24 Hours in Taipei: Les Suites Da-An, Shintori, ppaper

Was in Taipei this weekend to check out the Grand View exhibition at the National Palace Museum that just re-opened in December after a major renovation. The renovation was a bit of a disappointment (the exhibition spaces still feel cramped), but the Northern Sung dynasty calligraphy and Ju Ware bowls and vases were incredible. These pieces were some of the most valuable treasures from the Imperial collections. I was very impressed with the beauty and perfection of the Ju Wares (It actually made me lament how Chinese manufacturing's reputation has gone downhill in the last 1,000 years. Where has all that pride and appreciation for perfection and beauty gone?). Only 70-odd complete pieces left in the world and the NPM has 21 of them. It's the first time, in a long time, that these pieces have been shown. But of all the works, it was the calligraphy that really moved me. There's a lot of beauty and sophistication in Chinese characters. In the pieces on display, there was a feeling of soulfulness, and even a sense of freedom, in the calligraphy that seems rarely expressed in contemporary Chinese culture. Grand View runs until 25 March 2007. But due to the fragility of certain pieces, there will be a rotation of 12 of the 76 works on 8 February 2007.

I stayed at Les Suites Da-An, which is great value for money. I booked a Corner Suite for around USD180 inclusive a great buffet breakfast spread. The location is also very convenient, within walking distance to the 24-hour (the great thing about Taipei is that so many things are open 24 hours!) Eslite Bookshop, which has the most awesome international magazine selection I've ever seen. I found copies of Arizona Foothills (I grew up in Arizona, so there was a moment of nostagia) for sale, imagine that! Anyway, back to Les Suites. The coolest thing there was the mobile phone provided in each room. Basically, if someone calls you in your room and you're not there, the call will get forwarded to that mobile phone. The phone also has the front desk on speed dial, at no charge! So not only is it a very reasonably-priced hotel with all the in-room amenities of a 5-star hotel including in-room fax machine and separate bathtub and shower (well, at least in the Corner Suite), they also provide a convenient way to save on your mobile roaming charges.

The most complete set of working desk accessories I've seen in a boutique hotel and even many luxury 5-star hotels -- stapler, razor, ruler, paper clips, adapter etc.

The handy mobile

The gym, while very simply equipped with a rack of free weights and three cardio machines, was very comfortable and had complimentary bottled water and towels on hand.


It's these little touches (like fresh flowers and fruits in the rooms and daily weather cards on the breakfast tables) that make Les Suites a great boutique hotel. Was having lunch with EC and he suggested I check out Ambience Hotel next time, but don't think the location is as good as Da-An and on first glance, the decor tries a bit too hard.

As per PW's recommendation, I had a great Japanese dinner at Shintori (B1, No. 80, Section 1 Jian-Guo Road, Taipei; T: +886 2 25017000). Had kaiseki+shabu shabu+sushi+sashimi. The fish was incredibly fresh. They have a lot of private rooms that accommodate two to many diners. But I like being at the sushi counter; it's always fun to chat with the sushi chef.

On Sunday, had a great breakfast with Kat at N.Y. Bagels Cafe within walking distance of the hotel before heading to Museum of Tomorrow, a contemporary art project organized by ppaper (Kat is the editor of the magazine and we had just gotten a mention in issue no. 36 of the magazine). The current exhibition is an interactive installation entitled "theFLOWmarket" by Danish designer Mads Hagstrom of theFLOWinstitute. It's interactive, because visitors can buy the products that promote sustainable growth in theFLOWmarket. It's a cool concept and the Museum of Tomorrow is a great temporary exhibition space. There's a cafe and ppaper has a small shop on site (ppaper's permanent shop is at 1/F, No. 2, Lane 26, Section 2 Zhongshan N Road, Taipei 104; T: +886 2 25681779).


theFLOWmarket runs until 28 February 2007. The next exhibition, Happy Living, runs from 22 March to 17 May 2007. Entrance is free and the Museum of Tomorrow is open 24 hours.





