Asia and Asian hotels never cease to amaze us with their excellent taste and  huge investments in fantastic new properties.

I attach my top picks of  Hotels and Restaurants, for 2011.

Please find some to time to visit and enjoy them…

Cheers

Savas kazantzides
Travel Connoisseur

HOTELS

SINGAPORE – Singapore

What happens when you take a mega hotel in Singapore, and flip it upside down? Over 600 ft. in the air, swimming in the 490 ft. infinity pool under palm trees, you’ll get your answer. (Hint: The Marina Bay)

The largest dropper of jaws in all of Singapore, Marina Bay Sands is nothing if not imposing, with its three massive towers, and gravity defying Skypark thrust up among the heavens. It’s as though “impossible” was the architect’s driving theme.

At the Lotus-shaped museum, the world’s finest exhibitions are on display for those interested in history. Feel like gambling on a better future? Then there’s no better place than the Casino, where, if you’re really lucky, you might dash off with the mystery car jackpot. Take a Sampan ride or applaud a play before rising up above reality at the Skypark. Over 200 varieties of greenery frame the vertigo-inducing pool looking out over the city. Bob your head to live Deejays, and grab a bite and a cocktail at Justin Quek’s Sky on 57.

The dining scene here is so huge; the hotel even offers a dedicated Restaurant Concierge to its guests. In no particular order, epicurean options include Wolfgang Puck’s Cut, Daniel Boulud’s DB Bistro Moderne, Guy Savoy, Hide Yamamato, Mario Batali’s Pizzeria And Osteria Mozza, Rise, The Nest, Tong Dim Noodle Bar, Sweetspot, and many more. Six bars and nightclubs also hum with grooves from all over the globe.

Oh yes, and then there’s the hotel itself. 2,561 rooms come in 18 different varieties, ranging from beautiful to fall-on-your-face astonishing.

CHINA – Shanghai

Where did Shanghai go over the past 10 years? Well, it went up … way up. Right near the top is The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong: a flashy bit of new Shanghai on the top of a 58-story tower.

Sometimes, perception beats reality hands down. For anyone that wants to make an impression on friends or business contacts, getting a perch up on the luxury crow’s nest that is The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong will likely raise your perceived stats by a number of notches. “You’re staying where? Impressive,” is what they’ll say. Consider it your cue to be humble.

At 58 stories tall, the building in which The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong resides is intimidating from below. Rocket up to one of 285 rooms on floors 39 to 51 and find plush beds, iPod docks, and views that will certainly drop your jaw.

The huge spa is the ideal place to end any day, with a stunning pool in the sky, 10 treatment rooms, a fitness center, and Jacuzzi.

The way-up-high theme continues in the realm of dining, beginning at the very top with Flair, a tapas and raw bar on the roof. Just one floor down, Cantonese cuisine sizzles and tempts at Jin Xian. Two floors down, Scena does Italian worthy of the old country, and on the ground floor, Aroma keeps it all anchored with coffees and light snacks. From bottom to top, or vice versa, a culinary tour at The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong is well worth the vertical adventure.

THAILAND – Bangkok

The new jewel of the Kempinski family,  adds  grandeur air  in the hotelier scene of Bangkok

This luxurious property is ideally located for shoppers, being directly behind the popular Siam Paragon shopping mall. It offers comfortable accommodate right in the heart of the vibrant city. Providing a selection of 303 well-appointed guest rooms, each room features a spacious balcony and complimentary wireless Internet access.

For a rejuvenating experience, the Spa offers a variety of treatments and massages for all guests to take advantage of. Not only is it a choice appealing for the leisure travelers but business travelers as well, with meeting rooms nicely presented and well-equipped. As for dining, on-site restaurants present European and contemporary Thai cuisine. Siam Kempinski Hotel Bangkok ensures a convenient stay due to its location and high quality services.

TAIWAN – Taipei

I bet not many of you have been to Taiwan. Well, now you have an excellent reason to visit this thrilling country because of the new, Art Deco-Inspired Jewel Amongst Taipei’s 5-Star Hotels.

Opened in May 2010, Palais de Chine Hotel is a sophisticated oasis of artistic beauty and culture. The striking décor of this Taipei five-star hotel offers an instant escape into a world of Parisian decadence, where plush fabrics, imported furniture, and antique pieces transform the 286 guestrooms into works of art.

Inspire the palate at an array of exquisite restaurants, ranging from Western and Chinese cuisine to a French-inspired teahouse. Host memorable events within our conference and banqueting facilities, where the Grand Hall and four boardrooms serve as ideal venues for any occasion. Offering internationally recognized service with a personal touch, this Taipei 5-star hotel is poised to become the leading destination for the privileged traveler.

