Wanderlust Tips Team, Author at WANDERLUST TIPS • Page 176 of 194

Windsor Plaza to host Oktoberfest Vietnam 12th

(#wanderlusttips #windsorplaza #Oktoberfest) Oktoberfest, the famous German beer festival, will be celebrated at Windsor Plaza from October 6-8 and continuing on October 12-15, marking the consecutive 12 years of the hotel’s hosting for this effevescent event.

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Windsor Plaza Hotel brings in the authentic atmosphere of the traditional Oktoberfest from Munich with an opening ceremony featuring the tapping of the first beer keg. Guests wear traditional Bavarian attire while dancing to favorite Oktoberfest songs. Throughout the event, there is an expansive buffet of traditional German specialties including sausages, sauerkraut, crispy pork knuckles, pretzels and much more. In addition, guests can indulge with freeflow imported German beer including Krombacher pils and Schneider Weisse. Partake in delightful activities, exciting games, prizes, and many other surprises.

New to Oktoberfest Vietnam this year at Windsor Plaza Hotel is the arrival of Partenkirchner Musikanten, a traditional Oktoberfest band from Germany which has played concerts worldwide. From beer tents to banquet halls, Partenkirchner Musikanten Band is famous for their beer-toasting medleys.

Last but not least, guests will be presented with a collectible Oktoberfest Vietnam beer stein and will have a chance to win the biggest grand prize yet, a Mercedes C200 worth of 1.4 billion VND and Vespa LX125 motorbike from the nightly lucky draws alongside many other exciting prizes.

Oktoberfest originally began as a celebration of the marriage of Crown King Ludwig and Queen Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen in the Bavarian city of Munich, Germany in October of 1810. Today, it is a festival featuring beer tents, entertainment, performances, and booths of gastronomic delights in cities across the world.

In Vietnam, the Windsor Plaza Hotel has been hosting the event since 2005. Oktoberfest Vietnam has been recognized by Reuters as one of the Top 10 Oktoberfest celebrations outside Germany, and has also been featured in the Chicago Tribune.

Wanderlust Tips | Cinet

Moscow to open a booth at the 12th International Travel Expo

(#wanderlusttips #Moscowtourism) The Department of national policy, interregional relations and tourism of Moscow will open a booth at 12 th International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City 2016, which will be held from September 8 to September 10, 2016 at the Congress and Exhibition Center Saigon (SECC).

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On the first day of the exhibition on September 8, the representative of the Department of national policy, interregional relations and tourism of Moscow city will give a presentation about tourism opportunities in the Russian capital. In addition at the stand all guests will find out how to travel and relax affordably and comfortably in the Russian capital.

Eventful business program is scheduled for all three expo days. Tourist companies and sightseeing tour agencies shall present their original projects and routes for Moscow (including water routes). Hotel spokesmen will acquaint visitors with comfortable and diverse infrastructures of their complexes.

Such famous companies as Intourist, Metropol Hotel, Tourist Hotel Complex Izmailovo, Tzar Voyage and City Sightseeing are announced to be presented at booth.

Various films about tourist and culture opportunities of the megalopolis are to be shown at the booth, multiple business meetings between co-exhibitors and partner agencies, hotels and other companies involved in tourist infrastructure shall take place.

For the past years Vietnam and Russia have been actively cooperating in tourism development. In 2015, Vietnam was visited by 321,000 Russian tourists. And the interest of Russians for Vietnam is increasing every year. According to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT), for the first half year of 2016 the country was visited by over than 204,000 Russians, which is 21% higher than year before.

Vietnam and Russia actively interact in the framework of relevant international organizations – forum “Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation” (APEC), the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and others, implement joint programs aimed to increase tourist flows, for example the language program “Russian language course for ASEAN tour operators” In 2016, the National Tourist Office Visit Russia has been opened in Vietnam. It is focused on the entire macro- region of Southeast Asia – in addition to Vietnam its area of responsibility includes Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, the Republic of Korea.

