Beautiful Bariloche

"You can't always get what you want...," but as the Stones song goes, "if you try sometimes, you might find, you get what you need." That was the case in Bariloche.

For several summers, EO and I had been talking about skiing in Bariloche. Each summer, as August neared, our plans for one reason or another would have to be cancelled. Finally, we made it to Bariloche last Sunday. By Sunday afternoon, we were on the slopes of Cerro Catedral with M, EO's snowboard instructor. We went up the first six-person chairlift and found conditions much more promising than at the base, where the weather was mild and the snow hardly visible on the ground. Coming off the second chairlift at the top, EO fell funny on his knee. He was in pain, so he and M took the chairlift back down while I skied back down. That, in itself, was quite the adventure. I learned that there is always a good reason why pistes are closed. And when they are, it's best not to tempt fate by going down them. Despite the ski that turned into a hike in ski boots, complete with a wade across a bubbling brook, I made it back down to the base to find EO in the clinic getting his knee X-rayed. Fortunately, nothing was broken. It's very reassuring to have doctors be able to communicate to you in your own language and to see that ibuprofen is ibuprofen here as well.

So I only managed to ski for 2 hours during my whole time in Bariloche. What did I end up doing for the remaining 3 days? I was staying at the blissful Aldebaran. It was like being at home, warm and comfortable. I never locked my room door, left my laptop in the TV room whenever I went out for lunches and dinner. The rest of the time, I'd be sitting on the sofa or in the breakfast room writing on my laptop (yes, there was wifi). I finally managed to finish something I had avoided for way too long. It had been my goal to complete it on this trip. And finally, I had the perfect opportunity and the most beautiful setting in which to do it. Now I can enjoy the second half of my trip without the spectre of it hanging over my head.

Aldebaran is a wonderful place. Sure there's Llao Llao, which is the grande dame (and feels like it too) of Bariloche and Design Suites, which aims to be the cool kid on the block. But Aldebaran, built 2 years ago by ET, a retired lawyer, is hospitable beyond words, offering the experience of your very own secluded retreat. One night, unable to get a DVD to play the English audio track at 11pm, the receptionist on duty actually called back another member of staff, who had just gone home, to help. And she had to get up early the next morning to go to modelling school and come to work afterwards. All the staff were incredibly helpful and friendly in that casual, almost familial way.




Design Suites

Llao Llao


I had lunch at Pire-Hue (the only ski-in, ski-out luxury lodge at the base of Cerro Caterdral), Design Suites and Llao Llao and dinner at El Patacon. All the meals were competent, but none particularly memorable. In fact, menus seemed quite similar. Quite a few menus featured pumpkin soup, mushroom risotto, trout with ratatouille and, the most interesting item of all, chicken chop suey! But there was always one thing on the menu that I would always look forward to -- dulce de leche. This pancake filled with dulce de leche at El Patacon was one of my faves in Bariloche:

My search for the best dulce de leche dessert continues in Buenos Aires and Cordoba...

Whistler: Nita Lake Lodge

Happy Year of the Rat! Spent the week snowboarding in Whistler, where I was blessed with a couple of stupendous powder days and even two sunny days in a resort known for predominantly cloudy, grey skies. It may sound insane to queue for the gondola at 7:15am, but Fresh Tracks is definitely worth it if it's been snowing the night before. Great boarding aside, we also had a few fine meals at Mountain Club, après and Araxi, but my absolute favourite had to be the late lunch of raclette, crêpe and cider at Crêpe Montagne. I still haven't had a decent meal on the mountain and have come to the conclusion that it probably makes more sense to get on the mountain first thing in the morning, ski until 2pm and then head back to the village for a late lunch. Unfortunately, neither Zen or Rimrock are open for lunch. Otherwise, it would make a great luncheon stop after the scenic Peak to Creekside run.

While I stayed at Pan Pacific Mountainside, which was great for rolling out of bed and onto the slopes (even more convenient than Sundial next door), I was eager to check out the brand-new Nita Lake Lodge in Creekside. Having only opened on 18 January, it's not yet fully up-and-running (the spa and fitness area is still a work-in-progress, and the presidential suites are still being fitted-out), so their introductory rates make this a steal of a stay for the next couple of months (CAD299 for a one-bedroom). The lakeside setting and it's location on the Valley Trail makes Nita Lake Lodge an ideal summer destination. The decor is a streamlined, contemporary take on the classic mountain lodge with dark woods and basalt rock.