Other shops of interest:
Booday (No. 18-1, Lane 25, Nanjing West Road, Taipei 103; T: +886 2 2552 5552) -- Shop and simple cafe opened by designers. Sells mostly funky design T-shirts and accessories, leaning more towards the girlie side.

The One (No. 30, Section 2 Zhongshan N Road, Taipei 104; T: +886 2 25363050) -- Ceramics and a nice afternoon tea spot.
Mister Donut (various locations, check website) -- This Japanese donut chain serves up a variation of donuts that are less sweet than Krispy Kreme's. Love their slightly chewy Pon De Rings!
and soon to open in March is agnes b.'s travel concept store, maison sur l'eau...

Lights! Camera! Action!

Came back from Taipei to my office yesterday evening. It was transformed into a bustling movie set. Directing was Eric Kot, acting were one half of the Twins duo, Charlene Choi and Kevin Cheng Ka-wing. The movie, "The King of Fans" (working title), is scheduled for release around Easter. Peggy Seto, who along with Teresa Wong was helping out by keeping an eye on our office and the 30-strong crew, took these photos (more on her flickr page):

Whole new level of home spa: Miami's Ten Museum Park

Was researching clinical spa for Little Cream Book: Health today and going through Clinique La Prairie's website for details of their Rejuvenation Programme when I saw their press release about their new Chad Oppenheim-designed Ten Museum Park (across from the work-in-progress, Herzog & de Meuron-designed Miami Art Museum), a Clinique La Prairie "Lifestyle Residence", a term that's bound to become this decade's "boutique/design hotel". But I'm a sucker for lifestyle concepts and I love the whole idea of bringing CLP's wellness regimes into your very own condo block. Although it did not appear that they would have any of the more hardcore medical aspects of CLP's practice on premise such as the CLP extract therapy, which involves injecting live sheep embryo cells into your bottom. Ten Museum Park also advertises the privilege of VIP access to Miami's hottest scenes. Condo prices start from US$400,000 to more than 10 times that.

But what I'm really looking for is a residence that is a marriage of Aman's aesthetics and pampering with Mayo Clinic's medical expertise and facilities in a stunningly-beautiful location.

Chocolate Fondue Fiesta

Every year, around this time, I go ga-ga for fondue. It used to be...well, it sort of still is...a tradition that I have cheese fondue for my birthday. I prefer having it at home, as opposed to stuffy Chesa at Peninsula. There's something about fondue that makes it happy party food, even more so than shabu shabu, Chinese hot pot or other communal-cooking variations. It's probably just because it reminds me of skiing.

I just got Chocolate Unlimited's email flyer about their Fondue au Chocolat range of handy, in-a-microwaveable-jar, chocolate fondues. It's easy:
1. Select from 10 flavours or select them all (I want to try Dark 70% Cocoa, Dark & Rum, Dark & Ginger and Dark & Amaretto)
2. Zap it in the microwave for 2 minutes
3. Voila! Enjoy with fresh strawberries, biscuits, dried fruits, nuts, pretzels, ridged potato chips...whatever you fancy. It stays liquid for 45 minutes, but chances are it'll all be gone before then.

I want to have a chocolate fondue tasting/James Bond card game (DY's designed a brilliant deck of James Bond theme cards, 210 cards in all covering 21 Bond movies and 10 suits ranging from "The Fling", "The Gadget", "The Car" etc. There are different ways to play the cards, one of the ways is to play it like Go Fish!) evening. All that sugar will keep us up playing till morning, I'm sure. Maybe I'll bring it to Cortina over Chinese New Year. Just in case there's no snow. Pleeeaaasse let it snow, let it dump, let it dump!!!

