Southeast Asia

Travel: Empress Hotel Chiang Mai, Thailand / July 6, 2017 by Jenn Chan

The service at the Empress Hotel in Chiang Mai will dazzle you! We were welcomed warmly by their very gracious front desk staff and showed to our room where a beautiful bouquet waited and a bag full of Thai snacks. A good start to a lovely stay!

The room was very clean and well appointed. Lighter hardwood floors contrasted with the dark wood paneling and beautiful embellishments. The bar is well stocked and the work space is very functional. The bed passed the comfort test with flying colours as I sank into its plush duvet. The washroom offers a very clean, modern oasis away from the humid Thai heat outside.

Speaking of oasis from the heat; the Empress pool is among the best in Chiang Mai! Our room offered a beautiful view of it from the 21st floor and the area bustles with happy guests laying out on chaise lounges and enjoying frosty cocktails from the pool bar. People swim laps as children frolic in the shallow end and weary travellers swap stories of their Southeast Asia adventures leaning against the pool's edge with Thailand's famous Singha beers clinking in celebration.

The Chao Nang dining room is raucous spot where Empress staff entertain guests with sing alongs and delicious food. Each course of our culinary experience came served by a kneeling waiter who also bore gifts. I was presented with a lovely pair of elephant salt and pepper shakers which I will cherish and Jenn received some lovely pearly jewellery which she is actually wearing as I write this. The food is top notch and there will certainly be something for everyone whether you opt for a set menu or explore the large buffet. The freshness really jumps out at you!

The service is what sets Empress apart from other hotels in Chiang Mai. It is centrally located, only a short walk to the vibrant Night Market area, and it is surrounded by all the shops and restaurants you could ever need. There is no reason to leave! I would happily stay with Empress again and I think you should do yourself a favour and check it out!

Words: Scott Allan
Photos: Jenn Chan

Travel: Grand Mercure Phuket Patong / June 6, 2017 by Jenn Chan

How do you know which hotel is the best in town? Do you believe Google and its pay-for-play style of marketing? TripAdvisor, similarly, will up your rating for a few shekels. Do you go by ratings? What if luxury and comfort is different to you than their raters? It's quite likely it is. My advice is to take an aggregate of all of them. Study the pictures on their website, but also check out hashtags on social media for less filtered images. When you put the Grand Mercure Phuket through these paces what you see is near universal adoration, shimmering rooms, posh villas and fantastic amenities. The Grand Mercure is the best hotel in Phuket!

When you enter the grand, open air lobby your eyes are immediately drawn to the classic Thai atrium surrounded by water which overlooks the spacious pool. The ceilings are 60 feet high if they're an inch and are covered in rich woods that contrast perfectly with the gorgeous marble floors. The birdcage benches dotted along the perimeter of the great entryway offer a comfortable spot to take it all in. It is impressive.

Patong Beach is to Australia and Eastern Europe what Mexico is to Canada and the USA; a hedonistic beach paradise in the sun. The beach stretches for 3.5 KMs and the gorgeous white sand feels like flour between your toes. There are vendors selling locally made goods, parasailers gliding through the air and ice cold beer flows like water. It shows no signs of the devastation it has incurred in recent years. My heart goes out to all my Thai brothers and sisters who lost their lives in 2004 when a mighty tsunami hit the area, gone, but not forgotten!

The rooms are well appointed and each faces into the pool which is a sparkling blue. Deep soaker tubs gaze out into the soft beds and the air conditioning is an oasis in an otherwise hot and humid atmosphere. The rooms are very well appointed and the villas, which we toured but didn't get a chance to enjoy, looked to provide some quiet in the bustling metropolis that is Patong. 1 and 2 bedroom cottages nestled amongst thick palm trees with their own private pools. Yes, please!

The breakfast buffets were immense and certainly had a dish anyone and everyone could enjoy. The Bubbles Restaurant is staffed by very competent professional from the front to the back. We partook in a lovely brunch and dinner there and were very well taken care of. Our brunch started out with the Long Phuket Island which is Bubbles Restaurant's take on the (in)famous Long Island Ice Tea: gin, run, Vodka, tequila, Triple Sec, lime and coke. It was our introduction to the Grand Mercure's mixology program and it was a good one! How and why the original recipe added every liquor in the cabinet to this drink I'll never know and I don't really care; it's good! Jennifer indulged in the Grand Piña Colada in a Young Coconut: rum, Malibu, pineapple juice and coconut milk. She called it "the fire extinguisher for the Mee Hoo Gaeng Poo", a spicy crab and yellow curry dish, sublime, that will make your nose run like a faucet and I mean that in the most positive way! But we'll get into that more a bit later. Rounding out our pre meal cocktail session was the Patong Libre, their take, of course, on the Cuba Libre which consists of rum, coke, vanilla syrup and cranberry juice. Delicious!