MACAU – Macau

Take in Macau – Asia’s answer to Vegas – from 38 floors up in Taipa’s tallest building. The Peter Remédios-designed ALTIRA Macau includes miniature bamboo gardens, fine art, and its own casino.

A stylish and contemporary hotel, ALTIRA Macau is the tallest building on Taipa Island – but that’s not the only reason it stands out. The hotel’s combination of comfort, elegance, and personalized service make it a favorite of world travelers.

Its spacious, contemporary rooms feature a lounge area, walk-in wardrobe, wifi, and panoramic views from floor-to-ceiling windows. The ambient bathrooms include a circular stone-crafted bath and Japanese-style shower.

Indulge in Japanese or Cantonese-inspired dining in one of the four indoor or outdoor restaurants, or sip a selection of fine wines from high above the city in 38 Lounge.

ALTIRA’s true gem is its two-level spa, featuring twelve treatment rooms and an exclusive VIP area. With wide-ranging contemporary therapies, a fitness center, a glass-encased infinity poor, steam rooms, saunas, and an ice fountain, it’s sure to invigorate your senses.

RESTAURANTS

CAMBODIA – Phnom Penh

Topaz

Cambodia is world famous for the incredible Angkor Wat,  but few know that the capital Phnom Penh started recently to show its cosmopolitan appeal with a few new excellent additions.

Topaz, with its backdrop of Khmer temples and tree-lined Norodom Boulevard, amidst a spectacular Phnom Penh sunset, is hard to beat.

The service is refined and unobstrusive – the furnishings and décor comfortable, the aim always to provide a consistent superior dining experience.

But the heart of Topaz is clearly the masterful interpretation of French traditional cuisine under the watchful eyes of Executive Chef Alain Darc.

HONG KONG – Hong Kong

Al Molo

Greed is a virtue at any Michael White restaurant. After all, the New York-based chef, who’s not exactly a tiny man himself, is a firm advocate of heavy, indulgent food. A signature app at his two Michelin-starred Manhattan eatery Marea pairs sea urchin with lard and a few flecks of sea salt; his few-month-old Osteria Morini draws in adoring foodies with handcrafted pastas blanketed in truffle butter or duck liver cream sauce. And at White’s first venture in Hong Kong – a collaborative effort with local restaurant group Dining Concepts – the ethos of hearty, Italian eating translates into a brilliant menu that reads like a song.

Occupying a gorgeous waterfront site right by the ferry pier, Al Molo channels the sort of Beaux-Arts aesthetics that defines so much of Manhattan’s cityscape. Plank ceilings, exposed brick walls and long marble countertops come courtesy of NY-based design firm Avroko and Hong Kong’s Zanghellini Holt. Open cooking stations run down both sides of the dining room, flanked by a well-stocked bar that leads out to a casual alfresco seating area by the harbour.

THAILAND – Pattaya

Mantra

Chic, smart and stylish, daring to be distinguishably different, the hottest new concept in dining has hit Pattaya – Mantra Restaurant and Bar – features various mouthwatering Asian and Mediterranean cuisine in a stylish modern setting.

In an interior designed to transport the senses to a haven of relaxation and indulgence, sleek glass architecture marries with artifacts from throughout the Orient. The restaurant boasts 180 seats on two levels and dramatic towering shelves create a focal point with an artfully placed eclectic collection of treasures.

Exotic combinations from the menu, offer diners a host of sublime taste sensations. In each of the open kitchens, the chefs take centre stage, expertly preparing the cuisine in a well-orchestrated display of their craft. Highlights include tandoori, fresh from the oven and sushi that is prepared as you watch at the sushi bar. An extensive walk-in wine cellar ensures that , Mantra truly is a gourmet experience.

CHINA – Shanghai

Lost Heaven in the Bund

Shanghai’s dining reflects its position as China’s most cosmopolitan city. The Bund area offers restaurants like the French fusion Jean Georges and the international Laris which compare with any in the world.

Traditional carved dark wooden details and a gabled ceilings give the impression of dining in some mystical mountain retreat while the expansive rooftop deck and outdoor bar bring you back sharply to shanghai with the iconic Pudong skyline peeking over the top of adjacent buildings.

Lost Heaven specializes in the tribal cuisine of China’s Yunnan Province. It has all the makings of a proper date restaurant with its exotic cuisine, enchanted decor, atmospheric music and dim, flickering candlelight.

Cocktails are probably one of the best in town.

