The Most Sought-after Kids Camps in Hong Kong
Hong Kong Golf & Tennis Academy has launched an extensive holiday camp programme for children of all ages
Blow away the cobwebs from months of homeschooling with Hong Kong Golf & Tennis Academy (HKGTA)’S Summer Camp programme, which covers an extensive range of activities for children ages 18 months to 18 years.
From June 30 to the end of August, HKGTA will run 14 summer camps that are exclusively available for patrons and their families at its vast complex in Sai Kung—an oasis that includes a fivehole short golf course and indoor coaching studios, tennis courts, indoor and outdoor swimming pools and luxury accommodation that is ideal for a summer staycation.
Children looking to improve their public speaking skills need look no further than HKGTA’S Train Your Critical Mindset course. Held in collaboration with the renowned Arch Education, students will learn how to analyse complex topics, construct intelligent arguments, and speak with assertiveness and confidence.
Meanwhile, those with a penchant for the performing arts can attend the Music & Theatre Summer Institute run by Cedar Academy—an immersive course that is ideal for children learning how to play the violin, viola or cello, or for those taking singing lessons. The Music & Theatre Summer Institute is taught by professional performers and will help students to improve their musical technique, while providing a strong academic foundation that will endure long after the summer holidays are over.
Also by Cedar Academy is the Music Retreat for Parents & Children, featuring interactive activities that will get children learning about different instruments and musical styles.
The menu of activities features various golf and tennis camps by the renowned PGA of America Learning & Performance Hong Kong and Spain’s Bruguera Tennis Academy. The tennis camp was designed by the legendary Luis Bruguera, whose academy counts Wimbledon champion Gabine Muguruza and French Open winner Sergi Bruguera among its list of graduates. Parents wanting to improve their children’s water confidence can opt for one of the many swim camps held in collaboration with Eliteswim Academy.
From top: The Hong Kong Golf & Tennis Academy’s complex in Sai Kung; the list of summer camps on offer will include golf courses by the PGA of America Learning & Performance Hong Kong and tennis classes by Spain’s Bruguera Tennis Academy
It may be art of a different sort, but the Lego Camp is sure to get children flexing their creative muscles, offering the opportunity to build characters from the worlds of Marvel, Batman and Pokémon.
There are also a number of camps encompassing a variety of activities; the Multi-sports Camp includes soccer, tag rugby, basketball and even arts and crafts, while the Active Kids Camp features activities ranging from geography to fashion, and the Aquatic Adventures Camp gets families kayaking, paddle boarding and sailing to explore beautiful nearby beaches.
HKGTA’S diverse summer camp programme offers something for everyone, and provides prime opportunities for children to make new friends while having fun before the start of the new school year.
HKGTA Summer Camps are available to patrons only. For more details of the programme and on how to become a patron, please go on hkgta.com or call +852 3187 8900. Follow HKGTA on Instagram and Facebook @hongkong _gta
Ahoy! Jenny Kuo, manager of luxury boat rental company Breakaway, pulls back the tarpaulin on the excesses involved when Hong Kong’s most fabulous personalities take to the high seas.
“We’ve had lots of celebrities, influencers and famous chefs onboard. All of our clients require a high level of privacy and many of them have special requests, from particular brands of tea to be served to specific types of music being played,” she says.
Ensuring there’s never an empty glass (or stomach) on board is top priority for operations like Kuo’s, with feel-good snacks like fudge brownies and chocolatechip cookies constantly available to graze upon.
But, slightly tame nibbles aside, the real party begins with the pop of a bottle.
Beer consumption runs high, with an average 150 bottles glugged per trip, along with an average of 20 wine bottles per group of 15 people. However, that’s nowhere near the highest booze consumption Kuo has seen: “We once served 35 bottles of prosecco, 15 bottles of wine, 300 cans of beer and two bottles of spirits for 20 people. Miraculously, everyone was still walking at the end of the trip.”
Kuo also recalls a particularly stressful demand: “We were once tasked by a VIP to source rare bottles of Louis Roederer Cristal Rosé Magnum champagne. His secretary couldn’t find it anywhere, but after contacting every major beverage seller in town—and pulling a lot of strings—we managed to locate it,” she says.
While being out at sea is a quintessential Hong Kong pastime, it doesn’t come cheap. Depending on the size, Kuo’s yachts are rented from HK$30,000 to HK$150,000 per day, the latter buying you a fully staffed private party on a large vessel.
In the world of bikinis, board shorts and butler service, tailor-making trips for the city’s ‘it’ crowd doesn’t actually have many downsides, Kuo reports. “Most guests are quite friendly: all they want to do is relax away from their busy schedules and hectic city life,” she says. They tip well, too— up to HK$3,000 on a good day, apparently. 3
1. Jenny Kuo
2. Laiza S, Irisa Shannon Wong, Kayla Wong and Elaine Chen-fernandez
3. Alison Chan El Azar and her daughter, Kaia
4. Fiona Mcleish
5. Antonia Da Cruz
held a Whisky Appreciation event for its members
Whisky appreciation is often a learned pastime—the intensity of the spirit’s depth of flavour combined with its almost intimidating rich amber hue makes connoisseurship a challenge for almost anyone beyond the most dedicated drinkers. Earlier this year, The Racing Club organised a Whisky Appreciation event for its members. Led by Ronny Lau, the chairman of the Hong Kong Wine and Spirits Writers Association, the foray into the world of whisky guided members through an introduction of Scotch whiskies and Scotland’s six whisky-producing regions, an explanation of every step in whisky production, and a tasting that detailed profiles and characteristics of distinct regions—beginning with a Highland Park 12-year-old whisky and finishing with a Single Cask Series Hong Kong Edition.
