Recommend February 2012 - (Page 34)

THE VERY UNIDENTICAL TWIN DESTINATIONS OF SERGIO ORTIZ HONG KONG & MACAU For years the most economic and colorful way to reach Macau from Hong Kong was on waterborne vessels. What the early traders once dreaded as an overnight ordeal of sail and waves evolved in modern times into a 1-hour ride on sleek crafts that departed from a wharf near the old Star Ferry terminal on Hong Kong Island. Today, both are so closely linked and so dependent on one another that construction has begun on an ambitious 24-mile-long series of bridges and undersea tunnels that will permit automobile trafﬁc between them. At an estimated cost of about $12 billion, it will be completed in four years. names like The Sands, Flamingo, Wynn, etc.—all offering comparable rates to those in Las Vegas. December ﬁgures for 2011 show that Macau’s gambling revenue was a whopping $3 billion, a 25 percent increase over 2010 and topping all other gambling venues. Although Macau—an exotic destination that still manages to reﬂect a heavy Portuguese inﬂuence in both architecture and cuisine—lacks the vibrancy of Hong Kong, it has a wide choice of notable hotels away from the casinos, including the Pousada de Sao Tiago (saotiago.com.mo) and the Mandarin Oriental, Macau (mandarinoriental.com/macau). The heart of Macau is Largo do Senado, a square that looks like someone ﬁlched it from one of the old towns in Portugal’s Algarve. Locals like to relax in the square just down the road from the city’s iconic ruins of the Sao Paulo Church, a temple that burned down two centuries ago. Gourmands are keen on the square’s outdoor eateries, known as Dai Pai MACAU Macau, once a backwater Portuguese colony, is a surreal blend of crumbling colonial ruins with more casinos within its 12 sq. miles than any other place on earth. Here, the Venetian brags about being the world’s largest casino and a blinding neon glow lures gamblers to familiar spots with THAILAND SERGIO ORTIZ A KINGDOM OF SUBLIME SPAS Of the multitude of attractions in Thailand none has captured the imagination of foreigners like its proliferation of spas. In this land of rainforests and golden beaches, the practice of indulging oneself in the luxury of spas goes back hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Bangkok’s Wat Pho Temple, known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, rises near the Grand Palace and is home to the earliest massage school in the country, an open-air pavilion where the bases of all Thai therapies are engraved on a series of tablets illustrating the human energy pathways called “sen.” Thailand’s most celebrated spa is in Hua Hin, the old ﬁshing port that remains the most traditional of Thai resorts. Hua Hin’s origins as a seaside retreat began almost a century ago when King Rama VII decreed the village to be a royal getaway on the Gulf of Thailand some 120 miles south of Bangkok and built a palace delightfully named “Far from Worries.” But one would be remiss to skip a visit to Chiva-Som (chivasom.com), considered by legions of health enthusiasts to be the ﬁnest spa in Thailand. In the 15 years of its existence it has consistently placed as one of the top health resorts in the world, with more than 70 luxurious treatment rooms, watsu pools, bathing pavilions, saunas, and 58 plush guestrooms all nestled in eight acres of tropical gardens that seem to spill into the Gulf of Thailand. Chiva-Som is also a certiﬁed medical clinic with a wide-ranging menu of spa and holistic treatments. The Thai herbal massage (about $70) is a delight, combining Thai rubdowns with heated herbal packs that instantly relieve pains while simultaneously detoxifying the body. An equally legendary Thai spa is Amanpuri (800-477-918; aman A6 february 2012 resorts.com), a member of the Aman group of luxury resorts, built on a hill overlooking Pansea Beach on the Gulf of Thailand. There are six outdoor treatment rooms. A spacious black granite steam room is a marvel and the treatments are exceptional. Its shiatsu massages (about $140) rate among the best in Thailand. In Phuket, the spa at the Banyan Tree Resort (866-822-6926; banyan tree.com) offers a 3-hour spa treatment (about $200) that includes a lemon-grass and cucumber rub followed by a Thai massage applied with fragrant herbal pouches highlighted by a bath in an enormous tub ﬁlled with water and ﬂowers. The process is preceded by a footbath in a copper tub ﬁlled with mint and warm water. When you stack that type of pampering with the fact that palm trees surround the resort, which is also teeming with frangipani plants and accented with jasmine and orchids, all overlooking a tropical lagoon, you have the makings of a wonderful experience. Bangkok probably has more spas—ranging from the humble to the sublime—than any city in the world, but the spa at the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok (mandarinoriental.com/bangkok/spa) ranks among the best with 10 treatment rooms, herbal steam rooms and ﬂoor-to-ceiling windows that open into an orchid garden. The most popular treatment is the jet-lag massage (about $60), a wondrous experience that relieves tension and stress. But the Thai Body Wrap (about $70) stands out as the piece de resistance. The 2-hour treatment uses milk, white mud, honey, mint, turmeric and tamarind essences to rub into the body creating an unreal feeling of serenity. Regardless of the treatment and choice, Thai spas are a national treasure sure to delight visitors who want a little indulgence during their vacation. recommend.com http://saotiago.com.mo http://www.mandarinoriental.com/macau http://www.amanresorts.com http://www.banyantree.com http://www.chivasom.com http://www.mandarinoriental.com/bangkok/spa http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend February 2012

Editor's Notes/Agent Speak
Hotel Desk: The Lodge at Woodloch
Tour Talk: Swain Tours
Celebrity Silhouette
Savoring the Zulu Kingdom
The Falkland Islands-Nature's Last Stand
Asia
One Bal Harbour, Florida
Las Vegas Spa Retreats
Beaver Creek Lodge, Colorado
Bliss Springs Eternal at Esperanza
The Ritz-Carlton, Cancun
Time to "Czech" Out Moravia
Caribbean Uber-Luxe

Recommend February 2012