MALAYSIA – Kuala Lumpur

Hakka Republic

Elegance is the watchword in what is fast turning into KL’s most popular wine bar. It’s a laid back yet refined venue with attractive Chinese style décor and knowledgeable staff. The wine list is an appealingly lengthy thing with over 20 choices by the glass and they have one of those funky enomatic wine devices, the first in Kuala Lumpur. The bistro serves decent international fare (think steamed Wagyu with ponzu sauce, duck confit with fig compote, an array of scrummy desserts). An excellent place to relax with a chilled glass of wine away from the heat and noise of the city.

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Have you visited many times Rome or Paris or London and feeling fed up going to the same boring, soulless hotel? Do you want to know what is hot, new and trendy in the best cities of Europe?
Well here you go: Find out the 10 best Hidden Gems (Hotels) in Europe 2011.

ITALY
Venice
At Venice’s newest hotel, Centurion Palace, the drama starts, before you even step into the lobby- a glowing chandelier of raw , frosted-white glass looms from the high ceiling.
Its striking art installation style is enough to fool you into thinking you’ve arrived at the nearby Peggy Guggenheim museum.
You can step into the lobby straight from a gondola, too. as this 50-bedroom hotel is on the Grand Canal. The surprises continue in the bar adjacent to the lobby , as sweeps of red velvet and blue ostrich leather upholstery contrast with the intimate feel of the Antico restaurant.
Antico is glamour and all white, with white-on-white wall reliefs and tables that glow under their tablecloths…
Continuing upstairs, each guest room is a unique combination of modern furnishing and artwork.
The boldness of design stretches not only to rich colors, brocade fabrics and leather work, but also to all-gold leaf bathrooms.
If it all sounds a bit extravagant, that’s because it is. But we are in Venice, aren’t we?

Rome
Babuino 181 is a new boutique hotel in the heart of historic Rome. The newest of the Rome Luxury Suites collection, this little gem is opened in February 2010 and is sure to be one of the top chic retreats in the city. The 14 luxury suites are decorated in the trademark Rome Luxury Suites style, a rich mix of contemporary luxury and Italian elegance. Located a short walk from the Piazza del Popolo and the Spanish Steps, the city is at your fingertips, and from May 2010, guests can watch the city go by from the roof-top terrace bar.

These spacious suites, many of which can be connected, are perfect for romantic couples, groups or families.

Tuscany

Tuscany is always the ideal location to be plotting a Mediterranean escape, and this time in the perennially stylish coastal redoubt of Forte Dei Marmi the Principe Hotel @ Spa, opened in October 2010.
It boasts all the retreats would expect to: indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a full-service thalassotherapy spa, contemporary decor, a rooftop restaurant whose chefs promise to turn out sashimi and cacciucco with equal dexterity and of course, a private prime stretch of Fort dei Marmi’s famous wide sandy beach.

GERMANY
Munich
Munich is hard to beat: from the grandeur of the Alte Pinakothek’s Renaissance and Baroque painting galleries to the sleek boites and eateries that increasingly characterize its centre.
The Sofitel Munich Bayerpost has raised the bar to this end by introducing in 2010 , 10 massive new “designer” suites, which manifest varying degrees of extravagance: white flokati carpets and black lacquer walls through to raw wood panelling and transparent Lucite minibars.
And the dead-central location is its own selling point.

ENGLAND
London
Run by the team behind Soho House, a group of members’ clubs in London and New York popular with media types, this 39-room hotel, the Dean Street Townhouse, filling two stucco-fronted Georgian town houses mixes English cottage–style decor with all the mod cons, and offers extraordinarily reasonable room rates for buzzy, central Soho. Room categories range from “Broom Cupboard” to “Bigger,” with claw-foot baths in the bedrooms. In the room-enough-to-swing-a-cat “Small” category, expect homey touches including painted wood paneling and patterned wallpaper, a dressing table, and soft, sea grass–like carpeting. Diminutive but sleek bathrooms have powerful walk-in showers and are stocked with everything required for an impromptu night away—toothbrush, hair straightener, and Cowshed spa products—which, considering the hotel charges about the same as a taxi fare from here to the suburbs, is probably the whole point. Public space is limited to a cozy room off reception, but the friendly staff do their best to gain you access into Soho House down the road, with its surfeit of sofas. A tasty British breakfast (kippers, beans on toast, boiled eggs that come in knitted hats) is served at the sceney restaurant next door. It also does room service and afternoon tea, and heaves with television personalities and hot young things by night.

London
Seasoned restaurateur and design store proprietor Terence Conran’s first foray into hotels is an art-filled 17-room converted Victorian brick warehouse complex comprising bars, a café, a restaurant, and a food store in East London’s edgy Shoreditch. At Boundary, each bedroom is inspired by a different design star or movement, from Shaker to Mies van der Rohe.

