Macau Update: MGM Grand

It never ceases to amaze me what a quick, easy and increasingly attractive getaway Macau has become for us Hongkies. Caught the 6pm ferry over last night and came back after breakfast this morning. I stayed at MGM Grand, which opened last December. Wynn still gets my vote for the best rooms and overall experience, but I did have a wonderful, great service moment this morning while having breakfast in MGM Grand's Rossio restaurant. I noticed that the hot plate they were using for the buttermilk pancakes station is the same used for making crepes, so I asked the guy at the station whether he could make me some crepes, thinking it was just a matter of spreading less batter on. The guy wasn't sure, but asked one of the chefs who was passing by. The chef, AG, said it was possible.

I sat down to eat. When I finished the food on my plate, I noticed the chef was wandering around the open kitchen mixing up a fresh bowl of crepe batter from scratch! He didn't even have the wooden roller that spreads out the batter evenly into a large circle. So at one point, he had to tilt the hot plate to get the batter to spread. Anyway, was very impressed by this great service moment.


The rooms at MGM Grand are comfortable, but on the small side. The bathroom and bedroom are separated by a glass wall (curtains can be drawn shut over it). The casino has comfortable and probably the best-looking chairs, with the experience aiming more for Wynn intimacy than LVS scale (i.e. Sands or Venetian). Yet, Wynn is still steps ahead of the field in Macau. Everything from its signature scent that greets you the moment you step out of the taxi at the entrance to their large, plush rooms, the hip, lounge music to its spectacularly put-together Rotunda show (every half hour for 5 minutes) contributes to a more impressive overall experience. The only area where Wynn falls short is the quality of its restaurants -- competent, but not exactly exciting.

Singapore: St. Regis

St. Regis conjures up images of grande old dames, the iconic Brooke Astor in particular. So their hotels have never been top of my list of places to stay, with the exception perhaps of St Regis in San Francisco. When EO suggested I check into the St Regis in Singapore, I protested, "but it's on the wrong end of Orchard Road!" By wrong end, I meant that it wasn't next to my usual stomping grounds -- Borders, Sky Pilates, Starbucks and a block away from Pure Yoga and Kinokuniya -- which Four Seasons happens to be. I was in for a pleasant surprise though.

St. Regis opened in Singapore at the end of December last year, so it is still in soft-opening phase. The entrance lobby is a bit sparse, even more so than Four Seasons in Hong Kong. The decor of the rooms, however, has the restrained plushness of an old world hotel given a 21st century face lift. The rooms are spacious and comfortable, but the best part is the bathroom. There's the stand-alone tub with a television built into the wall on one end (it wasn't working though) and the thoughtful detail of having anti-fog mirrors in the shower. I love anti-fog mirrors. That, along with Toto heated toilet seats and heated towel racks and floors should be mandatory features in all ski hotels. And there was plenty of counter space between the two vanities.

I didn't get a chance to check out any of the F&B outlets, but I did get to enjoy a morning poolside latté and orange juice with a copy of Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman, Haruki Murakami's short story collection. It was a good thing I had the book, because the pool was a disappointment. It is tiny and can barely accommodate two lap swimmers at a time. Murakami's stories, on the other hand, are very engaging. And I've always admired writers who could turn out a good short story; it takes ingenuity, skill and a discipline with words. While I never got beyond the first few pages of Kafka on the Shore, when I scanned the titles on the display table at the airport bookstore, I was the drawn to the book's cover (so it's not always bad to judge a book by its cover). I guess I was still in my Japanese mood.



St. Regis staff are competent and helpful, but they probably need a bit more time before they are at a level to deliver service that leaves an impression. I had left a scarf in the room after checking out. It is quite a regular occurrence that I leave things behind and to me it's a bit of a litmus test as to how good a hotel is. A bad hotel never finds what I left behind. A good hotel finds it when I call and can arrange to send it back to me. A superb hotel would be one that just sends it back to me before I even realize I've lost it. By that definition, I've yet to stay at a superb hotel. After a couple days of phone calls, my scarf has arrived.