(Images courtesy of Nita Lake Lodge)

The lodge is connected to the Mountaineer Train station, which operates a daily train from Vancouver from May to mid-October. While Nita Lake Lodge has thoughtfully-designed one-bedroom suites (heated bathroom floor, sunken bathtubs with views of the lake or mountain), it's not the most ideally-located ski lodge. In terms of convenience to the slopes, it's probably similar to the Four Seasons in Blackcomb. It's a bit of a walk to the Creekside gondola (it's on the other side of the Sea-to-Sky highway), with ski lockers located slopeside at the Creekside Can-Ski shop. It's also a 10-minute drive from the shops and restaurants in Whistler Village, though the lodge does provide complimentary shuttle service. The lodge's clubby bar/lounge has a nice vibe, making it a great place for an après tipple or aperitif.

As for Pan Pacific Mountainside, I had a very comfortable and convenient stay. The housekeeping staff is amazing. Having smoked up the room trying to pan-fry turnip cake without any oil in the morning (the kitchen is fully stocked with utensils, but I had neglected to go grocery shopping), I returned from a day on the slopes to a room that smelled as fresh as it had been before my culinary mishap with the mess in the kitchen all cleared up. The sitting room has a toasty fireplace and, unlike Sundial, there are TVs in both the bedroom and sitting room with a DVD player. The bathroom is not much to rave about though, very standard with just a bathtub and single vanity. I was grateful for the free wifi even though speed was a bit slow at times. I didn't bother venturing into the hotel's Dubh Linn Gate Irish Pub for breakfast or even a drink, since there are plenty of more appealing restaurants nearby. Of the two equipment rental shops in the hotel, the Salomon shop has the better equipment.

Can't wait for the Peak-to-Peak gondola opens at the end of this year. The improved connection between the two mountains will make skiing/boarding in Whistler-Blackcomb even harder to resist.

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!!

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!

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.

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.

Four Seasons Eye Candy

One of the fun things about this job is meeting various people from all sorts of luxury hotels. Just had a visit on Monday from the Sales Directors of Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay (Bali), Sayan (Ubud), Langkawi and Chinzan-so (Tokyo). Got an update about their new properties. Although I'd already come across some them -- Four Seasons Damascus, in fact, is mentioned in one of our upcoming books and I had looked into their Gold Triangle property for a corporate client -- I was very happy to hear that FS Maldives Kuda Huraa and Landaa Giraavaru will finally reopen in November 2006 (hopefully, no more delays)!. Hendra, from the Bali and Ubud properties, I had met and worked with before, so it was especially nice to see him again. I had a browse through the Langkawi CD Angela left me, all the sun-drenched photographs just made me want to escape the drizzling reality of rainy Hong Kong. But instead, I have to get back to it -- chasing for photos from golf courses we've selected for inclusion in LCB: Golf. Anyway, here's some luscious eye candy (first is Langkawi, second is Golden Triangle and last, but not least, is Maldives Kuda Huraa)...

Above 3 images © Four Seasons Resorts

Udaipur 1: Jet Airways delays, beautiful Devi Garh

23 April -- Got a bit of time to spare before cocktails start. Just finished checking set-up for cocktails and dinner; looks splendid. Tonight's theme is rose, so rose petals have been strewn everywhere. The setting at Devi Garh is simply stunning.

Woke up at 3:30am this morning (actually, didn't really sleep much since I was in the bar having drinks with the group till just after midnight and knew I had to wake up early). Got to the airport around 4:45am only to find out that flight to Udaipur would be delayed by 3 hours! So far, in my experience with Jet Airways domestic flights, they have a 100% late rate.

Once we got to Udaipur, everything was find. As always, the Devi Garh staff are very welcoming. The highlight of the day is a formal, sit-down dinner on the roof terrace with everyone dressed up in kurtas and kurtis (long tunics worn over trousers that taper at the bottom, women also get a scarf to accessorize the outfit). Should be a beautiful night under a clear, starry sky.

Cool Destinations Update: U is for Udaipur

Photo: A view of Udaipur's City Palace on the boat ride to Lake Palace.

