It’s time to think about Father Christmas to start putting on his festive fashion and getting ready to party. At the adults-only Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle, he has been known, in the past, to arrive by long-tailed boat on the Ruak river, feeder to the mighty Mekong. At the resort’s sibling, Four Seasons Chiang Mai, GM Sean Mosher will not be drawn on Santa’s arrival there. It’s a surprise, but it’s pertinent to remember the resort has a resident family of water buffalo. He will have at least 50 kids in-house for over five nights during the festive season. Planning, he says, started in August (the busiest time of his year).
Image courtesy of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
Father Christmas is a seasonal hero, but Saitama is a year-round superhero, known to followers of Japan’s manga stories. Saitama is also known as One-Punch Man. He can defeat any opponent with a single punch, a feat that apparently is so encouraging that in North America alone, 28 volumes of his story have appeared. Saitama’s a dormitory suburb of Tokyo, and it’s a recognised arts centre, with its three-yearly Saitama Triennale, encompassing all arts. (A combined report by Art Basel and UBS says Japan’s art galleries have in the last year seen sales rise 28 per cent, higher than the all-Asia aggregate of 26 per cent). Most luxury lovers choose to stay 30 kilometres away in Tokyo.
Want to imbibe the finest the 387-room Grand Hyatt Tokyo has to offer? Its 2,600 square-foot Presidential Suite occupies the entire 21st floor of the Mori-owned building. It comes with a private Zen garden and a 36-foot heated outdoor pool. Gaze up at Mount Fuji as you lap and recover with Dom Pérignon Plénitude 2 and Oscietra (this was the actual scenario your correspondent followed a couple of years back, while her husband watched Formula 1).
The 2024 race, by the way, has been changed to 5–7 April 2024, and doubtless 23-year-old Yuki Tsunoda is already in training, with his Scuderia AlphaTauri teammates. Away from work, Tsunoda-san busies himself with his Honda car collection, highlighted by a bespoke NSX apparently valued at US$171,000.
Image courtesy of Four Seasons Hong Kong
Bubbles and eggs are increasingly international, as are oysters. Argo in Four Seasons Hong Kong has extended its weekend brunch to run over two days, Saturday and Sunday (the central column usually displaying drinks is cleverly disguised behind Lalique-look lanterns). Start with Hervé Fine de Claire No 2 sourced directly from Charente, with either Jacques Selosse Substance Blanc de Blancs Extra Brut or Salon Cuvée S Le Mesnil Blanc de Blancs Brut 2004. To really go the whole seasonal hog, replace dessert with Buche de Noel cocktails, the hotel’s take on eggnog incorporating Christmas log.
Somewhere, someone in the Robb Report Hong Kong catchment area might be getting a non-edible seasonal memory. A Sotheby’s New York action saw a multi-coloured Mark Rothko sold for US$22 million to an anonymous Asian buyer. A David Hockney lion in another sale, of art from the Long Museum in Shanghai, failed to reach its US$7 million reserve.
Perhaps it is safer to stick to memorable foods. In Jakarta, perhaps try a Paulaner Brotzeit Platter in Hotel Indonesia Kempinski. Right next to the city’s only microbrewery, nibble or devour more assortments of smoked and cured hams and sausage, pork, and cheese than you thought existed. Even a gourmand at times has to let go—and then return to caviar tomorrow, though be aware that saps 252 calories per a mere 100 grammes.
