but it was actually a very pleasant walk. The villa has a butler and housekeeper permanently stationed there. There are separate spa, dining and living pavillions (the living can actually double as a second bedroom with en-suite guest bathroom). And then there's the main bedroom and bathroom with a tub that commands a view of pretty much the entire bay. In addition to the swimming pool, there's a ladder for those who like to take a dip in the sea water in the naturally-formed pool below. Poolside would make a great venue for a private dinner party, but so would the main swimming pool with its dramatic bamboo installation.
I had a great chat with JPR, gaining a much great understanding and appreciation for all the work and expense that goes into running a special property such as this, not to mention the constant challenges from have to deliver a high level of service in a remote and unpredictable location with staff that constantly require language and technical training. And imagine the cost of maintaining a vast property such as this: planks on wooden paths and staircases constantly have to be checked and changed if necessary, landscaping is a huge area of maintenance, all the equipment and services (plumbing, sewage, electricity, etc. Basically, they have to be pretty self sufficient. And then, there's the contingency planning for bad weather. Afterall, this is typhoon and tsunami territory (there is a safe-house where guests were recently evacuated to when a typhoon hit and there's a helicopter landing site should guests need to be evacuated off the island). Here, I feel that every cent they charge is justified. The experience they deliver is not an easy one to create nor maintain. Aside from conceptual and environmental reasons, there are practical reasons why the decor is so rustic. When the typhoon hit, all the Rock and Water Villas (the ones right on the water) had to be closed, because all the floors had to be changed. Walking around with JPR, I could tell that he is a very hands-on manager. He chats with guests, greets all his staff with what basic Vietnamese he's learnt since his arrival here six months ago and makes sure his staff are doing things correctly (he sent back the bread basket because it was supposed to be served hot). He tells me that he is very fit from walking around the resort all the time (buggies are only for guests; he has a bike), visiting each villa once a day to make sure everything is in order. He misses his Blackberry. When he was running a property in Bali, he could still attend to emails with his Blackberry while doing his rounds.
After all the talk about this property, we veered towards another topic I'm particularly interested in: developing new properties. In fact, he's scheduled to visit a potential site in Halong Bay for another Evason Hideaway. Evason Hideaway are management contract properties, which means outside investors (usually people with property and the capital to develop it) come to them for ideas on how to develop a marketable resort) whereas Soneva are outrigh owned by the founders of Six Senses. The Evason Hideaway product is their fastest growing; luxury travellers are getting more and more sophisticated. They are looking more for unique and complete experiences rather than just properties with well-designed rooms and the usual five-star facilities and amenities. I actually think there's potential for such a hideaway to be developed in Hong Kong. There are plenty of small islands around Hong Kong. Stressed-out city-slickers would definitely appreciate being transported to a luxurious, yet deserted, island experience for a weekend to unwind and recharge. Hong Kong, being a hub for business and tourist travellers alike from all around the world, offers easy access to such a destination resort. It would be even more convenient than Hakone for Tokyo visitors or Bintan for Singapore visitors. But, at the end of the day, it's all about the bottom line. And I guess the reason why it hasn't been done already (remember, Sanctuary Resorts toyed with the idea a few years back with a project around Sai Kung) has to do with the fact that its hard to make such a property deliver the level of returns and in a time span with which investors would be happy. Costs in Hong Kong are simply too high. So in the meantime, we have to fly at least 3 hours to get to a little piece of paradise.
posted by 10000miles at 19:01
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