On a recent visit to the Lake Palace in Udaipur during a recce trip for a corporate client, the complacent front desk staff left me somewhat unimpressed. Although the hardware is every bit the stunning palace and I would still recommend it for people who want a memorable venue to mark an occasion -- imagine a marriage proposal at sunset on the roof terrace or after-dinner cocktails on their barge with firework overhead reflecting onto the still lake waters. Yet a stay there is not that tempting; as the clientele is mainly groups. For a property that has such a magical setting (it would make Disneyland jealous!) with well-appointed rooms and amazing lake views, it's a shame that it doesn't have the attentive, personalised service to match. Everyone there just seemed to be going through the motions, working by a formula, exhibiting little creativity. It's a shame really, because I can only imagine what a top rate luxury hotel mangement company could do for the place.

Aman Junkie

I had a meeting with Rohini of Aman today for an update on their two properties in Sri Lanka, Amangalla and Amanwella. We had a great chat about many things including why a stay at an Aman is so special. I confess up front that I am an Aman Junkie. There are lots of top rate hotels, resorts, lodges and camps around the world; Huka Lodge in New Zealand, Governor's Il Moran Camp in Kenya, Park Hyatt in Tokyo, just to name a few. But Aman is special.

I was never able to verbalize the Aman difference until Sally at Amanbagh said it for me: "This is our home and we treat every guest as though they were a friend visiting our home". Eureka, that was it! It wasn't the clean, modern, comfortable design or the understated luxury. It wasn't the particular locations or destinations. I always knew it was the people, but I couldn't figure out how everyone could make me feel like I was staying somewhere special; at least, more special than any of the other hotels in the US$500-US$1,000 per night price range.

For example, at many of the top hotels, staff know to make an effort to address you by your name. Being able to address the guest by name is really the bare minimum though. It is just the starting point for making the guest feel at home, but it's amazing how few places manage to get even this simple thing right. I was impressed when the pool attendant addressed me by my name the first time I went down to the pool at Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay. I was impressed when the front desk at Claridge's remembered my name the next evening even though my only contact with her was at check-in. But even then, the feeling is that they are merely saying a name that they have made a point to remember because you have supposedly paid for this service rather than because they really have made an effort to get to know and like you as an individual.

At most luxury hotels, there are cards signed by the general manager in your room, but at Aman, it's always a greeting in person, a chat by the pool, a drink in the bar or even dinner. They are wonderful conversationalists, chatting with you to get to know you as a person better. The managers at Aman at not just managing what goes on behind the scenes. They are your personal hosts or hostesses, making sure your needs are anticipated well in advance. I remember the names of the people at Aman, because they treat me like a friend, not a client. There isn't that distance, stiffness and formality that is so prevalant at many other luxury hotels. And the amazing thing is, I haven't met a manager at Aman that I haven't been able to click with. They all just have this incredible knack for making everyone feel at home and knowing what you might like before you even know it yourself.

It can be somthing very simple like the farewell at Amansara where all the staff stand and wave goodbye to you until your car has entirely left the complex. Another example was when I was working in the Library at Amanbagh. Sally walked in to check up on me. She asked if I needed anything or would like something to eat or drink. I replied that at was fine. Many people would have stopped at this point; their job done. But Sally went on to explore, "Are you sure you wouldn't like to try our fresh pomegranate juice?" Mmmmm! Pomegranate juice, sounds lovely! So she had someone bring me a glass of pomegranate juice. At that moment, I really did feel like I was staying at a friend's home.

And there are always those "wow" moments, which you come to expect from Aman. But nonetheless, they still manage to woo you all over again each time. Like when Sally mentioned meeting in the lobby to "go out with some other guests for drinks". Go out where, I wondered. Afterall, we were in the middle of nowhere. "Oh, just a neighborhood bar," said Sally. The neighborhood bar turned out to be a centuries old chatri, regal-looking pit stops for maharajas, now a ruin. But given the Aman treatment, it looked like a very hip bar lounge.


As for the properties in Sri Lanka, Rohini assured me that life has regained normalcy since the Tsunami, transfers by air taxi from Colombo to the properties cut the hassle and travel time down significantly. Adrian Zecha's always had this knack for creating the next travel hot spots, just think Bhutan. I can see Tangalle, where their beach property Amanwella is located, becoming the next Bali or Phuket before they became over-developed. Destination aside, Zecha just knows how to pick the right people to deliver the Aman experience. So I have no doubt that Amangalla and Amanwella will not disappoint. Now, if only I could just make some time to head to Sri Lanka for my next Aman fix!