HALONG BAY, Vietnam —The newest option to open in famed Ha Long Bay is a day cruise through the rarely explored Western Isles aboard the UNESCO Heritage Site’s only international-standard fleet of private junks. Life Heritage Resort Ha Long Bay has begun ferrying small groups on customisable four- and six-hour cruises through lesser-known portions of...
Author: BMG
Emeraude Cruises After Major Refurbishment
HALONG BAY, Vietnam (19 Nov. 2012) — The Emeraude’s annual rite of passage through northern Vietnam’s dry-docks concluded recently and the cruising vessel emerged with more deluxe bathrooms and completely refreshed cabins. The new bathrooms feature rain shower heads, new sinks, repositioned toilets and an aesthetic makeover that trades in the old school nautical feel...
Nov. 2012
Caravelle Pulls Back Curtain on Kara Spa
HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — As Ho Chi Minh City hurries to cut the ribbon on a new crop of gleaming shopping malls and high-rise complexes, one of its most iconic hotels is quietly unveiling a nostalgia-tinged sanctuary of wellness and rejuvenation in the historic heart of the city. Six weeks after its soft...
GHM Reveals Plans for Forest Retreat on Hokkaido
SINGAPORE — GHM moved into new territory this month after signing on to develop the Chedi Tomakomai, a 60-room luxury hotel and expansive wellness complex set within 1,057 hectares of lush forest on the island of Hokkaido in northern Japan. Following the agreement between GHM Holdings and Nordenwald Company Ltd., construction on the project will...
Sharpening the Barb Under the Lure to Media
During the second semester of my senior year in college, I sold a story about a postman who delivered mail by boat all over the lake I lived on in Belgrade, Maine – Great Pond. This man, Dave Webster, was a classic Maine Yankee and was the inspiration for the mailboat man in the Henry...
Vietnam Gains Ground In International Travel Awards
NEW YORK — Vietnam can now lay claim to one of the top three hotels in Southeast Asia, two of Asia’s top 15 resorts and one of Asia's top 10 cities, according to the Conde Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards 2012. Announced in New York on Oct. 16, the results of Conde Nast Traveler’s 25th...
Kamu Lodge Welcomes New Management Duo
LUANG PRABANG, Laos — The multi-awarded Apple Tree Group last week appointed a new management team to head operations at the eco-glamping retreat Kamu Lodge in Luang Prabang. French native Olivier Trafial takes the reins as Manager of the 20-tent Kamu Lodge while Natchanan Kamchua from Thailand is set to revitalize Villa Maly’s kitchen as...
What Do You Owe Your PR Agency?
Nothing, right? Cause you’ve hired them. You pay them money. They work for you. It’s their job to generate media whilst you go about your business. Right? Actually, nothing could be further from the heart of a healthy relationship between an agency and a client. Unless there’s regular contact between key decision-makers who are vested...
Calisto Charts a Family-Friendly Course
PHUKET, Thailand — Seven days, one 42-metre yacht and 205 miles of the Andaman Sea’s most inviting waters and pristine islands are the primary elements at play in a new family-oriented cruise launched this month by the M.Y. Calisto in Phuket. Setting sail from the Laem Prao Marina and skirting the spectacular coastlines of Phi...