As most of us look forward to celebrating the festive season at home in Singapore this year, the stunning celebrations and decorations happening around the world still fill us with hope, excitement, and inspiration for our upcoming travels. The V&VPR team have rounded up our favourite places across the globe that are filling us with Christmas cheer!
📍London – The Savoy
The Savoy, the storied hotel on the Strand, is this year partnering with Nyetimber, the leading English Sparkling Wine producer, on some fabulously festive initiatives this December. Together they have created opportunities to shop, learn and indulge so that guests and visitors can enjoy a Christmas with added fizz this year!
📍Hong Kong – The Upper House
This festive season, The Upper House is aglow with a Christmas tree inspired by the iconic street signs of Hong Kong in collaboration with architectural studio, COLLECTIVE and Streetsign HK, which will be auctioned off to raise funds for local charity ImpactHK.
Inspired by Hong Kong’s iconic illuminating street signs and with the guidance of Streetsign HK, a group that advocates street signs as urban cultural heritage, COLLECTIVE reinvigorates the fading art of neon sign making with the creation of the “Doodle Tree”. Breaking with convention of 2D neon signs, the team and Mr. Wu Chi Kai, one of only three remaining local craftsmen, expertly fabricated the neon tubes into 3D form through perpetual experiments and traditional heated glass bending techniques.
📍Chengdu – The Temple House
The Temple House has unveiled a seven-meter gold-coloured Christmas tree constructed partly from recycled bamboo.
For the past four years, The Temple House has commissioned a one-of-a-kind tree that incorporates whimsical elements created from recycled materials. This year, the unconventional Christmas tree features bamboo partly recycled from the Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding decorated with hundreds of golden ornaments. After the festive season, the bamboo will be reused to house the herb garden in our courtyard during the winter months.
📍Bali – Capella Ubud
Throughout December, Capella Ubud, Bali pledges to donate 5% of room revenue from direct bookings to the English for a Brighter Future initiative, which supports elementary students and youths in the Keliki village with complimentary English language classes.
As English is the language of tourism in Bali, Capella Ubud hopes to enrich the lives of the local children and nurture them to become the hospitality leaders of tomorrow. Students are empowered to take charge of their education by collecting plastic waste in the neighbourhood in exchange for a place in the classroom; this, in turn, fosters love and respect for the environment.
Conscious tourism is taking root globally, with travellers more aware than ever of the impact that their holiday can have on the environment and local communities. Brands are doing their part in refocusing their guest experiences, and leading the charge is Capella Hotels and Resorts, who are recognised for offering meaningful hospitality experiences, curated for the curious mind.
Committed to the craft of the stay, Capella Ubud, Bali — as part of their ongoing efforts to contribute to a more sustainable future and environment — has pledged to donate 1% of the total room revenue that is generated from all of the bookings that are made through its website for stays from 1-31 December 2019 to Trash Hero Indonesia, a national chapter of Trash Hero World.
Trash Hero World is a global voluntary movement made up of non-profit, community-based organisations with the mission to bring communities together to clean the environment. The movement aims to reduce waste through trash clean-ups, educational workshops on the environmental impact of trash, and long-term sustainable programmes that empower communities to better reduce and manage waste.
The proceeds from Capella Ubud’s month-long promotion will be specifically utilised to support the Trash Hero Kids program, the Trash Hero Learning Center and the upcoming publication of the Trash Hero Kids Book, intended to educate the younger generation on waste management.
Capella Ubud luxury tented camp is set in the heart of a verdant rainforest, bringing the rich heritage of Bali to life in a truly remarkable natural setting. Inspired by the first Europeans to settle in Bali in the 1800’s, celebrated architect and designer, Bill Bensley, has created the stunning rainforest camp as a tribute to their spirit of adventure, while preserving the local flora and fauna through the conscious idea of ‘minimal intervention,’ meaning that all trees and local plants were left untouched and protected throughout the build process. This one-of-a-kind hidden sanctuary offers an authentic insight into the way of life in Bali, combined with today’s modern conveniences and technology.
