|
Bangkok Baggie comes to Pattaya
Special Correspondent
This was the title of the British Ambassador’s speech when he
came to speak to the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand (BCCT) last
Friday. It was H.E. Quinton Quayle’s first BCCT dinner on the Eastern
Seaboard and he did not let the audience down.
 Graham
Macdonald (right) presents Ambassador Quinton Quayle with a gift to
thanks for addressing the BCCT.
Nearly sixty people came to the Amari Resort to listen to the ambassador
who gave a very amusing talk about football and his past postings.
Afterwards he took some good questions from the floor and gave erudite
and informative answers to them all.
It is good to know that investment is coming back into Thailand now that
democracy has returned to the Land of Smiles. It is also interesting
that almost one million Britons visited Thailand last year and that
figure is expected to be more for 2008. His Excellency was also pleased
that the visa section of the embassy was now granting ninety percent of
all visas applied for.
 Ambassador
Quinton Quayle presented a witty, inspiration talk to the BCCT.
The ambassador was born in Birmingham and, despite being raised in
Cornwall, has supported West Bromish Albion all his life. This is why he
is a ‘Baggie’. Albion was the central theme of his speech and many of
the stories he told brought raucous laughter from the audience.
The evening was sponsored by Bruce Darrington and Mazars. Many old
stalwarts turned out including Jimmy Howard and Peter Malhotra who
managed to pass on the ambassadorial interview to Andrew Wood. Greg Pitt
from Mackenzie Smith Law was waxing lyrical about work. Jack Levy from
the MBMG Group was reminiscing about his favourite single malt whisky
and Greg Watkins was advising everyone to put their money on Leeds
United getting promotion. Renita Bromley had been deserted by her
husband and so sat on top table much to the relief of Jay Macdonald.
The Amari put on a splendid buffet dinner and the wine flowed all night.
The staff were very attentive and the whole evening went without a
hitch. This was another first as the BCCT has not been to the hotel
since the renovations were completed. The lobby is beautifully done and
the waterfall is very prominent.
The next British Chamber Networking Evening will be on Friday, 23rd May.
Time and venue to be announced.
Andrew Wood (left) interviews Ambassador
Quinton Quayle
for Pattaya Mail on TV.
Martin Winters, general manager of Suretank
Ltd., and Richard Jones,
director of Mazars Double Impact Ltd.
Pratheep Malhotra, managing director,
publisher, editor in chief of Pattaya Mail and Roger W Yee, MBA BE CEng
CpEng Mice MHKIE MIE Aust chief resident engineer of Scott Wilson
Kirkpatrick (Thailand) Ltd.
Kevin Fisher, director S.E. Asia of Cranes
and Equipment Asia Co., Ltd.; Middy Campbell and Greg Watkins, executive
director of the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand.
Middy Campbell, Pratheep Malhotra and Kevin
Fisher enjoy a tipple.
Quinton Quayle, British Ambassador to
Thailand; Michael Walton B.A., Pgce, M.A.(Ed), NPQH principal of The
Regent’s School Pattaya and Fon Walton.
Ron Keeley, managing director of The World
of Wine Co., Ltd.; Weawta Keeley and Papatchanok Nukue, customer
relations consultants for Management and Executive Resources Consultants
Limited.
Martin Winters, general manager of Suretank
Ltd.; Kanokporn Keanworng; Richard Jones, director of Mazars Double
Impact Ltd.; and Niall Lund,
chairman of Suretank Ltd.
Paul Reid, deputy director of trade and
investment for the British Embassy Bangkok; Quinton Quayle, British
Ambassador to Thailand; Gordon May, company director of Baan Souy Siam
Co. Ltd.; Glen Campbell; Jim Lumsden, director of The Ambiance; and
Peter Storrow.
Bruce Darrington, managing director of
Mazars Double Impact Ltd.;
Niall Lund, chairman of Suretank Ltd.; Quinton Quayle,
British Ambassador to Thailand; and Graham Macdonald, vice chairman
of the British Chamber of Commerce Thailand.
Amari Watergate celebrates 14th Anniversary
Nijaporn Charanachitta (4th from left, front) and
Pierre Andre Pelletier
(5th from right, front) are joined by members of the hotel staff to celebrate
the 14th anniversary of the Amari Watergate Hotel.
Nijaporn Charanachitta, Chairwoman of Amari Hotel & Resorts Co., Ltd. was
recently a guest of honour to attend the religious ceremony to mark the 14th
anniversary of the opening of the Amari Watergate Hotel during which the
management and staff of the hotel, led by General Manager Pierre Andre
Pelletier, were in attendance at the spirit house in front of the hotel.
Indonesia to develop
an exclusive tourism
zone on Bintan island
A company, backed by Malaysian-owned leisure and gambling conglomerate Genting,
has unveiled an 8-year plan to turn Indonesia’s Bintan island into an exclusive
integrated tourism zone.
The company’s masterplan is to turn the island into a destination for medical
tourism, and a base for hosting its multimedia and information technology (IT)
based games and entertainment gaming center. It has not confirmed if the
‘center’ refers to running an off-shore internet-based gaming complex.
The proposed Treasure Bay project will cover a total area of 342ha in the Lagoi
area of the island. An area of five integrated resort lots of about 25ha each
will make up the exclusive integrated tourism zone on Bintan island.
To be developed over a period of eight years, the developer will build 745
luxury villa sites with boat berthing facilities, marinas and hillside
condominiums at a cost of US$1.5 billion. In addition to a proposed casino for
the general public, there will be a six-star hotel, shops and a wellness center.
However, an Indonesian official in charge of planning on the island has cast
fresh doubts if plans for a casino and gaming complex will be included as part
of the approval package. “It was rejected a long time ago. Indonesia has tough
anti-gambling laws,” he said.
