Tuesday, February 21, 2012

CNNGo.com

CNNGo.com

Asia's first Snow Polo World Cup

Posted: 20 Feb 2012 09:10 PM PST

by Peter Shadbolt

You could be forgiven for thinking that last week's Snow Polo World Cup 2012, the first to take place in Asia, was about sport.

A dozen teams charged around a snowy pitch, with mallets whirring and hooves thundering. Hong Kong's players eventually took the crown by seven goals to four against a spirited South African team and there was much sweat, shouting and rippling of muscles.

But it was about much more.

Also on CNNGo: How China is falling in love with polo

The Tianjin Goldin Polo Club, the venue for the event, is the main recreational attraction in a massive development 130 kilometers from the centre of Beijing being built by Hong Kong-listed property developer Goldin Properties Holdings Limited.

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Need it or not, here's another dose of luxury for Bangkok

Posted: 20 Feb 2012 08:36 PM PST

by CNNGo staff

Park HyattA graphic rendering of the Park Hyatt Bangkok, which features a 'twisted coil' exterior design. Pack your designer luggage. Bangkok is set to get another 222 luxury hotel rooms, adding to an already vast number of accommodation options for travelers in search of high thread counts. 

Global hotel brand Hyatt confirmed this week it will open its first Park Hyatt -- at a cost of 5 billion baht -- in Thailand in 2014. 

On the plus side, Bangkok's embattled travel industry could use some positivity as the news proves that despite the recent bomb blasts and floods, the city won't go down the tourism tubes without a fight.   

Park Hyatt is the American corporation's top luxury brand, reserved for cities with strong demand for posh digs. Luxury travelers have long been in love with Bangkok, though one has to ask who is going to fill all these rooms in an already crowded market. 

Rates will start from US$300 a night, putting it up there at the top end of the luxury field with the likes of the Mandarin Oriental, Peninsula, Four Seasons, Shangri-La, St. Regis, Banyan Tree, Kempinski and the soon-to-open W.

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It's official: Korea's 50 'most unique' hotels

Posted: 20 Feb 2012 08:00 PM PST

by CNNGo staff

Never mind expensive weekend packages at Seoul's luxury hotels.

Korea's alternative accommodations tend to be much more visually interesting -- and not just a little campy. 

Korea Tourism Organization (KTO) announced the publication of "Korea's most unique accommodations" on Monday. Travel writers and reporters, as well as high-profile foreign visitors contributed to the selection of the 50 venues.

While the 115-page photograph-filled book will not be for sale and mostly distributed to the 26 international branches of KTO, the organization is planning to make it available in an e-book format on the official Visit Korea website later this month. 

The roundup includes lesser known accommodation options such as the Phoenix Island resort, which features beautiful glass venues designed by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, as well as the recently renovated hanok hotel Kundaemunjip (큰대문집) in Seoul. 

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iReport: My favorite China travel photos

Posted: 20 Feb 2012 01:57 PM PST

Few countries around the world can provide travelers with such a diverse experience as China.

Spreading over approximately 9,600,000 square kilometers, the nation's vista stretches from the winding lanes of Kashgar's Islamic old city to the surreal Shanghai Pudong skyline to the palm tree-lined tropical beaches in Hainan.

In our recent iReport assignment, we asked travelers to share their favorite China photos and we received myriad incredible views and thrilling travel tales.

The gallery above showcases a selection of the best responses.

More on CNNGo: iReport: My favorite Hangzhou travel photo

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Cha chaan teng cheat sheet: What to order at the most popular eateries in Hong Kong

Posted: 19 Feb 2012 07:15 PM PST

by Jason Beerman

Cha chaan tengs fuel Hong Kong. These local diners are where Hong Kongers sate their appetite for almost anything at almost any time.

They operate round-the-clock, serving distinctly indigenous comfort food with no-nonsense service and an atmosphere of bustling industriousness.

Cha chaan teng culture came of age in the 1950s when Hong Kong's increasingly cosmopolitan and westernized middle classes began to broaden their palates.

The result is a melange of tastes that fuses the cuisines of the various transient populations of Hong Kong into a new pastiche cuisine: accidental fusion food. 

It lacks a singular definition and there are nearly no parameters. The menu at a typical cha chaan teng is seemingly endless in scope. Written on paper and taped to the walls, they extend wall-to-wall like a madman's scrawl.

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at 9:03 AM