The Bauhaus bedroom feels—perhaps not surprisingly—a touch austere, with the requisite black leather Wassily lounge chair, a splashy painted headboard, a black desk, and a red, yellow, and blue cabinet; others, including the British room, with eccentric patchwork furnishings, are warmer. Large warehouse-style windows look onto the area’s higgledy-piggledy brick buildings, while minimalist bathrooms have intriguing toilets with heated seats and other bells and whistles. Breakfast is taken in the attractive Albion eatery downstairs, where the menu includes specials like kidneys on toast and porridge with prunes; the glam basement bar and cavernlike dining room of exposed brick, velvet-covered chairs, and mirrors recall Conran’s high-rolling early-nineties restaurants (Quaglino’s, Mezzo) but with a cozier feel. Another draw is the roof deck, where there’s a grill restaurant and bar and—an essential in this city—a fireplace, plus 360-degree views of London’s skyscrapers.

FRANCE
Paris
Pulitzer Hotel Paris in the heart of Paris, right in the central Opera district. This welcoming boutique hotel was fully renovated in two buildings separated by a patio which allow natural light to brighten all the rooms. The tranquility of Pulitzer Hotel Paris echoes in all corners of this building and makes it an ideal place to relax after a long day on the tourist trail. Furthermore, so you do not have any worries during your stay in Paris, our personnel will be happy to attend you at anytime.

Whether you are in Paris as a tourist or a business traveller, you are going to enjoy the design of wood and colour of the hotel. Pulitzer Hotel Paris’ 44 rooms, including one suite and 14 Club rooms, are all fully air-conditioning with double-glazing windows. They are also equipped with satellite TV, a telephone with an outlet for internet connection, a mini-bar, a safety-box and a comfortable bathroom. Breakfast is served in a lovely room with a vaulted ceiling. Pulitzer Hotel Paris is located between the district of the Opera and the “Grands Boulevards” not far from the big shopping malls (Galeries Lafayette, Printemps) – and near bus, RER and underground.

Paris
Oriental smoothness, the magic of Spanish Moroccan decor, everything in this little Moroccan Palace is an invitation to exoticism and “l’Art de Vivre” ! At Villa Royale Montlouris

every room plays with the elements, wrought iron, blue enamel, soft lightening, curtains, and cushions, giving you even in just one night, the enchantment of Arabian nights.

CZECH REPUBLIC
Prague
The location of this new property, the Augustine, from hotelier Rocco Forte—in an ancient Augustinian monastery in the scenic Malá Strana district, between soaring Prague Castle and the calm Vltava River—is its best selling point. Numerous cultural and archaeological concerns delayed the 101-room hotel’s opening for years, but the result is worth the wait: The accommodations may be in the former monks’ quarters, but instead of monastic austerity there’s a tasteful sense of modern luxe. Rooms are done in rich fabrics in warm earth tones and dressed up with elements of local design, such as reproductions of Pavel Janak’s angular Cubist timber chairs and elegant chaise longues from designer Adolf Loos.

The Augustinians retain ownership of the buildings, and guests can take a tour of the historic library, monastery, and chapel with one of the monks who still live in the separate monastic quarters. One downside to the great location: A tram line right outside the courtyard gate means there’s practically no sidewalk in front of the hotel, making for an awkward, traffic-dodging exit on foot.

SPAIN
Barcelona
Barcelona has some brilliant designer hotels, but most come with suitably swanky price tags. One notable exception is this boutique bargain in the Barri Gotic. Its fresh, neutral decor isn’t a million miles away from the look that made its sister hotel, the Murmuri, one of last year’s hottest openings.

But the company didn’t commission the British style guru Kelly Hoppen for the Denit, so its rates are a real bargain!

*Article copyrighted © by Savas Kazantzides, Athens , April 2011

DISCLAIMER: All these hotels represent the editor’s choice and are selected after personal inspection. By no means they represent any selection or proposal offered by other media nor they are connected to advertising purposes or fees collected.

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Updated October 1, 2010
by savas kazantzides

If you are looking for a destination, greeted by by snake charmers, out-of-control donkey carts, trendy silver leather poufs and ancient Berber cures for everything from relationships to rent, then Marrakesh is your city to be…

Start at the action-packed Djemaa el-Fna, and if you can tear yourself away from the castanet-clanging water-sellers and turbaned potion-sellers, head into Marrakesh’s maze of covered market streets. Marrakesh’s souqs are like a cold riad plunge pool on a scorching July day: nothing quite prepares you for the shock. Dive in headfirst at any street headed north off the Djemaa el-Fna, and with any luck you’ll emerge exhilarated and triumphant some hours later, carpet in tow.

