Ultra-luxe Phuket resort in the making

I know I'm probably not supposed to be blogging (or in this case, blabbing) about this, but the highlight of my Phuket trip was visiting A&K's stunning home (not to mention, being introduced to a beautiful new toy: the Azimut 43S), which is going to be part of a large, ultra-luxe resort project set high up on a hill overlooking the ocean (made me think of Ubud, but with ocean views and only a 10-minute drive from the ocean). It's going to be a residence concept resort; each residence being a compound of separate living and sleeping pavilions with own gardens, pool and magnificent views. Can't wait! But it's still early stages yet; we're talking at least 2-3 years down the pipeline.



If you're ever in need of a good architect, check out Naga Concepts.

Detox Weekend @ Aleenta Phuket-Phangnga

Sunset from my Ocean View Residence plunge pool. All that was missing was the toxicating Mojito.

It's pretty much human nature that the moment you tell people that they can't have something, then that's the one thing they suddenly want. And so it was when I started my 48-hour detox (it's not really enough time to do an effective detox, but it was a way for me to figure out whether it was something I or my clients would want to spend a week doing). Friday morning, at around 9:30am, I had my last non-detox meal -- my usual Starbucks drink, a Prêt-a-Manger egg salad and sundried tomoatoes baguette and citrus fruit salad. By the time I got to the airport for the 1440 Dragonair flight to Phuket, I was already sms-ing friends that I was hungry. Granted, I had just done 45-minutes on the treadmill (just enough time to watch an episode of House, a show that PT got me into). By the time I got on the plane, even the airplane food (a choice of dim sum or seafood rice served with haagen dazs ice cream) was looking really appealing.

I landed in Phuket at 1705 and was at Aleenta by 1800. I had dragged PT along to keep me company during my detox and she had arrived a day earlier. However, I wasn't able to convince her to join me on the detox. But apparently, all the staff at Aleenta had been trying to detox her from the moment she arrived! PT had booked an in-residence foot and scalp massage for me at 1900. After that, we went down to the restaurant for dinner. If you ever decide to go on a detox trip, make sure the person going with you is doing the detox as well! Because as I was eating my steamed vegetables wrapped in rice paper roll, she was having a tuna tartare and papaya & shrimp salad. She also told me how good her other meals had been (though expensive!).

The next morning, we woke up for our 7am yoga session with our yoga instructor who never introduced himself. It's always nice to do yoga with the view of the ocean in front of you. It was a fairly easy-going and relaxing class, although not the most inspiring. Turns out that he met one of my favourite Pure Yoga instructors, Patrick Creelman, when Patrick was at Aleenta for holiday. Following yoga, PT and I headed to breakfast. She got to have pain au chocolat with coffee, orange juice, fruit yogurt and fruit, while I got all-you-can-drink carrot-garlic-ginger juice (I actually don't like carrot juice at all. When I do drink it, it has to be mixed with something like apple juice), a cold vegetable soup (mainly cucumber and yogurt) that I didn't really have much of, and fruit. No coffee!!

After breakfast, we retired by the plunge pool, PT with her well-worn copy of June's issue of Vanity Fair (I got to hear entertaining bits and pieces from Ronald Reagan's Presidential diaries) while I flipped through the latest issue of Vogue for motivation. All to the tunes of sugary, beach holiday pop (Paris Hilton's Stars are Blind, Bee Gees' How Deep Is Your Love, Madonna's Holiday...) blaring from the iPod Bose speakers (I still think the sound quality of Altec Lansing speakers are much better than Bose). At 11am, we had our massage session (a Thai massage is part of the detox package). The massage therapists are all well-trained and have a good touch. After massage, it was time for lunch. I had a steamer full of plain, steamed vegetables without any seasoning, served with a sweet and refreshing juice mixture (it was written down as "Natural Thai Diet Juice"). PT, on the other hand, had chicken satay and pomelo salad. As I was enviously eyeing her pomelo salad, I mentioned, "Would it have been so unhealthy for them to add some fried shallots to the steamed vegetables?" To which, PT quickly pointed out: "But they're fried!".

The rest of the afternoon was spent chilling poolside until we went for a villa tour at 1630. I was supposed to have a meditation/relaxation session in the afternoon, but decided that chilling by the plunge pool was relaxing enough and cancelled the session. We were originally booked into an Ocean View Loft, but on arrival, we were upgraded to a 2-bedroom Ocean View Residence. From all the rooms, there were beautiful views of the ocean. The first floor has a very roomy sitting area and 2 balconies, a large, well-equiped kitchen, dining table for up to 8 people, a laundry room, guest toilet and one of the en-suite bedrooms.

