Hua Hin Evason - a holistic and refreshing holiday
If you find the tourists’ favourites like Phuket, Cebu, Langkwai and Sabah are too popular and crowded, and you are thinking of going to some place else, I would recommend the Hau Hin Evason to you.
Hau Hin, just 30 mins flight (small air plane) from Bangkok, is a famous resort town in the South East Asia. If you take a bus, the travelling time would be around 3 hours. Without the connections of international nor domestic flight, it is definitely not as crowded as other famous resort towns in the South East Asia. And yet, it could be reached very conveniently from Bangkok. There are buses and air planes going into Hau Hin direct from the Bangkok International Airport daily.
The Evason Group and the Six Senses Spa run many high quality resorts and spa centres in Phuket, Hau Hin, Maldives, etc. And the Hau Hin Evason is one of those finest resorts under this renouned Brand.
Adopting the Evason Group’s six senses philosophy of offering its guests the finest and most refreshing experiences, the Hau Hin Evason has put in place every detail in the resort for the comfortness for the guests. For six senses mean sight, sound, touch, smell, taste and spirit, the resort as well as the staff take great care of the six senses of their guests, to bring in the ambience of comfort and harmony. The design in the resort is laidback and natural, every corner in the resort is designed in simple beauty with lots of plants and ponds with water lilies. The staff members in the resort are all well trained and friendly and they provide the most satisfying services to their guests. The resort is filled with soothing music and scent of essence oils which bring calm to the mind.
The large swimming pool of the resort is just located next to the lovely beach. And the swimming pool is famous for its “infinitive” design. The pool is “seamless” and it seems that it is connected to the ocean and the sky direct. Laying on the sun bench under the shelter, reading your favourite book, listening to music, going for swimming and pouring yourself a glass of wine, nothing could be more relaxing and comfortable.
The Pool Villas in the Hau Hin Evason are most impressive. With open bath tub embedded in the water lilies pond and private swimming pool, you could enjoy the outdoor fresh air in your own private area (um…. I especially enjoy the swim and bath under the moonlight, haha!). Inside your own entity, you would give your body and mind a total rest. Although the Villas provide you with full privacy and remoteness, there are designated “buddy” in the resort to help you with everything you need. Just one press on the line, your buddy would answer the call and arragne everything for you.
The Six Senses Spa in the resort is very famous and has received many awards over the years. Other than spa treaments, I would also recommend you to take the yoga classes in the Spa Centre to work out on our bodies and minds.
The whole resort imprints a sense of quiet, comfort, wellness and refreshing to its guests. One would focus within oneself inside the resort and work on the wellness of one’s body and mind. After taking a retreat in the resort, one would surely be refreshed.
Lastly, don’t forget to take the air plane from the Bangkok Airport to the Hau Hin direct. The flight time is only about 30 mins, and you would then be received by Evason’s representative at the Hau Hin direct. You could be totally carefree for your whole trip and seems that you are flying to the Hau Hin direct (only need to change a plane at the Bangkok Airport). The cost of the air plane is around US$150 for round trips, really a good choice.
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Related post: Phuket Boutique Hotel - Sarojin
Filed under resort hotel, thailand, hip & stylish, wellness, travelling | Comments (3)Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium (美ら海水族館)
Okinawa(沖縄), known as the “Japan Hawaii”, is the Southernmost Province of Japan and it consists of thousands of island. Its capital, the Naha, is located at the largest island of Okinawa Province, the Okinawa Island. With beautiful coastal lines and natural scenes, nice beaches, good diving sites, the antique architecture and numerous resort hotels along the beaches, the Okinawa is a famous place for local Japanese people as well as overseas tourists to spend their summer holidays. The summer in Okinawa is especially popular and the hotel prices in July to August could rise to all most 3 times higher than the low season.
I visited the Okinawa this July, and I was astonished by the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium.
This Aquarium is nothing to be compared all over the world and among all other aquariums, as it houses the largest fish in the world, the Whale Shark. There are 2 Whale Sharks inside the Aquarium and they are the only 2 raised inside an aquarium. If it is not this Aquarium, we could either see the Whale Shark in the National Geographic Channel, or go diving and try our luck in the uninhabited open sea.
The Whale Sharks, tremendous in size, but mild in nature as they are only fed on small organisms through filtrating the sea water. They have large square head and their large mouth always looks like smiling to us. Their fins are as tall as a person and their grey skin is covered by small white dots. What an amazing creatures! Through the thick glass wall I saw the two giants, I could hardly believe my eyes that I could watch them so closely and clearly. When watching them swimming elegantly inside the water, I felt so peaceful and forgot my own being. I thought that I was “flying” with them merrily inside the water. Haha!
