Movenpick opens new Thai resort in fast-emerging Hua Hin

Hua Hin is fast becoming Thailand's hottest new resort area.

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts has just unveiled Mövenpick Asara Resort & Spa Hua Hin, a stylish oceanfront property overlooking the Gulf of Thailand. 

The five-star property – previously the Asara Villa & Suites Hua Hin – has undergone a complete re-branding and refurbishment.

The upscale resort aims to blend contemporary design with traditional Thai charm in a prime beach-side location surrounded by lush tropical gardens and soothing pools.

Featuring a collection of 96 private suites and pool villas, the property is conveniently located just 10 minutes from the centre of Hua Hin and a two-hour drive from Bangkok.

"Hua Hin is one of Thailand's most desirable beach destinations, and we are delighted to unveil such a stunning property on this golden stretch of coastline," said Mark Willis, President Asia for Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts. 

"Our commitment to making moments for our guests, combined with Thailand’s famous hospitality and the resort’s spectacular beachfront setting, will create unforgettable experiences for everyone who stays at the hotel."

The resort’s large suites offer balconies or terraces featuring day beds, as well as bathrooms with indoor and outdoor rain showers and bathtubs, while the one- and two-bedroom villas span 150 and 200 sqm, respectively, and include luxurious indoor living areas, outdoor decks and private plunge pools.

For the ultimate tropical lifestyle experience, the 400 sqm two-bedroom beachfront villa offers three separate pavilions, its own private beach area, large outdoor decks and a plunge pool overlooking the sea.

Guests have a choice of two restaurants at the resort with a selection of authentic Thai cuisine, fresh seafood and international gourmet dishes on the menus. The restaurants offer indoor, terrace, poolside and beachfront seating options with cocktails and cool drinks served at the tropical beach bar.

The property offers the Asara Spa, as well as a modern, well-equipped fitness room, private outdoor infinity swimming pool and resort gardens that are ideal for taking a peaceful stroll.

"Mövenpick Asara Resort & Spa Hua Hin is an intimate tropical retreat and the perfect place to get away from it all," said Simon Dell, the resort's general manager. "Its idyllic location, spacious accommodation and extensive amenities appeal to a wide range of guests, from couples seeking a romantic break in paradise to families looking to spend quality time together. It is also an incredible destination for events and weddings."

The resort joins six existing hotels in Bangkok, Phuket, Pattaya and Chiang Mai - and having enjoyed the Bangkok and Pattaya properties I can't wait to sample this one.

Special opening rates start from THB 5,930 ($240) for a junior suite with breakfast valid until September 30,  2018.

More information at www.movenpick.com/hua-hin

New pinot celebration is one for the aficionados

It is farewell to the Mornington Peninsula International Pinot Noir Celebration and hello to Pinot Celebration Australia.

The first Pinot Celebration Australia will take place from February 8-9, 2019, at the brand new RACV Cape Schanck Resort (below) on the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria.



Formerly known as the Mornington Peninsula International Pinot Noir Celebration, Pinot Celebration Australia will be a biennial event hosted by the Mornington Peninsula Vignerons Association.

The new event will aim to offer pinotphiles the chance to enjoy an unparalleled selection of pinot noir from around Australia and the world with a two-day schedule of panel discussions, structured and walk-around tastings, winery visits, one-off events and meals prepared by acclaimed Mornington Peninsula chefs.

Ten Minutes by Tractor owner Martin Spedding is the chairman of the 2019 Pinot Celebration Australia.

“For anyone who loves pinot noir, this event is the perfect wine weekend - an opportunity to gather with some of Australia’s top wine producers, experts and media to taste a selection of some of the best pinot noirs from around Australia and the world and to participate in a broad range of sessions and lively discussions, in a relaxed and welcoming environment,” he said.



But the event will not be for everyone, with tickets and accommodation pitched very much at the higher end of the market.

Highlights of the 2019 Pinot Celebration Australia program include:
# An exploration of pinot noir in Australia, from its history and development to tasting more than 50 of the best 

# Burgundy masterclass with Thibault Liger-Belair of Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair (below)
# International presenters and guests, including keynote speaker, wine writer and author of The Wandering Vine, Nina Caplan (UK)
# Events hosted by Australian Master of Wine, Andrew Caillard



Throughout the weekend, guests have the opportunity to taste over 100 pinots noir and to meet and converse with winemakers and industry leaders.