Upstairs was the plunge pool and master bedroom with en-suite bathroom featuring a large jacuzzi bathtub with views of the ocean.

On the villa tour, we saw the Beachfront Villa, which is a compound that has a large common area pavilion (kitchen, dining area, sitting room) with an upstairs bedroom plus two separate beachfront suites. All together, you could have 6 people, great for a weekend party or a family holiday (adults+children+nanny/helper). For one person or a couple, my favourite was the Villa Suite, which is right on the beach (but that also means less privacy because the plunge pool is open to the public beach). In terms of plunge pool privacy, the Ocean View Lofts, Pool Villas and Ocean View Residences are best. The space and layouts of all the rooms I saw were quite comfortable and well thought out.

The outdoor jacuzzi bathtub in the Pool Suite has views onto the beach.

Interior of the Ocean View Loft, with the bedroom upstairs.

As a resort, Aleenta is good value for money. All of the accommodation have private plunge pools (Chedi Phuket's, for example, does not. Trisara does, but they're in different price point.). And they have one of my necessities -- free wifi, even by the plunge pool. The feel of the resort, however, is a bit more holiday home feel rather than awe-inspiring resort experience. The villas are all in plain view and built close to each other like an apartment complex, albeit a stylishly minimalistic one. Most guests probably just hang out in the privacy and comfort of their own suites and villas at Aleenta, because there aren't many public spaces to lounge around in. There's a small library, a very basic gym, a small restaurant and beachside cafe/lounge bar. There is no big swimming pool to do any real swimming in. If you get bored hanging out in the villa, Phuket town is about a 45-minute drive away and there are a lot of boating excursions that can be organized. If you're looking for a peacful, quiet retreat in your own comfortable villa, Aleenta is a good place for that. For detox, I would have to say that detox is a very difficult thing to do on holiday, at least for me. For me, experiencing local cuisine and restaurants is such a big part of the travel experience that travelling somewhere only to have fruit and steamed vegetables seems a bit like self-inflicted punishment (especially when those accompanying you, or in one instance, even the waiter, tempt you to do otherwise).

What was the first thing I did after my plane touched down back in Hong Kong on Sunday evening? I went straight to Starbucks for my usual iced, double, tall, no vanilla, skim caramel macchiatto and then went to Lucy's in Stanley for dinner. The asparagus salad with truffle oil and falaffel weren't that unhealthy, but certainly tasted much better than steamed vegetables!!

Easter Weekend Wrap-Up

I'm smitten with Luang Prabang. I expected to be charmed by the UNESCO World Heritage town, but it is the people who have got me head over heels. There were Mung and Don, our guides who were such good sports (putting up with our group's silly pranks) and gracious hosts. Everywhere we went, from the staff at the hotel to waiters at restaurants, the level of sincerity and service far exceeded our expectations. I dare say it's the best I've encountered in Asia. Not only are they extremely warm and kind hearted people, but they also approach service with a very proactive, common-sensical attitude (which is often lacking even in a supposedly cosmopolitan city such as Hong Kong). There were instances where they knew what we would want even before we asked. For example, the staff at the wonderful JoMo coffee shop and bakery (an American-owned establishment on the same street as La Maison Souvannaphoum on the way to the night market) that brought us all glasses of water to go with out lattes and carrot cakes (which was absolutely divine) before we even asked. There was the hotel restaurant waiter who asked if we would want our individual drinks orders charged back to our own rooms. Waiters would see that we had run out of something and bring us more. Admittedly, the restaurants and hotels we visited were staffed with people who spoke very good English. But what stands out among the people of Luang Prabang is not their skills and abilities, but their pride in what they do and the town in which they live.

Luang Prabang Highlights:
1. If you visit only one temple, it should be Wat Xieng Thong, the most beautiful one of the three we saw. Love the adorable disco, white elephant that spouts water when the Buddha figures are washed.


2. Go on the leisurely, 2-hour boat ride up the Mekong to visit the Pak Ou caves containing thousands of Buddha scultures.



3. Laotian cuisine. The food is not as spicy as Thai food and is a blend of Thai, Chinese and Vietnamese influences. Everywhere we ate, the food was good. We had dinner at L'Elephant, lunch at Three Elephants (Sisavangvong Road; T: +855 71 252525) and another dinner at our hotel's Elephant Blanc. Would have loved to try the restaurant at Apsara, but didn't have time.