The two lovely giants have lots of big and small friends around them, like the Manta Ray, the big Butterfly Fish, the Tuna, the Shark, etc. There are so much more to see in the Aquarium and one could spend a whole day there.
One more fascinating feature in the Aquarium which I would like mentioning is the “Ocean Blue Cafe“ there. The cafe is just a fast food shop and it sells pasta, hotdogs, softdrinks, etc. Visitors would need to find themselves for tables there. However, this lovely fast food shop is a “must visit” spot inside the Aquarium, as it is located right next to the huge apartment of the Whale Sharks. Not only all the tables there could have a good clear view over the Whale Sharks, some tables are set so close to the glass wall and it seems that we are dining under the water and the Whale Sharks and all the other giants are swimming over our heads. When I visited the Aquarium last month, I was lucky enough to find the best table and I just sat there watching the “giants” for hours and did not want to leave.
The best time to visit this Cafe would be around 3:00pm when it is also the feeding time for the Whale Sharks and all their friends, the whole Aquarium would get excited. Remember to go to this Cafe a bit earlier and find yourselve a nice table, I am sure that you don’t want to leave by watching the beautiful and lovely creatures.
note: a friend of mine is going to visit Okinawa next week. my friend, if you are reading this article, you would probably know that i write this for you.
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related post: Talk of Tokyo
Filed under travelling, japan, fun | Comments (14)Phuket Boutique Hotel - Sarojin
When thinking of a leisure, refreshing and affordable vacation, the South East Asia would always be a good choice for all.
Phuket, located at the Southern West tip of the Thailand, is famous for its natural environment: beautiful beaches, crystal blue water, lovely sunshine and good diving sites. Among most of the South East Asia vacation attractions, their hotels and customer services always receive high ratings from international travel authorities. For someone who love good food, entertainment and shopping, the delicious Thai cuisines, the night lives and bars and the shops and markets in Phuket would never fail your expectations. While for those who would like to have an escape from your busy lives, to have some quiet and refreshing moments and to recharge your body and mind, you may wish to choose some boutique hotels which are quiet and hip to stay and to take some treatments in the high quality spa centres, such that your mind could be relaxed with the well designed environment and quality services of the hotel and your body could be fully taken care of by the spa centre.
There are some boutique hotels newly opened in Phuket with high quality spa centres. If you wish to have a total cut off from the external world, you may choose to stay in these hotels for your whole vacation.
The Sarojin is a new boutique hotel winning lots of international awards since it’s opening in the end of 2006.
The Sarojin is charmingly ensconced in a garden setting with direct private access onto a secluded 11km white beach beside the Andaman Sea, riven by a saltwater estuary and just one hour north of Phuket International Airport, in Khao Lak in the Phang Nga province of Thailand. The Sarojin is surrounded inland by the spectacular primary forests of the adventurous Khao Lak and Khao Sok National Parks. The Similan Islands Marine National Park, one of the top ten world dive sites, is less than an hour away by boat. Phang Nga Bay, renowned for its sheer limestone rock formations and hidden caves and lagoons is 40 minutes away.
Relaxation, freedom, inspiration. …. “staying as a guest at a friend’s private estate”. - philosophy of Sarojin
The design of the hotel is hip and stylish, with basic and natural decorations which bring peace to our minds. The lovely swimming pool with thai style leisure booths resting on the water is a signature design of the hotel.
The residences are with private gardens and sundecks, with plunge pools and spa pools that blend into the natural habitat. Privacy is the concern of the hotel and each guest residence is privately entered by crossing a stream via the grounds and through a private garden terrace.
The spa, Pathways, receives the Conde Nest Traveler US Hot List Spa2006 award. Taking some body treatments in the natural environment, or practicing a yoga session with the yoga masters in the spa center, would definitely bring your vacation a journey to your wellbeing.
Here is one more hot information for you: there is a summer package offered by Sarojin for these few months. From 1 May 2007 to 31 October 2007, for guests who stay for 2 nights and more at the Sarojin, the hotel would offer the same number of night free of charge to the guests, thus equals to a 50% discount on the room rate. Don’t miss this great promotion and I am already planning my own vacation now!