International Travel Expo Ho Chi Minh City 2016 – is one of the largest exhibitions in Asia in the field of tourism and travel. It covers a wide range of services; it is supported by various Ministries of Tourism in South-East Asia, including the Kingdom of Cambodia, the Lao People&Democratic Republic, the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, the Kingdom of Thailand and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. 250 companies and brands from around the world had participated the Expo in 2015, the number of visitors were over 25 thousand people.

Wanderlust Tips | Cinet

Aman offers guests three private experiences

(#wanderlusttips #Amanresorts) Aiming to bring the most special and exclusive stay to all guests, Aman has launched three new private experience program in Aman Venice, Aman Sveti Stefan in Montenegro and Amanjena in Marrakech which ranges from watching an enlightening Italian opera to an exclusive experience of wine tasting to arouse your taste buds and learning the organic herbs to empower your health in a natural way.

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Aman Venice Opera Series at Teatro La Fenice

Aman Venice has launched its Opera Series for 2016, which provides guests with exclusive access to seats in the hotel’s box at the Teatro La Fenice, one of the most renowned landmarks in the history of Italian theatre. With tickets something of a rarity, many claim that a night at the Teatro is an experience like no other.

As well as seats in the private box, guests will enjoy an aperitivo and either late afternoon tea or dinner at the hotel before or after the performance including round trip boat transfers in the hotel’s private boat.

Aman Venice is housed in a 16^th century palazzo on the Grand Canal with its own private jetty. The hotel has 24 rooms with breathtaking architectural and artistic details including ceilings by the 18^th century artist Tiepolo.

www.aman.com/resorts/aman-venice

Wine Tasting at the Home of Montenegrin winemaker

Aman Sveti Stefan, the iconic islet in the centre of Montenegro’s Adriatic coast is offering guests a private visit to the house of the Masanovics who have been making wine for generations from the Montenegrin indigenous grape variety Vranac. Grown for centuries in Crmnica, Vranac is just one of the ingredients used in the premium dry red wine produced by Mr Masanovic which has aromas of burnt oak, ripe raspberries and fresh cranberries. Guests will taste the vintages of 2009 and 2010, and the vintage of 2010 directly from the barrels as well as a dessert wine all of which will be paired with local Montenegrin cheese and served with dried figs and walnuts grown in the gardens of the house. Mr Masanovic will then take guests on a tour of the family vineyards and fruit orchards where they will have the opportunity to sample homemade plum, grape, kiwi and apple and pear brandies.

Aman Sveti Stefan was once a fortified village dating back to the 15^th century. The island became a hotel in the 1950s and was a high profile destination amongst celebrities from the worlds of fashion and film. The island has 50 rooms, and eight suites at Villa Milocer over the causeway as well as three beaches.

www.aman.com/resorts/aman-sveti-stefan

Organic Herb Garden Tour in the Foothills of the Atlas Mountains

Guests of Amanjena can discover Morocco’s first biological herb farm at the foot of the Atlas Mountains where the resort sources its bespoke organic bathroom products. Located in the valley of the Ourika River, guests will be led through the deeply aromatic organic garden by the owner and chief gardener and learn about the 50 species of aromatic and medicinal plants that are cultivated.

The visit also includes a tour of the distillery to learn about the processes used to produce the essential oils used in the bath and massage oils, soaps, salts and shampoos. The trip concludes with an organic lunch prepared by the farm owners.

Amanjena lies 15 minutes outside the Medina and central to the resort is a basin inspired by Marrakech’s 12^th century Menara Gardens. Surrounding the basin are 40 pavilions, pool pavilions and two bedroom maisons. The resort’s gardens are filled with olive and citrus trees, soaring date palms, orange-flame bougainvillea, hibiscus and pomegranate.

www.aman.com/resorts/amanjena

Wanderlust Tips | Cinet

Paradise Suites Hotel doubles its inventory

(#wanderlusttips #Paradisesuiteshotel) Paradise Suites Hotel, the first luxury boutique hotel in Halong, has introduced its latest extension with two additional blocks named as Hue and Saigon, doubling its inventory, with a total of 156 rooms covering 4 blocks of both classical and contemporary styled interiors, a shelter of grandeur lifestyle and sustainable living.

