Thank God It’s Friday! There’s so much to look forward to when it comes to the weekend. So much so, hotels and resorts across Asia are pulling out all the stops to host all sorts of indulgent celebrations from Friday afternoon until Sunday afternoon. Here, we take a closer look at some of the very best to enjoy over the coming months.
Bangkok hauls in the seafood
Every Friday and Saturday night, Thailand’s first INNSiDE By Meliá hotel serves a buffet underpinned by fresh and locally sourced seafood. Grilled Ayutthaya river prawns, and fresh seafood on ice such as oysters, rock lobsters, clams and crabs are among highlights of INNSiDE By Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit’s ‘Weekend Seafood Catch’ at all-day dining restaurant The Kites Eatery.
The seafood is accompanied by an array of condiments including the recommended chilli sauce. Other buffet options include sashimi, scallops, hot dishes such as crab curry, salads, vegetables, and desserts.
Served from 6-10pm, ‘Weekend Seafood Catch’ is priced at THB 999++ per person and THB 499++ per child aged six to 11 years inclusive of food and selected soft drinks. To make a booking, click here.
Barbeque on the beach
The Anam Mui Ne, which debuted last year, has introduced delectable barbecue buffet dinners every Friday and Saturday. Lang Viet Restaurant and Bar’s Friday BBQ roast includes homemade roast suckling pig, duck and chicken, all prepared in a traditional way and served with a selection of condiments, along with traditional local salads, appetisers and desserts, and a selection of loose tea and local rice spirits. The Indochine’s Saturday BBQ buffet offers a variety of appetisers, main courses, live food stations and desserts.
Both buffets are each priced at VND 690,000 with additional free-flow packages on offer. To make a booking, visit here, call +84 252 628 4868 or email reservations.mn@theanam.com.
Rub elbows with ghosts in Cambodia
The Elephant Bar is one of Asia’s most famous hotel watering holes – and for very good reason. With locations on the doorstep of Angkor Wat (at Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor) and in the bustling Cambodian capital (Raffles Hotel Le Royal), Elephant Bar has served the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Somerset Maugham and Jacqueline Kennedy over the decades.
Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor recently introduced a new ‘Personality Cocktail’ menu, spotlighting icons of the past, such as French naturalist and explorer Henri Mouhot (in a drink that combines rum, banana liqueur, Champagne and pineapple garnish) and others, the perfect tipples for Friday happy hour from 4pm until 6pm.
At Raffles Hotel Le Royal, happy hour lasts until 9pm and includes 40 per cent off on selected drinks, along with live music from 6.30-8.30pm. Visit here for more.
Sundowners in Samui, and cocktails in Krabi
What better way to kick off the weekend than with sunset drinks on a Friday under the palm trees of a tropical beach? Banyan Tree Krabi’s Kredkaew Bar shakes things into gear with happy hour from 3.30pm to 5.30pm. This beachfront venue faces the uninhabited limestone cliffs of Phang-Nga Bay jutting from the sapphire seas of the Andaman, a perfect place to plant yourself as the last rays of the sun descend.
Meanwhile, on the other southern Thai coast, at Banyan Tree Samui, the Sundowner happy hour is a 5pm until 7pm affair, with a buy one, get one free offer at the Lobby Lounge where guests enjoy a spectacular vertiginous vista overlooking the Gulf of Thailand.
Connoisseurs of Thai cuisine may be interested to know of two star attractions – Banyan Tree Samui’s Tom Yum cocktail, which is infused with galangal, chilli and kaffir lime leaves; and the rum-and-coconut cream-based Khao Niew Mamuang (mango sticky rice) cocktail, a sweet creamy way to end the week at Banyan Tree Krabi.
Retro Vietnamese BBQ from north to south
TIA Wellness Resort launched an abundant Vietnamese BBQ buffet last month that includes delicacies from north to south. You’ll find popular options, like a Banh Mi station and fresh spring roll station, along with less mainstream fare, like snails in spicy butter. The BBQ station, where items are chosen and cooked on the spot, highlights local seafood with tiger prawns and mini lobster, as well as options like pork ribs and chicken skewers.
Following the property’s wellness ethos there are a large selection of salads including corn, coconut and crab salad with spicy pork; cabbage salad with seaweed and calamari; and lotus root salad with chili shrimp. Desserts include items like jackfruit and chia mousse and fresh local fruit among several other sweet treats.
Typically held on weekends from 6pm until 9pm at The Dining Room. Prices start at VND 1,250,000 ++ per person. Visit here for more.
Saturdays are for pizza and pasta
Luxury family resort Alma, which commands 74 acres of beachfront on Vietnam’s Cam Ranh peninsula, stages a ‘Pizza and Pasta Buffet’ every Saturday night. Four cheese pizza and seafood pizza are among the most popular items at the buffet at Alma’s Italian trattoria La Casa.
Held from 6pm until 9pm, the buffet is priced at 398,000 VND per adult and 300,000 VND per child. The restaurant’s chefs combine authentic Italian ingredients with organic products to create a wide selection of classic Italian dishes. For further information or to make a booking, visit alma-resort.com, call +84 258 399 1666 or email info@alma-resort.com.
Jazzing up a Sunday brunch in Phuket
Leading Phuket resort Trisara is giving diners the chance to jazz up their Sunday dining with a luxurious brunch at Cielo, its al fresco Mediterranean venue. At a signature Sunday jazz brunch, guests can delight in a culinary extravaganza featuring a tapas table, fresh seafood bar, and an array of barbecued delights. Indulge in the finest lobster, giant prawns, and mouth watering dishes, all accompanied by the smooth tunes of a live jazz band against the stunning backdrop of the ocean.
Celebrate the joys of life with premium wine, delectable food, and melodious jazz music, all while adhering to the resort’s #DineGoodDoGood philosophy which involves sourcing local ingredients and the finest produce Thailand has to offer. The Sunday spread not only promises live jazz and sustainable delights but also offers open spa and salon services for a truly immersive full-day gathering. Visit here for prices and to book.
A sumptuous Sunday brunch in the Vietnamese capital
Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi offers one of the most popular Sunday brunch concepts in the Vietnamese capital. Served at the award-winning Le Beaulieu, it features an assortment of sumptuous seafood including signature shellfish on ice, traditional brunch favorites, unlimited courses made to order and much more in an elegant and sophisticated setting.
French oysters are among the culinary highlights, along with imported shellfish and seafood, charcuterie and foie gras from Le Beaulieu’s wine cellar, and handmade decadent desserts. Premium tableside menu offerings include smoked fish gueridon, flambéed lobster bisque, côte de boeuf carving and Les Frères Marchand cheese.
The Sunday brunch is served from 12pm until 3pm and is priced at VND 2,500,000++ per person (with wine VND 3,500,000++; with wine and Champagne VND 4,500,000++ per person). For more information, visit sofitel-legend-metropole-hanoi.com.
