The festive table at the Okura

Okura Garden Shanghai, which the writer loves and knows well having stayed there several times, has planned an Okura Christmas event which is definitely in the Chrismas spirit.

A deluxe room with double occupancy comes at a special Christmas rate of RMB 1,980.

This includes not just your accommodation but a Christmas dinner with a choice of venues.

You can either enjoy the Japanese Restaurant Yamazato, the Rose Coffee Shop or Baiyulan which is the Chinese Restaurant.

One serious choice would be the ‘Menu de Noël 2008′ at 33F French Restaurant Continental Room. The range of foods offered is quite amazing. And, yes, there is turkey.

And after the festivities, your room awaits

The Okura has gone overboard with this. It asks:

Do you dream of having a carnival evening in our well-preserved Baroque decoration style Grand Ball Room?
Do you wish to come to a feast full of Chinese, European exquisite delicacies?
Want to enjoy a variety of live performances and shows with special effects of ’sound,light and electricity’?
Think of being lucky enough to win a generous prize on Christmas Eve?
At this year’s Christmas Eve, you can realize all these dreams in the Christmas party at Okura Garden Hotel Shanghai.

Seems most enticing.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs promise to be there

The Loong Palace Hotel & Resort is offering the sort of Christmas to which I would like to get used.

Start on Christmas Eve with a a dreamy Christmas extravaganza themed ‘Hollywood Christmas @ Loong Palace’ on December 24.

The table set for the festive season

The Beijing Room at Loong Palace Hotel & Resort will have an elaborate buffet dinner, and wine and soft drinks will flow freely.

No need to worry about how you will get home. Your luxury room awaits you.

Prices run from RMB1188 to 1388 for each adult a night. Children for RMB888.

You room awaits after dinner

Father Christmas has guaranteed he will attend in person at the hotel and already has a map to Huilongguan, Changping District.

So will Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs although how they got into the Christmas act has not been adequately explained.

Next morning, before you leave, use the spa and try one one of the special treatments. You will probably need it.

Hilton Sanya Resort and Spa

Hilton Sanya Resort & Spa, the first Hilton Worldwide Resort in China was named the ‘Best Resort in China’ by Voyage magazine at the 2008 Top10 Travel Brands Selection event, held in Beijing.

Voyage Magazine’s Top10 Travel Brands Selection is an annual list of the very best that China’s tourism and travel industry has to offer. Winners are chosen by public vote with input from a wide range of industry experts and the final list is a valuable resource for the modern Chinese traveller.

IZE restaurant

Commenting on the award, Mr. Jean-Pierre Mainardi, General Manager of Hilton Sanya Resort & Spa, said: “This is the first time that we have been appraised as “Best Resort in China” by Voyage magazine for the Top Ten Travel Brands selection.”

“We very much appreciate the endorsement from our honoured guests and industry friends and we will continue to welcome more and more travellers to visit Hilton Sanya Resort & Spa for a resort experience with difference and discover the wonders of Sanya and Hainan Island.”

Set amongst lush tropical gardens and on 400 metres of white, powdery beach, Hilton Sanya Resort & Spa opened in December 2005.
Source: eTravelBlackboard

Taiwan Food Promotion

From October 31st to November 9th, journey to the heavens to enjoy ‘101′ Taiwanese dishes at the Sheraton Suzhou Hotel and Towers. Chef Xu Wenlong and Shi Jianguo brings the authentic taste of Taiwan ancient recipes to Suzhou.

Sheraton Suzhou Hotel & Towers
259 Xin Shi Road I Suzhou I Jiangsu I 215007 I
telephone ++86.512.6510 3388

Part of the elegant, European style Flow Lounge

If you are seriously trying to lose weight you should approach the first two parts of this promotion with care. It is not quite what you would call a trio of slimmers diets. Note the first two are at The Flow which is delightful elegance in pure European design as seen in our illustration.

Chocolate Buffet at The Flow: Sweets made from one of the world’s best loved ingredients  — chocolate. Delicate eclairs, truffles and pralines; silky chocolate fondue and original creations such as chilli mango with chocolate drink are all laid out on the buffet for an impeccable finish to a sumptuous Swissôtel meal.

Plan to have a long walk afterwards.

The price is RMB108 net per person, including one glass of sparkling wine.  Held on Saturdays and Sundays, 14:30-17:30. The Flow 5355 9898*6324.

For those a little more abstemious that is Afternoon Tea at The Flow. This was, still is in many cities, the Grand European Tradition to be taken seriously. Tasted it recently in Geneva where my sister lives and  at the end was rapturous and very full. In perfect shape to go and enjoy the opera that night.

At The Flow you get delicious traditional scone with preserves and clotted cream, mini fruit crumble, finger sandwiches, hand-made scented chocolates and more! Relish these treats with a cup of freshly-brewed coffee or a pot of tea blends for a perfectly invigorating mid afternoon break. A good walk afterwards is a pleasant diversion.  RMB88 net per person. Mondays to Fridays, 14:30-17:30. The Flow 5355 9898*6324.