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Named after two iconic cities of Vietnam, Hue and Saigon, both rich in history, culture, and traditions, the two new blocks completely differentiate themselves with a trendier interior setting, inspired by the contemporary tastes of both the modern city and the imperial city. In this context, the additional buildings come as a perfect completion of the elegantly classic Hanoi and Halong wings. Rooms and public areas have been designed to provide a trendy atmosphere that blends Western modern style with Vietnamese cultural arts. Guests will feel this authentic combination of materials and textures through subtle touches like canvas painting Vietnamese most typical landscapes and living scenes, or traditional tile patterns, pairing with an inspiring selection of wooden furniture and a stylish blue dominant ambiance.

“We are delighted to be able to welcome more guests to experience our services here at Paradise Suites Hotel”, shares Mr. Edgar Canayan, General Manager for Paradise Vietnam, “we hope to exceed their expectations with this innovative expansion and that our wide range of upscale facilities along with our dedicated team will bring them the greatest time in Halong Bay.”

Indeed, Paradise Suites Hotel area also proposes many event spaces (including indoor, outdoor, by the beach, by the pool), boldly designed bars and pubs, great dining options (hotel restaurants, 1958 Vietnamese Restaurant), travel fashion shops and a warm beauty spa.

Paradise Suites Hotel

Add: Ngoc Chau, Halong City, Quang Ninh
Tel: (+8433) 3815 088

Wanderlust Tips | Cinet

Celebrate the September with InterContinental Hanoi Westlake

(#wanderlusttips #InterContinentalHanoiwestlake) A wide range of activities will be held at InterContinental Hanoi Westlake this September to submerge you in the delighgtful savour and vision feasts to celebrate the festive month.

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Cafe Du Lac

Vietnam’s National Day Treat – September 2

To celebrate the Vietnam’s National Day of September 2, a sumptuous buffet dinner will feature a great selection of international dishes in an idyllic lakeside setting, complemented with understated service. The special occasion will soon become the joyful moment of family and friend gathering for all the coming guests.

Price starts from VND1,100,000 net/adult excludes beverage

Mid-autumn Festival dinner – September 15

The fullmoon season will be the chance to delight your taste buds with irresistible buffet dinner, including fresh seafood, sizzling grilled meats and a mouthwatering range of desserts.

Price starts from VND 1,100,000 net/adult excludes beverage

Sunset Bar – Liquid Laboratory – September 9

The hotel’s first “Liquid Laboratory” night is the special chance to experience an unusual experience in Hanoi: scientifically created cocktails and culinary delights. Modernist cocktails maker Richard McDonough, or better known as a “Mood therapist” and the hotel’s executive chef Jeremy Lasserre will take you on their journey to sample 5 cocktails complemented with a mini 5-course menu.

Price: VND 2,500,000 net/person

Dilopmat Lounge – Pret-a- portea – September 10

As usual, Diplomat Lounge will become a elegent runway for contemporary fashion and classic afternoon tea.

a deliciously gourmet selection of fashionable treats inspired by your favorite designs, while sipping on the finest range of tea. On this occasion, you will be treated to a glamorous parade that showcases the latest collections by Chula và Luala Atelier. The event start at 3PM.

Price: VND390,000 net/adult

InterContinental Hanoi Westlake Hotel

Add: 1 Nghi Tam, Yen Phu, Tay Ho District, Hanoi
Tel: (+844) 6270 8888

Wanderlust Tips | Cinet

323 reindeers killed by lightning strike in Norwegian national park

(#wanderlusttips #Nationalpark) A single lightning strike killed 323 carcasses scattered across a small, isolated area in Hardangervidda National Park, a plateau-like park in south-central Norway, home to Europe’s largest herds of wild reindeer, according to its website.

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One of the agency’s inspectors discovered the dead animals over the weekend after a storm passed through.