Fondue au Chocolat @ Chocolate Unlimited
2/F Exclusivities
1 Duddell Street
Central, Hong Kong
T: +852 2526 7992

Bunny Talk: Nabaztag

I refrained from posting on this cool little bunny last month so that my brother wouldn't find out prematurely what his Christmas present was. I fell in love with the bunny at Kapok when I was meeting Arnault Castel to see if he would be interested in distributing Little Cream Book in Asia since his company already distributes Moleskine notebooks and soon their city notebooks (more on these cool create-your-own-guidebook notebooks later).


I found Nabaztag, the smartest little bunny, sitting on the shelf at Kapok. At first, I wasn't quite sure what to make of it. But then Arnault elaborated on his (or her, depending on your preference) many talents. Aside from being able to read you your emails, update you on stock prices in your portfolio or tell you the latest scores for your favourite sports teams, what I love about the smart, little bunny is that it's a great way to communicate. I just sent my first message to my brother's bunny yesterday. And then I sent another two. And I was notified that he listened to each of my messages an average of three times. Basically, here's how it works. My brother first has to give his bunny a name and then registers its existence on nabaztag.com. He then tells me the bunny's name. I go to nabaztag.com, look up his bunny and then type in my message. After I click send, half way across the world, the bunny will read out my message in whatever voice my brother has chosen (there's one of a woman speaking in a French accent). I'm waiting for Nabaztag/tag, which has a belly-button that's actually a microphone. With that, you can speak your message into your bunny and it can be played on another bunny. It's super cool! Then there's all this other cute stuff like making bunnies move their ears or flash the same colours on their bellies. But the coolest bit for me is the messaging. It's just a quick and endearing way of telling people elsewhere in the world (could be just next door or on another continent) that you're thinking about them.

In addition to the smart, little bunny, Kapok sells all sorts of cool stuff from young designers from Hong Kong and elsewhere. There's a great selection of music, T-shirts and other gift items and accessories such as candles, jewellry, handbags, stationery etc. It reminds me of the Colette of old.





Nabaztag available @ Kapok
g/f 9 dragon road
tin hau, hong kong
t: +852 2549 9254

If you're flying American Airlines...

...check out the little blurb on Little Cream Book in the 15 January 2007 issue of American Way, American Airlines' in-flight magazine!

Differences skis

I went and picked up a pair of Differences skis, which were recommended to me. They are handmade in Vorarlberg, which is nearby. All I can say is that they really improved my skiing. I am an intermediate skier. These skis allowed me to whiz down slopes with the maximum of confidence. When Philip at SportAlp asked me how good a skier I am and I replied, "Intermediate", he gave me this quizical look as if to say, "Are you sure you want these skis?". Only later, when I was returning them did another guy tell me that they are skis for expert racers. Well, I felt like a racer today. Other skis usually start to rattle a bit when I go fast, which makes me feel insecure so I slow down. But these skis were so still as I raced down slope after slope. Of course, the packed pistes were also the perfect condition for this kind of skiing, but I do believe these skis made all the difference!

Lech: Hotel Almhof Schneider, Allmeinde Commongrounds

On my favourite run: Rufikopf from Lech to Zurs

Woke up at 3:30am and couldn't get back to sleep. Not sure if it's jetlag or the fact that I can't wait for the day to start so that I can go get a pair of Differences skis to try on my last day of skiing before I head back home tomorrow. Gerold Schneider, owner of Hotel Almhof Schneider, told me I should try them since I like zai skis, of which EN (my INSEAD section-mate) was the founding CEO. I fell in love with zai skis the first time I tried them in Verbier. Differences, Gerold told me, are produced in Vorarlberg nearby.

