Six Senses Ninh Van Bay is a beach getaway destination for the rich and famous and is Vietnam’s most exclusive resort, being accessible only by boat. Six Senses Ninh Van Bay is situated north of Nha Trang on a calm bay with a golden sand beach and surrounded by tall boulder-strewn mountains. A total of 58 personal luxury villas are nestled along the beach, hilltops, and rock formations, each coming with a private plunge pool and butler service. Guests come here looking for privacy, relaxation, tranquility, and luxury. On our recent trip to Vietnam, we had the very exciting opportunity to spend a night at the Six Senses Ninh Van Bay and experience this exclusive resort for ourselves. We’ll share all the details and photos of our stay and tell you how you can arrange your own luxury stay at this little piece of paradise. Even if this is out of… Read the rest
Archives for May 2014
Fresh Fish for Breakfast: Noryangjin Fish Market in Seoul
On our first full day in Korea, we made a morning visit to the Noryangjin Fish Market in Seoul. Its official name is Noryangjin Fisheries Wholesale Market and it is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is Seoul’s oldest and largest indoor seafood market, housing over 700 vendors with fish brought in daily from fishing ports all over Korea. Throughout the day, you can find on display hundreds of edible underwater critters from sea cucumbers to sea bass, including every possible type of seafood of Korean origin as well as plenty of imported seafood. While it attracts plenty of tourists, this is a real wholesale fish market with hundreds of serious buyers and sellers conducting business throughout the day. The major transactions happen in the early morning at the wholesale auctions, which begin around 1:00am and are generally over by dawn. Yes, you have to get up real early… Read the rest
Afternoon Tea in Ho Chi Minh City: Taking a Break at the Caravelle Saigon Hotel
If you are planning a trip to Vietnam, you may not be thinking about places to go for afternoon tea in Ho Chi Minh City. For most people, Vietnam does not conjure up images of high tea, but you’ll be surprised by how many of the old grand hotels—and some of the shiny new ones—are offering up some pretty fantastic afternoon tea menus. We found afternoon tea to be a much-needed respite from the heat, the crazy motorbike traffic, and the hustle and bustle of this clearly booming city. One of the grande dames of old Saigon, the Caravelle Saigon hotel, had just recently revamped their afternoon tea menus about a month prior to our trip, and we just had to stop by and have tea here. The Caravelle Saigon hotel now offers three tea menus—Traditional English, Vegetarian, and Vietnamese—and yes, after not being able to decide, we just had… Read the rest
Five Ways to Enjoy the Traditional Hanok Houses in Seoul South Korea
During our recent trip to South Korea, we fell in love with the look of the traditional hanok houses in Seoul. These traditional Korean houses are built in a specific architectural style designed to maintain balance with the surrounding environment (mountains, lakes, space, land contours) and are constructed using elements such as long curved roofs and alternating ondol and maru flooring that help keep the home warm in the winters and cool in the summers. Once built primarily for the ruling class during the Joseon dynasty (1392-1910), these simple homes were later associated with lower class families who could not afford more modern housing. Many were torn down or left to decay as most city-dwelling Koreans moved to high-rise apartment complexes. Recently, hanok houses have become very trendy as not only are they historical and beautiful, they are also very eco-friendly and sustainable using natural building materials (wood, clay, paper, stone)… Read the rest
Raffles Hotel Le Royal in Phnom Penh: Staying in Jacqueline Kennedy’s Suite
If you are looking for a luxury hotel in Phnom Penh Cambodia, you do not need to look further than Raffles Hotel Le Royal. Not only does Hotel Le Royal provide all the services and amenities you’d associate with a modern luxury hotel, but it is also a historical landmark, having welcomed royalty, writers, dignitaries, journalists, and discerning travelers since 1929. Between 1970 and 1975 many journalists working in Phnom Penh stayed here prior to being forced to evacuate by the Khmer Rouge, and part of the film The Killing Fields about real-life Cambodian photojournalist Dith Pran and American journalist Sydney Schanberg was set in the hotel. Built during French colonialism, the hotel is a mix of French, Khmer, and Art Deco styles with dramatic black and white tiles, a grand teak staircase, high ceilings, and claw foot bathtubs. Setting foot in this hotel is a bit like stepping back in time as the original look of the… Read the rest
Our Search for a Cat Cafe in Seoul South Korea
While in South Korea last week, we visited our first cat café in Seoul. Cat cafés first gained popularity in Japan (although according to Wikipedia the first was opened in Taiwan in 1998) and then spread across Asia. They are now starting to spring up in Europe and other places. These are essentially normal coffee or tea shops, with the exception that they contain a number of cats (typically 10 to 30) that patrons are allowed to pet and play with during their stay. So the price of your latte generally includes as much cat watching and loving as you wish, although in some cafés you have to pay by the hour. The intended purpose of these cafés is to let people who are not allowed to have cats or dogs in their apartments, dorms, or homes come spend some quality time with some furry critters while sipping some coffee. It is… Read the rest