NYC Hotels: Uptown (The Lowell) vs. Downtown (The Bowery)

It might be a sign of age or that I've become spoiled and attached to certain conveniences, but as the years have gone by, I've found myself gravitating more and more towards hanging out in the Upper East Side. Back when I was an intern at Barbara Gladstone Gallery in my college days, back when the gallery was still in SoHo rather than Chelsea, when SoHo wasn't overrun by chain stores and when Dean & Deluca was hardly itself a chain, I rarely ventured beyond Midtown (and that was only to stay with a friend who was living there).

Fast forward a decade and some years later, and now I can barely leave the comfy confines of the 60s. I've been spoiled by MH's hospitality, where I've not had to venture more than a few blocks for my morning yoga or Central Park run and Starbucks. If I'm feeling more Continental, I head to Le Pain Quotidien and there's also Alice's Tea Cup, which serves up more hearty breakfasts. There are at least 3 yoga studios that I know of within a 2 block radius (Some Like It Hot and Jivamukti are my favoured studios). As for shopping, there's Banana Republic, Gap and Club Monaco when I'm in need of extra T-shirts and jeans or Madison Ave for gifts and more fashionable fare. All my doctors are nearby as well. For dinner, there's Daniel (the lounge is MH's canteen), Jo Jo, Fig & Olive. I can walk to all the museums I like to visit: MoMA, Met and Guggenheim.

So this time around, I decided I would try to find a hotel in the 60s. The closest I've stayed is Four Seasons (on 57th/58th). While I love the Four Seasons for the experience within the hotel (their signature scent, the VIP treatment and the roomy rooms), I'm not so keen about stepping out the front door and being in the thick of the hustle and bustle of Midtown Manhatten. MH had suggested Affinia Gardens, just off 3rd Avenue on 64th Street. But then I decided to check out The Lowell, just off Madison Avenue on 63rd Street; I thought it would be nice to be closer to the park. I had been hoping that The Lowell would be a more intimate (only 70 rooms and suites) Four Seasons in the 60s. Suffice it to say, I was disappointed. While the King-bedded room (US$550++/night) was spacious and comfortable, the hotel felt lifeless. This feeling was exasperated by the rather listless front desk staff who would barely acknowledge my presence as I walked by, dropping off or picking up my room key. The exception to this poor show of congeniality was the waiter at breakfast in the Pembroke Room and the bellman. But in general, I did not feel a warm welcome, let alone any real hospitality. Compounded with the grown-up, fussy Frenchie decor (think an abundance of silk fabrics, Louis XV-style furniture, canopied beds etc.), checking into the hotel was akin to visiting a very old family member where joy and smiles are checked at the door. This was actually one of the very, very few hotel rooms where I couldn't bear to stay in the hotel because it just felt like the life of me was being drained. And usually, I love staying in hotels.

Fortunately, my love of hotel living was restored when I checked into The Bowery Hotel. Interestingly, after my stint in Gramercy Park Hotel last summer, I had actually expected to enjoy Lowell more and not be too impressed with Bowery. But it was Bowery that made me smile this time. As expected, the staff at Bowery were better-looking than the staff at The Lowell, but they had none of the "I'm just doing this to bide time and pay the bills before my big modelling/acting/super-stardom break" air of Schrager hotel staff. They were all very sociable, friendly and helpful (when the bellman saw that there was some lighting equipment that did not belong on the rather large terrace to my room, he was very apologetic and arranged for maintenance staff to clear out the equipment despite my protests that it was not a bother since it was raining and I would not be using the terrace). The decor of the Bowery is mod-Vic, but in no way feels old. It's all done with a wink. There's some great details like the swirl of colours inside the closet and the crackle-glazed celadon tile in the bathroom. It was raining hard the next morning, and I didn't mind just hanging out in the room till check-out. It was a shame that the terrace was left unused, because it would have been great to have had breakfast on the terrace.

And I was amazed that the room, being only US$375++ per night, actually had such a sizeable terrace! Location-wise, it's not the Upper East Side. And when I asked for directions to La Esquina, I was actually told me to walk down Lafayette instead of Bowery, because the Bowery gets "a bit dodgy" in parts. Had it not been raining, I could have easily walked to SoHo. The gym in the hotel is not yet open, but there are gyms and yoga studios nearby. Granted, the walk around the neighborhood is nowhere near as gentrified as the 60's; you don't have the tree-lined, clean, wide sidewalks of the Upper East Side. There isn't anywhere I'd really want to run to. Barney's and the museums aren't within walking distance, but I suppose the amount I save in room rate can more than pay for countless taxi rides uptown and back down. More importantly, though, staying at the Bowery is actually a fun experience. But most important is that I don't feel as old as I feared I might be, that I can still enjoy life in the Bowery.