I met Gerold and his lovely wife Katya yesterday. Have been a fan of their establishments here in Lech for some time. In addition to the hotel, they also own Schneggarai and Klosterle in Zug (Not knowing the family connection, my friends had actually booked my b-day dinner at Klosterle last night). Recently, they converted an old barn into Allmeinde Commongrounds, an art exhibition space/office/library/artist residence. The couple are both trained as architects and they have been working on revamping the family hotel for the past 10 years and Gerold thinks he'll still be working on it for the next time years; Katya reckons five though. They've put in a mini cinema/puppet theatre, a beautiful wine tasting room/cellar, children's playroom complete with Playstation. Their ski boot room is the most beautiful I've seen yet. Each ski boot locker has two sets of boot warmers. The lockers are made from rose oak. They've also revamped the swimming pool, one of the restaurants and the rooms. Most of their 52 rooms are suites and my favourite feature is the huge changing room/closet.

But actually, I was dying to see Allmeinde Commongrounds. So I was really excited to get a call from Gerold yesterday morning (I was meaning to pop by, but he knew where I was staying at Hotel Madlochblick right behind his hotel and found out from Andrea, the hostess, that I had already arrived. That's what I love about Lech, the small town, everyone-knows-everyone, feeling). I met Gerold at the hotel and then we walked up to Allmeinde Commongrounds to meet Katya. My photos don't really do the place justice. Hopefully, I can get some better ones before I leave. The style is minimal, as though it was trying not to intrude on the beauty of the surrounding, while keeping its aesthetic essence of its former life as a barn. It's beautifully conceived and its visual simplicity belies the functional complexity of the building.


The first floor contains an office space, a library with a long table that seems to extend all the way into the snowy slope outside and a serious kitchen (for catering functions). The second floor is an exhibition space. On the right side is a wall of some thickness. I just thought it was storage space behind the wall for hanging artwork. But then, Gerold started to transform the whole rectangular block into a home. Panels opened out to reveal a mini kitchen, storage, toilet, bathroom with shower and sink, a large work desk with desktop computer and a double bed! Quite clever!



Their original idea was to have an artist-in-residence, but they have not found one yet. Currently, there is an exhibition of photographs by Margherita Spiluttini. The space is open most afternoons until 6pm or so. Katya works out of the office most of the time and welcomes visitors. Allmeinde is actually a word that refers to common land that the local community could send their animals to graze.

My Klosterle birthday cake

St Christoph: Hospiz Alm for wine lovers

Had dinner at Hospiz Alm in St Christoph last night. Their wine cellar is the most amazing one I've seen so far. It's stocked full of large-sized bottles of some of the most amazing wines -- Magnums (1.5L), Double Magnums (3L), Jeroboams (4.5L), Imperials (6L), Salmanazars (9L), Balthazars (12L) and Nebuchadnezars (15L). I saw Double Magnums of 1996 Providence that surely would have gotten SW or AL excited. Food was good too; ordered their duck served two ways and their spare ribs, but way too much food.

VCP on the slopes of Lech

OK, so the runs are a bit brown here in Lech, but the skies are blue and the air is fresh. To top it off, they've built Frozen, an icebar by the top of Schlegelkopf. It's a cool, both literally and figuratively, promo for VCP. Moet Hennessy's one of my favourite clients, with a stable of my favourite Champagne products (VCP & Krug) so was very happy to be sipping VCP Rose after a slushy afternoon!

Monte Carlo: Columbus Hotel, Monte Carlo Travel Market

Just arrived Zurich airport after a too-short stay in beautiful Monte Carlo, where it was a warm, sunny blue-sky 15C. Was at the Grimaldi Forum as a hosted buyer for the Monte Carlo Travel Market, a small, manageable luxury travel trade show featuring luxurious hotels and resorts as well as other travel services such as private yacht and jet charters, specialty operators such as high-end heli-ski operator in Chile or safaris in Africa. Nothing really new or out of the ordinary expect the Chilean heli-ski outfit, which I am keen to try one summer.

