Archive for September 10th, 2008

Spazzo’s 17th Anniversary Party, Hyatt Erawan Hotel – Bangkok

Wednesday, September 10th, 2008

Grand Hyatt Erawan Bangkok
494 Rajdamri Road,
Bangkok, Thailand 10330
Tel: +66 2 254 1234 Fax: +66 2 254 6308
Email: bangkok.grand@hyatt.com
Opening Hours: Lunch: Noon – 2:30pm
Dinner 6:30pm – 11pm
Live Music 10pm – 2am
Dress Code: Smart Casual (No Singlets/Slippers/Shorts)
Credit Cards: All Major
Prices: Moderate-Expensive

On the Lower Level the Hyatt Erawan’s Italian Restaurant Spazzo serves authentic Italian cuisine and a wide selection of dishes and regional specialties are prepared by chef Frederico. Spazzo is open for lunch and dinner but an added surprise is that after 10pm the restaurant morphs into a night club with many singles prowling around the two circular bars, with ultra-high energy live music by an international band. Don’t expect to have a quiet conversation after the music starts but, what the hell—that’s normal. Brunch is served on Sundays.

The 17th Anniversary party was a lot of fun, and the rooms were packed with a fun crowd. The Italian food was very good: roasted lamb, pumpkin risotto, mozzarella and tomatoes and many more offerings with plenty of sparkling, white and red wines and whatever else you might want to drink. Everyone was having a good time and they stayed until very late.

Nikki Beach – St. Tropez, France

Wednesday, September 10th, 2008

Route de L’epi
83350 St. Tropez, Ramatuelle, France •
Tel. + 33.645.63.8487

Nikki Beach’s scene is the most exuberantly youthful and certainly à la mode at the moment. Naomi Campbell celebrated her birthday here last year and opened it up for the public who soon followed in droves. It is part of a chain, the original Nikki Beach is in Miami and they have opened others and are planning to open in Egypt and will launch one in Koh Samui, Thailand at Lipa Noi Beach in December. The thought that Voile Rouge failed in importing their brand of St. Tropez to Miami and yet Nikki Beach succeeded in bringing Miami to St. Tropez is a revolting reality.
The St Tropez branch is a series of split-level decking areas, which surround an enormous swimming pool. The show in the daytime at Nikki Beach reminds one of a disco with booming, loud music but the young
crowd here is visibly enjoying it. At night, it is a candlelit wonderland.
To obtain a place on one of the large white cotton mattresses that are lined up around the pool, you are obliged to consistently order bottles of Champagne. This is ridiculous, gauche, and most assuredly a sign of neurotic, nouveau riche insecurity, and the following incident gives definite proof. One tasteless, wasteful mat-squatter within a two hour period ordered about 100 bottles of Roederer Cristal Champagne just so that he could spew them into the pool with, I suppose, the odd tipple now and again.