While you’re in the heart of the Medina, you may come upon a palace museum, stay in a riad guest-house, and venture a dish of piping-hot snails. But it’s worth leaving the charms of the old city occasionally for dinner, drinks, art galleries and fixed-price boutique shopping in the ville nouvelle (the new town).

Marrakesh restaurnat scene changed much the last years. traditional is fused with nouvelle, heritage palaces with Parisian cafes and sushi with cous-cous.
Here is my list of the top food and clubbing in Marrakesh:

RESTAURANTS
Grand Cafe de la Poste

The decor at the 1920s Grand Café de la Poste – wooden blinds, potted palms, wicker chairs and acres of white linen – shrieks colonial Morocco. So, too, do parts of the menu. The surprise is that the food, a collaboration between a French and a Moroccan chef, is very good. How about a dozen Oualidia oysters washed down with a glass of chilled white? Duck breast with baby potatoes? Lunch tends to be a lighter affair: a fabulous local goat’s-cheese salad, croque monsieur, or grilled sardines. But the food is only part of the reason to go: head here for lunch, especially at weekends, and you’ll find the covered terrace packed with locals and expats. In the early evening, it’s popular for an aperitif; and later, depending on what festival is on, you might find Hollywood stars or Brit artists in the dining room.
Corner of Boulevard el-Mansour Eddahbi and Avenue Imam Malik, Marrakech (00 212 524 433 038)

Chez Chezgrouni

No big frills but authentic, decent, affordable food.
This simply decorated local restaurant is located at the northeastern fringe of the Place Djemaa al-Fna, adjacent to the active Qessabin Mosque. It has plenty of simple seating inside, but the prized seats are the two rows of tables fronting the restaurant (not raised on a rooftop). These seats are like opera boxes, as you can do lots of people watching here. Since you are not in the middle of the frenzy, you will not get pestered much by the locals. You may get better views of the square at other establishments, but it will be hard to beat the prices and the hearty cuisine served at this place. There are no set menu meals, but the prices are so reasonable that it will be hard to get a bill over 6 US dollars…
Jemaa el-Fna (00 212 524 65 47 4615)

Le Tobsil

In typical Marrakech fashion, the food at Le Tobsil just keeps on coming, course after course after course. But far from being a test of endurance, the experience is more like unwrapping presents at Christmas: you can’t wait to see what’s next. Aperitifs are followed by a swarm of small vegetarian meze dishes; then comes a flaky pastilla, followed by a tagine and a couscous dish; finally there is fruit and tea/coffee accompanied by cakes or pastries. The setting is equally rich, a gorgeous old house deep in the Medina where guests are seated on two levels around a courtyard and entertained by gnawa musicians playing a trance-inducing Moroccan form of blues…
22 Derb Abdellah ben Hessaien, Bab Ksour, Marrakech (00 212 2444 4052)

Le Comptoir

Franco-Moroccan dishes are served with some panache and rarely fail, but the atmosphere and the spectacle are much more memorable. That is why Le Comptoir is a legend in Marrakesh.It’s a mix of restaurant, lounge and boutique, in a large Art Deco villa. Head straight to the upstairs bar for a pre-dinner drink and you’ll understand what the fuss is about and why this place has a reputation. Downstairs, the large, plush-red dining room is more stageset than restaurant. The menu is a mix of French, Moroccan and Asian influences, so there is a couscous and a magret de canard but also beef with ginger, soya and sesame. Minds tend to wander from the food to the floor around 9.30pm, when lithe belly dancers descend the big staircase to cavort around the tables
Avenue Echouhada, Hivernage, Marrakech (00 212 524 437 702)

Villa Rosa

Marrakech does fashion-dining very well, perhaps nowhere better than at Villa Rosa. The villa has been done up fin-de-siècle boudoir-style: gilt mirrors, dark walls, button-back chairs in red or black velvet. It is the sort of place you want to see at night (the reason, perhaps, why it doesn’t open during the day), sitting in the shadows in the courtyard, or under the candles in the library and bar or, best of all, at one of the tables overlooking the courtyard. Ambience is provided by a house DJ and the attentive staff. The food, as everyone except the waiters will tell you, is a copy of the menu at Café Costes in Paris, which means it is fusion – North Africa mixed with France and the Far East. The surprise is that the food is very good: beautifully prepared and well presented.
64 Avenue Hassan II, Gueliz, Marrakech (00 212 24 4496 3564)

