Recommend May 2016 - (Page 32)

Accommodations at Katamama in Indonesia. Rosewood Phuket will feature 71 villas and 32 residences on the Emerald Bay beachfront in southwestern Phuket-considered to be one of the island's last remaining areas for a secluded beach resort enclave. The property will also house four restaurants, including a rustic beachside Thai eatery built with recycled teak wood; a casual poolside venue; Breakfast at Angkor The Anantara Angkor Resort & Spa in Siem Reap, Cambodia has launched Breakfast at Angkor to aide travelers in not only beating the crowds to Cambodia's popular Angkor Wat, but to take it in through an indulgent experience. On this new tour, a guide with special access to the UNESCO World Heritage Site takes guests to secluded vantage points to watch the day break over the temples. The hotel transports guests at 4:30 a.m. by a private car or tuk-tuk from the property to the temple complex. With a flashlight in hand, the guide leads guests through the darkened campground via a secret shortcut to bypass the crowds already forming. After sunrise, guests head to one of the more secluded temples where a personal butler is waiting to serve them freshly squeezed juices, coffees, teas, fruit and fresh pastries. The Breakfast at Angkor tour also includes an all-day pass to allow guests to freely explore the temple ruins at their leisure. Rates for this exclusive tour start at $115 for one guest and $135 for two. anantara.com 32 may 2016 a bistro; and a terrace bar. Guests will also have access to the brand's signature Sense, A Rosewood Spa, pools, a gym, yoga pavilion and kids club. In addition, there will be a wedding pavilion with a private outdoor garden that can accommodate up to 100 guests. As of press time, rates were not yet available. The Lexis Hibiscus Port Dickson, which fully opened in the last quarter of 2015 and is located about an hour's drive from Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, features 639 accommodations with 522 water villas that stretch over a half-mile into the ocean (the property, incidentally, is designed in the shape of the country's national flower, the hibiscus). All water villa units include spacious accommodations plus private dip pools and sauna. In addition to the water villas, there are an additional 117 guestrooms in the tower. During their stay, guests can take part in beach and water activities or wile their day away at the onsite spa. The property also features the Hibiscus heliport, airport transfers, a pool bar, Umi Japanese restaurant, and the Hibiscus Lounge. Rates start at $107; Executive Pool Villas are $165; and Panorama Pool Villas are $225. Hilton Darlings The 347-guestroom and -suite Conrad Manila, located atop S Maison, a high-end retail complex housing cinemas and a skypark on the roof deck with restaurants, is expected to open later this year. Guests can relax at the onsite spa, take a dip in the infinity pool while enjoying a drink from the pool bar, or dine at two on-property eateries, the bar, lobby cafe or chocolatier. The Waldorf Astoria brand will bring its fifth property to China with the opening of Waldorf Astoria Chengdu, which is expected to open, as of press time, during the second quarter of 2016 in Sichuan Province in the center of the Chengdu Tianfu New Area. This 300-guestroom property will be part of a mixed-use development. Contact Information Amanemu: aman.com/resorts/amanemu Conrad Manila: conradhotels3.hilton.com/en/hotels/ philippines/conrad-manila-MNLMBCI/index.html Katamama: katamama.com Lexis Hibiscus Port Dickson: lexishibiscuspd.com The Prince Gallery Tokyo Kioicho: starwoodhotels.com Rosewood Phuket: rosewoodhotels.com Waldorf Astoria Chengdu: waldorfastoria3.hilton.com/en/ onsitereview Angkor Wat + Siem Reap = A Longer Stay Carla Hunt More than four decades ago, the Grand Hotel d'Angkor, which was opened by the French in 1932, was almost the only and certainly the most colonial place to stay in the sleepy town of Siem Reap. The property was once an important trading center and always the gateway to the magnificent temple complexes of Angkor, as well as the capital of the Khmer Empire from 800 to 1200 A.D. I stayed there back in 1970, and 45 years later, the landmark property is now the Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor, carefully restored and full of original treasures, surrounded by landscaped French gardens, and sporting a state-of-the-art spa, as well as the country's largest swimming pool. The Raffles International restoration added luxury suites and 2-bedroom villas, plus the original heritage building now hosts four Personality Suites, complete with claw-foot tubs and named after explorers and discoverers associated with Angkor. Indeed, Siem Reap has grown into a full-fledged resort town, outfitted with allcomfort, all-charm accommodations from luxe to boutique. The most recent addition to a substantial inventory of deluxe resortstyle hotels-Sofitel, Meridien, Aman and Belmond are here-is Design Hotels' member Phum Baitang. Sitting on eight lush acres, its layout resembles a Khmer village, with 45 wooden villas, a tranquil spa temple, yoga pavilion, a pool with bar, two restaurants serving rice from the surrounding paddies, and nearby golf. Among this exceptional retreat's first guests were Angelina Jolie and family, in residence while making a film. Cultural Experiences Like the other more than two million visitors last year, my daughter and I came to gape at Angkor Wat, the Khmer temple complex that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest religious monument in the world. We came ahead of our departure with AmaWaterways' handsome rivercruiser, AmaDara, sailing the Mekong River between Cambodia and Vietnam. recommend.com http://www.aman.com/resorts/amanemu http://conradhotels3.hilton.com/en/hotels/philippines/conrad-manila-MNLMBCI/index.html http://www.katamama.com http://www.lexishibiscuspd.com http://www.starwoodhotels.com http://www.rosewoodhotels.com http://www.anantara.com http://waldorfastoria3.hilton.com/en/ http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend May 2016

Editor’s Notes
Hotel Desk: On the Waterfront
Tour Talk: A Peek at Our Peaks
All-Inclusives: Raising the Bar
Onsite Review: Puerto Vallarta’s Hotel Scene
Onsite Review: Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya
Onsite Review: Iberostar Playa Mita
Onsite Review: Moon Palace Jamaica Grande
Hotel and Experience Pairings
New Properties Beckon
Onsite Review: Cambodia
Southern Africa’s New Enticements
Onsite Review: Rail Europe
New Frontiers in Travel
Innovation on the High Seas
Mountain Resort Vacations
What’s New in Orlando
Onsite Review: Escape to Discovery Cove
Official Florida Travel Industry Education Program–Family Course

Recommend May 2016