There’s nothing like having the number ‘1’ in an address to let people know a city hotel has a prime location. In the case of The Balmoral, the hotel takes up the number one position on Princes Street, the main street that cuts through the heart of Edinburgh.
For a relatively small country, about the same size as the state of Mississippi, England has a remarkable number of ‘secret’ or ‘hidden’ corners.
Even in a thick neoprene wetsuit, the water is bracing. There’s a jarring, icy jolt as a dive beneath the surface of Ullswater, the second largest natural lake in England (after Windermere).
‘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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
