La Residence Rolls Out Red Carpet for ‘Governor’s Footsteps’

Sept. 6, 2012 - PRLog -- HUE, Vietnam -- The mansion that was home to the last colonial ruler of Hue is the centrepiece for ‘The Governor's Footsteps’, a luxury holiday package showcasing the former capital's historical marvels and legendary cuisine.

Launched last week by the five-star La Residence Hotel and Spa in Hue (http://www.la-residence-hue.com), ‘The Governor's Footsteps’ ferries travellers leisurely through the best of the Nguyen Dynasty's Imperial City via a series of limo transfers, cyclo rides and river cruises.

The package is anchored by a two-night stay in the Resident Suite, an art-deco inspired, 76-square-metre space on the top floor of the former French governor's residence, where a spacious private terrace overlooks the fabled Perfume River and Citadel. Inside the Suite, remnants of the hotel's colonial roots are reflected in the ceramic tiled floors, wooden ceiling fans, and ample shuttered windows.

La Residence weaves in the special treatment from the start, with airport limousine transfers, welcome champagne and a special gift on arrival. Guests will be catered to round-the-clock by a dedicated butler, who will remain on call from the moment of pick-up to drop-off.

Cultural diversions in Hue are covered with a half-day city tour, including a visit to the Imperial Citadel by Vietnamese cyclo, and an excursion to Thien Mu Pagoda and Tu Duc's Tomb with transport in the hotel's limousine. Guests will dine on authentic Vietnamese cuisine amid the gardens, ponds and pavilions of Tha Om Garden House, a traditional estate of 19th Century garden homes, known locally as nha ruong or nha vuon.

The culinary highlight of the package is a three-hour dinner cruise on the Perfume River, complete with aperitifs and a lantern float. The evening stars a three-course Vietnamese or Western menu prepared by the chefs of Le Parfum and served aboard the boat. The cruise leaves the dock at La Residence at 6:30 pm, sailing upstream toward the sunset, and returns at 9 pm.

“Hue is perhaps the most culturally refined city in Vietnam; and we felt the city was missing a truly elegant presentation of its assets,” said Anthony Gill, the hotel’s general manager. “This holiday really does trace Hue’s heritage in a way that is not only highly memorable, but also utterly luxurious.”

‘The Governor’s Footsteps’ is priced at USD 645 net per person, based on double occupancy, valid through April 2013.


ABOUT LA RESIDENCE

Set on a two-hectare site with 200 meters of frontage on the fabled Perfume River, La Residence celebrated its grand opening in December 2005 after a painstaking restoration of the former colonial governor’s residence. The hotel’s distinctive bowed façade, its long horizontal lines and nautical flourishes are hallmarks of the streamline moderne school of art deco architecture.

The hotel’s 122 rooms and suites, restaurants, lounges, bars and conference room are tricked out in complementary art-deco furnishings and décor that evoke both the 1920s and 1950s. The hotel’s fine-dining venue, Le Parfum, serves Mediterranean and French cuisine, as well as dishes from a complementary Vietnamese menu.

The conference facilities, including board rooms, can accommodate 140 guests. The hotel provides complimentary WiFi Internet access in the ground floor lounges and in Le Gouverneur itself.