Stayed at Columbus Hotel, which was surprisingly good value for money in this town where a 5-minute taxi ride will set you back 12Euro. Jean-Paul at Evason Hideaway in Nha Trang, who himself is from Nice, recommended Columbus. I stayed in a deluxe double, which had a lovely sea view:



The rate was 215 Euro, all inclusive; it even included my room service Continental Breakfast, which I had ordered at 4:30 in the morning, because I couldn't sleep. The rooms are comfortable; the bathroom even has double vanity, though no separate tub & shower.


My one grip is that there is no in-room wifi and the television internet system wasn't working (well, at least I couldn't get the remote keyboard to work and I never really like using these systems anyway). Also, the rooms aren't meant for reading or working, because the lighting is just too soft. Their motto is: Live Life Love Life. And along with the snacks in the minibar, you'll find a pleasure kit courtesy of Columbus. The most refreshing thing about Columbus were the extremely friendly and helpful staff, not in a stuffy way either, they actually chat with you. Everyone from the front desk staff to the concierge were very welcoming. I think I've just been disappointed one too many times by pretentious, I'm-too-cool-for-you, staff at so-called designer/boutique hotels.

Gotta run...battery is running low on my laptop (Stupid me, forgot to bring power cord. Can someone please make buying Apple accessories such as power cords more accessible? I went to fnac at the Metropole and they told me that my best bet would be to go to Nice, but even then, no guarantees!).

I LOVE Apple's iPhone!!!

Woke up this morning to the most AWESOME news (and not just because APPL's share price shot up by more than 8%)! The only thing I'm not happy about is that it won't be in stores until at least June 2007!!! Be sure to check out Steve Job's iPhone intro on Apple's site (here's the link to keynote). Apple's partnered with all the big names on this phone: Yahoo! Mail, Google maps among others to "put the internet in your pocket". I can't believe Jerry Yang of Yahoo and Eric Schmidt of Google shared Apple's stage together. True collaboration!! Thanks Steve! Apple truly makes my life more wonderful.

Funny: Overheard in New York

I can't believe I didn't hear about this site from my NYC friends. Instead, I heard about Overheard in New York over Japanese lunch in Hong Kong with AW, who heard about it from JC, who's Dutch and is addicted to the site. Basically, people post tidbits of conversations they've overheard. Some pretty funny stuff.

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.

Nha Trang: Evason Hideaway at Ana Mandara

"Where are you going to next?" asked the girl at Nam Hai's front desk. Nha Trang, I replied. "Oh, it will be sunny there," she said. Well, it's not exactly sunny here. But then again, it's not raining either. It is very windy though. The journey to Evason Hideaway at Ana Mandara involves a hour-long car ride and a 20-minute speedboat ride, which was a bit choppy ('tis the season of restless seas). During the speedboat ride, I was having doubts about the suitability of this property for the group of 25 executives for which I was scouting out the property for their April retreat. I even started working through Nam Hai as the back-up option.

My doubts were laid to rest the moment I saw the approach. If Robinson Crusoe or the crew of Gilligan's Island were to set up shop and open up a luxury resort on a deserted island with all the amenities of a luxury hotel (including in-room broadband access and an iPod mini piping music through an in-room sound system that encompasses the toilet), Evason Hideaway is how it should be. While the decor is rustic, the service is incredibly attentive. There are 58 villas, all with private pool and butler. The peak-season rack rate for a beach pool villa is currently US$817++.

As I disemberked from the speedboat, I, along with the other arriving guests, was greeted by both the general manager of the property and the assistant general manager. I was then greeted by my butler, My, who walked me to my beach pool villa and explained how the resort worked (i.e. where the restaurant, pool and spa are) and all the amenities in the room (there's an in-room wine fridge). Each villa comes with its own bicycles for guests to get around the resort. Of course, one can always walk or call a buggy, but I find biking a lot more fun and time efficient.