For tickets and more information, visit www.pinotcelebration.com.au. Entry to Pinot Celebration Australia is $1,100 per person and includes structured wine tastings hosted by top winemakers, sommeliers and wine media, expert panel discussions, winery visits and one-off events around the Mornington Peninsula, Friday and Saturday lunch, Friday night dinner at a Mornington Peninsula winery, Saturday night drinks and farewell dinner at RACV Cape Schanck Resort and all transport between events.

An accommodation package is available for $2,000 including one Pinot Celebration Australia ticket and three nights’ accommodation in a Superior Ocean Room at RACV Cape Schanck Resort (including breakfast).

Believe it or not, Tasmania now has a museum devoted to poo

It may sound like an April Fool joke, but Tasmania now has a museum completely devoted to poo.

Yes, that's right, poo.

Located at Richmond, just outside Hobart, the new Pooseum is billed as the place where the fun is in learning all about number twos.

The team behind the venture says they are scientists "pooologists", in fact, who get to the bottom of the matter and aim to make a splash in the world of poo science.

It turns out that humans tend to view poo as taboo, discretely doing it behind closed doors and flushing it away as quickly as possible. But animals in the wild see poo as something valuable – it can be used, re-used, recycled and even played with.

The Pooseum offers the chance to learn about the work of veterinarians, biologists and ecologists who draw vital conclusions from examining animal poo; paleo-scatologists who study fossilised poo to find clues about the diet of prehistoric animals; and other scientists who are working on ways to make use of the still largely untapped potential of animal poo in areas such as energy production and medicine.

The Pooseum says it is "the first science museum dedicated solely to animal scats", ad it does have a strong educational focus, displaying 12 large information panels, 32 smaller panels on a wide range of specific topics, and three screens with educational videos on topics such as how electricity can be produced from dung, and how collecting the droppings of endangered animals helps protect their habitat.


In the Digestion Room visitors can learn about the digestive system of carnivores, herbivores and omnivores. A large touch screen shows 3D models of the digestive tracts of 10 different animals.

Exhibits include fossilised dinosaur poo (coprolites), the skulls of a Siberian tiger and a kangaroo, and a photo book with pictures of scats of animals from around the world.

A large display with real scats of Australian animals gives visitors the opportunity to guess which animals dropped them.

Translations of all information is available in both Chinese and Japanese.The Pooseum is 22 Bridge Street, Richmond, Tasmania. It is open Wedneday-Sunday 9.30am-4.30pm. +61 413 802 206. www.posseum.com.au

James Halliday Wine Awards: All the winners

Leading wine critic, and living legend, James Halliday AM unveiled the winners of the Halliday Wine Companion Awards 2019 (a tad early, but there you go) last night at the National Gallery of Victoria. 

The awards are based on the results produced after months of tasting by James and his expert tasting panel, which includes some of the best palates in the land.

The book is on book shelves this morning.  

More than 9280 wines were tasted for this edition, published by Hardie Grant, with full tasting notes for 3864 wines, ratings, drink-to dates and prices for a further  2906 wines provided by 1216 wineries (including 67 new wineries). 

Brothers Matthew and Jonathan Hughes of Mewstone Vineyard in southern Tasmania took home the award for Best New Winery, while Yarra Valley pioneer Seville Estate was named Winery of the Year in tribute to the great work done by winemaker Dylan McMahon. 

The six major award winners are:

Winery of the Year: Seville Estate, Yarra Valley, VIC

Wine of the Year: 2017 Duke's Vineyard Magpie Hill Reserve Riesling, Great Southern, WA 

Winemaker of the Year: Julian Langworthy, Deep Woods Estate, Margaret River, WA

Best Value Winery of the Year: Provenance Wines, Geelong, VIC

Best New Winery: Mewstone Wines, Tasmania

Dark Horse Winery of the Year: Principia Wines, Mornington Peninsula, VIC 

The varietal winners were: 

Sparkling: 2006 House of Arras Rose TAS (97 points)

Riesling: 2017 Duke's Vineyard Magpie Hill Reserve Riesling WA (99 points) 

Semillon: 2010 Mount View Estate Museum Release Flagship Hunter Valley Semillon NSW (97 points)

Chardonnay: 2015 Singlefile The Vivienne Denmark Chardonnay WA (98 points)

Sauvignon Blanc: 2017 Michael Hall Piccadilly Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc SA (97 points)

Pinot Noir: 2017 Seville Estate Old Vine Reserve Yarra Valley Pinot Noir VIC (99 points)

Other reds: 2015 Yangarra Estate Vineyard High Sands McLaren Vale Grenache SA (98 points) 

