Mayenne Carmona discovers the Four Seasons Resort in Koh Samui is a quiet oasis to recharge and rejuvenate…
What does one expect from a Four Seasons Resort? Everything! Firstly, it will definitely be ranked no less than a five-star hotel or resort. Most importantly, it would not fall short of all your expectations: excellent cuisine, topnotch comfort at your fingertips in a well-appointed villa, courteous staff who offer impeccable service, and every other detail you could possibly need—down to the last cotton bud. After all, a Four Seasons Resort is always designed by a top-rated architectural team and interior designers.
The moment I stepped into the Four Seasons Resort at Koh Samui, I felt all my cares washed away by the soft waves of the bluest sea. The fresh air cleared my sinuses in no time, and the gentle breeze was a much needed caress to a tired mind and body. It was truly paradise regained for me and my friends. We were a motley group of career-oriented people who needed a much-awaited break from work, and this was the perfect choice for us.
Each Villa has a butler to cater to the guests’ every whim. The afternoon we arrived, we requested a sunset dinner by the beach, and much like a genie, our butler whipped up a romantically set candlelit dinner for six. A five-course delicious Thai dinner was prepared by their well-trained chef.
Our days were spent languishing by the beach, having daily massages, attending yoga classes, doing water sports and enjoying every bite of Thai cuisine. Golf carts transported us wherever we wanted to go within the resort. This vacation brought all my senses to another realm, and restored a weary soul to perfection.
Four Seasons Koh Samui, I look forward to seeing you again!
Koh Samui is the third largest island of Thailand in the scenic Gulf of Siam. It is a 45 minute flight from Bangkok. Sandy beaches, coral reefs, coconut trees and abundant tourist resources make it a popular holiday destination.
For more information on Four Seasons Resort, visit their website at https://www.fourseasons.com/kohsamui/
(This article has already been published in Zee Lifestyle’s March 2016 Travel Issue, “Silent Sanctuaries” written by our columnist Mayenne Carmona for La Vie En Rose on pages 32-33.)
]]>To add zest to its nightly culinary showcase, the hotel invited three chefs from its sister hotel in Phuket, Thailand, to take the lead in their kitchen. From September 10-18, 2016, the guest chefs will be seen in action around The Sails, cooking and serving authentic yet diverse specialities that reflect the Thai culture, ingenuity and tradition.
If those details are not enough to convince you to make the drive all the way to Mactan, here are our further arguments.
The Sails is known for great international fare
The Mediterranean buffet at The Sails
Best identified for its varied dinner buffet themes, The Sails caters to discerning palates with its wide range of dinner buffet serving delicious dishes from different origins, available on weekdays and weekends. There’s East Meets West, Mediterranean, Filipino and Asian, among others. Zee Lifestyle personally loves the seafood tabouleh that comes with the Mediterranean buffet on Tuesdays.
Read more:
- Dine around the world at The Sails (via ZeeLifestyleCebu.com)
Who doesn’t love Thai food?
A teaser of the many flavorful dishes that will be served during the Thai Fun Food Festival
“Thai cuisine captures the interest of many, not only for its enigmatic and exotic cultural influences, but also for the interplay and harmony of flavours present in each dish,” explains Christian Bouby, executive chef. “The playful and creative nature of the Thai people is visible on every plate they serve. They are very adventurous when it comes to texture and essence.”
“We live by our service philosophy of bringing something fun and fresh, to be a trailblazer of genres and flavours,” says Mr. Harold Rainfroy, general manager. “We always aim to bring in new excitement in various seasons to delight our guests of different nationalities.”
Authentic dishes by guest chefs from Phuket, Thailand
Satay done the authentic way
Chef Bouby is proud to put the spotlight on the three guest chefs from Mövenpick Resort & Spa Karon Beach Phuket, Thailand, namely Wiwat Yong-en, Sutee Yamkratho and Teenasit Nakrua. For the entire duration of the food festival, t
“Our team is excited to work with these three kitchen superstars,” adds Mr. Jeryl Tio, food and beverage manager. “They are bringing with them years of experience and innovation in Thai culinary traditions, with age-old recipes tweaked with modern sensibilities. The menu selections they’re preparing for this food festival will use special ingredients they’ve sourced from Thailand. That’s as far as we go when it comes to bringing authentic flavours to the table, and it’s definitely something we all look forward to.”
Get the chance to win a trip to Thailand!
Mövenpick Resort & Spa Karon Beach Phuket
Finally, not only can guests taste the flavours of Thailand, but also find their way to the beautiful country of Thailand. All guests who dine during the Thai Fun Food Festival get a chance to win a round-trip Cebu-Manila-Phuket ticket courtesy of Cebu Pacific, and a gift certificate for a two-night stay in Mövenpick Resort & Spa Karon Beach Phuket.
MÖVENPICK HOTEL MACTAN ISLAND CEBU
- Punta Engaño Road, Lapu-Lapu City
- Telephone: 6332. 492 7777
Bring the entire family with the Dusit Thani Krabi Beach Resort’s ‘Family Getaway Privilege’
For a limited time, families can enjoy amazing upgrades and room specials along with tailor-made perks for children. Families receive 50% off when booking a connecting room for kids or a complimentary upgrade to a suite, inclusive of rollaway beds or cots if needed.
Children under 12 also receive free admission to Kid’s Club facilities and unlimited poolside beverages such as fruit juices or soft drinks. Daily breakfast is also included for two adults and two children under 12.