Wild animals are occasionally struck by lightning, but the agency has never seen so many killed at once, informed spokesperson Kjartan Knutsen.

“We have never experienced such numbers before. This is very large,” Knutsen said. He said the wild reindeer were huddled together because of heavy weather on Friday, when the strike occurred,” said Knutsen. “That’s why it’s possible for the lightning to kill so many,”

Humans rarely visit the remote area. The dead reindeer were found by one of the agency’s inspectors because Norway is in the midst of its annual wild reindeer hunting season.

Knutsen said five reindeer were still alive when the inspector came across the scene, but they had to be euthanized.

He said the agency has now begun taking samples from the dead animals as part of a health survey.

The dead reindeer were still on site Monday. While the agency usually does not remove animals when they die in the wild, it is currently considering other options because of the large numbers, Knutsen said.

It’s not the first time a large herd of animals have been killed by lightning. In 2005, 68 cows were killed in Australia by a single bolt.

The park, which is located on the area of over 3,000km2, is the largest natural reservation in Norway and is known as the favourite destination for many hikers with many interesting hiking routes and stunning landscapes.

CNN | Wanderlust Tips | Cinet

wanderlust-tips-ndonesia-to-impose-surf-tax-in-mentawai-island

Indonesia to impose “surf tax” in Mentawai Island

(#wanderlusttips #Indonesia #Mentawai) Tourism officials in Indonesia’s Mentawai Islands has imposed on foreign surfers a £60 pay-to-surf fee to enjoy the world-famous waves.

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Once riders pay the “surf tax”, they are given a wristband that they are required to wear and can stay for 15 days. This law hasn’t come as a surprise – the latest version has been a year in the making and previous attempts have been enacted but fallen flat – and the Mentawai surf industry says it will benefit locals.

Despite how popular surfing is here, Mentawai Islands Deputy Regent Rijel Samaloisa told the Jakarta Post last year that tourism and surfing don’t contribute much to the islands’ revenue. “We only get the name, garbage and environmental damage,” he said. Exactly how the law will be executed and how much will flow through to the locals remains to be seen.

“I think it will definitely be difficult to enforce,” Sean Murphy, President of Waterways Surf Adventures, told Surfline. “How long will it take for people to counterfeit those wristbands? Will it regulate the number of surfers at any spot at any one time? I am not against the idea in principal, but in practice it is very difficult to coordinate, regulate and enforce.”

Lonely Planet | Wanderlust Tips | Cinet

Dubrovnik’s plan to protect its historic Old Town

(#wanderlusttips #Dubrovnik #Croatia) The Croatian city has proposed a plan to protect its historic Old Town by setting the tourist limit into the area at one time after the number broke the record this summer with 10,000 visitors in just one day (11 August).

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According to the proposal announced this week, a maximum of 6000 tourists will be allowed into the Old Town at any one time. Dubrovnik residents will still be allowed in with a special pass. Mayor Andro Vlahušić said the plan came from Unesco who recommended a maximum capacity of 8000 in the Old Town at any time. In order to manage the crowds, cameras with counters would be installed which can easily establish the number of tourists inside the walls at any time.

The new proposal must still be passed before it is implemented, but Vlahušić is enthusiastic about the idea, saying it would be hugely beneficial to tourism in Dubrovnik and help battle overcrowding. Ticket prices to enter and walk the city walls are also expected to rise in 2017 by 20-30 kuna, depending on the type of ticket bought. Dubrovnik has experienced a surge in tourism in recent years, helped in part due to its starring role as King’s Landing in HBO’s Game of Thrones. It’s also become a hugely popular cruise destination, pushing the limit of day trippers exploring the Old Town. Croatia recently topped the list for most searched for travel destinations so it seems unlikely the tourism boom will slow down anytime soon.

Lonely Planet | Wanderlust Tips | Cinet

The world’s first self-driving taxis take the first ride in Singapore

(#wanderlusttips #Selfdrivingtaxi #Singapore) The world’s first self-driving taxis have begun picking up passengers who have been selected for the first free rides through their smartphones in Singapore. The service is operated by nuTonomy, an autonomous vehicle software start-up.