Then there is the Daily Buffet at Café Swiss: A fantastic selection from fresh salads, cold dishes, sushi and sashimi, seafood, Asian and Western hot dishes, pizza and dessert. Daily, 11:30-14:30 and 18:00-22:30, RMB168 net per person for lunch including soft drink and RMB238 net per person for dinner including soft drink and local beer. Café Swiss 5355 9898*6360.

The Jasmine Room which will be set differently for the crab feast

The Okura Garden Hotel in Shanghai plainly understands the appeal of sea-food, especially crab. The Grace Vineyard wine banquet the hotel has put together for November 27 could be called Crab Heaven. It will be held along with Kun Opera in the Jasmine Room.

The menu consists of:

Assorted Appetizer; Sautéed Crab Meat with Shrimp; Shark’s Fin Soup with Crab Meat; Crab Meat with Scallop Salt Pepper Flavor.

Then Steamed Shanghai Crab; Sautéed Shanghai Crab Meat with Fresh Asparagus; Sautéed Vegetable with Crab Meat & Tendon; Fried Sesame Ball Stuffed with Shanghai Crab Egg; Steamed Milk Egg with Ginger Sauce; Seasonal Fruit.

The sort of meal for which you should go into serious training.

Price is RMB688 a person which includes the 15% sevice charge.

Direct bus service

Interlaken OCT Hotel - the Swiss style five-star hotel of OCT East Shenzhen - received four outstanding awards recently, they are:

‘Top 10 Themed Hotels in China’ by China Hotel Association (CHA)

The ‘Best Resort Hotel’ by the Voyage Travel & Lifestyle magazine

‘Green Hotel’ by Guangdong Hotel Star-rating Committee

‘Best Italian Restaurant’ for Vista Lago Italian Restaurant by That’s Magazine.

Interlaken OCT Hotel, the 308-room luxury resort combines eco-tourism with outdoor sports, is a hotel with spa, shows, dining and shopping.

It only takes an hour and a half, from Hong Kong to Interlaken. The direct bus cervice from Hong Kong to Interlaken OCT Hotel Shenzhen follows the opening of Liantang-Yantian Freeway. The direct bus has six runs a day. The fare is RMB80 per person from hotel to Hong Kong urban area, RMB180 from hotel to Hong Kong International Airport.

Daniel Chen

Swissôtel Kunshan has appointed Daniel Chen as Director of Operations at Swissôtel Kunshan.

Malaysian-born Chinese Daniel Chen began his career in 1982 in Malaysia where he held various food and beverage positions in a number of Malaysian hotels in Damai Laut, Kuala Lumpur, Kuantan, Malacca, Pangkor Island and Sabah, as well as in Brunei Darussalam.

In 2005, he ventured further afield to Bangkok, Thailand where he held the position of Director of Food and Beverage with Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel. Most recently, Daniel was with the Mayfair Hotel in Shanghai, China as Director of Food and Beverage.

Daniel has extensive pre-opening experience, serving on the pre-opening teams of the Dorsett Regency Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, the Syuen Hotel, Malaysia, the City Bayview Hotel in Malacca, the Malacca Village Resort and Tanjung Aru Beach Resort, Sabah. He was also part of the pre-opening team of the Riverview Hotel in Brunei Darussalam.

As Director of Operations at Swissôtel Kunshan, Daniel will assist hotel’s General Manager oversee all the operations of this charming hotel that has 387 well-appointed rooms, three food and beverage outlets, meeting and banquet facilities that can accommodate up to 500 guests and a fully equipped fitness centre, heated swimming pool and spa.

Tomas Hansson, General Manager of Sheraton Shenzhen Futian Hotel

Sheraton Shenzhen Futian Hotel was selected the ‘Best Business Hotel in Shenzhen’ in the 16th Business Traveller Asia Pacific Travel Awards 2008.

This has come to be regarded as one of the regional travel and tourism industry’s most prestigious awards. The results are based purely on an annual Readers’ Poll conducted and analysed by Synovate.

The prize titles were given out at a luncheon ceremony at Conrad Hong Kong.

Our picture shows Tomas Hansson,  General Manager of Sheraton Shenzhen Futian Hotel, accepting the award on behalf of the hotel.

The Hotel Equatorial Shanghai has reopened its Golden Phoenix Chinese Restaurant.

Fully refurbished, the Golden Phoenix integrates Chinese classical elements with modern styles. Classically dark red complement the gold and black striped carpets giving this new restaurant a warm yet contemporary feel.

Golden Phoenix restaurant

The name Phoenix is, in a sense, particularly appropriate because the Phoenix was a bird that rose again in a newer and more beautiful form.

The phoenix is a mythical bird with a tail of beautiful gold and red plumage (or purple and blue. It has a 1,000 year life-cycle, and near the end the phoenix builds itself a nest of cinnamon twigs that it then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix or phoenix egg arises, reborn anew to live again.

No, the original restaurant was not 1,000 years old and it was not burned in a nest of cinnamon twigs but it HAS been reborn anew. And in great style which fits the image of the Hotel Equatorial Shanghai..