Tag Archives: Sheraton

Nha Trang: Cheap, and Beautiful

When you think of top beach vacation spots, Nha Trang, Vietnam, doesn’t spring immediately to mind. It should. The secret is out about this tranquil beach town on Vietnam’s southeast coast, and its population is booming, expected to nearly double in the next seven years alone. Tourists are flocking to the new luxury high-rise hotels and resorts sprouting up along the beaches, and, commendably, the city is thus far doing an excellent job of balancing its burgeoning tourist industry with its historic roots as a fishing village. Our hotel, the exquisite Sheraton Nha Trang (itself a recent edition to the city -- it opened its doors only eight ... [Read More]

Talking about Hong Kong

  One of my best friends, Navini, lived in Hong Kong for about 10 years, about 10 years ago. When she heard I'd be paying a visit the city she so loved, she excitedly talked to me about it for what seemed like another 10 years. My husband, Adam, having visited Hong Kong on many occasions himself, and never one to be short of words, rambled on enough about it to fill another ten. (Put the two of them nattering away in a room together and there's very little oxygen left for the rest of us.) So, once my ears stopped bleeding, I arrived in the former British colony ... [Read More]

Embracing bulimia

In ancient Rome they allegedly had vomitoriums that one could use to empty their stomach after nights of heavy eating and drinking. Three days of wolfing down scrumptious fried conch fritters has led me to believe it may be time to resurrect the idea of vomitoriums. Either that or I’ll have to learn to be a bulimic. I love the food in the Bahamas. In particular, I love conch fritters and fresh conch salad, which tastes very much like ceviche. I devoured plate after plate of conch fritters in 5 different restaurants the past few days: Twin Brothers II and Big 10 seafood in the Fish Fry ... [Read More]

Breezy in the Bahamas

Most of the northern hemisphere is suffering through record low temperatures and harsh weather conditions (Britain’s Daily Star reported this week that this may be the coldest winter in 1,000 years.) This has meant that places like London, Paris and New York have been buried by fierce blizzards, and my home city of Atlanta had its first white Christmas since 1882. In the Bahamas, it means no beach. This makes me grumpy. The weather is certainly better than back home – highs in the mid 70s – but the cool breeze blowing off the ocean is enough to keep most tourists out of the water. The funny part ... [Read More]

Abu Dhabi dull

Abu Dhabi’s not like Dubai. Abu Dhabi, with a history going back nearly five thousand years, is an older and more conservative city, and certainly feels it. Dubai, the spectacular modern metropolis rising out of the desert, veritably crackles with energy. Abu Dhabi, though larger, feels smaller, and has few of awe-inspiring, record-setting engineering wonders for which its sister-emirate to the north is so famous. Abu Dhabi may have more history, but Dubai has more cool, which is why I greeted news that I would have to leave Dubai for Abu Dhabi with little enthusiasm. The last time I was in Abu Dhabi, 27 years ago, heavily armed ... [Read More]