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| Danang -
Vietnam |
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Society - Extraordinary
January 31st - 2007 |
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6 Stars
& 5 Stripes
Overall - 'Hotel & Service' |
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The Ultimate Award:
Seven Stars and Stripes® |
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| We took a domestic evening flight with
Vietnam Airlines from Ho Chi Minh City International and landed smoothly within an hour on the small, tropical airport of Da Nang. It was totally enveloped in the midst of one of the most colorful sunsets that I have ever experienced. The evening sky was glowing in fascinating tones of red and as a result, a feeling or great peace entered my body as we were welcomed by the tropical beach world. Our driver awaited us patiently, addressed us gracefully in English and guided us to a courtesy bus of the Furama Resort. |
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| “When flying domestic, we highly advise to reserve
business-class, only” ~ TB |
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| We reached our destination, one of the most luxurious
oceanfront resorts on the Vietnam coast, safely within fifteen minutes. As we
arrived, we were simply enchanted by the first overall impression and the
incomparable oceanfront location. This is still one of the finest, secluded,
white sandy beaches of the world. The resort architecture could be defined as a
blend of contemporary Asian and French colonial, sometimes a little playful
always clean and flawless and without a doubt inspiring. Fuji Television, one
of the largest private television stations in Japan, had recently featured the
Furama in their serious: "High Vision World", which is considered as a great
honor. Staff members who greeted and welcomed us with with open smiles quickly
surrounded us. Then we were introduced to GM Sean Hallliday and were able to
experience the ease at which this professional, hands-on manager is working.
The welcoming lobby, most charming with ceiling fans and a white baby grand
piano, overlooks a long water feature, flanked by palm tress, now tastefully
lit at these nightly hours, and then an endless pool lagoon and finally the
roaring South China Sea. |
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| We checked into our spacious
suite (# 303 on the 2nd floor) and at a first glance loved the timber polished
'warm' wooden floors, harmoniously offsetting the white-washed, clean walls. A
bouquet or freshly cut red and yellow roses with a basket of the most aromatic,
exotic fruits and a fine bottle of wine were placed on the table. Other
exquisitely chosen Asian style furniture completed the picture. The small
in-room bar was nicely stocked with the taste of the spoiled global traveler on
mind. From the luxuriously designed and dressed comfortable bed, we were able
to overlook the sunken living room area and admire the ever-changing,
ever-fascinating ocean and its pure-white, sandy beach. |
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| The next morning it was as if we were waking up in
paradise. A small but sufficiently sized walk-in dressing room granted us the
utmost privacy within the suite and was appropriately located adjoining the
precious pale-colored marble bath. The facilities were equipped with very
spacious open-showers and double sinks, besides other luxurious necessities and
we found it fascinating with its play of attractive, precious woods and highly
polished marble. I slipped into a chic kimono-style bath robe, matching the
colors of the land, opened my laptop and was within minutes connected by WIFI
with my offices in the USA and Europe. |
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During our stay at the Furama
Resort, Spa & Conference Center we also got to experience the extensive spa
amenities, and understand why this resort is frequently chosen for
conventions
and meetings. The Furama offers an exquisite restaurant, a cozy cafe and
entraining bars and two of the most beautiful outdoor pools of which one is in
the gardens, and the other 'edgeless infinity' with ocean view. |
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Then there are several tennis courts, a
cutting-edge fitness facility and the excellently serviced Q1 spa and salon.
The GM mentioned that they have recently purchased an adjourning ocean front
parcel with the intention to move the salon and spa to the location that grants
ocean views. We both were able to experience full hour massages that may hardly
find an easy comparison in the western world. |
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| Breakfast
at the Furama is an exotic, unforgettable experience in itself. The ' Hot
Miso' station and the 'Steak ala Minute' with grilled tomatoes were simply
superb. In addition, they presented a multitude of fresh sushi, exotic fruits
& juices and homemade Danishes and then some! We had the great pleasure to
attend a couple of interesting excursions that you don't want to miss: we
visited the very interesting Silk Factory, the impressive Marble Mountains and
the amazing Forbidden City. We were fortunate to have a most knowledgeable
guide who organized our trips to these major historic World Heritage
sites. |
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“My
favorite was every morning witnessing
the breakfast chef preparing my
delicious 'Hot Miso' soup ” ~ TB |
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by
Thorsten & Simone Buehrmann
Editor: Ingrid Lemme
Editor-in-Chief: John Lomitola |
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| © 2007 ~ Seven Stars and Stripes, Inc. |
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