As members tasted their way through the six regions, Lau delineated the distinctive characteristics of each. Whiskylovers will be familiar with Speyside, home to more than half of Scotland’s distilleries, and its fruity, nutty flavours. Members learned from Lau that the best way to appreciate whisky is to use Glencairn glasses— bowl-shaped glasses that are wider at the bottom and concave towards the top— because they channel the whisky’s distinctive aromas towards the rim. Guided by Lau, members observed
The Racing Club members taste a variety of Highland Park whiskies, paired with selected dishes
the colour of each single malt— swirling the whisky gently in the Glencairn glasses to help release aromas. Next, members placed their noses slightly above the centre of the rim, and took slow, deep inhalations—this allowed them to smell the whisky with the nose as well as the receptors at the top and rear of the mouth, while also preventing alcohol burn in the nose.
When it came to the tasting, Lau instructed members to take small sips and swallow, while slowly exhaling through the mouth. Members felt the taste receptors on their tongues come alive with all the exquisite nuances of the whisky. A surefire sign of high-quality whisky is that it lingers and allows one to taste new things long after the sip—this is known as a long finish. When it was time to pair each whisky with food, members took bites while still tasting the alcohol after exhaling. The residual alcohol uncovered and heightened some of the flavours in the food, elevating the entire experience.
Seasoned whisky lovers—and members of The Racing Club— will know that distinct regions of Scotland render a broad spectrum of whisky terroir. The Highlands offer subtle, oaky drams—a palate expression of the dramatic coasts and moorlands of the north.
The Lowlands are renowned for gentle, triple-distilled malts and lighter undertones of grass, ginger, cinnamon and toffee—sometimes tinged with a citrus edge. Islay island is where Scotch-lovers seek out medicinally smoky, intensely peaty flavour profiles, whereas the outer islands produce whisky tinged with the salinity of the sea. Last but not least, Campbeltown is home to three distilleries that produce a unique blend that evokes salt, sweetness, smoke and vanilla.
No whisky tasting would be complete without a carefully curated food pairing, and The Racing Club selected dishes that were perfectly designed to complement each single malt. Convening around the table with a community of like-minded racing enthusiasts is the ideal way for whisky lovers to form friendships that go well beyond the racetrack.
The mixologist opened Mexican cocktail bar Coa in 2017 as part of his mission to bring agave spirits to the forefront of artisanal cocktail-making in Asia. This year, the bar earned a number three ranking on Asia’s 50 Best Bars list. He talks to about strange brews, hard graft and winning bartender of the year This has been a great month for you: you’ve been awarded Altos Bartenders’ Bartender Award 2020 and Coa has been named the third best bar in Asia. How does it feel to be recognised like this?
It is beyond belief. When I first heard the news, I was totally speechless. It encourages me to continue pursuing what I believe in. It makes me want to work even harder. I’m extremely humbled. Nothing feels better than being acknowledged by your own peers for all the hard work that has gone into a project. As a team, we feel proud and at the same time honoured to have received such a prestigious accolade.
Tell us about your journey from a young, drinks-obsessed kid to becoming an industry leader?
I have been in the industry for
14 years now. I started as a busboy in a local dim sum restaurant. I worked in restaurants, karaoke bars, nightclubs, hotels and eventually, cocktail bars. I have done a lot of self-learning by reading, researching, travelling and just being very observant. It can be 60 to 70 hours of work in a week. I have come a long way. It has been a tough journey but I’ve enjoyed every bit of it.
What is your go-to cocktail to make? And what is the wackiest one you’ve ever been asked to create?
I love making a margarita. It’s only a few ingredients and the margin for error is so small. It’s easy to screw up but a delicious cocktail when it is made right. As for wackiest—baileys with coke. Yuck!
What is the best bar that you’ve ever been to and why?
It’s a hard one. There are so many great bars. I tend to like simple bars with simple décor and simple drinks done right. One example would be a mezcaleria in Oaxaca by the name of Mezcaloteca. It’s very simple and all about engaging with the bartender and talking everything agave.
How important is the presentation of a drink?
If something looks bad, it will most likely taste bad—it’s how our minds work. A drink doesn’t need to be over-decorated; it can be simple and elegant-looking. I am actually not a fan of excessive garnishing. My drinks look simple and clean. Also, the garnish always has to serve a purpose.
What projects are you working on at the moment?
We launched a cocktail in a can (La Paloma de Oaxaca) with Young Master Brewery recently. And we are launching a Tepache beer early next month. I’m super excited.