‘Deconstructed’ is a dreaded word in hospitality. It’s a word often found on menus in modern restaurants or pubs where a chef has broken down a classic dish into its separate elements.
A new Chablé comes with expectations. The original Chablé Resort & Spa, which opened in 2017, has been receiving awards left, right and center not only as one of the best hotels in Mexico or Latin America, but one of the world’s best.
Times have changed in Bangkok. When the original Oriental hotel opened, back in 1876, it was the first hotel in Thailand, meaning it’s now one of the oldest hotels in South-east Asia.
Sometimes, a trailer can ruin a film, not just by giving too much away but by raising expectations that the full-length film doesn’t meet.
The Hindu god Vishnu is a dominant presence on the southern tip of Bali. A striking ‘Garuda Wisnu’ statue stands 75 metres tall, 121 metres if you include the massive concrete pedestal he’s positioned on, within Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) Cultural Park, the god riding on the mythical bird Garuda.
Six million people visit Bali each year. It’s easy to understand why. The Indonesian island deserves its reputation as a paradise or the ‘Island of the Gods’, with rice paddies, Hindu temples and volcanoes to explore inland, long white sand beaches, sunny weather, excellent surfing and no shortage of places to enjoy a good cocktail.
Hospitals aren’t generally places where people want to spend time. Unless you’re a doctor or a nurse, a hospital visit usually means that you or someone you know is seriously ill or injured.
Japan is one of my favorite countries to visit. One of the reasons I like it so much is the elegance and the attention to detail across so many parts of Japanese culture, from the neat, caringly presented food, often like mini artworks, to calligraphy, as well as in the architecture and interior design.
Long before Laos became ‘Laos’, the South-east Asian country was known as Lan Xang. It translates as ‘the land of a million elephants’, the name given to the kingdom in 1353 by former king Fa Ngum.
One of the perks of being a pop star is the freedom and money to travel the world in style, even to purchase homes in exotic locations around the world.
What would Elvis Presley be like if he was a drink? It’s not a question I’ve asked myself before, but, according to Ruben, chief bartender at the recently opened Pacific Standard bar on the 41st floor of the new Alila Bangsar hotel.
Kuala Lumpur’s a city of towers. It’s iconic 452-metre high Petronas Twin Towers were the tallest buildings in the world from 1998 to 2004, until Taipei 101 in Taiwan and other subsequent constructions eclipsed them.
Rome, famously, wasn’t built in a day. The new Apurva Kempinski Bali, the latest addition to Bali’s hotel scene, also took considerably longer than a day.
Cultural diversity is a great thing. The more people and cultures you have living in a place, the more knowledge, ideas, customs, beliefs and viewpoints you have, all of them bouncing off each other and forming new combinations, whether that’s in art, politics, literature, music or food.
In Buddhist cultures, ringing a bell, a gong or cymbal is said to be a way to make an offering to the Buddha.
