Jetsettersblog

The Hong Kong Flower Show is taking place at Victoria Park from March 16th to 25th 2012.
HONG KONG– Copious amounts of beautiful blooms will be on display at the forthcoming Hong Kong Flower Show, which is taking place soon at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay.

Organised by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department to promote horticulture as part of its Green Hong Kong Campaign, the festival runs from March 16th to 25th 2012 and will feature the hyacinth as its theme flower this year.

Potted plants, floral arrangements and landscape displays are being created by exhibitors from around the world for the show, while stalls will be selling flowers and other horticultural products.

A wide variety of educational and leisure activities will also be on offer, ranging from student drawing and photo competitions to floral art exhibits, cookery demonstrations, music shows and cultural performances.

Events will run on each of the ten days from 09:00 to 21:00 local time, with regular tickets costing HK$14 (GBP1.20).

Free entry is available to children, students, senior citizens and people with disabilities during weekdays, though tickets will cost HK$7 for these groups on weekends.

Lovers of plant life can browse a generous selection of Hong Kong hotels at AsiaRooms.com, such as the Kings De Nathan.

Full details about the festival can be found at http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/green/hkfs/2012/en/index.php

Thailand’s ancient city of Ayutthaya will be the venue for the World Thai Martial Arts Festival and Wai Khru Muay Thai Ceremony this March.

AYUTTHAYA, THAILAND — Thailand visitors will be able to celebrate one of the world’s most renowned combat disciplines at the upcoming World Thai Martial Arts Festival and Wai Khru Muay Thai Ceremony.

To be held at the Nai Khanom Tom Monument at the Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Stadium from March 15th to 17th, the event will see more than 300 boxers from 30 nations participating.

It features a martial arts tournament, in which fighters from the UK, Canada, Russia, Korea and other parts of the world compete in various weight categories for cash prizes, while exhibitions and educational sessions will also be held.

Of particular significance is the Wai Khru ritual, an integral element of Muay Thai training that involves the assembled fighters paying respect to their masters and taking part in initiation rites in order to prove themselves as true Muay Thai fighters.

The event is held in honour of Nai Khanom Tom, a legendary Thai warrior from the 1700s, who Muay Thai practitioners venerate to this day.

Combined with opportunities to purchase traditional handicrafts and sample Thai cuisine, the festival is set to offer a fascinating cultural experience for all.

Find out more about the event at http://www.tatnews.org

Uniworld Boutique River Cruises’ new ship, River Saigon, is now operating on the Mekong River in Vietnam and Cambodia. Uniworld offers the 14-night “Timeless Wonders of Vietnam, Cambodia & the Mekong River” cruise and tour, which begins with two nights at the InterContinental Asiana Saigon Hotel in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon). The River Saigon offers 30 river-view staterooms for a maximum of 60 guests per sailing.

The itinerary includes Hanoi, Vietnam, and Cambodia’s Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, gateway to the legendary UNESCO Angkor Wat temples. The 13 included excursions are led by local experts, who guide groups of no more than 20 people. Excursions include viewing stone carvers at work and visits to local schools to learn about ancient customs such as Apsara dancing.

“The success of this program has been overwhelming, and we are so proud to be able to bring people to these amazing countries,” said Uniworld President Guy Young. “Because of the demand for travelers to want to experience these regions, we are going to launch another new ship, the River Orchid, in 2013.”

The 14-night cruise-tour operates includes a seven-night cruise between Kampong Cham in Cambodia and My Tho in Vietnam. For the land portion, guests spend seven nights in five-star hotels, including buffet breakfast, service charges, and porterage. Uniworld’s guests also receive private check-in with welcome drinks and in-room flowers and fruit platter. At the Victoria Angkor Hotel & Spa, each guest receives a monogrammed bathrobe to keep.

General Tours World Traveler introduced a new program in its Small Group Journey series for travel to India. The 13-day Visions of India features stays in Taj Hotels. Groups have a maximum of 16 guests and are structured to provide cultural encounters, excursions and fine dining experiences that would be impossible with the large groups of traditional escorted tours.

