PUBLISHED July 16th, 2019 06:00 am | UPDATED May 10th, 2023 01:15 am
There’s plenty to get excited about in this edition of Wanderfolk, especially with the upsized and upgraded version of Western Australia‘s best food festival and a new island villa experience an hour from Singapore. There are also sustainable walking tours in Japan, a (educational) cocktail festival in Hong Kong, as well as fun in the sun in the Phi Phi Islands.
Western Australia Gourmet Escape Debuts November 2019
An expansion from the previous Margaret River Gourmet, the first ever Western Australia Gourmet Escape will start in the Swan Valley and Perth on 8November, and close in Margaret River 10 days later. Look forward to seeing international chefs like David Chang (USA), Marco Pierre White (UK), and Ivan Brehm (Nouri, Singapore) having fun with Western Australia’s produce, restaurants and wineries at wine pairing dinners, the family friendly Gourmet Feast in the Valley, and gourmet beach BBQs. Overseas visitors can also look forward to local chefs such as Alla Wolf-Tasker (Lake House Daylesford) and Tony Howell (Cape Lodge Hotel and Restaurant) hosting special dinners.
Western Australia Gourmet Escape runs 8-17 November 2019 across Perth, Swan Valley, and Margaret River. More information and tickets available here from 18 July 2019.
Banyan Tree Bintan Launches Kelong Villa
The folks at Banyan Tree Bintan have added a new villa – inspired by the traditional offshore stilted platforms used by Indonesian fishermen– located 250 metres off the coast of Laguna Bintan resort. Accessed by a pokchai (motorized wooden boat), the eco-friendly (no air-conditioning) kelong-styled villa sports all the luxurious amenities you’d expect of Banyan Tree – but with unfettered, breathtaking views of the South China Sea. Don’t worry, there’s still WiFi out there. Rates start from US$610 nett per night, inclusive of breakfast, welcome foot bath, 60-minute body massage, Indonesian afternoon tea, Kelong dinner, and return land transfers between ferry terminal and resort.
For more information and reservations, see here or email Reservations-Bintan@banyantree.com.
The Bar Awards Hong Kong Returns This Month
Feeling the heat in Hong Kong? Cool down with The Bar Awards’ line-up this July, designed to help us work hard and play hard. The four-day festivities start with Bar Talks on 25 July at Canto-chic Duddell’s, where industry experts share more on creativity and success in the beverage industry, as well as gin and whisky tastings in the evening. The next two days will see guest shifts by some of the region’s best bars like Gibson (Singapore), Coley (Kuala Lumpur), and Tep Bar (Bangkok) in Hong Kong and Macau, before culminating in the awards party on Sunday night at Zuma, which is open to consumers for the first time!
The Bar Awards Hong Kong 2019 is happening 25-28 July 2019. See here for full festival calendar and here for tickets.
Sustainable Walking Tours with Walk Japan
Founded in 1992, Walk Japan is known for its immersive and carefully-curated walking tours of the country. Having established their Community Projectin 2007, created to bring beneficial economic and social aspects to rural regions of Japan, they’ve now started walking tours like the seven-day Kunisaki Retreat that takes guests to Walk Japan’s local office and the centre of Walk Japan’s Community Project. This visit to the little developed area dotted with sleepy hamlets, verdant forests, and paddy fields is also a journey through the serious issues of an ageing and falling rural population, and the work made by locals to revive the beautiful area. Prices start from JPY234,000 for the five-day Kunisaki and Yufuin Walk.
See Walk Japan’s website for more information and bookings.
Phi Phi Island Village Beach Resort Delivers All Inclusive Experience
Most all-inclusive resort or island experiences leave one thing out – alcohol. Located on Koh by the beautiful Loh Ba Gao Bay on Koh Phi Phi Don, Phi Phi Island Village Beach Resort has taken that on board too. Available throughout the year except 20 December to 7 January, their all-inclusive package offers local beer, spirits and other soft beverages from 11am to 11pm everyday in the resort’s dining outlets, like the al fresco The Beach House Grill & Chill and Ruan Thai restaurant. Rates start from THB9,800 nett per night for two in a Superior Bungalow.
For more information and bookings, see here.
Top Image: Walk Japan