“I have been blown away by the overwhelming response to our newly rebranded resort,” said Urs Lienhard, General Manager of the Dusit Thani Krabi Beach Resort. “A broad cross section of travellers have descended on the resort, all praising the resort’s stunning surroundings, village-like atmosphere, fantastic amenities and first-class service.”
The Dusit Thani Krabi Beach Resort in Thailand
Visitors to international travel sites TripAdvisor was quick to respond to the Dusit Thani rebranding, immediately bestowing the resort with positive feedback that allowed it to debut with an 8.6 satisfaction ranking and an 8 th place position on the respective sites.
About the new Family Getaway Privilege, Mr. Lienhard also noted, “Our goal is to open the doors of the Dusit Thani Krabi Beach Resort to let families create lifetime memories with a great package that caters specifically to their needs.”
Enjoy the “Beauty of Being Thai” and bring the whole family to discover the Dusit Thani Krabi Beach Resort with the limited-time Family Getaway Privilege package.
DUSIT THANI KRABI BEACH RESORT
155 Moo 2,
Nong Thale,
Muang Krabi,
Krabi 81180
Thailand
+66(0)75 628 000 | www.dusitthanikrabi.com
From the air, Chiang Mai is a vast valley surrounded by hills and mountains. Upon closer look, the Ping River appears, gracefully snaking up and down the endless landscape. Much like what the Nile does in Egypt, the Ping River feeds the farmland, and is the lifeline of the medieval Lanna kingdom, the northern domain of which Chiang Mai was the capital.
Arriving in November, a week before the Loi Krathong festival, one of the two major events in the Thai calendar, we found the city in a festive mood. Loi Krathong is traditionally held during the full moon of November, and is celebrated to honor the Goddess of Water at sunset with thousands of floating banana leaves decorated with candles and flowers in the Ping River, and hundreds of paper lanterns launched in the air.
The airport was relatively uncomplicated, we were in and out in ten minutes, and shortly thereafter, driving across the river to an elaborately carved wooden gate and entering the enclave of a magnificent ancient kingdom. Or so it seemed. There is no better way to appreciate the façade of the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi than in the dramatic hues of dusk. The first sight of multiple ornamented roof tiers can easily take your breath away, while the impressive dark wood and the warm welcoming staff in the reception area was a promising start to our four-day stay.
Designed by the local architect Rachen Intawong, the sprawling resort took seven years to build and was created to fulfill the heritage passion of a Thai tycoon. Set in sixty acres of rural farmland, the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi is a small village of its own, and our quarters for the duration of our stay was a villa overlooking the rice paddies and carabaos. Staying true to traditional Lanna architectural style, the teakwood two-story villas provided all the modern amenities mixed with artwork, artifacts and luxurious silks and textiles weaved in the neighboring hilltop tribes. In all, the complex houses 64 villas and 54 colonial suites overlooking a large pool, and an expansive array of dining choices – French at Farang Ses, Chinese at Fujian, buffet breakfast and lunch at Akaligo, an English teahouse at the shopping village called The Oriental Shop, as well as an impressive room service menu that can be served in the room or at any of the public places. For the best taste of Northern cuisine, locals and visitors go to the Le Grand Lanna where the chef uses only the freshest ingredients for a meal fit for royalty.
But the heart of the resort is the luxurious Dheva Spa, a palace on its own with 18 treatment rooms and five residences with a thick menu for pampering.
For retail therapy, Chiang Mai is a haven. The night market on Saturday is a good precursor to the more extensive one the following day. Hard- core bargain hunters won’t let both chances slip by. The Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi thoughtfully provides a shuttle for their guests to the city center, a short 15-minute drive away. And if the schedule doesn’t fit, cabs are available at very reasonable rates.
The weekend night market comes alive at dusk, when wheeled carts are set up to line the streets. On Saturday, it stretches a good kilometer at Wu Lai Road, where vendors compete with existing shops in this busy commercial road known for its silverware.
The Sunday market is much bigger and located close by, at the center of the old walled city, starting at the Tha Phae Gate. Shoppers are bombarded with a huge selection of the usual knockoff T-shirts, athletic shoes, clothes, pirated CDs and DVDs; and cheap woodwork. If you haggle, you’re likely to find prices cheaper than those in Bangkok. Food stalls and fruit vendors selling kluk (a local delicacy of fresh strawberries tossed with salt and sugar) pepper the whole scene. The Sunday market is also more interesting as it showcases the art and craftsmanship of the northern tribal villages. Many of the stall vendors make and sell their own products mostly cotton and handwoven fabrics, as well as pottery, wood- carvings and metal works. To add to the festive mood, strings of colored lights and lanterns are hung all over, while musicians and puppeteers perform in the middle of the road.
For culture, Chiang Mai’s temples are much older than the ones in Bangkok, some as old as the city itself, which celebrated its 700 years in 1996. We visited the mountaintop Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep, an important pilgrimage temple with a full monastery. The 800-year-old temple is famous for its gold domed rooftops overlooking the city, and a short hop to various hill tribe villages.
For first time visitors, Chiang Mai is a place to escape to, where the sights and sounds are to be appreciated and to partake as needed, especially if you choose a luxe resort. There is no sense of urgency visitors usually get from a Thai vacation in Bangkok or Phuket. Chiang Mai is best taken with a long massage in the afternoon and night shopping. Just as the doctor ordered.
- by Eva Gullas