Destination Focus:
We rate our top girls’ getaways!
One of my favourite girls’ trips was to Hoi An, Vietnam with my bestie. Our flight took us through Ho Chi Minh City before landing in Da Nang. From our hotel, Lantana Boutique Hotel & Spa, we could walk across the Thu Bon river to explore a myriad of shops, discover delectable food and make regular leisurely stops for steaming cups of robust Vietnamese coffee. We stumbled upon a restaurant named “Good Morning, Vietnam” (yes, like the movie) and found, much to our surprise, that it served Italian food. We had some pretty yummy pizza there!
Our personal tour of The Marble Mountains was booked through Hoi An Express. As we scaled the 156 steps and explored the summit, our tour guide shared the legends of the mountains and the area’s history. He also brought us to a local village to meet an elder who creates, and now sells, his own authentic fish sauce. The recipe has been in his family for generations – it didn’t smell so good but the flavour was incredible. We also marvelled at the sculptures, statues and artefacts at the Sa Huynh Culture Museum.
From spa retreats to shopping weekends, who doesn’t love a getaway with their gal pals? When we can fire up our passports again, here are some great spots to add to your list!
Hoi An certainly has all the makings of a great bonding trip – comfortable pace, friendly people, unique shopping, diverse food and rich history to explore.
We planned our all-girls’ trip to China’s biggest city for several special reasons: it was a 40th birthday, a reunion with h ex-expats and a leaving celebration all rolled into one. W We stayed t d at tth the centrally t ll l located td Renaissance Shanghai Yu Garden Hotel.
We really packed it in, walking the French Concession, visiting the boutique shops down the narrow alleyways of Tianzifang, The Bund for city views on the water and then up the Shanghai Tower (the world’s second-tallest building) for views and a cocktail before dinner. Another day, we went to the beautiful City God Temple and Yuyuan Garden, followed by a traditional tea ceremony. We also stopped by the Marriage Market in People’s Park. Our guide (Jenny’s Shanghai Tours) was fabulous at sharing the city’s history and culture! We took a guided trip by bus to the ancient water town of Zhujiajiao with her.
Our main focus was eating all the yummy food: giant soup dumplings (fried in a big pan so the bottom gets crispy) at Yang’s Fried Dumplings, onion pancakes along the street and taking on a long queue for the best crab and pork xiao long bao at Jia Jia Tang Bao. We even took a class to learn how to make our own shrimp dumplings! We came home exhausted and full.
A decadent spa day is always a great one for a girls' trip! The Red Carnation Hotel Collection in South Africa offers various beautiful locations, each with an idyllic spa. For a milestone birthday, I treated my circle of friends to a spa day at The Oyster Box in Umhlanga. In regular times, there are direct flights from Hong Kong to Cape Town or Johannesburg and then you can connect to Durban. The Oyster Box has gorgeous sea-facing rooms, plus you can pick your colour palette; I loved the sublime aquamarine rooms.
While there, we enjoyed lazing on red striped loungers near the hotel pool. It overlooks the crashing waves of the Indian ocean and you can watch passing dolphins behind the iconic lighthouse. You should also pay a visit to the Twelve Apostles Hotel and Spa in Cape Town, whale-watch while sipping locally produced wines and enjoy the terraced hotel pool, which is surrounded by an impressive vista of mountains.
Our fun, two-night girls' getaway to the e popular Malaysian island of Penang was s jammed with vibrant food, drinks and d sights. We stayed in Georgetown at the e charming Seven Terraces hotel, which has s colonial shophouse apartments beautifully y decorated in Peranakan style.
After wandering the streets of Georgetown, we checked out the famous Penang street art, grabbed lunch in Little India and did some boutique shopping. We ended the day at the beautiful Eastern & Oriental Hotel for a drink at Farquhar's Bar. The next day, we took a private tour of the Penang Peranakan Mansion, a house-turned-museum with plenty of history and culture. The Blue Mansion (Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion) courtyard, which was featured in Crazy Rich Asians, offered a great stop for delicious cocktails. We ate at the fab restaurant at our hotel (Kebaya Dining Room), which serves great Peranakan food, and at an outdoor hawker food stall serving Penang-style laksa before heading home with our goodies, pictures and memories.