Salinda Premium Resort in Phuc Quoc’s island, Vietnam is what a five-star resort should look and feel like.

At Salinda Premium, they got (almost) everything right: the design, the architecture, the location, the welcome routine, the service, the staff, the food & beverage, and the management. It is premium indeed.

However, there’s one area in which they failed big time: the kid’s club.

We stayed at the Salinda Premium Resort from December 31^st, 2015 to January 3^rd, 2016; everything was perfect until we left our five-year old child at the kid’s club for half an hour on the morning of January 1^st,  2016. When we came back to pick him up, he was nowhere to be found.  The staff from the kid’s club told us very matter-of-factly that he had already left… with a tall Frenchman! We went immediately into panic mode and started running around the resort like headless chickens looking for our child, until a couple told us they had just seen him take the elevator by himself. At that moment, we figured out he must have gone to our room and that is indeed where we found him a few minutes later. Our room was opened to him by the maid working on the floor after she found him wandering around and asked him his room number – which he was able to give her. The longest five minutes of our life… This absolutely inacceptable incident was taken very lightly by the young Vietnamese staff who seemed to have no clue about the safety and security of the children they look after.

Of course we talked to the general manager, Jeevan, and his assistant manager and told them that there was an urgent need to review the whole Kid's club process. The Kid’s club personnel must be extremely rigorous with the children left into their care.

Salinda Premium Resort claims that they’re Asia’s biggest and safest playground for adult and children. It may be true but for us they still fall short in one area -- and the most important one.

Salinda Resort Phu Quoc Island
Cua Lap Hamlet, Duong To Commune, Phu Quoc Island
Kien Giang Province, Vietnam
Tel:  (84-77) 399 0011
Fax: (84-77) 399 9911
Email: contact@salindaresort

Angkor Victoria in Siem Reap was a four stars hotel promoted to five stars in 2013, but it’s still the ambiance and service still felt like four-stars when we were there last December from 27 th to 31^st. At Littlebôboon, we are big fans of the Victoria chain in Vietnam and found their four stars resorts there much superior to a lot of five stars we had ever tried.

However, it seems that the Victoria Angkor Resort in Siem Reap does not belong to the Vietnamese chain anymore.  It is now run independently. 

The service was not on par with the standards of a five stars hotel and resort:  the food and beverage were below average compared to other Victoria Hotel and Resorts in Vietnam, and the prices at the restaurants and bars were scandalously high. One piece of advice if you plan to stay at Victoria Angkor Resort: do not eat and drink there, go out as much as possible. One example, you could have a great meal at one of the best restaurants in the world, Cuisine Wat Damnak, for half the price you would pay at the Victoria Angkor Hotel and Resort.

It’s too bad though because the resort is nicely located and has a really charming feel to it, with an incredible outdoor swimming pool plus jacuzzi and children's pool, a very good kids club and a beautiful spa. 

Victoria Angkor Hotel and Resort

Adresse: Sivatha Rd, Siemréab, Cambodge

Téléphone : ++855 63 760 428

www.victoriaangkorhotel.com

We at Littlebôboon stayed three nights at the Lotte Hanoi hotel which is rated five stars. Lotte Hanoi is conveniently located between Hanoi’s Old quarter and the New Business District and sits in the upper part of the magnificent 65-floor Lotte Center.

The accomodation is very well designed, spacious and airy with an incredible view of Hanoi - we give an extra thumb up for the bathroom with its heated Japanese' toilet.

The Evian Spa is a beautiful facility with its stunning indoor pool, but our treatments was spoiled by too loud and inappropriate music and the lights which were too strong.

We really liked the roof top bar « Top of Hanoi », probably the best roof top bar in Vietnam, the cocktails and mocktails served were very nice.

We had dinner at the famous franchise Tim Ho Wan from Hong Kong but found the quality of its dim sum extremely average. We think the weakness of Lotte Hanoi hotel was its food and beverage, their breakfast buffets either on “Grill 63” or “59^th Club Floor “ were very bland and tasteless, and with a very poor selection of Vietnamese food.

We still could not understand how they won the Golden Spoon in 2015 for their overall cooking.

We mentionned this subject to the Executive Assistant Manager, food and beverage must be improved with a greater and larger selection of Vietnamese food.

Lotte Hotel Hanoi

Adresse : 54, Lieu Giai St. Cong Vi Ward. Ba Dinh, Hanoi, Vietnam, Lotte Hotel Hanoi

 

Tél : +84-4-3333-1000

 

www.lottehotel.com

Une table étoilée dans l’un des plus beaux villages de France, c’est la Closerie à Ansouis au cœur du Lubéron.

C’est dans ce magnifique petit village que le chef Olivier Alemany et sa femme Delphine officient avec talent et grâce, lui au piano, elle en salle. Ils nous proposent une cuisine du marché de saison d’une grande fraîcheur.

Nous y avons déjeuné en famille le vendredi  30 octobre 2015. La Closerie propose trois menus, dont le menu « Clin d’œil » à 29 euro entrée, plat et dessert. Pour un étoilé, c’est l’un des meilleurs rapports qualité-prix de France.

Nous avons commencé par une soupe de saison aux champignons et légumes du coin accompagné par des petits morceaux de foie-gras, une entrée réchauffante et délicieuse. Nous avons enchaîné avec un magret de canard aux légumes croquantes qui aurait mérité une cuisson légèrement plus rosée. Pour terminer, un sublime dessert à la mangue.

Le service par la patronne Delphine est charmant et chaleureux.

Malheureusement, nous n’avons pas pu consulter la carte des vins, car aucun des convives ne souhaitait boire pour ce déjeuner.

La Closerie est une maison agréable, nichée dans un joli village, avec cuisine soignée. Nous vous recommandons d'y faire un détour si vous passez dans le Lubéron.

La Closerie
Boulevard des platanes
84240 Ansouis
Tél : 04 90 09 90 54
www.lacloserieansouis.com

Le 975

Pourquoi un tel nom pour un bistrot gastronomique ? Le lieu abritait précédemment la neuvième forge de Paris, les nouveaux propriétaires ont conservé le nom (et le numéro en fer forgé au dessus de la porte).

C’est dans cette ancienne forge refaite à neuf que les deux compères, le chef japonais Taki Tamao et le sommelier, Mathieu Orazi se sont installés pour le plaisir des gourmands et des gourmets du 17^ème mal (af)famé.

Parlons de leur proposition bistronomique et gastronomique, une carte courte mais alléchante, avec un menu découverte à 38 euros pour cinq plats. Le menu change au gré du marché.

Lors de notre dîner, nous avons opté pour une entrée, un plat et un dessert à la carte. Nous avons commencé par un velouté d’oignons blancs sucrés aux lardons, c’était onctueux et délicieux , nous avons enchainé avec pot au feu de cochon revisité par Taki Tamao, original et réconfortant. Nous avons terminé par des fromages affinés accompagné de la confiture de figue, puis un crumble chocolat au Galanga et un savarin punché au whisky irlandais avec sa glace au gingembre.

Une carte de vins bien étoffée avec quelques perles  et  une très bonne sélection de whisky écossais et japonais.

Le service est assuré par Mathieu Orazi avec gentillesse et professionnalisme

Une adresse à retenir, car dans ce quartier, les bonnes tables sont rares.

Le 975

Adresse : 25, rue de Guy-Môquet, 75017 Paris

Téléphone : 09.53.75.67.71

www.le-975.com