The program includes sightseeing in Delhi; dinner at Cibo; a trip to Varanasi, with an encounter with ancient rituals that take place on the Ganges River at dusk and dawn; an elephant-back safari in Jaipur and time with a master elephant trainer; and a stay at the Taj Lake Palace Hotel, built in the middle of Lake Pichola in Udaipur.

General Tours is giving $300 per person on bookings that are paid in full at time of booking. The program is priced from $2,999 per person after the discount. Celebrating its 65th anniversary, General Tours operates small group, privately guided and small ship journeys to Asia, Europe, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East with never more than 16 guests traveling together. For more information, call 800-221-2216.

Thailand’s Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle has introduced custom-made wooden hot tubs at three of the camp’s deluxe tented accommodations. Guests can return to each of the resort’s personal tents to find their bath already drawn, filled with local organic Thai herbs and flowers, a “mahout mix” blend, targeted to soothe muscles after a day of elephant riding.

Each tub is positioned so guests can have complete privacy, yet can enjoy spectacular views of the surrounding jungle, the Ruak River, and of Burma and Laos beyond. Each of the three tents will feature a hot tub and guests may select one of the following for their romantic retreat — The Botanist’s Tent affords views of the jungle and the Ruak River, the river that forms the border between Thailand and Burma; The Burmese Tent is decorated with Burmese scrolls and accented with Burmese textiles, and has expansive, wide-open views into Burma, taking in the Ruak River and the dramatic plains; and The Elephant Tent offers views over the Elephant Camp and elephants bathing.

The Wuzhen Clubhouse, located in Wuzhen, China, recently underwent renovation of three separate riverside ancient timber houses that were originally built in the eras of the Ming and Qing dynasties.

They have now been restored to provide accommodation in a boutique hotel with elegant rooms and suites, fine dining restaurants and a holistic spa.

One of the properties, the Heal Town House places emphasis on health and healing and is set next to an ancient pharmacy. All of the Wuzhen Clubhouse properties are decorated with traditional courtyards, intricate wood and stone carving, beamed ceilings, gabled roofs and four-poster beds. Historic Wuzhen is known for its cobblestone streets and abundance of bridges that cross the town’s intricate network of rivers and canals that have contributed to it being awarded UNESCO World Heritage status.

The non-profit arts organization Wai Art has joined with the Banyan Tree Bangkok to launch a series of exhibitions aimed at promoting young and up and coming artists in Thailand and give them an opportunity to showcase their talents.

The partnership will see the works of Thanapon Junkasain open on Feb. 16 — a collection of contemporary Buddhist paintings that explore the concepts of right and wrong in society by drawing on traditional mythology — which he brings to life in his first solo exhibition.

The show — titled Mara — will be exhibited at the Banyan Tree Bangkok until March 31 and is open daily. Key to Wai Art’s philosophy and the partnership with the Banyan Tree Bangkok is to not only provide this opportunity but to ensure that sales profits are given to the artists rather than the galleries. A small amount of the proceeds will also be donated to Banyan Tree Bangkok’s Corporate Social Responsibility Fund, which supports various community projects in Thailand.

LONGWOOD, FL.—Switch gears this spring break and choose to lend a hand instead of taking that cookie-cutter resort vacation.

Join volunteer wildlife conservation organization, Biosphere Expeditions, on a brand new underwater diving volunteer vacation in beautiful Malaysia. This SCUBA diving volunteer vacation takes a group of international divers to Tioman, the Malaysian island that was called “one of the world’s most beautiful islands” by Time Magazine.

Working in a very small group of five participants, one scientist and one expedition leader, volunteers assist the local researcher to study and protect the local marine park’s beautiful, but fragile coral reefs, as well as its marine megafauna such as sharks, dolphins and turtles.

The first five days of the expedition are spent learning the Reef Check research techniques while volunteers are based on a beach chalet resort on Tioman Island. After this, volunteers move to a 45-foot sloop rig sailing yacht research vessel, which will take them to the most remote areas of the marine park.