Shiraz: 2015 Seville Estate Dr McMahon Yarra Valley Shiraz VIC (99 points)

Cabernet Sauvignon: 2015 Cullen Vanya Wilyabrup Margaret River Cabernet Sauvignon WA (99 points)

Fortified: 1918 Seppeltsfield 100 Year Old Para Liqueur SA (100 points)

# Halliday Wine Companion 2019 is published by Hardie Grant, available nationwide, RRP $39.99.

Discover some gems among the Wynnsday wine releases

The impressive new Wynnsday releases hit the stores today - reds that showcase two premium vintages from Wynns Coonawarra Estate: 2015 and 2016.

 

The 2015 vintage was outstanding in Coonawarra and sees the return of the label's flagship cabernet sauvignon, the immensely collectable John Riddoch.

Crafted by the winemaking dream team of winemakers Sue Hodder and Sarah Pidgeon and viticulturist Allen Jenkins, the other 2015 releases in the collection are the Michael Shiraz and Messenger Single Vineyard.

The warmer-than-average vintage 2016 delivered full-flavour and a more robustness than usual to the wines, so both the Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz are generous, aromatic and structured for cellaring potential.

I was able to taste most of the new releases at a Treasury Wine Estates portfolio tasting in Sydney; these are my standouts (including a pair that can often be found for well under $25 on special).

 

Wynns 2016 Shiraz: Still one of the best-value reds in Australia with forward flavours and impressive textures. Silky and beautifully balanced for a budget buy. $25.

Wynns 2016 Cabernet Shiraz Merlot (Red Stripe): A quintessentially Coonawarra blend with everything in its place. Beautiful drinking right now. $25.

Wynns 2016 Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon: An absolutely stellar example of a Coonawarra classic. Powerful with black fruit intensity and grippy tannin structure. 97 points and well worth stocking up for the cellar. $45.

Wynns 2016 Black Label Shiraz: Now labelled "old vines" for the first time, this has layers of flavours and textures and is a classic cooler-climate Aussie shiraz. 95 points. $45.

Wynns 2015 John Riddoch Cabernet Sauvignon: Only released in outstanding vintages and made from the best vineyards. Ripe but still medium-bodied, this concentrated gem probably needs a decade to be seen at its best. 96 points. $150.

Wynns 2015 Michael Shiraz: The star of the show for me. Smooth, soft, slinky and intense; perhaps not as long-lived as the John Riddoch but but one than be enjoyed now or cellared. A star from a benchmark year. 98 points. $150.

Shut up, get off your phone and pay attention

With the European summer holiday season in full swing, online travel agent Agoda has been asking travellers what they think are the most annoying travel habits.

Noisy travellers (57%), travellers glued to their devices (47%), and those insensitive to cultural nuances (46%) topped the most annoying habits of fellow travellers according to Agoda's global Annoying Travel Habits survey. 

Mass tour groups and selfie-takers, cited by 36% and 21% respectively, completed the top five irritants. 

Chinese travellers seemingly have the highest tolerance for selfie-takers, with only 12% of Chinese respondents irritated by selfie-takers compared to Australians who are on the other end of the tolerance spectrum with nearly a third (31%) citing holiday selfie-takers as annoying. 

Insensitivity to local culture nuances is more than twice as irritating for Singaporeans, (63%) Filipinos (61%) and Malaysians (60%) as it is for Chinese (21%) and Thai (27%) travellers. 

About half of British (54%) and two-fifths of American travellers (41%) are intolerant of this habit.    

Almost half (47%) of the global respondents cited travellers spending too much time on their mobile devices as a grievance. Compared to travellers from other countries, the Vietnamese find those glued to their devices the most annoying (59%). Thai travellers, on the other hand, have the most relaxed attitude with only 31% against constant device usage on holiday.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, solo travellers spend nearly two hours a day on their devices when on holiday (117 minutes) - which is 15% more time than when they are travelling with friends (100 minutes) and 26% more time than if they are with family (86 minutes). 

Americans are the only exception to this trend and on average spend less time on their devices when travelling solo (62 minutes) than when they are with family (66 minutes) or friends (86 minutes). 

Brits are the most engaged travellers when travelling together, limiting their screen time to just over an hour (63 minutes) a day; comparatively Thai travellers spend more than two hours a day (125 minutes) on the phone when they travel with friends or family. 

The survey was conducted by independent market research firm  YouGov between June 19-25 and over 10,000 travellers were interviewed.