Celadon Palace renamed Best Western hotel in Hue

Best Western International, one of the world’s largest hotel chains, has renamed Celadon Palace, a five-star hotel located at 105A Hung Vuong Street in Hue City, into Best Western Premier Indochine Palace.

The tourism property, having 222 rooms, is designed under the East Asia architecture with many luxury amenities and services, meeting demands of tourists, businessmen as well as providing facilities for MICE (meeting, incentive, conference and exhibition) events.

The U.S.-based hotel chain operator Best Western has nearly 4,100 hotels in 90 countries. There are three Best Western hotels in Vietnam, in which Indochine Palace in Hue City is the first in Vietnam to reach Best Western Premier standard.

Matthias Wiesmann, director general of Best Western Premier Indochine Palace, hoped the brand name would contribute to the tourism promotion of Hue.
 
Hot promotions for festive package tours

Several travel agencies have already started promotion programs for Christmas and New Year package tours to attract early customers.

Thanks to various domestic flights, the short-haul package tours by air are the same price as seat-in-coach tours. Besides, price list and flight occupancy have been sent earlier to travel firms than last season, thus most operators have been able to design tours by air rapidly.

Viet Travel Media Corporation is starting its promotion program now with over 100 inbound and outbound tours. Customers can receive a voucher worth VND2 million when registering ahead of November 15 or they can receive extra gifts at Lunar New Year.

Saigontourist Travel Service Co. offers a wide selection of Christmas and New Year package tours, with around 300 inbound and outbound package tours.

Saigontourist also introduces package tours for Lunar New Year holidays for overseas Vietnamese, the elderly and honeymooners.

Outbound Christmas and New Year tours of Saigontourist go to Paris, Rome, Zurich, New York, Sydney, Melbourne, Seoul and Tokyo.

Vietravel also unveils promotion programs for domestic tours. In particular, tourists who book package tours to Dalat, Ninh Chu and Phu Quoc Island this month will receive a 40-45% discount.

It also offers tours to Danang, Nha Trang and Northern provinces at special discount prices. Some outbound package tours to South Korea, Japan, England and Cambodia have discounted rates.

Promotions at Rex Hotel

The five-star Rex Hotel, under management of Saigontourist, has launched some attractive promotion programs from November 20.

Rooftop Garden Bar

Nicknamed the ‘Five O’clock Follies’, the Rooftop garden is a venue for businessmen, foreign tourists and Saigonese to admire the panoramic view of Saigon. The bar will offer 15% discount on beer and cocktail and 50% discount on finger food. From Monday to Friday, guests will be served together with juggling and other performances.

The program is applied from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. during the promotion period.

Hoa Mai Restaurant

Hoa Mai Restaurant features a cozy, elegant ambiance and serves delicious Vietnamese and Western cuisine. It offers 20% discount on lunch and 30% discount on drinks, with free Pepsi and mineral water. The program is applied from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. daily.

Cung Dinh Restaurant

With unique decor reminiscent of the Royal Court of Hue, the ancient capital of Vietnam, the Cung Dinh restaurant offers a truly distinctive dining experience. Following a cooking show, guests can enjoy traditional folklore music and dance. The restaurant will offer a 15% discount on breakfast and various meal promotions.

The Rex Hotel is at 141 Nguyen Hue Boulevard, HCMC’s District 1, tel: 3829 2185, website: www.rexhotelvietnam.com
 
New World brings diners Mediterranean culinary tour
 
A special promotion of Mediterranean cuisine will run at the New World Hotel Saigon in HCMC’s District 1 from November 9 to 20.

The promotion features food from Greece, Italy, Spain, France, Lebanon and North Africa surrounding the Mediterranean Sea with fish, fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grain, nuts and beans on the menu. They are healthy choices which are rich in unsaturated oils, low in cholesterol and high in fiber and carbohydrates.

The hotel will also offer one lucky diner the chance to win a Mediterranean food hamper filled with pasta, oils, wine, cooking sauces, olives and cold cuts worth more than VND625,000. The dinner buffet is priced at VND950,000++. For reservations, call: 3822 8888.
 
Sheraton Nha Trang serves up French cuisine this month
 
The Sheraton Nha Trang Hotel & Spa will welcome guest chef Sebastien Volontier from Le Meridien Nice, France to its kitchen from November 11 to 20.

During this period, Sebastien will honor French cuisine with a special food corner on the dinner buffet line as well as a delectable a-la-carte menu for lunch and dinner in Feast, the hotel’s main restaurant.

There will be a themed wine dinner by the pool on November 18, where guests can sample unique creations of the French chef and the magnificent night view of the bay. The dinner is priced at VND850,000++ per person.

On November 19, Sebastien will teach guests how to concoct a number of original French delicacies in a special cooking class, available at VND665,000++ per person.

For dinner reservations, call 058 388 0000.
 
Vinpearl launches gift voucher

Vinpearl will debut its gift voucher scheme featuring many offers and promotions for customers to enjoy high quality services and products at its facilities from November 1 until January 31.

