HANOI — In its first celebratory step of the holiday season, the Hotel Metropole Hanoi last week raised and trimmed a 15-metre evergreen and illuminated the hotel grounds with more than 5,000 colorful lights. But that’s not all.
Throughout the month of December and into the new year, the hotel’s restaurants, bars, shops and spa are presenting a panoply of festive opportunities, all complemented by decor inspired by the highland town of Sapa, its mountains, fabrics and chilly weather.
The Sapa theme thoughtfully links many decorative concepts throughout the public areas and grounds to the special fabrics and colours of several ethnic tribes including the black Hmong and red Dao. The Sapa decorative concept is part of Hotel Metropole Hanoi’s long-term relationship promoting several ethnic communities through various programs.
In addition, the Hotel has in certain areas placed innovative displays of the Sofitel brand “Art de Noel” or “Christmas Art” competition linking together French gastronomy and Christmas.
Beyond the fanfare of the tree-lighting ceremony, the Sapa decorative theme and “Art de Noel”, here’s what’s going on across the hotel.
• Christmas Eve. Five distinct Christmas Eve dinners are on offer at the Metropole on Christmas Eve, each with a style and flair of their own and at price points that range from 1,9500,000 VND to 3,960,000.
◦ A six-course French dinner at Le Beaulieu.
◦ A special Vietnamese dinner at Spices Garden.
◦ Two seatings at a Christmas buffet in Le Club.
◦ A six-course menu of Italian fare at Angelina.
◦ And a Christmas buffet at Thang Long hall.
• Christmas Day. On Christmas Day, there are buffets and dinner at two of the hotel’s restaurants, ranging in price from 1,650,000 VND to 2,640,000.
◦ A buffet and dinner, with a vegetarian option, at Le Beaulieu.
◦ And a Christmas day buffet at Le Club.
• New Year’s Eve. With prices ranging from 1,700,000 VND to 4,510,000 gala dinners will be the order of the evening during the final hours of 2015, including:
◦ A gala dinner, and a complementary vegetarian option at Le Beaulieu.
◦ A gala dinner at Spices Garden. (Fast forward to the Tet lunar new year for a Binh Than Tet Holiday Menu on Feb. 7.)
◦ Two seatings for a special New Year buffet at Le Club.
◦ A gala dinner and a countdown party at 11 pm at Angelina.
◦ A buffet at Thang Long hall.
• Ongoing. Throughout the festive season, day-in and day-out, the hotel features two particularly enticing opportunities:
◦ At the hotel’s award-winning Le Spa du Metropole, a holiday season spa spectacular stirs four elements into a 120-minute holiday package for 3,230,000 VND: a rose petal foot bath, a 60-minute So Exhilarating treatment, a 60-minute Sysley Aromatic facial and a signature gift.
◦ And for shoppers, the hotel’s gourmet food shop, L’Epicerie, is offering a range of international gifts, including foie gras, duck confit, and turkey imported from France, as well as the pastry chef’s piece de resistance, a Christmas log cake, known as the traditional French “Buche de Noel”.