The expedition includes training as a Reef Check EcoDiver; with this qualification volunteers are eligible to apply for PADI or NAUI Reef Check Speciality Course certification after the expedition. Volunteers must be fully qualified divers to take part in this expedition (minimum PADI Open Water or equivalent) and they can obtain this qualification on site prior to the expedition (allow four to five extra days). April 1-13th, April 15-17, 2012. $2140 pp. www.biosphere-expeditions.org

The 36th Hong Kong International Film Festival will take place in the city from March 21st to April 25th 2012.

HONG KONG– The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), one of the biggest annual events of its kind in Asia, is set to return to the city towards the end of March.

Movie fans, filmmakers and other industry figures are expected to attend the 36th HKIFF, which will take place at venues across Hong Kong from March 21st to April 5th 2012.

More than 330 movies from over 50 countries will be screened during the event, which reaches an audience of greater than 600,000 people.

“As a lifestyle event, festival-goers can enjoy world-class films, attend seminars hosted by leading filmmakers from around the world, visit film exhibitions, join celebration parties and more,” the organisers explained in a statement.

Several acclaimed filmmakers will have their work showcased at this year’s event, including Hong Kong director Peter Ho-Sun Chan, who will have 12 films screened during the festival.

Meanwhile, films on the HKIFF bill last year included award-winning works such as Little Children, Peace, The Sun Beaten Path and Winter’s Bone.

For more information on the festival, visit http://www.hkiff.org.hk

The Peninsula Beverly Hills Renovation — The Peninsula Beverly Hills has just completed its final phase of its year-long renovation of all 193 rooms, suites and villas with the unveiling of its four grandest suites and The Peninsula Villa, each with a unique style and color scheme.

The Beverly Hills-based interior design firm of Forchielli Glynn LLC tapped local artisans for many of the furnishings and artwork, creating a new look that enhances the connection between the interiors and surrounding gardens while preserving the hotel’s original DNA – the essence of Southern California living in a setting evocative of a luxurious but relaxed Beverly Hills estate. The Grand Deluxe Suite was designed by American design icon Nancy Corzine, who is known for her contemporary luxe style and signature line of furnishings.

The Peninsula Suite at The Peninsula New York (May 2012) –The Peninsula New York will reveal a glamorous new look for The Peninsula Suite designed by Bill Rooney, featuring more than 3,000 square feet of living space and panoramic views over 5th Avenue and the glittering skyline of Manhattan.

The Peninsula Hong Kong New Guestroom Design & Enhancement Program (August 2012) — The Grande Dame of Hong Kong has embarked on a landmark two-phase room enhancement program. The project will see all 297 of the hotel’s guestrooms transformed, initially focusing on guestrooms in The Peninsula Tower, which will re-open in August 2012, followed by the guestrooms within the Original Building, to be fully unveiled in early 2013.

Conceived by The Peninsula Hotels in-house design team and assisted by Getty’s as executive interior designer, the newly enhanced rooms showcase the finest materials and craftsmanship, boasting a bespoke luxury residential feel, with an accent on Classic Modernity, simplicity and chic elegance.

Guest- Focused Technology Unveiled at The Peninsula Hong Kong (September 2012) – Revolutionary in-room technology unveiled at The Peninsula Hong Kong will set new standards of guest personalization.

Much more is on the horizon from Asia’s oldest luxury hotel company. We look forward to sharing more news and story ideas with you in the months ahead.

The Peninsula All-Suite Hotel – “Situated on an exclusive stretch of pristine Cape coastline known as The Platinum Mile, The Peninsula All-Suite Hotel is renowned for its intimate home-away-from-home appeal. Experience the matchless style and subtle elegance of this internally acclaimed Cape Town luxury accommodation, featuring 110 indulgently spacious suites equipped with every modern convenience and private balconies affording spectacular ocean views. Within easy reach of scenic wine routes, beautiful beaches and botanical gardens, this Cape Town luxury hotel cultivates refined living with a distinctly South African approach.”