The gift voucher is a magcard consisting of many services and can be used as cash when guests check in. With this voucher, tourists will enjoy up to 50% discounts on room rates in a three-day-two-night stay at Vinpearl Resort Nha Trang, Vinpearl Luxury Nha Trang and Vinpearl Luxury Danang from November 1 this year to November 1, 2012. Furthermore, there is free transportation for tourists from Danang Airport or Cam Ranh Airport to the Vinpearl resorts and three buffets a day featuring both Asian and Western cuisines on the house.

Additionally, each Vinpearl resort offers particular gifts to guests including a free body massage voucher for two and free golf at Vinpearl Luxury Nha Trang, a sightseeing tour and free round at Golf Vinpearl at Vinpearl Resort Nha Trang, a free foot massage voucher for two at Vinpearl Luxury Danang. Specifically, tourists staying at Vinpearl Resort Nha Trang have unlimited fun at Vinpearl Amusement Park and the Underwater World and dolphin performance.

Together with the release of the gift voucher, Vinpearl also offers other interesting promotions like a wedding package, Play & Stay or family package for local and international customers to choose from.
 
Try Pahok noodle soup at Tu Xe in D10

Cambodian Pahok noodle soup is a favorite with Saigonese and no-one does it better than Tu Xe restaurant in District 10.

Tu Xe is a Vietnamese woman who used to live in Cambodia before returning to Saigon in 1972. More than ten years ago, she opened the eatery, which has welcomed numerous diners coming for the delightful soup since then.

Pahok sauce is pickled fish dipping sauce and is a delicacy of Cambodia.

Based on main materials of Pahok sauce, loc fish, chut leaves and fruits, bun (soft noodles), lemon grass leaves, garlic and thin noodles, the dish combines a fatty taste with the sweet loc fish meat. Its flavor is more delicious when served with Chinese pea, water-lily, beansprouts, cucumber, banana flowers and rau muong (water spinach).

The soup’s taste and color are created from the yellow Pahok sauce, said Xe, adding that all materials come from Cambodia with original flavors. Thus, her restaurant has become a familiar address for homesick Cambodians in the city.

Pahok noodle soups are priced at VND30,000, VND35,000 and VND50,000. Tu Xe restaurant is located at 57/27 Ho Thi Ky Street, Ward 1 in District 10 and is open from 7a.m. to 11a.m. every day.
 
Tasting delta rustic specialties in Anh Ba Khia restaurant

Ba khia (three-striped crab) and cua dong (field crab) are specialties of the Mekong Delta. However, those particular delta delights have come to town via Anh Ba Khia restaurants.

Ba khia is a favorite snack for women to the restaurant as is dish ba khia salad which is made with fried ba khia and cua dong with salt then mixed with crispy papaya and green mango. Add some chili and lemon juice and you will see diners licking their lips in anticipation.

There is also the cua dong hotpot and cua dong hotpot with rice soup. The soup water is made from extracts of minced crab so it is very sweet. It is also added with crab soup, fresh fish and shrimps. The dish will be served with vegetables such as amaranth, basella alba, dien dien, so dua (typical vegetables of the delta), lotus flowers and pennywort.

You can enjoy the dish cua dong hotpot with rice soup in which creators put rice soup at the bottom of the hotpot. You just stir the soup then enjoy.

The restaurant also serves other rustic dishes such as steam ro fish with coconut water, braised loc fish in the earthenware pot, and fried rau muong (water spinach) with garlic and so dua flower sour soup.

The rustic flavor is enhanced by the interior decoration of the restaurant with its bamboo table sets and bamboo food booths. Also scattered around the eaterie are bamboo fish traps, bamboo vegetable baskets and countryside images hanging on the walls, making guests fell they are eating in the middle of the delta.

Anh Ba Khia restaurants are located at 150 Cong Quynh Street in HCMC’s District 1 or 446 Hai Ba Trung Street in District 1.
 
Yoga guru Master Kamal comes to city

Master Kamal will introduce his complete yoga system of Kryoga to seekers of spiritual and physical health and tranquility in HCMC.

Master Kamal, a renowned yoga guru in Asia, and his fellow Kryoga instructors will conduct a variety of classes, including Yoga Basics, Yoga Rhythms, Yoga Core, Power of Breath, Yoga Punch and Various Indian Dances at a yoga studio from Nov. 20.

Master Kamal’s Kryoga Studio will start with 66 classes at different hours of the day for all ages from beginners to advanced levels and it will soon increase to more than 100 classes.

Situated in District 3, Master Kamal’s Kryoga Studio spans two floors covering over 800 square meters at 538 Cach Mang Thang 8 Street.

Master Kamal insists to practice yoga is to celebrate life and he says that practicing yoga is not difficult if people are taught how to concentrate and breathe in and out properly.   

After successfully establishing his Kryoga studio in Thailand capital Bangkok, he is expanding his Kryoga network to Vietnam through a partnership with Blue Way Joint Venture Co. Ltd.

“Kryoga is more than just yoga, it’s a way to empower and rejuvenate your life,” Master Kamal said. “At Kryoga, we do not practice yoga as an exercise, we teach you to celebrate life.”

Throughout November and December, Kryoga is offering three months free classes for every two-year membership and one month free for a one-year membership. For more information, call 38464351.