I had made an online booking for a massage at the spa just yesterday. My reminded me of my appointment and came to pick me up from the swimming pool bar, where I was having a late lunch, when it came time to head to the spa. Having just come from Nam Hai, the spa facilities and experience seemed a bit more basic. Changing rooms are separate from the treatment rooms and treatments are not ritualized (for example, there isn't the usual foot bath with welcome tea that one has come to expect these days. But afterwards in the spa reception, tea and fruit platter were served).

Am looking forward to touring the island tomorrow, scouting interesting sites for lunches, dinners and perhaps even a Survivor-like game or a Lost-like game where the group is broken up into two teams, one hunting for the other. Am also toying with the idea of having the group race around in those bowl-shaped fishing boats. But first, they have to figure out how to get into them. Jean-Paul Riby, the GM, laughed when he recounted how difficult it was for him to get into one. Even though it's an island unto itself, there's plenty to do on the island alone not to mention all the other activities available in Nha Trang. There's all the watersports equipment (including a PADI dive center), yoga and other holistic health sessions, challenging mountain trekking, tennis, cooking class etc.

NOTE: photos to follow.

Hoi An: Nam Hai

Landing in Danang was a welcome change from Hanoi; at least there were pockets of blue sky peeking out from the rain clouds. The ride from Danang airport to Nam Hai took less than 30 minutes, though it wasn't particularly exciting. Nam Hai is about 10 km from Hoi An, an important trading port dating back to the 15th century, that has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. My Son and Hue are two other UNESCO World Heritage Sites that are easily doable as day excursions.

Nam Hai is currently in soft opening phase; they started taking bookings on 1 December 2006. So they're still working through the teething phase. So I would expect them to be able to work through any of my criticisms that follow within 6 months or so (weather-wise, the best time to visit Hoi An will be in summer when the China Sea is calm and the rainy season has gone).

Construction of many of the pool villas is still to be completed. They are expected to be completed by March 2007. Rack rates for the villas go up in April 2007. Currently, the rack rate for a one-bedroom villa without private pool is USD300++. By April, they will be USD550++. All of the bedrooms are the same layout: sitting area, a raised platform area with bed (with a view of the beach and China Sea), desk, sitting area and bathtub that's all under a canopy and a bathroom with indoor and outdoor showers, double vanity and two dressing areas. For those who prefer not to have the bathroom in the living area, there are a select few villas with the bathtub moved into the bathroom. These villas are more conventional looking and do not have an outdoor shower. The pool villas with multiple bedrooms add a private courtyard, kitchen/butler's building, dining and living pavilion, pool (the size of the pool for a one-bedroom villa is 4mx14m with the 3, 4, 5-bedroom villa pools slightly larger) and lawn. Most have easy beach access.



I actually love the design of the rooms; they're lots of fun with a slight nod to the Japanese tatami room concept. It being soft opening phase, several things were still missing from the list of in-room amenities found in their brochures such as the Bose sound system, wi-fi (although each room has its own modem for high-speed broadband internet access via cable) and iPod with sound dock system. There's no DVD player or DVD library. The toilet had a jack for a phone, but there's no phone yet. But I'm sure it's just a matter of time that these things will be sorted out. The staff, while still green, try very hard to please. They're extremely friendly and have a great attitude, which bodes well for the property as it matures. The one thing that I hope will go away really soon are the flies and mosquitoes. YW, the director of sales, told me that apparently all the new properties goes through a phase of attracting lots of flies and the mosquitoes are attracted to all the new water features such the lagoon, the three large swimming pools, ponds etc. In the meantime though, they really should put nets over the plates of fresh fruit at the breakfast buffet.

The spa is the highlight and a real treat. Each private spa pavilion accomodates two and has it's own changing room, toilet, steam/shower room and a separate pavilion with bathtub and daybed that opens up to the lagoon. I had a soak in the milk and rose-petal-filled tub after my spa treatment and with a tray of tea, fruit skewers and cookies at hand.

