HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — For the remainder of 2015, the world’s most upscale travelers will have the opportunity to experience Vietnam in a way that’s never been possible.
The five luxury hotels that form the foundation of an exclusive new group, Quintessential Collection Vietnam, have devised the most discriminating holiday package the country has ever seen.
‘Quintessentially Vietnam’ is a US $19,358 promotion that runs through Dec. 22 and takes the 1 percent on a journey that includes everything from transfers in Bentleys and Rolls-Royces to portraits painted for the ages by a distinguished Vietnamese artist.
“It’s the vacation of a lifetime,” said Herbert Laubichler-Pichler, general manager of The Reverie Saigon, Quintessential Collection Vietnam’s sole property in Ho Chi Minh City.
Scheduled to officially open in September, the 286-room Reverie Saigon serves as the starting point for the countrywide trip, tailor-made for two.
Located in the sleek Times Square Building on vibrant Dong Khoi Street, the hotel offers a bevy of high-brow benefits, including airport transfers in a Rolls-Royce; two nights in a Panorama Suite with bird’s-eye views of Vietnam’s commercial capital; a private dinner cruise along the Saigon River; and an afternoon with City Treasure Hunt’s Rosemary Cook, a highly informed expat who provides daylong tours that incorporate furniture, home decor, antiques and fashion.
In central Vietnam, the acclaimed Nam Hai has partnered with a local painter who specializes in portraits. Linh Ho will take a photo a guest sends to him two weeks prior to their arrival and finish the piece before they leave the beachfront resort, which features 100 sea-facing villas just outside the ancient trading port of Hoi An.
Other perks of The Nam Hai portion of the package include two nights in one of the hotel’s 40 Pool Villas, a guided tour of Hoi An, a romantic beach dinner for two, airport transfers in a BMW X5 and butler service.
Two hours north of The Nam Hai, in the imperial capital of Hue, La Residence Hotel & Spa has developed a program that pivots off the UNESCO World Heritage site’s culinary traditions and historic attractions.
In addition to two nights in the Resident’s Suite and guided tours of tombs, pagodas and the citadel that served as the seat of Vietnamese power from 1802-1945, ‘Quintessentially Vietnam’ guests will have the opportunity to spend time with scholar Phan Thuan An at his house, where a dinner fit for royalty awaits.
“Anyone can visit Hue, but to understand it and know it on any sort of meaningful level, you have to talk to the right people,” said Phan Trong Minh, La Residence’s general manager. “Mr. An is a fountain of knowledge, and the cooking techniques his wife uses are generations-old.”
From Hue, travelers venture to Hanoi, site of the century-old Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi, the grand dame of Vietnamese hotels. There, guests are treated to two nights in a Legendary Suite, a half-day city tour in a BMW 7 Series sedan and a dinner at any of the property’s three gourmet restaurants.
The final piece of the package is two nights aboard one of Paradise Cruises’ four Paradise Peak vessels, which ply the waters of Halong Bay, home to thousands of limestone karsts that form Vietnam’s most famous natural attraction.
Passengers make the three-hour journey between Hanoi and Halong Bay in the unrivaled comfort of a Bentley Flying Spur. Spa treatments, cave dinners and sightseeing from one of the boat’s eight stately suites head the list of memorable activities.
For more details on ‘Quintessentially Vietnam’ package inclusions and to book, contact info@quintessentialcollectionvietnam.com.