[NOTE: I did take photos of the room at The Lowell, but ironically, they all turned out too dark to post!]

Hotels Using Alternative Energy

My bedtime reading of late has mainly consisted of research reports on alternative energy investment opportunities. All that got me thinking about which hotels use alternative energy. As always, the answer was just a quick Google search away:
1. A recent Interior Design article: "Green Upscale Hotels -- No Longer an Oxymoron"
2. Environmentally Friendly Hotels website
3. Alternative Energy blog

Am sure there's a lot more hotels out there. Could be another Little Cream Book in the making.

Luang Prabang: So Chill

Here I am, sitting by the pool again; this time at Luang Prabang's La Maison Souvannaphoum. Arrived from Bangkok yesterday on a Bangkok Airways ("Asia's Boutique Airline") twin-prop plane, which least favoured form of air transport. I pretty much fell in love with Luang Prabang on landing. Maybe it's the tiny airport that makes me feel like I've landed back in time. The Canadians in our group got a bad first impression though. Of all the nationalities, they had to pay the highest visa fee -- US$42. Being American, I only paid US$35. But Chinese pay the least -- US$20.

By the time our group of 8 had checked into La Maison (hardware a tad disappointing, especially the small, single vanity, shower-only bathroom, but the staff are superb) and had our leisurely lunch, where I managed to stuff myself with spring rolls, Luang Prabang Fur (very similar to Vietnamese Pho) and a minced chicken salad, we had very little time to go temple-seeing. We breezed through two Vats and a quick hike up to a stupa before heading to La Residence Phou Vao for a cocktail and dinner at L'Elephant. La Residence is more a romantic retreat, whereas La Maison is a very convenient and comfortable base for chronic market shoppers.

Damn. Running low on battery. Will have to finish this post after massage and early dinner. We're getting up early tomorrow morning for the monk's procession.

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.

Restaurant Updates: Sydney, Melbourne and Hong Kong

I've had the good fortune of having some really great clients, clients that I really hit it off with. AF is one of those gem of a clients. She got back from her trip to Oz with her family and was kind enough to take time out of her busy schedule to give me a detailed update over a 2-hour breakfast chat at Starbucks (even though she doesn't drink coffee). Here's her update:

Sydney
Rockpool is still great. The only other meal that ranked higher during their trip was Ezard in Melbourne. Bill's (433 Liverpool Street, Darlinghurst; T: +61 2 93609631) was a great place for breakfast and Four Seasons is showing its age, although their baby amenity kit and bed-setting was a nice touch (although the mix-up in luggage was not).

Hayman Island
Service was excellent. The rooms exceeded her expectations in terms of decor and spaciousness. Food was very average and insanely expensive if ordered a la carte. Whitehaven beach was gorgeous, but the Outer Reef Experience operated by Cruise Whitsunday's was poorly operated (the so-called swimming enclosure for children was a joke).

Melbourne
As mentioned above, Ezard was super. Saville Park Suites was great value for money in a great location. The European was great for breakfast and The Press Club was inspiring with its Greek molecular cuisine.

Back in Hong Kong, I was in for a pleasant surprise when AP suggested going to Opia at JIA for dinner. I had been to Opia when it first opened (and incidentally heavily-marketed as having Ezard ties), but had not been impressed and hadn't gone back since. I should have really learnt by now, never to judge a restaurant within the first 3 months of its opening, but I can never resist trying a new restaurant. And I also know to trust in Chubby Hubby's evaluation to give Opia a second chance. The 6-course tasting menu was very good value for money at HK$695/head; it offers better food than some of the restaurants that currently receive top billing in this town. My favourite was the crisy skin Mulloway on top of a truffled potato cake with a drizzling Bhutanese honey. Absolute ambrosia!

London Update

Spent the weekend in London and the last few days in NYC.