Bo-Zin

This restaurant/bar/lounge in new-new Marrakech (as opposed to the 1930s, French-built Ville Nouvelle), some three miles from the old city walls, occupies a big house, and without a crowd it can feel empty. Come later in the evenings, especially at the weekend, and you’ll find a party. ‘Asia Meets North Africa’ is Bô-Zin’s theme, an elaborate form of opulent minimalism. Drinks include everything from a range of French Champagnes to a good cocktail list; the food is as mixed as the décor: a fusion of French, Moroccan, Thai and Japanese influences that produces some surprisingly adventurous dishes (shark tagine with apricot and courgette), as well as others one might assume are not high on the fashion list, a roast rabbit among them. But food here is merely part of the experience for it comes with music loud enough to dance to.
Douar Lahna, Route de l’Ourika 3.5km, Marrakech (00 212 524 388 012)

Al Fassia

Local people tend to eat Moroccan food at home and look for something more exotic when they go out, but they make an exception for Al Fassia. One reason might be that it is one of the few Moroccan restaurants in town that doesn’t tie you to a waist-expanding set menu. The dining room is elegantly done up in rich tones, set off by crisp white cloths. Book one of the tables with a cushion-strewn banquette for a more relaxed meal. As for the food: the pigeon bstilla (pie) is about as good as it can be, the pastry light, the meat moist, while mechoui, the roast leg of lamb, is a speciality that locals order in advance. And if you have space, try the unique, almond-flavoured bstilla of milk…
55 Boulevard Zerktouni, Guéliz, Marrakech (00 212 524 434 060

Terrace des Epices

Kamal Laftimi is a smart young Moroccan who started out with a small riad, Tlaata wa Sitteen. His Café des Epices in the heart of the souks is now an obligatory stop for anyone in need of a light lunch and the Terrace repeats the formula with laidback seating in open-sided booths, cool music and big views. This time he has added a good all-day Franco-Moroccan dining menu. Specialties include salads and grilled meat and fish, and there is always a range of fresh juices – orange, of course, all year round, and whatever else is in season. Young expats not normally seen on this side of town can be found lounging on the banquettes, while an increasing number of foreigners in search of a quiet moment in the souk are making their way up the stairs to this rooftop hideaway.
15 Souk Cherifia, Sidi Abdelaziz, Medina, Marrakech (00 212 2437 5904)

Crystal

The Pourcel twins won three Michelin stars in their native Montpellier, but their first opening in Marrakech was a less than glorious affair. Crystal sees them back on track. Attached to the Ibiza-branded Pacha nightclub, the room is grand and bright with touches of modern Deco. The menu the brothers have created (they don’t actually cook at Crystal, but have installed one of their Montpellier-trained chefs) is Mediterranean, predominantly Italian, and offers some of the most inventive cooking in town, with dishes such as pasta with snails, polenta with dried fruit, and ravioli with prawns and spinach. Although expensive for Morocco, prices are reasonable for cooking of this quality.
Pacha Nightclub, Boulevard Mohammed VI, Marrakech (00 212 524 388 400)

CLUBS

Pacha Marrakesh

If you’ve summered in Ibiza or tramped around Spain for any decent length of time you’ve inevitable been seduced by the electro-dance charms of Pacha. No longer the little club from Sitges with pimply 17-years covered in love marks, glamorous dance franchises are opening up throughout the world in far-off locations like Barlioche and Buzios. But their most extravagant club to date is found in Marrakech where a glitzy supper club, poolside lounge scene ala Nikki Beach and spectacular dance hall are not just a mirage by a nightlife reality. Pacha Marrakech is not shy about its Marrakech outpost, it proudly touts the fact that it’s the largest nightclub in Africa and we’ve yet been able to dispute that fact.
SIMPLY: THE PLACE TO BE….

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Updated July 30, 2010

OVERVIEW
On first acquaintance Hong Kong can overwhelm. Navigate its teeming, tightly packed sidewalks and you’re met at every turn with neon signage, steam-filled canteens, and a fast pace comparable only to New York City.
Once this first sensory wave has rolled over you, though, take a deep breath and start swimming with the current, because you’ll find Hong Kong is a place to delight in. Utterly safe and fantastically well organized, it offers little moments of perfection. You may find them on a plastic stool enjoying a bargain bowl of beef brisket soup or simply gazing at the thrilling harbour vistas. You’ll find them taking afternoon tea in the cool of a five-star hotel lobby or enjoying balmy open-air beers in the party zones.