Filed under boutique hotel, phuket, thailand, hip & stylish, wellness, travelling | Comments (3)
Sun and Beach - chill-out place in Hong Kong
after the typhoon, it has been raining for more then a week here in hong kong.
how i miss the sun and beach! haha!
hong kong is an crazy city: crowdy, noisy, busy. it’s really not my cup of tea.
however, being my home town, there are still lovely things around. the one receiving the highest rating from me should be the pretty beaches here.
lucky we are, there are many pretty beaches in hong kong. some are big, some are small, some are lousy and crowded with tourists, some are quiet and hip. for me, i love going to the big wave beach and the southern beach in hong kong, both are small but hip.
the beaches in hong kong are not only for summer, they are good for winter too. in summer, you could swim or play some water sports and would be able to see many pretty bikini girls and cool guys playing around. the water is warm and the sun is hot. for winter, when there is soft sunshine and the weather is warm, it’s really relaxing to bring a book to read at the beach.
if the weather is fine, i would normally spend a day in the beach during the weekend, finding some shelter under the tree, laying on a mat, reading a book, writing some articles, listening to music, drinking a glass of champagne or white wine, swimming for a while, taking a nap with the message of sea breeze, nothing could be more comforting and refreshing. the blue sky, white cloud, the golden sunshine and the crystal blue water are the perfect combinations for a relaxing afternoon.
big wave beach, which is one of my favourite beaches to visit during the weekend, is famous for surfing. driving to the beach from the hong kong central areas is around 30 mins drive (of course we could take a minibus or taxi to get there). the road leading to the beach is challenging, narrow and with lots of sharp turns. if you like driving, the route is already fun for you.
there are many surfers staying in the big wave beach all over the year. in summer, this beach is rather hot and crowded, but one would still be able to find a quiet corner if so wish. for winter, here is a paradise, with only some surfers, a few visitors, very quiet and peaceful. there are many local shops selling food, drinks and beach stuffs, if you forget to bring something, don’t worry, you could always buy it at the local shops.
there is one sea-side bar at the big wave beach. it’s decorations are most basic and natural. after a week’s busy and stressful work, this bar is a great place for chill-out in a sunny day.
if you are visiting hong kong and you are not too rush in your schedule, this lovely big wave beach would worth you a visit.
Talk of Tokyo
Working. Dwelling. Playing. Relaxing. This quarter is a composite city, gathering together all of these functions. Offices, a hotel, park, art museums and other amenities are naturally anointed with high function, mutually interacting, inspiring and connecting, bringing something new into being. The synergy generated form such functional diversity emerges as the true face of this town. - project MidTown Tokyo
For past few years, when people visiting Tokyo, the “Roppongi Hills(六本木山, りぽんぎヒルズ)” was once the hippiest and trendiest place to go. However, since March this year, another new project has over taken the leading position and become the talk of the town in Tokyo.
The MidTown Tokyo, a new land mark in Tokyo, is a commercial project. Although the complex is commercial based where the focus is on the offices, shops, hotel and restaurants, this complex also brings in a touch of culture, art, nature and human interactions within the commercial environment.
The complex is formed by several high rise commercial and residential buildings, with a low rise shopping arcade. The transparent curtain walls and the vertical and horizontal sun shading fins, which are the signature of nowadays commercial buildings, carry with them clearly the environmental awareness and energy saving concepts.
What makes this commercial complex stands out from other similar projects is its consciousness of incorporating art, culture, nature and human interactions within the commercial environment, which brings in liviness and humanities.
There are 3 large parks surrounding the commercial complex: the Midtown Garden, the Grass Square and the Hinokicho Park, incorporating the natural environment in the highly artificial and functional commercial buildings. The parks also form a space for leisure human interactions, in addition to the commercial activities.
There are also 2 art museums built within the commercial complex: the Suntory Museum of Art and the 21-21 Design Sight. The interactions of art, culture and commercial activities mark the design concept of this project.
Being the hottest place of interest in Tokyo, with many popular shops and high quality restaurants, and with the 6 stars Ritz Charlton Tokyo, the MidTown Tokyo in no question is a “must go” location when travelling to Tokyo.
During 27 July to 26 Aug 2007, there is an interesting event, ”the Midtown Cafe on the Green” held in the MidTown Tokyo. People could enjoy the lovely outdoor atmosphere at the Midtown Garden, with beer, good food and live music. With all these, won’t you fancy a trip to Tokyo now?
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- MidTown Tokyo:
Roppongi Station on the Toei-Oedo Line; or
Roppongi Station on the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line.
Filed under travelling, architecture, japan, art | Comments (7)
relaxing sunday
here is a photo i took in harajuku (原宿) of tokyo, april this year. i fell in love with those lovely creatures at my first sight. i love their tenderness, relaxing and lovely apperance.do visit these lovely creatures: http://www.hanasakemee.com
some more pictures to share with you. let’s laugh and relax !
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