Survivor meets Robinson Crusoe Weekend

Three days of freeflow Champagne and hot, sun-drenched beach locale are finally getting to me. Woke up at 5am this morning to see the first group of executives off after their weekend retreat here at Evason Hideaway. Thought I would stay up, but ended up going back to the villa and falling back asleep for the next 4 hours. Am now catching up on my LCL posts poolside, with an yummy iced Vietnamese coffee and bowl of pho bo for sustinence. Am taking the afternoon flight out with Jung Chang and Jon Halliday along with the Japanese and Australian contingent.


It's been an absolutely awesome 6 days here. I arrived Wednesday evening. Woke up for an 8am yoga class on the beach Thursday morning under overcast skies. It got me a bit worried about rain contingency plans. I kept grilling the staff about timing each morning to decide whether meal venues would be moved to rain option. Of course, they urged me not to worry. "It will beautiful and sunny. You should worry about heat rather than rain". Leave it to the professionals; they were right of course. Because when I woke up Friday morning, I got just that -- clear, blue skies.


And it's been like this through today. I spent most of Friday shuttling to Nha Trang airport greeting the 21 executives of my favourite luxury wines & spirits house (they're also one of my most fun-loving, easy-going group of clients and I usually end up partying with them) plus our two speakers, authors Jung Chang and Jon Halliday (Wild Swans and Mao). We had a welcome cocktails and dinner on the terrace overlooking the bay. After dinner, we headed poolside for a nightcap. BN & JP, as per usual, ended up in the pool. But the rest of us stayed dry (only in the physical sense; as there was plenty of Glenmorangie and Hennessy flowing).

Saturday was a morning of meetings. Everyone had to hike up 50+ steps to the air-conditioned wedding chapel that we converted into a meeting room. Most were drenched with sweat by the time they arrived. Following the morning presentation, there was a rather bucolic lunch set in the organic garden. Satays were grilled on the spot as were steaks and shrimp. The food was fresh and delicious. I loved the crab meat and shrimp papaya salad. Following lunch was the highlight of the weekend for me, hearing Jung Chang and Jon Halliday speak about their experiences (more on that in another post).


After the speakers, there was leisure time for the group. I had this brilliant idea of trying to write my posts from the beach. I laid down the towel on one of the chaise lounges on the beach, brought my iPod and portable Altec Lansing speakers and my laptop. It was another one of those perfect, Little Cream Life moments -- writing under the sunny, blue skies, with the view of clear, blue water and verdent palm trees in the distance and happy tunes in the background. One problem, the sun was so bright, I couldn't see my screen. So I gave up on the idea of working and walked down the beach where I found a beached and nearly sunburnt JP in shallow waters and JM. After an hour in the water, I had to go sort out the seating plan for the poolside dinner. We had a water puppet show set up in the pool, which looked quite stunning. But the show that PS, BdV, BY, BN, JP and SM put on was even more spectacular and memorable by all I'm sure. Dinner evolved into a full-on pool party with Dom spilling in the pool and pool water getting mixed with tumblers of Glenmorangie. At one point, I was balancing a try full of drinks on my head in the pool. Fortunately, I didn't drop the try!


Sunday was another morning full of presentations. The afternoon was the mini scavenger hunt, very loosely based on Survivor. My favourite bit was where they had to row out in the local, round fishing boats to markers to retrieve a bamboo cannister containing a coded message. It was great fun watching them. Most teams resorted to using the local, professional rower on board, which resulted in a 5-minute penalty. There were other tasks involved and wonderful acts of sabotage. They all seemed to enjoy themselves immensely. Nothing like a bit of friendly competition! Everyone's favourite for the weekend was the private beach dinner. It was the first time the resort had attempted something like this. They had to transfer generator, lights, grills, furniture, cutlery etc. to a nearby private beach. But we had a blast. It was simply a perfect setting under a clear, starry sky. Many thanks to the entire team at Evason Hideaway for the fabulous job hosting the whole group; from out-going GM JPR, Executive Asst Manager HM, Chef DT, F&B Manager AH, to all the butlers and support staff!

And now, it's back to the real world!

SGN airport: recharge & relax

I just recharged my laptop while getting a foot massage at Viet Spa in the domestic terminal's waiting area. An hour of electricity for my laptop and a relaxing foot, shoulder and hand massage cost VND200,000 (US$12.50). Unfortunately (or perhaps, fortunately), the wifi wasn't accessible. Each of the seats has 2 power outlets, so you can charge your laptop/blackberry/phone/digicam. Certainly made my long wait much more tolerable. Only one hour left!

SGN airport: free wifi!

Got this 4.5 hour transit between Saigon and Nha Trang. I am soooo thankful for free wifi at the airport (makes up for the idiotic transfer between international and domestic terminals where my bags were x-rayed 3 times within 5 minutes)! Otherwise, it's pretty much an desert here, especially in the domestic terminal where I don't even have access to the Vietnam Airlines lounge (no agreement with CX). So at least I've been able to clear through this morning's inbox and take care of a few urgent items as well as get on Skype and MSN. Now I just have to find a power outlet. Maybe the intel Core 2 duo kiosks will have a spare outlet.

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.

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.