Hong Kong can nudge you out of your comfort zone but usually rewards you for it, so try the stinky bean curd, sample the shredded jellyfish, brave the hordes at the city centre horseracing and join in the dawn tai chi. Escape the city limits and other experiences await – watching the sun rise from a remote mountain peak, hiking surf-beaten beaches or exploring deserted islands.

The Skyline
Widely hailed as the world’s best skyline, the giddying high-rises along Victoria Harbour glitter at night time and stand proudly in front of a dramatic range of mountain peaks. Our skyline boasts 43 buildings that are more than 200 metres tall, with 30 of those built in the last decade. According to an algorithm used in the Almanac of Architecture and Design to measure the “impressiveness” of the world’s skylines, Hong Kong tops the list easily, defeating New York by 84,922 points to 35,811. Blade Runner clichés aside, it still takes our breath away.

TOP 7 things to do in HKG

• 1 The Peak
Ride the hair-raising tram for unbeatable harbour and city views

• 2 Victoria Harbour
Float on one of the world’s busiest and most exotic harbours. Crowded beside your fellow city-dwellers on an old wooden bench, with the twin skylines of HK Island and Kowloon twinkling down at you, there’s nowhere more emphatically Hong Kong than a cruise across the harbour on the upper deck of the Star Ferry. And it doesn’t matter whether you’re heading to or from home in Central or Kowloon, in its simple, age-old way, this 122-year-old Hong Kong institution unites passers-through and lifetime residents alike, in the democratic promise of a cheap ride to the other side.

• 3 Sik Sik Yuen Wong Tai Sin Temple
Divine the future alongside worshippers at the city’s most interesting temple
at on one of the world’s busiest and most exotic harbours

• 4 Temple Street Night Market
Stock up on memorabilia beneath the glare of bare bulbs

• 5 Kowloon’s Markets
Fashion, bargain-basement computer goods and even flower and goldfish markets
• 6 Tsim Sha Tsui Promenade
Spectacular harbour and skyline vistas day and night
• 7 High Tea at the Peninsula
Dainty nibbles and fine tea while soothed by a string quartet at one of the world’s top signature hotels.

RESTAURANTS
Don’t make the mistake to miss dim sum . Above all, Hong Kong is known for its dim sum (點心), delicately prepared morsels (rice flour stuffed balls) of Cantonese cuisine served from a never ending procession of carts and eaten with tea.
Dim sum is usually eaten for breakfast or lunch and is often the focus of family get-togethers on Sundays. An excellent place to go for dim sum is City Hall in Central – just be sure to ask for the dim sum restaurant. If you go to some restaurants in the more local areas (such as Kennedy Town) ask if they have an English menu. In such restaurants customers are often required to write their requirements on a tick-box sheet and hand them to the waiter.

Cafe Deco
With its spectacular harbour views, Art Deco furnishings and live jazz from 19:00 to 23:00 Monday to Saturday nights, this place need not have made too much effort with the menu. But the food, while an East-meets-West eclectic thing, is above average, with the bistro dishes, sushi and sashimi plates and oyster bar scoring extra points. Breakfast and brunch are served from 09:30 to 14:30 Saturday and Sunday.

Café Gray Deluxe
Fully booked weeks before you have to get lucky for a table.
Man Wah
City’s best dim sum
Lung King Heen
Is world’s only restaurant with Chinese cuisine and 3 star Michelin !!!
Sevva
Serves comfortable food and reasonable prices.
L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon
Serves innovative French cuisine
Isola
Amazing Italian food
Hutong
If the crispy lamb doesn’t impress you then the view will
Spring Moon
Amazing dishes and service
Cafe Deco
With its spectacular harbour views, Art Deco furnishings and live jazz from 19:00 to 23:00 Monday to Saturday nights, this place need not have made too much effort with the menu. But the food, while an East-meets-West eclectic thing, is above average, with the bistro dishes, sushi and sashimi plates and oyster bar scoring extra points. Breakfast and brunch are served from 09:30 to 14:30 Saturday and Sunday.

BARS

Finds
Cool , sleek and unpretentious. 2nd floor LKF tower, 33 Wyndham rd., Central HKG
Aqua Luna
A restored wooden junk crossing the harbor serves cocktails while you admire the skyline.
Dragon-I
Packed with models and after hours fans.
Volar
Ugly people go elsewhere..
Kee Club
Good luck passing the bouncer

Finally don’t leave the city before visiting the iconic Mandarin Oriental even for a drink and Four Season for a cocktail…

Savas kazantzides
Travel Connoisseur
 

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SAN FRANCISCO (updated July 28, 2010)

Asia SF

Those lovely ladies who serve you? They’re not. Not women, that is, nor drag queens. The sexy creatures who bring the food and dance seductively atop the long red bar are ‘gender illusionists’. The food is inventive Cal-Asian, with small plates and shareable portions. A restaurant, lounge and club all in one, Asia SF’s crowd is a compelling mix of local party-goers and wide-eyed businessmen. Signature cocktails. Very popular, so reservations are essential.