Bangkok Highlights:
1. The Eugenia is a wonderful home in Bangkok.
2. Spring (199 Soi Promsri 1; T: +66 2 3922757) is my constant favourite. It serves up great Thai/Asian fusion dishes, and the lawn is absolute bliss to lounge around with friends before and after dinner.



Spa Comments:
1. Blooming Spa in Bangkok was great value for money. A 2 hour, 45-minute combination of foot reflexology and Thai massage came out to only THB1,000.
2. Skip the Angsana spa at La Maison Souvannaphoum. The treatments are done in tents that are set next to the main street. It's noisy and the therapists need more training and experience when it comes to giving massages.

BKK: Little Cream Life Moments

Every so often, there are moments that just strike me as being the perfect embodiment of the Little Cream Life. There was one such moment this morning. I rolled out of bed, got into my swim suit and headed downstairs to the pool with my laptop at 9am. By the time I had swum a few short laps in the pool, my breakfast (freshly-squeezed orange juice, a double espresso, eggs benedict with smoked salmon and a bowl of tropical fruit) was laid out beside my chaise lounge. So here I am, lounging poolside (the weather, incidentally, is also perfect, not too hot because it's slightly overcast), breakfast laid out beside me (most importantly, there's a fresh cup of double espresso waiting), and the wifi is working well so that I can blog about this moment (there's even a power socket behind one of the planters beside my chaise lounge!). This is what the Little Cream Life is all about! Was just joined by LP and BM, sounding very raspy from drinking vodka on the balcony until 3am and quickly gulfing down breakfast before heading off for his morning round of golf with the other guys.



Great service moments at The Eugenia this morning: I later asked for a big bowl of cappuccino, and got a puzzled look from the waiter. But when it arrived, it was exactly what I wanted. The waiter actually said it was his first time making such a huge cappuccino! Also, I had left my SPF60 sunscreen at the Sukhothai pool yesterday. I asked for, and got, some SPF30 sunscreen.

We girls have got spa bookings this afternoon. I'll be lounging here, working on LCB: Drives until then...

BKK: Wedding Party Easter Weekend

All of Hong Kong is in Bangkok this Easter weekend. Arrived yesterday and had lunch with friends who are staying at Sukhothai. Had lunch at the hotel's Thai restaurant, Celadon, where we met up with FL & TC, who are in town from Paris (made me wish I was in Paris so that I could have the pleasure of enjoying another one of FL's excellent home-cooked French meals!). FL has just completed filming on his upcoming movie about neglected elephants (actually, it's a much more touching story than I make it sound, but I didn't catch the whole plot line). AW was supposed to have a bit part in it, but filming finished much earlier than expected. But it turns out that AW's Thai helper's son was in the movie by chance (his shop was used in a recreation of Bangkok's Patpong); what a small world.

Checked into Eugenia around 4:30pm. Love this charming, little 12-room hotel. JM & NL are having their pre-wedding celebrations with 14 of their friends this weekend. We've booked out the whole place for our 2-night stay here in Bangkok before heading to Luang Prabang. The staff at Eugenia are all incredibly wonderful; they really make you feel at home. Because of its size, you really do feel like you're the guest at someone's very well done up home. There are quirky, individual touches everywhere.


And of course, what I love most, is their fleet of classic cars to drive you around. But best not to be in a hurry, because they are slow.


My room, a Siam Suite, is very comfortable and spacious. But, of course, what I love most is the free wifi.






We met up for a quick drink in their lounge before heading to dinner at Ruen Mallika (royal Thai cuisine served in an old Teak house), where we ordered way too much food, though all of it was delicious if a bit too spicy for my taste. There had been plans to hit the town after dinner -- Club Astra, Three-Sixty, Bacchus. In the end, we headed back to Eugenia where everyone just chilled with bottles (we had brought our own) of Champagne, whisky and vodka on the balcony.

Seeing (RED)

It's just been one of those humdrum weeks, where life just kind of floats by without you noticing. But then, we got an order for our complete set of Little Cream Book yesterday; all the way from Brazil! That was new for us. Thus far, the majority of our online sales have come from the US with only a smattering from UK/Europe. That's why I am truly enamoured with the internet. Imagine that: a small business like ours sitting in a speck of a city called Hong Kong, planning trips (I've planned a Paris honeymoon for a client in Seoul I've never even met from hotel rooms) and publishing luxury travel address books, somehow finds its way onto the radar screen of a consumer in Rio de Janiero, who then has enough faith in online transactions to use paypal.com to pay for our books, we get the order in our mailbox and we ship our books to the other side of the world. E-commerce is truly a revolution for small businesses.