Fresh Omelette  & Noodle Station at Breakfast — Fresh Omelette & Noodle Station at Breakfast

Jewel of Phuket's Cuisine - Mee Hoon Gaeng Poo

Jewel of Phuket's Cuisine - Banana Blossom

Jewel of Phuket's Cuisine - Deep Fried Prawns

Jewel of Phuket's Cuisine - Ice Cream with Banana Jelly, Grass Jelly & Red Beans

It is hard to go wrong when ice cream is involved and Bubbles stayed fast to that tried and true rule. In all a very pleasurable experience. The dinner buffet, a once per week extravaganza dubbed Phuket Night, was incredible. Seafood, Thai food, meats, cheeses, veggies, fruits, pasta, etc... so much of everything I deigned to not describe anything because I would leave something out. If you are in Phuket, and your budget doesn't necessitate a shared room with a dozen grubby strangers, I could not recommend the Grand Mercure higher. We stayed at another location afterwards, which will go unnamed, and to say it was 1/10 the hotel GM is would be an understatement. Tell them we sent you and get at least a high five, possibly an upgrade lol!

Phuket's Night Market at Bubbles Restaurant

Phuket's Night Market at Bubbles Restaurant - Noodle Station

Phuket's Night Market at Bubbles Restaurant Dessert

Words: Scott Allan
Photos: Jenn Chan

Travel: Mövenpick Resorts Bangtao Beach, Phuket, Thailand / May 29, 2017 by Jenn Chan

Mövenpick is named for the German word for seagull, Möwe, the w pronounced like a v, and the skillful way it 'picks' its food out of mid air. Originally a restaurant specializing in upscale food quickly and at reasonable prices when Mövenpick expanded into the hotel world they brought those same philosophies with them. The Mövenpick property at Bangtao Beach is special. A collection of luxurious villas and rooms surrounding a beautiful Infiniti pool with views stretching out over the gorgeous Andaman Sea.

As we entered our 2 bedroom villa, with its private pool and gourmet kitchen, we are struck by the blue glimmer of the sea as we look out over the pool. The living room is spacious and modern and flows well with the adjoining kitchen and dining area. The master bedroom has a very serene feeling looking out over lush vegetation and our private patio dining table. The ensuite is very spa-like and our hosts had a bath drawn for us with fragrant, local flowers swimming in it!

The grounds are lovely, quiet and very private. The pool forms the central mustering point and smiling guests flock to cool down and relax in the poolside cabanas. Families mix with couples on a romantic retreat and singles posted up at the swim up bar. Bangtao is the part of Phuket where relaxation isn't only encouraged it's unavoidable.

Travelling as much as I do I have become adept at spotting the differences between good resorts and great ones. Some properties have luxurious accommodations, but their staff lack training or grace. Some places you stay are dirty or outdated, but the food is good and the staff friendly. Mövenpick Bangtao has beautiful rooms, excellent, long tenured staff, and their food is fresh and the ingredients are high quality; the trifecta! From the breakfast buffet where there will no doubt be options to please everyone to the incredible Palm Restaurant Mövenpic's gastronomy roots are evident.

The Palm Cuisine Restaurant at Mövenpick takes great pride in their Thai food! We were in for a treat when we made reservations and left the menu up to the Chef. It started with Meang kham, an ages old Thai tradition. Wild betel leaves wrap a mixture of peanut, lime, dried shrimp, ginger, shallots and Thai chillis all covered in a shrimp-based, sweet and salty sauce. The heat from the chilies melds with the sweet and salty sauce and offer a stark contrast to the lime and ginger. Very delicious!

Prawn cakes arrived next smelling like a slice of heaven deep fried! Crispy brown on the outside and packed with prawn goodness inside. It comes with a lovely plum sauce with just the right sweetness to compliment the delicious cakes. This appetizer is a very solid 8.5/10!

Poe Tack is a seafood hot and sour soup loaded with seafood. Loaded. Alongside it came the Pla Sam Rod, a Snapper fillet in sweet and sour sauce. I have had some bad experiences with hot and sour soup. Some too hot and some too sour. Some tasted like sweat. Yes, sweat. The Palm's offering hits a good balance and it is full of plump and delicious seafood; fish, mussels and gigantic prawns that look like they could sink a ship. The Snapper tastes like it was pulled from the waters that lie some 200 feet away and recently. Fresh, tender and delicious.

Khao Neaw Ma Muang is a mango, sticky rice, coconut milk and sesame seed concoction. Jenn devoured hers and found the mango to be "soft and yummy". She then devoured mine as I slept, jet lagged, on the crook of my arm at the table. Not my finest moment. In all we both loved at our experience at the Palm and recommend it without hesitation!

If you're travelling to Phuket treat yourself to a few nights away from the craziness that is Patong Beach, the tourist trap of the island, and unwind in Bangtao. One of the longest beaches on the island and strikes a good balance between resort living and local flair. Mövenpick is an excellent choice to take it all in and you will see why they win countless awards for their hospitality and are rated in the top 10% of luxury, 5-star resorts worldwide!

Words: Scott Allan
Photos: Jenn Chan