Café Claude

Owner Stephen Decker purchased Le Barbizon café in Paris and shipped it to San Francisco one piece at a time. The result, set in an alleyway and resplendent with French style and attitude, is as close to a true French café as can be found in America. Dishes include salad niçoise and steak tartare.

Café Flore
Fresh-faced boys and girls crowd Flore’s gorgeous patio day and night to check each other out and feast on local favourites (brunch is a must). Deep house and lounge tunes pump from the DJ booth when Brazilian and Hawaiian musicians aren’t taking the stage.

Caffe Trieste
This is one of the city’s great cafés, a former hangout for Kerouac and Ginsberg and is where Coppola is said to have written the screenplay for The Godfather. The dark walls are plastered with photos of opera singers and famous regulars. There are muffins, pastries and sandwiches to eat, and the lattes are legendary, as are the opera sessions held here on a Saturday afternoon.

Beach Chalet & Park Chalet
A perfect spot for sunset cocktails, the Beach Chalet, a historic Willis Polk-designed building on the coast, is home to a fine restaurant and brewpub. The ground-floor walls are awash in WPA (Works Progress Administration) frescoes by Lucien Labaudt depicting notable San Franciscans, among them sculptor Benny Bufano and John McLaren. The views of the ocean from upstairs are stupendous.
The newer Park Chalet, which faces Golden Gate Park, doesn’t have the views of the Beach Chalet. However, the more mellow atmosphere makes it ideal for whiling away a sunny afternoon in one of the Adirondack chairs arrayed around the beautifully landscaped lawns, or cooling off with a beer after a walk along Ocean Beach.

Waterbar
Pat Kuleto, a restaurant entrepreneur, designer and vintner, has designed and built more than 175 restaurants worldwide. He is co-owner and designer of the highly regarded Boulevard, Farallon, and Jardinière in San Francisco and Martini House in St. Helena. He is also the proprietor of his namesake Kuleto Estate Winery in the Napa Valley.
The main floor at Waterbar features dramatic, 19-foot tall, five-foot diameter, floor-to-ceiling circular aquariums filled with an eye-catching array of fish and marine life from the Pacific Ocean, while walls of vividly illuminated fish tanks display a gallery of fresh catches available on that day’s menu. The extravagant cascading raw bar, towering with shellfish and lit through glistening ice, sets the tone for the raw bar dining area. A hand-blown glass “caviar” chandelier serves as the focal point in the bar area, adding a festive sparkle to the proceedings, and the open kitchen fills the main dining room with a lively — and deliciously aromatic — brasserie ambiance.

LAS VEGAS (updated July 28, 2010)
In Vegas restaurnants inside the huge hotels are the obvious choice. However, here are some indie choices which are very interesting…

Aureole
Vegas is full of dramatic restaurants, but where else can you dine within sight of a four-storey, 4,500-bottle wine tower, up and down which float harnessed wine angels, fetching your choice on demand? The food, orchestrated by Charlie Palmer and overseen by Vincent Pouessel, is also a delight, with seasonal American dishes including caramelised Sonoma duck and fennel steamed Alaskan salmon. Megan Romano’s ethereal sweets make breaking your diet well worthwhile.

Firefly
This popular tapas bar is populated by a parade of pretty locals almost every night of the week. Music (downtempo to Latin house) competes with sangria-fuelled chatter, as small plates – scrumptious bacon-wrapped dates, mushroom tarts, shrimp ceviche – emerge from the busy kitchen. The loungey scene and reasonable prices conspire to let you spend as little or as much as you’d like.

Craftsteak
The selection of meats (grass-fed veal, lamb shank, filet mignon, braised short ribs) is impressive, but the sides and the quiet invention shown in the kitchen both elevate Tom Colicchio’s Craftsteak from more run-of-the-mill casino steakhouses. Ingredients come from small family farms and other below-the-radar sources, and you can tell. It’s all served in a cultured atmosphere, if a slightly noisy one.

Flex Lounge (CLUB)
This enduring venue attracts a very diverse crowd within the gay community. The drag/stripper revue on Fridays and the hip hop party on Saturdays are the most popular events, but there’s something going on here most nights.
the detour: the short, Italianate menu, available for eat-in or takeout, is cultured, and the wine and beer lists are both excellent.

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