In London, I ate mainly British food in Chelsea's Gastropubs (since I was staying at EH's just around the corner from Sloane Square) at The Ebury, Galvin for Sunday Brunch, Tom's Kitchen and breakfast at the very cool and recently-opened Napket (loved their slogan, "Snob Food", their selection of bread loaves of which I had a slice of the fig, rocket and cheddar loaf, as well as the iPod minis at the table with personal headsets so you can choose your own music). Saw the Gilbert & George Major Exhibition at Tate Modern, which was excellent, especially the audio guide with video clips of Gilbert & George discussing their art. It made a lot of sense to see this show in London, which places their artworks in the context in which they were created. I had a coffee at Sloane Square Hotel's Brasserie. If I hadn't been staying with EH, I might have checked out Sloane Square Hotel, which just opened last October and is in a fabulous location without London's fabulously high rates (online rates until the end of Feb 2007 started from GBP125). All this aside, one of the things I love most about travelling is catching up with old friends and the opportunity to meet all sorts of interesting people. In London, through AL, I met the Chairman of Farlows, an old English fishing and field sports shop, and the COO of San Francisco-based brand consultancy The 2M Group. One never know where chance meetings might lead...

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...

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

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!).

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.

Tokyo: Shibuya Granbell Hotel, good things come in red, Tera Teppanyaki

I love Tokyo; it's one of the few cities in the world where I always feel like a lost foreigner despite the number of times I've been here. Diane von Furstenberg was in town last week for the opening of her first boutique in Japan with her whole entourage. MH, who's in town for other work, was guiding/hanging out with them and apparently it was the first time in Japan for some in DvF's group (including her son) and they absolutely loved it (especially the Loveless shop in Aoyama). The thing is, for a gaijin, or foreigner (such as myself), Tokyo will always be fresh and new, no matter how many times you visit. There'll always be that sense of excitement of the new and different, that buzz of not quite knowing what you'll stumble upon, the thrill of a mystery you'll never quite solve.

I arrived into Narita around 1400 and surprisingly the immigration queue was very short and moved quickly. Managed to get my luggage, rent my 3G phone (it's great that these days I can keep my Hong Kong number), grab some Starbucks


(Japan's stores probably have some of the best Starbucks food around and they have these really cool, Starbucks mermaid stirrers that are also stoppers for the lid that I haven't seen anywhere else in the world!) and caught the 1513 Narita Express out to Shinjuku station. It's a great thing these days to be able to get on the internet and show taxi drivers the location maps for where you want to go, because even with the English address for Shibuya Granbell Hotel, he wasn't quite sure where it was.

In terms of location, Shibuya Granbell is really great, a few minutes' walk to Shibuya station, less than 10 minutes to Parco Part One. But the best part is that it's on a quiet street, off the main strip. Downstairs, there's a nice cafe/bar that's open late called Piece of Pie. I booked a Double Room for Single Use (Y16,800, including ++!!). This is one of the very, very few hotels that offers a cheaper rate for single use of a double room. The room is very comfortable with all my necessary amenities. It has free LAN internet access and the cable's in the desk drawer. The bathroom has a tub (which is such a rarity in so-called boutique hotelrooms these days) and I had ample space to maneouver around with my bags laid out. Very good value for money. They have a great penthouse duplex suite with its own rooftop jacuzzi.


Good things come in RED! I got 2 wonderful surprises, both red. MH dropped by my hotel and produced a gift for me. It was a namecard holder from Inden-Ya. I had seen her namecard holder with a wonderful cream-dotted pattern on what she tells me is deer skin (navy blue). I had fallen in love with it and kept harrassing her to tell me where she got it. Unfortunately, it was a gift to her from her father so she didn't really know exactly where to buy it. Between her meetings here this time around, she chanced upon a shop selling Inden-Ya's wares, and got me my very own namecard holder with tan flower-shaped dots on red deer skin (red is my lucky colour). I found their website via google, so hopefully I'll have time to drop by their store.

The next wonderful surprise was that the GAP store near Parco sells their Product (RED) line! I had actually called Singapore's first GAP store, which just opened in Vivo City, but they had no idea what I was talking about. So when I saw the line here, I kind of went crazy and bought a whole bunch of inspi(red), desi(red) and hamme(red) t-shirts to give as gifts.


