Unwrapping the holiday spirit at InterContinental Nha Trang
It may not snow in Vietnam, but all it takes is a short stroll along the beach at Nha Trang to convince anyone that it doesn’t need to. Even those families yearning for the white Christmases of home – if that’s what you’re used to – may find the white sands and surf of Nha Trang a perfectly adequate stand-in for a winter wonderland. There are certainly few better places to spend the holiday season with loved ones than this, one of the most scintillating bays in the whole of the country.
It’s welcome news, then, that the spirit of Christmas will light up Intercontinental Nha Trang this year. The hotel is making a special effort over the festive season to mark the delights of Christmas and the New Year with the classic and conventional celebrations of the Western world. Those missing the yuletide cheer will take great comfort in the distinctive events, holiday menus, and promotions planned to give adults and children alike a sense of the magic of the Christmas holiday period.
With so many festivities and such a broad range of Christmas & New Year’s menus, guests at the Intercontinental Nha Trang will have an experience that goes beyond simply enjoying the holiday – and they won’t feel as if their stay in Vietnam has cost them the opportunity to spend a traditional Christmas at home. Nha Trang may be an unforgettable vacation destination for families in any season, but Christmas is an especially unique time for fellowship and kin, and so it’s this cozy family atmosphere that the hotel has brought to the forefront during the holiday period.
The Intercontinental Nha Trang will be transformed throughout the month of December and into New Year’s Day with a warm yet wintery atmosphere. Twinkling lights and dazzling displays will feature an assortment of gingerbread houses (delighted kids will get the chance to learn how to make their own during their stay if they’re here for the special class on the 19th at VND300,000++ per child) and Santa himself will be making a surprise guest appearance to enchant both naughty and nice. Other activities planned especially for the kids include joyful Christmas carols as well as the Planet Trekkers’ Kids Club to keep them entertained and give parents a break too.
The hotel’s Executive Chef Dennis Barton has a full schedule of traditional treats in store for lucky guests at the hotel starting from December 5. Favorite holiday food and drinks specialties are all set to tantalize those visitors yearning for familiar fare. “We’re all for breaking with convention and trying something new on special occasions,” says Chef Dennis, “but sometimes only classic dishes will do on Christmas Day. We’ve put together a menu of our favorite traditional festive recipes for inspiration.” Daily treats will be on offer between 2pm-5pm at Christmas High Tea served in the Lobby Bar (VND300,000++ per person), featuring the chef’s specialty sandwiches, eggnog tart, Christmas sweets, mulled wine, and creamy Hershey’s hot chocolate with marshmallows for the kids.
The delicious Christmas Eve buffet dinner (VND1,900,000++ adults/VND950,000++ kids) will be one of the highlights of the entire holiday period at the hotel, reflecting many signature dishes and drinks of the European/American Christmas fare with an emphasis on Nha Trang’s premium seafood ingredients. Held in the fairy-lit Grand Ballroom, diners will indulge in the likes of roast turkey with cranberry sauce, honey bourbon glazed leg of ham, and apple strudel with cinnamon anglaise for dessert. Parents may enjoy the feast at their leisure while children play in the supervised kids’ area – although you may like to see the looks on their faces as you accompany them to the desserts corner. If you prefer, there’s also a set dinner (VND1,900,000++ per person) available on Christmas Eve, held in the Cookbook Café – and those who’d like to enjoy a separate buffet meal on Christmas day itself can join the special Christmas brunch (VND1,388,000++ adults, VND694,000++ kids) with traditional cold cuts and grills.
Stay on to New Year’s Eve, and you’ll be in prime position for a sumptuous six-course set dinner (VND2,588,000++ per person) where diners can be treated to fresh Nha Trang lobster or venison loin with Chianti red wine poached pear and onion soubise. If you’re in the mood to see out 2015 in real style, however, then the New Year’s Eve Countdown Party will be the last and best night of the year with a gourmet buffet featuring Australian black angus rib eye steak, local lobster with lemon garlic butter, BBQ Hong Kong suckling pig and Beijing roast duck. The entertainment will be non- stop throughout the evening, with lucky draws, live performances, a balloon drop, a kids’ corner, top DJs, and plenty of dining & dancing. Watch as the Grand Ballroom is transformed, indulge in the free-flow Veuve Cliquot Champagne (VND500,000++ per person) and spend the last moments of this eventful year in joyful celebration with those nearest and dearest – in one of Vietnam’s most alluring destinations at Intercontinental Nha Trang.
Images Provided By Intercontinental Nha Trang
