Park Hyatt Saigon Confirms 2015 Renovation Dates

The hotel will be closed from March 2nd 2015 until June 20th 2015.  Potentially a few rooms will be re-opened from June 3rd until June 20th, but this has not been confirmed.  The main construction work will take place during the schedule mentioned above.  After re-opening, some minor work such as painting and room decoration will still take place, therefore there may be some minor noise disturbances for guests from June 21st until the end of October.

All work is expected to be completed by November 2015.

Hoi An Beach Resort to keep existing Management

A few months ago, we received some information from Hoi An Beach resort that Absolute Hotel Service in Thailand would take the hotel over to manage and would change the name to U Hoi An Beach etc.  However, we have recently received new that Absolute will no longer take over Hoi An Beach Resort, and Hoi An Beach will keep the same management.

However, the hotel has recently undergone a large scale renovation with significant upgrades in decoration and style.

It is now November and winter is coming to the North and the Central of Vietnam.  Due to the weather change in this region over the past few days, the operation of the boats/cruise excursions in this area, and therefore our clients, have been affected. 

Please see below for updates from the last few days:

• 1st Nov 2014: No rain but it was windy.  Day trip boats were not allowed to operate but the overnight boats/cruises were allowed to run until 15:30 only.

• 2nd Nov 2014: The Northeast monsoon was expected to come and would affect the Halong Bay weather so both day & overnight boats/cruises were not allowed to operate

• 3rd Nov 2014: It is not raining anymore, but it is getting colder in the Ha Long area, so only day trip boats were allowed to operate this morning. Overnight boats/cruises will only know if they can operate at noon.

Focus Asia stop selling hotels in Nguyen Hue and Le Loi area of HCMC due to heavy construction

Due to the heavy construction around Nguyen Hue and Le Loi in Saigon, this area is now very inconvenient for our guests to walk around; therefore we will stop sales at some hotels around this area from 1st November 2014 until 13th February 2015 (inclusive).

The list of the hotels that we are going to stop sales will be:

1.Duxton

2.Kim Do

3.Rex

4.Palace

5.Oscar

New Hotel in Phu Quoc, Mercure Resort & Villas

Located on the south of Phu Quoc Island, just 8 minutes' drive from the airport, Mercure Phu Quoc Resort & Villas is the first unique international four star brand on the island.  It is surrounded by tropical gardens, featuring 73 spacious and peaceful rooms (28) and villas (45), each equipped with mini bar, free WiFi, satellite TV and full amenities.

The hotel features two bars, a 120 seat restaurant serving Asian and Vietnamese cuisine, a 350 square metre beach front swimming pool with lay-down Jacuzzis that lead directly to the beach.  The resort itself is situation directly on a luxurious 600 metre beach with complimentary kayaking service, with coconut trees and calm blue waters of the warm turquoise waters in the Gulf of Thailand.

Lady Hau Cruise Officially Launched on October 15th 2014

This luxury dinner cruise is approximately 24km along the Saigon River, starting from the Bach Dang Pier in central District 1, cruising in a north-eastern direction passing the Colonial style building of the Ho Chi Minh University of Transport, followed by the extensive Ba Son Shipyard and dock area, then heading further up river towards the Saigon Bridge.  The cruises then passes by District 1 on the port side and District 2 on the starboard side, illustrating the contrasting skylines of the busy downtown with the developing Binh Thanh district on the left.

The journey continues further into District 2 passing under the Saigon Bridge with views of the picturesque Thao Dien area with its waterfront villas, restaurants and bars.  Port side, there are views of Thanh Da Island and its Roman Catholic Church.  Around the 12km, half-way point of the cruise, Lady Hau will turn around for the journey back to Bach Dang Pier.

The Chef and his team carefully prepare the finest seasonal local ingredients. With influence from regional Vietnamese cuisine the Lady Hau buffet has a selection of some of the countries' best-loved dishes as well as a selection of delicious Western and Asian items. To tempt your palate you will find a selection of cold appetizers along with a choice of Vietnamese and Western Salads, a freshly prepared noodle soup from the buffet with a selection of daily baked breads, a choice of hot main fare are also available from the buffet. On the stern of the boat our Chef's master BBQ has a wide selection of the freshest seafood and marinated meats cooked to perfection. Finishing off your dining, you will find on the buffet a tempting choice of desserts and market fresh fruits.

 For more information regarding any of the updates in this newsletter, please contact your Sales Manager in charge.

Sincerely,

Your Focus Asia Team