The largest island in the Riau archipelago, an hour’s boat ride south of
Singapore island, Bintan will become Indonesia’s ‘pleasure island’ to compete
directly with another of Genting’s leisure development projects, the integrated
resort-cum casino project on Sentosa island in Singapore. (eTN)
Thai AirAsia carries donations for free to Myanmar
Regular flight schedule to continue says CEO
Thai AirAsia is extending help to cyclone-ravaged Myanmar by offering to
carry to Yangon for free donations from the public and by continuing to
provide regular flights to the country.
Tassapon Bijleveld, chief executive officer of Thai AirAsia, said that the
airline wants to make sure that donations such as food, clothing,
flashlights, and articles for shelter reach Myanmar as fast as possible.
Thai AirAsia, which flies out of Bangkok, flies daily to and from
neighboring Yangon.
The public may send their donations to any of the airline’s domestic and
international stations, and Thai AirAsia will carry these donations to
Yangon. For more information, the public may contact the airline by phone at
+662 515 9888, by fax at +662 315 9806 and by email at
[email protected].
Tassapon also said that the airline will not cancel its Bangkok-Yangon
route. Humanitarian agencies planning to travel to Myanmar may contact the
airline as the airline continues to operate regular flights to Yangon. Thai
AirAsia is also allowing all guests on the Bangkok-Yangon route who were
affected by the cyclone to change their travel dates free of charge.
Thai AirAsia has stations in all the destinations it flies to. In Thailand,
it flies to Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Hat Yai, Krabi, Narathiwat, Phuket,
Ranong, Surat Thani, Ubon Ratchathani and Udon Thani. Its international
destinations include Singapore, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Phnom Penh, Yangon,
Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Jakarta, Shenzhen and Macau.
Resting and rejuvenating on Koh Samet
This view awaits visitors upon their arrival at Le
Vimarn Cottages & Spa.
Elfi Seitz
If you’re stressed out and need to recharge your batteries, you don’t need to
travel far. A three-hour drive from Bangkok, or an hour’s ride from Pattaya,
you’ll find just what you need. Koh Samet has become a byword for relaxation and
rejuvenation.
The former backpacker’s Mecca, where travelers could spend the night in a bamboo
hut for as little as 50 baht, has blossomed out to a luxury vacation
destination.
Arriving at Koh Samet these days, visitors staying with Koh Samet Resorts are
met at the ferry pier by smiling staff and taken to their accommodation. The
ferry journey itself departs from Seree Ban Phe, where there is free parking
available on supervised lots, and where baggage is handled by staff while guests
step aboard.
The journey takes 40 minutes, and it seems that in no time you are stepping onto
the white sand of the beautiful island.
A good friend of mine, Hans Spoerri, formerly general manager of the Siam Hotel
Group, personally welcomed my friend Heidi and me. Hans had actually planned to
retire, but a leopard cannot change its spots. Invited to become general manager
of Koh Samet Resorts, he has since April 3 been responsible for all five
properties in the Koh Samet Resorts group.
We were staying at Le Vimarn Resort Cottages and Spa, which is the only
four-star category boutique resort on the island. Next to the reception desk,
friendly staff offer strongboxes for your valuables and personal documentation,
and there is an internet service. A small shop offers daily necessities.
In the restaurant the menu lists Thai and international dishes with a selection
of wines. Chef Sven Krauss’s delicious Italian cuisine is a must, and his
breakfast meets the demands of even the most fastidious customers.
The restaurant’s terrace and the beach bar are both set inside romantic
pavilions. Standing at the pool, it looks as if it was directly connected to the
ocean. The Spa Center, beautifully decorated, invites people to relax and
daydream, and that’s what we took pleasure in for several days.
The beach beds are very comfortable. With the ocean so clean, vacationers are
able to see the seafloor even in deeper waters. Beaches are cleaned and raked on
a daily basis.
All rooms are beautiful, clean, spacious, and supplied with all necessities. One
of the resort’s main focuses is its environmental protection theme. This is so
typically Hans Spoerri, as he was one of the first hotel managers in Pattaya to
bring nature into the center of attraction.
Regardless of whether you reside at a Deluxe Cottage, Honeymoon Cottage, Spa
Villa or Spa Villa Suite, all 31 rooms have high quality furnishings made from
natural materials and are equipped with a bath or shower with a glass roof.
There is a hairdryer, bathrobe, flip-flops, air conditioning, telephone,
satellite TV, bar cabinet and a veranda. As a highlight at the splendidly
decorated Spa Villa, the big bathtub installed on the balcony has to be
mentioned.
Speaking of the spa: Hardly ever have my friend and I experienced such great
treatment as we did at Dhivarin Spa at Le Vimarn Cottages and Spa. The ladies
who carry out the treatments and therapies are experts, and the prices are the
same as in Pattaya.
Wildlife at this bay is abundant, with rare hornbills flying by in the early
morning hours and the frogs croaking a goodnight chorus.
For those who enjoy a lively night out, neighboring Ao Pao Resort, also part of
the group, offers popular and easy-to-dance-to live music.
Unfortunately, our days of idleness saw their end way too early. Following
almost endless farewell bids and promises to come back some day soon, we had to
set off for home.
Anyone who wishes to be pampered the exclusive way can find more information
from the website http://www.Sametresorts.com. Bookings can be done via their
office located at 361 Krungthonburi Road, Klongsarn, Bangkok 10600. Call 02 438
9771-2, send a fax to 02 439 0352 or an email to
[email protected].
GM Hans Spoerri having dinner with Heidi (left) and
Elfi on the romantic terrace.
|