After a spot of shopping, SM picked us up and took us out for teppanyaki. Tera is a discrete, little teppanyaki restaurant in Nishi-Azabu that probably seats around 10 people at the counter and then another 20-25 people around tables. If you didn't know of its existence, you'd probably overlook its non-descript entrance. Once inside, you walk downstairs and there's a teppanyaki counter and behind it several screened-off tables. We sat at the counter. The first dish that came was uni on top of a small portion of grilled rice on top of crispy, grilled seaweed. It was absolutely delicious, the uni being very fresh and sweet in taste. Next came a Japanese teppanyaki version of raclette -- vegetables with cheese. We also had beef fillet and sirloin, garlic fried rice (which came with a wonderful broth), and vanilla ice-cream topped with grilled strawberries, all were wonderful! I'm so glad that I now know another good teppanyaki place aside from Seryna's Mon Cher Ton Ton.


After dinner, we went to nearby birth for a drink. I had yuzu tea. There's supposed to be a fortune-telling lady that goes around the tables, but when we saw how depressed a couple of girls looked after their readings, we opted not to take our chances.

Macau: My new infatuation

Investment strategies come a dime-a-dozen; with many worth less than a dime. I'm what you would call a simple-minded, intuitive investor. I invest in what I love, the companies that are a constant in my life each and every day -- Apple, Google and Starbucks. Following this admitedly pollyanna-ish logic, Macau is my latest new love (but my simple logic also dictates that when everyone is talking about buying flats for investments in Macau or buying small, ground floor shops for investment to lease to Circle Ks and 7-11s, everything must also be overvalued. So the trick is in finding the overlooked gems.).

Prior to this October, I had not been to Macau (despite its close proximity to Hong Kong -- an hour by TurboJet, 15 minutes by HeliExpress) in at least 5, maybe even 7 years; even the opening of Sands could not get me there. But since the opening of Wynn Macau, I have already been there twice this month. Had it not been for a conflicting engagment, I might have been at Wynn again this weekend with another group of friends. I guess this also proves the point that competition is the surest way of spurring economic development. When Stanley Ho had a monopoly on gaming, casinos in Macau were some of the most undesirable places to visit. Currently, Sands, based on rather unscientific research (i.e. cocktail and dinner table conversations) is probably more popular with serious gamblers (many Chinese customers even find Sands to be aesthetically more impressive; don't ask me why). Wynn Macau, however, has gotten me, previously a non-gambler, interested in spending my leisure time in their little fantasy world. Apparently, they pump fresh oxygen into the gambling halls, which is why I managed to stay up until 4:30am making HK$100 bets at their blackjack tables and still feeling giddy and fresh. Maybe offices should consider using similar systems and perhaps it will yield higher productivity from their employees. Apparently, in the first 13 days of its opening, Wynn Macau took in US$900 million in chip sales, but I wonder how much of that they manage to keep as gaming revenue (actually, I'm really interested in finding out how this whole gaming business works). Afterall, both times I've been there, I have walked out with more money. But then again, I always end up spending more money than my winnings in their spa or F&B outlets. Thus far, I've not made any purchases in their shops.

But retail in Macau is apparently very hot; I'd love to see the sales numbers for luxury retail stores (I was told that Louis Vuitton Macau store sales have topped Las Vegas store sales, but one never know if it's just hype or reality). Over dinner with a trio of shopping mall REIT guys in Wynn's Il Teatro, a pretty competant Italian restaurant with a reasonably-priced wine list, I got an interesting picture of Macau visitor spending habits: the big spenders are guys and spend are mainly spending on themselves. In Wynn, watches and men's apparel from Giorgio Armani is doing very well. Bags and accessories also do well. Jewellery, on the other hand, does not. Hermes is probably kicking themselves for missing the boat on a store in Wynn's first phase (apparently, the space went to Giorgio Armani). I wonder if luxury cars would do well. A high-roller might win enough to buy himself a Ferarri. For myself, I would definitely spend more on destination dining, shopping or entertainment.

By destination shopping, I mean brands or shopping experiences that are hard to come by in Hong Kong or even other major shopping cities. Actually, after my post on Edun, over a Starbucks coffee break with BL, I suggested that someone should create a goodwill shopping mall. It would be a destination bringing together all the brands that allow shoppers to do good while consuming and highlight companies that practice fair trade practices. So you'd have Edun, People Tree, GAP highlighting their (RED) clothes, G.O.D. highlighting their condom line of bed linens for AIDS Concern, Ralph Lauren's Pink Pony products benefitting breast cancer care and prevention, Marc Jacobs' Al Gore Fashion Line benfitting The Climate Project, etc.