The Hoi An area is still very young as a luxury travel destination, but with three UNESCO World Heritage sites and a beautiful, sandy beach, it has the potential to become another Bali given more investment and exposure, which Nam Hai will no doubt bring. However, the problem Nam Hai may face is that it is charging very close to Aman prices (Aman's Bali resorts' suites currently start from US$675++ per night; Nam Hai, of course, is a GHM Hotel, which is the sister group of Aman) while not quite offering the Aman level of service (for example, I never met the property's general manager or assistant general manager during my stay) or their focus on personalized experiences. And since Hoi An is such a young destination, they will have to invest a bit of time and creativity into creating and delivering such experiences, which are not yet on offer.

Nam Hai and Hoi An have all the potential to become a wonderful, luxury beach-side escape & cultural destination. But definitely, a lot more work is required to create the right atmosphere and buzz. Right now, it's just the villas and the beach.

NOTE: more photos to follow, problems uploading photos right now.

Catching-Up: Casino Royale New Year's Eve

Trying to catch up on my posts since I now have a much better internet connection here in Hanoi. The newspapers said that the submarine cable won't be completely repaired until the end of this month, which means internet traffic in Hong Kong will remain spotty.

The Casino Royale, black-tie New Year's Eve was a blast! I had arrived a day ahead of the group (7 others), fully expecting to have time on the morning of the 31st to go check out the Cotai strip area. Of course, that did not happen. I spent the entire day at Wynn. I had a bit of a frustrating morning. First of all, I found out, while I was huffing and puffing away on the treadmill, that hotel guests (even guests of their suites!) are charged MOP60++ for use of their gym! That's right, even if you're paying HK$6,000++ for a suite, they will still charge for use of their gym. That just seems so preposterous and petty to me.

Next, the front desk staff told me it would be impossible for them to tell me in advance what the room numbers would be for my friends until they actually checked in! I need to know to make sure they would get their "mission brief" on check-in so they would know what the game was and where they were supposed to meet for cocktails and dinner. Incidentally, the game was for each Bond-to-be to acquire his 2 kills by correctly identifying their targets (2 profile clues were given for each target) and make the targets "self-destruct" by leading them into using specific words in the course of the evening's conversation. Words were all bondgirl names (i.e. Christmas, as in Christmas Jones or Paris, as in Paris Carver or Honey, as in Honey Ryder). Only 2 of the 7 guests managed to achieve 00 status, most only got 1 kill.

By afternoon, once I had moved into the suite (got upgraded to a lakeview suite after a few exasperated calls about being on a non-smoking floor when there would be several cigar smokers), things got noticeably better as group after group of managers and directors filed through the suite to check on things. From that point on, everything worked out magically. The table was beautifully-set and I had my iPod, which contained the soundtrack to the original Casino Royale film plugged into the suite's iHome unit. I had time to get my nails, hair and make-up done in the Salon downstairs before everyone arrived.


By 7:15pm, all 8 of us were in the suite with everyone trying to lead their targets into work in words like Tiffany, Solitaire or Jinx into normal conversation. MP played bar tender and poured the Champagne for the kir royales. We sat down to a lovely dinner of :

Chef’s Maine Lobster Platter

Sashimi, Cured, Shooter, Fritter

*****

Foam of Chestnut with Périgord Black Truffle

Poached Winter Vegetables

*****

Seared Hokkaido Sea Scallop

Roast Asparagus Spears, and Chilled Tomato Essence

*****

The Showcase of French Duckling

Supreme, Confit, Foie Gras, Gizzard

*****

Crispy Roast Wagyu Beef Scotch Fillet

Baked Portobello Mushrooms and Wilted Spinach

*****

Trufficulteur’s BBQ

Warm Cambazola Cheese, Polaine Bread Croustillant

*****

New Year Dessert Fireworks

*****

Café

Chocolate Cigar

I was very impressed with the dinner service, which was executed seamlessly and flawlessly. The food was wonderful, especially considering that it had to come up all the way from the kitchen to the 23rd floor. Plates and silverware were cleared and replaced with each course with a minimum of fuss. Our glasses were constantly refilled, yet the staff were not intrusive. By 10:30pm, we had finished our cheese course and decided to move to the second part of the game. The "Treasury" was funding their low-stakes Blackjack game with a HK$100 chip with the goal obviously being to win as much as possible by 11:45pm. We got back up to the suite, which in the meantime had been cleared of the dinner table and had its original furniture returned, just in time for the countdown by the performance lake. With the ringing in of 2007, dessert and Champagne were served.

