Thailand’s Onscreen Starlets

It was one of this summer’s most talked about films, but The Hangover Part IIdoesn’t just feature an all star cast of actors, two of our top Thai getaways also put in an appearance. You too can have a stay worthy of the silver screen at these premiere hotels…

One of the film’s biggest stars is the Phulay Bay, Krabi, a retreat in Southern Thailand that is

nothing short of breathtaking.  With a wide variety of pavilions and villas to suit every taste, Phulay Bay sits in an area of outstanding natural beauty on the coast of the Andaman Sea, surrounded by mountains, ocean and rainforest. Elephant trekking, diving, rock climbing and jungle trekking are just a few of the activities available to guests – if they even want to leave the luxury of the hotel’s spa and infinity pool. From its 24-hour personalised butler service, to rainforest showers and private plunge pools, the world’s first Ritz-Carlton Reserve truly is beyond comparison.

Bangkok’s skyscraping Lebua at State Tower hotel also provides the scenery for many key moments in the film. Luxury is guaranteed in the opulent suites of this landmark building and a discerning attention to detail is evident on every one of its 67 floors. Famous rooftop restaurant Sirocco with its Sky Bar is one of the highest open air venues in the world and, as a result, affords stunning views of the entire city in an unforgettable dining experience.

Inspired by its key role in the movie, the Sky Bar even offers guests the specially made ‘Hangovertini’, a cocktail of green tea liqueur, Martini Rosso, apple juice and rosemary honey. – by Maddie

Lake Okareka Lodge, New Zealand

Far away from the hustle and bustle of Bangkok, and ten plus hours flight away to the southern hemisphere is the picturesque New Zealand.

Offering refined luxury and superlative service in a lake of tranquility is Lake Okareka Lodge. 

An exclusive five star ultra-luxury lodge in Rotorua, New Zealand, Lake Okareka Lodge rests in splendid harmony with nature and its spectacular unspoiled surroundings. Nestled at the tip of a secluded peninsula, the Lodge offers outstanding luxury in a tranquil and serene environment where guests are pampered with every conceivable luxury.

Some of the warm words of praise

“A Little Piece of Paradise”

“The Finest Luxury Lodge on the North Island”

“Your very own premium, luxury Lodge”

“I was speechless…”

Watch a video of this pristine resort here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSlyNNLLQ1c&

Sweetest Thing in Life

“For those with business to conduct, lebua provides the perfect opportunity to transcend the boardroom and innovate your meeting plans. Whether you plan to host a large conference, an intimate meeting or conduct your business one-on-one, lebua offers unparalleled possibilities for ideas to flourish and flow freely”

I've always been told the above, and over the past few months, want it or not, I find myself in lebua at least thrice a month. For meetings, or to have some alone time to catch up with my writing assignments; with a slice of cake or some tea, my ideas do flourish - mainly because of the great view in the many restaurants.

Meeting a prospective client, writing, closing a deal, or snacking with friends or stopping to say hello to  Chef Frank, I've made lebua a regular fixture in my schedule.

Dinner at Mezzaluna, checked!

Drinks at Skybar, checked!

Have their famous Mixologist make me a drink at Distil, checked.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner at Mozu, also done and off the list

Dine in style in Breeze, mission accomplished!

Okay, I’ve INDEED been in and out of the hotel and I love it. And knowingly, their cakes and dessert stand out. I loved their intricate look and feel, and the beautiful presentation – just so artistic!

And today, I was there yet again – and I ordered a slice of heaven  Black Forest cake. It sure was different, and so out-of-this-world, that I so regret not snapping a photo before I fork it all down.

To share with you, here’s a photo I’ve taken from their Flickr site.

.

So pretty!

I’ve also tried this pear dessert in Mezzaluna a few months back. I highly recommend it.

This dessert masterpiece is Conference Pear – consisting of piedmont hazelnut and muscovado sugar

And this really futuristic (at least to me) piece will be my next must-try, when I visit lebua again. Next week J

To see a photo collection of other mouth-watering and ‘photogenic’ dessert and pastries, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/lebua-luxury-hotel-bangkok/sets/72157627418198431/

They have a great medley of photos here.

Tea at lebua

The story goes like this. Back in 1661, Charles II of England decided to marry the Portuguese infant, Catherine of Braganza. With Charles II of England, she regularly eats a light meal snack in the afternoon, where she brought this practice with her from Portugal and to the British Empire; the afternoon tea. Afternoon tea eventually became famous among European countries and many others.

                Though the afternoon tea tradition is famous, it does not have a chance to introduce itself to Thais. Only a selection of hotels has them. I guess many Thai people are not familiar with afternoon tea (including me). Due to the change in social customs, we are usually busy in the afternoon. Not many people have 2-3 hours of free time in the afternoon. I’m so excited to be introduced to this tradition by lebua; The lebua’s Victorian Afternoon Tea.

Location

                 lebua’s afternoon tea section is located in the main lobby, hidden from public view by 3 big European style pillars. A little while after I lower my body comfortably in the chair, I sense something that is really ‘nose stimulating’, it’s a hot towel with lemon fragrance. This claims to make your nose sense the tea’s aromas better. 

                Not so long after the hot towel, a tea pot, a rack of bit-size pastries (about 10 of them), scones with strawberry jam and Devonshire clotted cream were brought to rest perfectly on the desk. These were all punctiliously made and baked by lebua’s pastries specialist; Chef Gilles Delaloy.

Collection of alcoholic beverage

Not like what we drink in the morning or in office where all we need is a tea sag, cup and hot water. The loose tea was brewed in a pot and poured through a tea strainer to filter out the leaves and herbs. I’m going to be honest that at first I doubted that it couldn’t be that much better than my everyday medium price tea bag; but all doubts evaporated when my lips touch the cup. Though I’m not really a fan of tea, it was superb. Not like general jasmine green tea where jasmine and green tea both trying to dominate over each other, it combines perfectly. The assimilation of taste and aroma truly is sublime.

Waitress on duty

Moving on to the pastries, I had a feeling that I should start with a scone, strawberry jam, and Devonshire clotted cream. I spread both jam and cream equally on one half of my horizontally split scone and take a bite. The scone and jam were not that distinctive, but with Devonshire clotted cream this set is my top recommendation. After the last bite, I lift the cup slowly to my lips and I notice that I’m sipping an empty cup.

After pouring my 2^nd cup, I transfer the chocolate praline to my plate with a pastry tong. Chocolate praline is ‘the must’ for you if you are coming to lebua. Nothing I say will do justice to this bitter chocolate with a ‘melt-in-mouth’ recipe praline; you just need to come and define it yourself. The set of pastries will change every time you come, but these twos that I had mentioned earlier are what you can expect to come for sure. I don’t want to spoil the rest and even if I try, it would take me too long.

                If you do like to have a nice afternoon off and isolate yourself from the hustle and bustle of metropolitan Bangkok, have an afternoon tea with someone here at lebua. I believe you are going to have a good time like me.