These are exciting times in Macau. Galaxy's Star World just opened last week right next to Wynn Macau; it was packed. Sands' Venetian is expected to open summer 2007 in Macau's approximately 250-acre Cotai Strip and MGM Grand in late 2007/early 2008.

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.

12 Hours in Macau: Wynn, Robuchon a Galera and Sands

Had a blast in Macau yesterday for the National Day holiday. Took the 0945 Turbo Jet, and headed straight to Wynn Macau to drop off an order of Little Cream Book: Goodwill for an upcoming executive meeting as well as to meet up ES and co., who had stayed the night before. Arrived around 11am and checked out ES's room. It was a decent-sized room with two, double beds (56 sq m at HK$2,610++/night for a Grand Deluxe Lake View Room. The difference between Deluxe and Grand Deluxe is use of Wynn Club lounge and VIP check-in counter) and a view looking out over the fountain, towards Hotel Lisboa. The whole place was actually a whole lot more tasteful (such as the the Four Seasons-like floral arrangements) and well put-together than I had expected. While crowded, it was not unbearably so. I had expected throngs of people given that it was China's National Day holidays, Macau's newest casino (it just opened on 6 September, so everything still looks fresh, clean and glittery) and the sms ES had sent me on her arrival: "Too many people at Wynn. Very tiring".




Had booked 1230 lunch at Robuchon a Galera, so walked across the street after I had toured the room and took a quick spin through the casino (Again, better than I had expected. Probably the only casino in Macau with bright, yet soft, lighting). Of course, Robuchon's been open for quite a few years now (since May 2001), but I had not been enticed enough to make the hour-long trip. Maybe because I was still disappointed with L'Atelier in Paris, whereas this time around, I still have memories of my good NYC L'Atelier experience in my mind. In retrospect, it seems a bit silly, because the 3-course prix-fixe lunch (with amuse bouche, coffee and petit fours) at MOP288 (US$36) is probably the best value-for-money meal at that level of quality I've had. For starters, I chose one of the soups, a garlic bouillon with little escargot dumplings. For the main, I had quail stuffed with foie gras, which came with a small serving of the famously delicious (yet deadly on any healthy diet) mashed potatoes. I had a tough time with the dessert trolley, but ended up choosing a port wine and rosemary-poached fig, banana, caramel crumble tart along with scoops of ginger and coffee ice creams. All were absolutely delish.


Appetite satiated, I crossed the street once again and headed for Wynn's spa for my 3pm massage. Thankfully, ES has booked in advance, because on my arrival, there was another woman practically begging for a slot. The spa has the usual sauna, steam room and jacuzzi, but doesn't measure up to the heat experiences at Hong Kong's Four Seasons or Landmark Mandarin Oriental spas. Granted, a 90-minute massage was only MOP900 + mandatory 15% (around HK$1,006) compared to HK$1,350 for only 80 minutes at LMO, with pricing at FS along similar lines. And there is a difference in the level of service and attentiveness. For example, the therapists jump straight into the massage, whereas FS/LMO have a welcome ritual. But the Wynn therapist had a great touch. ES confirmed that, likewise, her masseuse was excellent as well. So while definitely pricey by Macau standards, the Wynn spa is not unreasonable by Hong Kong standards. It helped that afterwards, I managed to win enough money at the blackjack and roulette tables to cover half the cost of my massage.

Out of curiosity, I headed over to Sands around 8pm since it's just next to the ferry terminal. Big mistake. It was like a convention center, and a grotty one at that. Am hoping that the Venetian's standards will be much higher.

I left Macau on the 2245 ferry, having spent exactly 12 hours in three hotels (didn't even get a chance to show AS any of the more picturesque parts of town or to indulge in egg tarts!).

On a different note, am dying to go have afternoon tea at the just re-opened Mandarin Oriental. Am craving their scones with rose petal jam and clotted cream. I had a look around the hotel with my grandfather (we used to always meet in the hotel lobby). Only the coffee shop (now known as café causette) and cake shop (both moved to the Mezzanine floor), Clipper Lounge, Captain's Bar and The Chinnery are open at the moment. The Grill Room and Man Wah will re-open on 11 Oct and Pierre (as in Pierre Gagnaire) on 17 Oct. The totally revamped spa re-opens on 23 Oct. I'm glad they didn't change the look and feel of the hotel too much. It still feels like the classic Mandarin Oriental (even though my grandfather thought it was too contemporary).