With the group's collective winnings, we decided to bet it all on one hand of blackjack. So we quickly scoffed down our dessert and headed back to the casino. With HK$1,600 on the table, the first hand dealt for 2007 was BLACKJACK! And so the new year began with a win.

Dusty Hanoi: Sofitel Metropole

Arrived in dusty Hanoi and was greeted by a familiar smell. The city and its taxis smell like China! The traffic is even more chaotic than China though -- cars constantly sounding their horns, motorcyclists weaving in-and-out of lines of cars that don't all stay in their lanes, slow-moving cyclos that glide along at their own tranquil pace seemingly oblivious to the hustle and bustle around them and the pedestrians that dart into the street as if they were protected by forcefields.

Sofitel Metropole was a welcome respite. I got a room (USD390++; I only booked it through Sofitel's website yesterday.) in the newly-refurbished opera wing. On check-in, they even give you a bouquet of cream-coloured calla lilies. While not particularly large, the room is comfortable and well-thought out, though it doesn't meet JR's standard of hotel luxury (i.e. no separate bathtub and shower). There's ample desk space and the broadband cable works (US$15/24 hours). There's supposed to be wi-fi in the public areas, but have not yet tested it.



Service in this hotel is efficient and good. The staff show initiative. I was looking for the hotel gift shop to buy magazines and newspapers to read during my lunch and the staff suggested that I could read the magazines available in the bar. The menu didn't have pho or vietnamese coffee and the waiter offered to see if it could be made (it could be). Fresh fruit was delivered to the room, followed by fresh-cut red roses for the room and bathroom. Come turn-down time, there was a platter of chocolates and the next day's weather. All a nice change having just come from Wynn Macau, where the rooms are large and well-appointed (the iHome console for your iPod was my fave), but their insistence on charging MOP60++ for use of the gym struck me as really petty and the front desk staff often seem lost and flustered rather than helpful. With new hotels tending to focus more on decor and ambience, it's nice to see that service is still important at some hotels. Granted, Sofitel Metropole's been around for a while, so the staff are much more experienced.

I visited Art Vietnam Gallery and came across a beautiful scroll painting by Nguyen Minh Thanh called Ace Diamond from his "Playing Cards" series. Unfortunately for me, at USD8,000, that painting cost more 3 times what most of his other pieces cost. I asked the woman at the gallery about the price differential and she explained that the artist usually sets the price and that painting was one of his favourites. Major bummer.

Then I headed to the Old Quarter and shopped around Nha Tho for a bit before flagging a cyclo for the obligatory tourist ride around town, which cost VND100,000 (around USD6.25 for a 30-minute ride). Am sure I paid the tourist price, but the guy deserves it. All that high-risk peddling and breathing in all the dust and fumes.

WooHoo! FREE Wi-Fi at HKIA!!

walking to gate 45 to board flight to hanoi. just noticed sign
advertising pccw's free airport-wide wi-fi (doesn't work on the
underground train shuttling passengers to the far end of the terminal
though). this is so cool! finally no more paying super high wi-fi
charges while grabbing a starbucks.

Happy New Year from Wynn Macau!

It's 2007! The Casino Royale New Year's Eve at Wynn Macau was a blast. Everyone looked great in black tie. The game was fun. The table setting in the suite overlooking the lake and the performance lake below was beautiful. About to check out now and head out for brunch, so more later...