Ideas for your next holiday from the Travel Expo Going to a travel expo is my adult version of being a kid in a candy store. Travel expos are great for trip planning because you can access travel experts one-on-one to narrow down which destinations best fit your needs and then further pepper them with questions to craft a customized itinerary. They’re also… Read more »
They’ll do almost anything to get you in bed The hotel business is an extremely competitive one, often with little separating one luxe property from another. Last year finally saw global occupancy rates bounce back to where they were before the recession, when 2009 was the worst year for hotels since the Great Depression. Currently, Asia-Pacific hotels are doing well, leading all… Read more »
His fans call him The Divo. Childhood friends know him as Baby Dino. To everyone else, he is simply Duc Tuan, rising crooner set to take the world by storm We’re in the Lilac Room of the Spa InterContinental, a calm oasis in the middle of the city. Candles twinkle around the room which smells of soothing lemongrass and cinnamon…. Read more »
By trying to lower the cost of flying, airlines may soon be charging passengers outrageous supplementary fees May 21, 2008 will forever go down as a dark day in aviation history. US carrier American Airlines became one of the first legacy airlines to borrow a page from the low-cost carrier playbook and charge passengers for checked baggage. Other airlines soon jumped on… Read more »
I love Master Chef - the drama, the challenges, the mystery box. So, when New World Saigon Hotel’s corporate customers competed for the title of New World Master Chef 2013 earlier this month, a healthy mix of drama and deliciousness was sure to follow. Ten teams of two participated in the event before an audience… Read more »
Ballet through the eyes of Cinderella and Prince Charming The stage lights cast an eerie blue glow over the performers as they stretch and go through their paces - strong, quick, practiced movements - in preparation for the evening’s performance of Cinderella, part of the HCMC Ballet Symphony Orchestra and Opera’s (HBSO) Gala Autumn Melodies series. During the seven hour rehearsal,… Read more »
Salacious or educational, it’s what everyone’s (not) talking about In an era where Miley Cyrus twerks with abandon at a live awards show aimed at a young audience and Fifty Shades of Grey sets records for the fastest-selling paperback of all-time beating out the likes of JK Rowling and Oprah Winfrey, it’s difficult to imagine a time when people weren’t talking… Read more »
Across the river but in another world, life is simpler in Thanh Da Thanh Da is to locals what Thao Dien is to expats - an oasis of greenery cooled by river breezes, an escape from the urban reality that is Ho Chi Minh City. Set on more than 1,200 acres (500 hectares), Thanh Da is actually an island (but… Read more »
How to be the world’s smartest traveler In almost 30 years of international travel, I’ve really only been in trouble twice. Once was during a trip to Phnom Penh in the mid- 90s when it was something akin to the Wild West. A group of us were coming back from dinner at barely 9pm. As the last entered the gate, two… Read more »
Watching masters at work is truly a beautiful thing. This weekend, Sofitel Saigon Plaza features the Lyons Culinary Festival with three masters at their craft, including Bruno Bluntzer, owner of Sibilia, an artisanal maker of cold cuts, from Lyons, the capital of cold cuts. Bruno brings with him some of his finest dry cold cuts,… Read more »