Tuscan Retreat: La Bandita-In-Progress

Continuing along the lines of pleasant surprises (I'm a believer in serendipity), I logged into my email inbox this morning to find a gem of an email that brought a smile a flutter of excitement amidst the usual and mundane.

It was an email from a John Voigtmann. Hmmm...rings a bell, but not quite...probably junk. Just before I check the box that would banish it to the trash, I notice the subject line: John Voigtmann @ La Bandita, Tuscany. That last word caught your eye, didn't it. It sure did mine! So I clicked in and sure enough, jogged my memory of who this John was. Turns out, I had corresponded with John before. We were introduced over email by a DJ, a friend of my good family friend JL. All three of them are/or formerly were in the music biz. DJ had left to start a wine import/export biz among other things and JV had been working with him on it. He was in HK at one point, but we never managed to meet. And so the string of email correspondences, the meet that never happened, just kind of fizzled into cyberspace. But John had mentioned that he would be opening a hotel in Tuscany soon and I noted that with interest and told him to keep me posted.

Fast forward nearly 5 months later. The email reads:

"As D may have told you, I left my job at SonyBMG last year to develop a small luxury hotel property in Tuscany. We’re still finishing renovations, but we’re starting to take reservations for next summer...so I am starting to spread the word...Just like I did when I was back in the music business!

I wanted to pass on the link to the website:

www.la-bandita.com

The site is still a work in progress until we finish the guest rooms and have them photographed, but it will give you an idea of what we’re creating here."

I am a sucker for a good "follow-your-dream" story. While it's still a work-in-progress, La Bandita seems to have the heart and soul behind it to make it a great Tuscan retreat. That's what's really missing these days from all these overly-commerical, self-proclaimed "boutique" hotels -- heart and soul. I wish John and his wife all the best with La Bandita and look forward to hearing more about its opening next summer!

Pleasant Surprises

I love surprises, especially when they come in boxes. Out of the blue, a box arrived from Pantheon (an imprint of Random House). Had the new titles I sent to SW, an editor I had met last year about Little Cream Book, bounced back? I opened the box, and inside sat copies of Joan Didion's non-fiction collection, We Tell Ourselves Stories in Order to Live, and Feather in the Storm by Emily Wu and Larry Engelmann about Wu's childhood during the Cultural Revolution. Apparently, SW did received the new titles I sent her and had reciprocated. I can't wait to start reading them, especially the Joan Didion collection. Didion's writings were much talked about during my Bryn Mawr days, but to be honest, I didn't actually get around to reading much of them (I had actually read more Susan Sontag). Because I'm an avid reader of Vanity Fair and Dominick Dunne's (Didion's brother-in-law) column, I probably know more about her personal life than about her actual writing.

Speaking of other pleasant surprises, I came across a wonderful write-up on Little Cream Book in the current issue of Four Seasons magazine (as in the luxury hotels and resorts). It was actually written by ST, or better known as Chubby Hubby's S. It was actually an article on creative, lifestyle products coming out of China's metropolitan cities (i.e. Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing), which also featured Fort Street Studio, Spin Ceramics, Suzhou Cobblers, Chang & Biorck and Mushi Fashion.

A more local surprise was a visit to a fairly new boutique hotel/serviced apartment right around the corner from my office on 133 Leighton Road. I had heard of Lanson Place mentioned by another friend earlier, but was not intrigued enough to go seek it out. Since EO had just checked-in, I decided to pay him a visit before we went to lunch. Turns out, it's very good value for money. He got upgraded to a Grand Luxe room (around 500 sq. ft.), which has a kitchenette (with microwave and burners), separate sitting area and bedroom with airy views overlooking the stadium. Bathroom is OK in size. Typical of a "boutique hotel", there is no bathtub and offers only one wash basin. At HK$1,400++ (rack rate is HK$3,200++) though, it's a pretty good deal in Causeway Bay. It does run up against competition though; as it's right behind JIA. The more intimate ambiance beats Regal Hotel next door or Excelsior on the harbour front. In Central, there's Hotel LKF, which is very convenient for those who enjoy the Lan Kwai Fong/SoHo nightlife when they're in the city.

And last, but not least, there's the season 3 op