So it really annoys me when I get an email from (RED) informing me of all the cool (RED) products that one can purchase, where part of the profits go towards eliminating AIDS in Africa, and yet, I can't purchase them! I really wanted to buy GAP's ultra-cool INSPI(RED) t-shirts to give to friends (in fact, had a friend's b-day in NYC coming up), but of course, they don't take credit cards without US addresses and they don't ship outside the US. Also wanted the Motorola (RED) MOTORAZR with (RED) Bluetooth H500 headset, but of course, the phone is only sold buddled with US cellular networks. Fortunately, I can buy the (RED) iPod nano. As always, Apple, with Steve Jobs at its helm, is at least one step ahead of everyone else. The (RED) movement should be a global movement. The power of consumerism isn't just confined to the UK (where this whole thing started; they even have a (RED) AMEX, where 1% of what you spend gets put to good use!! I want that card, but of course, I don't have a UK address) and US; Asians spend tons of money!!! So I really, really hope that we can get in on the (RED) action soon. In the meantime, all those in the US & UK, buy (RED) for Christmas, and those in the UK, should charge it to their (RED) AMEX!! The rest of us will just have to gift lots and lots of (RED) iPod nanos, which is uber-cool.

On another note, those who are looking for a quick bit of beach R&R can now look beyond Bali and Phuket. Koh Samui, which has been cleaning up its act as an up-and-coming stylish beach destination, has made it onto our radar screens with next year's Four Seasons resort opening. Reservations are being taken for bookings starting 1 February 2007, just in time for Chinese New Year sun-seekers. For a ski and snowboard bunny like me though, I'll be warming up with bombardinos in Cortina.

At the New, Old Mandarin Oriental: Welcome Back, Chinnery!

It was as if nothing had changed and time had stopped for the new, old Mandarin to undergo its refurbishment. I walked into the Chinnery Bar with a feeling of familiarity and comfort. It looked pretty much the same with the usual crowd of expat Central office bankers smoking and drinking (although the benches and chairs had been reupholstered, carpet changed). The menu still had what I missed: Chicken Tikka and Bread Pudding. I was having dinner with DH, who is helping me write Little Cream Book: Drives. DH ordered the Fish Pie, which came with a healthy (or unhealthy, depending on your perspective) dose of mashed potatoes on top. The food tasted just as comforting as it had before, although service was not as attentive or together as it was before -- dishes weren't cleared from the table, nobody asked if we wanted coffee or tea with our desserts, it took forever me to get someone's attention to ask for the bill, then it took forever to arrive and once paid, they chased us down the stairs into the lobby because they thought they had given us the wrong table's bill (which, it turns out, they hadn't). Hopefully, with a couple months' time, the service will be back to how it was before.

It seems the staff have been trained well to welcome back old guests, to make it appear as if there's a seemless transition from old to new. When I arrived with my grandfather a few days after their opening, the doorman nodded to my grandfather, "Welcome back. Long time no see." The doorman did not look familiar, at least neither my grandfather nor I recognized him. But I'm sure he's been trained to welcome guests of a certain age with that line. And then there's MP, who got his usual pre-birthday call from the Mandarin Grill asking him, "Will you be having your birthday dinner with us again this year?" I can't wait for them to run everything in again. As I was waxing nostalgic with DH last night, I grew up with the old Mandarin. It was the meeting point for my grandfather and me on Saturday afternoons since I was six years old. He would be get off work on Saturday, walk over from his office in the then Swire Building (now Chater House). Sometimes I would meet him in the lobby. Other times, I would already be in the car and his driver would take us to Country Club for lunch and an afternoon of frolicking in the pool. And when I grew up and came back to Hong Kong to work, I would meet my friends in the lounge for afternoon tea. The scones with rose jam (Incidentally, you can't find the rose jam anywhere else in HK. I once made the mistake of asking the bar at Landmark Mandarin Oriental for rose jam and got was told in a sour kind of tone, "That's only at the old Mandarin. We have something different here.") and clotted cream are my favoured afternoon tea treats. When I recounted this to DH, he called me a sybarite, which I took as a compliment since I am in the profession of seeking out and creating experiences of pleasure and luxury for my clients.

An interesting aside that takes us to Bangkok, I came across a new cute, little hotel. With boutique and design hotels looking a bit past their due date these days, it was refreshing to be introduced by EO to The Eugenia. As its website says, "It's not a hotel; it's a home!" Well, will wait for EO's verdict (he's staying there this weekend) on that, but the website certainly looks promising.