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While multiple companies, including Google and Volvo, have been testing self-driving cars on public roads for several years, nuTonomy says is the first to offer rides to the public.

Its launch in Singapore is beating ride-hailing service Uber, which plans to offer rides in autonomous cars in Pittsburgh in the US, by a few weeks. NuTonomy is starting small – currently six cars, rising to a dozen by the end of the year. The ultimate goal, company executives say, is to have a fully self-driving taxi fleet in Singapore by 2018, to help cut the number of cars on the city state’s congested roads. They are also working on testing similar taxi services in other Asian cities, the US and Europe. For now, the taxis only run in a 2.5 square mile (6.5 square kilometre) business and residential district called “one-north”, and pick-ups and drop-offs are limited to specified locations.

The company says dozens have signed up for the launch, and it plans to expand that list to thousands of people within a few months. The cars – modified Renault Zoe and Mitsubishi i-MiEV electrics – have a driver in front who is prepared to take back the wheel and a researcher in the back who watches the car’s computers. Each car is fitted with six sets of Lidar – a detection system that uses lasers to operate like radar – including one which constantly spins on the roof. There are also two cameras on the dashboard to scan for obstacles and detect changes in traffic lights. Doug Parker, nuTonomy’s chief operating officer, said autonomous taxis could ultimately reduce the number of cars on Singapore’s roads from 900,000 to 300,000.

“When you are able to take that many cars off the road, it creates a lot of possibilities. You can create smaller roads, you can create much smaller car parks,” he said. “I think it will change how people interact with the city going forward.” Earlier this year, the company was the first to win approval from Singapore’s government to test self-driving cars in one-north.

Singapore is ideal because it has good weather, great infrastructure and drivers who tend to obey traffic rules, Iagnemma said. As a land-locked island, the city of 5.4 million people is seeking creative ways to grow its economy, so it has been supportive of autonomous vehicle research. Olivia Seow, 25, who took a test ride, said she was nervous when she got into the car, and then surprised as she watched the steering wheel turn by itself.

“It felt like there was a ghost or something,” she said. But she quickly relaxed. The ride was smooth and controlled, she said, and she was relieved to see that the car recognised even small obstacles like birds and motorcycles parked in the distance. “I couldn’t see them with my human eye, but the car could, so I knew that I could trust the car,” said Seow.

Lonely Planet | Wanderlust Tips | Cinet

Ethiopia witnesses the tourism boom thanking to heritages

(#wanderlusttips #Ethiopia) Being considered an off-the-beaten-track destination, Ethiopia is seeing the fast growth of tourism this year, which owes to its richness of historical and natural heritages.

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The country was visited by just over 900,000 tourists last year but 2016 is on track to surpass one million for the first time. Plans for 2020 are even more ambitious when they hope to welcome 2.5 million visitors … a far cry from the fewer than 200,000 that visited as recently as 2004. Visitors are arriving from all over the world, though US citizens make up around one in six tourists, with significant numbers also coming from the UK, China, and Italy. For a country that is entirely land-locked, which of course means no beach resorts, Ethiopia is more reliant on its history and natural environment than most.

Fortunately, it has nine Unesco world heritage sites – more than any other country in Africa (except Morocco, also with nine). Among the best known man-made sites are the rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, the remains of the ancient city of Aksum, the walled city of Harar, and the Fasil Ghebbi fortress in Gondar. Natural sites include the lower valleys of the Awash and Omo Rivers, and the Simien Mountains National Park, which is home to an array of endangered species like the Ethiopian wolf and the walia ibex.

Ethiopian Airways has been playing a key role in opening up the country to more visitors with a range of new routes launched last year. In 2015, they began flying to Los Angeles, Tokyo, Manila and Dublin. Last month, they began a three-times-weekly service to Newark via Togo, opening up the New York market for potential tourists.

Lonely Planet | Wanderlust Tips | Cinet