If food is one of the best and most enjoyable ways to understand and appreciate other cultures, Thailand may take the cake for the ultimate destination. Absolute Asia Tours and our friends at yellowchair, a social foodie network site, have created a one-of-a-kind New York City dining experience. We invite you to experience Thai cuisine for one-night-only at the legendary hotspot that Zagat recently named “New York’s Most Iconic Restaurant” The Four Seasons Restaurant.

EVENT DETAILS

October 14 | 6:30 PM | $270 per person | The Four Seasons Restaurant New York City

WHAT TO EXPECT

There you will be treated to a truly spectacular seasonal feast prepared by the Four Seasons’ Pecko Zantilaveevan, the Thai-born and raised executive chef who was named top toque of Manhattan’s only architecturally-landmarked restaurant.

Wildly creative with a love of sacred Asian ingredients and formal French technique, Chef Pecko has been dazzling the critics with dishes that made The New York Times rave “one bite is enough to make you moan” and inspired New York Magazine to gush about the “surprisingly adventurous flavors and marvelous pairings.”

The evening will feature an authentic five course interpretation of the tropical life, only far more chic and much more delicious!

MEN

First Course: Maine Lobster Tom Yum hearts of palm — a selection of boutique wines selected by Four Seasons owner Julian Niccolini to pair perfectly with each course

Second Course: Thai-Barbecued Quail green papaya-royal mango salad — a selection of boutique wines selected by Four Seasons owner Julian Niccolini to pair perfectly with each course

Third Course: Pla Pad Cha cripsy red snapper, spicy basil, grachai, green peppercorns, jasmine rice — a selection of boutique wines selected by Four Seasons owner Julian Niccolini to pair perfectly with each course

Fourth Course: Short Ribs Massaman coconut milk, cashews, avocado, cucumber relish — a selection of boutique wines selected by Four Seasons owner Julian Niccolini to pair perfectly with each course

Dessert course: Thai Jewels tropical fruits, basil seeds in coconut milk over shaved ice — a selection of boutique wines selected by Four Seasons owner Julian Niccolini to pair perfectly with each course

WIN A 2 NIGHT STAY AT POINT YAMU BY COMO AND 2 NIGHTS AT THE SIAM, BANGKOK

With the purchase of your seat, you will be entered in a raffle to win a 2 night stay at the Point Yamu by COMO and 2 nights at The Siam, Bangkok luxury hotels in Thailand.

If you have been pining over iconic images of long-tail boats, secret bays awash in vivid shades of blue and green, and horizons dotted with islands, then Point Yamu by COMO is sure to be the cure to your wanderlust. Occupying the very tip of Cape Yamu in Phuket, Point Yamu by COMO gazes out over the Adaman Sea and the dramatic limestone karsts that splinter the calm turquoise waters of Phang Nga Bay. The hotel’s sleek architecture and décor is the ultimate compliment to the organic beauty of the surrounding area. Whether you choose to spend your days enjoying outdoor island life or exploring the city of Phuket, you will savor unwinding at Point Yamu by COMO.

Set alongside the Chao Prya River in the historic Dusit district, The Siam offers travelers a respite from busy Bangkok and a clear alternative to the standard high-rise hotel.This luxurious boutique property exudes a feeling that you are on a tropical country estate while still being accessible to Bangkok’s best attractions. Evoking art deco flair from the bygone jazz era blended with traditional Thai influences, guests will love the residential and dining options. The 39 oversized and airy suites feature large bathrooms and offer everything from river views with rooftop terrace to the only private pool suites in the city.

SAVE ME A SEAT! Register for this special event here on yellowchair.

We’re sharing the flight experiences you didn’t even know existed (and may want to forget about next time you’re stuck in a cramped seat!). Keep up with our Million-Mile certified air director, Todd Bliwise—an encyclopedia of firsthand knowledge—as he tests every routing, seat, and air apartment out there. Read on to discover why Departures named Absolute Air #17 of 100 People, Places and Things to Know in 2015.

Etihad Airways First Apartment

As we’re writing this Todd is flying over Baghdad, reporting from the premier Etihad Airways First Apartment. His insider scoop: “Truly one of the greatest and most revolutionary first-class products the commercial aviation world has ever seen.”

We’re jealous: with its sleek leather lounge that folds out to a single bed, flat-screen TV, wardrobe, and chilled drinks cabinet, his Etihad apartment is larger (and chicer) than some of our New York City digs! For couples and families traveling together, sliding partitions can conjoin multiple apartments.

We will be launching an Absolute Air blog shortly. Until then, keep up with our brand-new Absolute Air department here.

Learn more about Absolute Air or get in touch.

Read the Forbes interview with Meghan Black here. Ditch the guidebook and forget generic—we’re reveling in palace takeovers and secret pashmina haunts! From Jaipur to Cochin, Meghan Black shares the “for-keeps” memories, experiences, and must-have treasures from her fourth trip to India.

Patiently waiting for the perfect souvenir to find me, and then ruminating over the memory of discovering it brings me a rush of travel joy. The best ones are always the most unexpected or hard-sought. Below I’ve highlighted the shopping stops that double as bespoke experiences. Try skipping conventional stores altogether and be rewarded with precious discoveries in the narrow back lanes and off-the-beaten path boutiques—a behind-the-scenes shopping experience most visitors have no idea exists.

Back-lane treasures
Delhi
Touchdown in Delhi and circumvent the same-old at Khan Market and Janpath. Instead, beeline for the obscure haunts cosmopolitan Delhites and international connoisseurs frequent. Visit Cottons & Satins to choose rolls of fanciful wallpapers, saturated textiles, and one-of-a-kind upholstered pieces; Moon River for porcelain dishes, highball glasses, fabric bound books and vintage prints; then Mishcat Co. to pick up a color-rich silk oriental carpet handwoven from repurposed vintage saris. What’s more, these boutiques’ stocks are exclusive, so you’ll be going home with something truly different.

Old Delhi’s market is a world unto itself. Sprawling around the Jama Masjid, the best (and most fun) way to navigate the chaotic alleys is by rickshaw. Go with a local expert who will show you the silver and spice wallahs they’ve been visiting since childhood. Score pure silver stacking rings and delicate anklets to wear peeking out from under your jeans in the fall and with those jodhpurs you’ll definitely buy in Rajasthan during the summer. Pick up little brass boxes set with mother of pearl to pack with saffron or sindor (the red powder worn by married Hindu women) for gifts.

Jaipur
In Jaipur, sneak around the Hawa Mahal and get lost in the tangle of narrow streets. Doorways double as workshops. You’ll see bangle makers stretching bracelets and setting them with rhinestones, marble statues being filed into shape, gold droplets being weighed and forged into beads, and essential oils being poured and sorted. Select single glass bangles (a single bangle feels more luxe than an armful and translate better back at home) to be gifted to friends in block-printed pouches from iconic Anokhi, Rasa, Kilol, or Bridgette Singh (a private viewing of her blossom-scattered haveli workshop and showroom is a treat—the gates are locked so you’ll need an in, we have one).

Or select essential oils like lotus flower and rose, then decant them into rose-tinted crystal ambrosia bottles from Aaska (Aaska also stocks the best dohars, Rajasthani summer quilts, out there. Trust me, I saw them all). Display them by the bath at home and use them to scent your bathwater.

Surface in the flower lane and get draped in jasmine garlands before selecting a pair of leather slippers embroidered in silk thread and stretched to fit your foot just so.

Jodhpur
In Jodhpur, wander the blue-washed streets, dodging rickshaws and cows and stopping to see locals jump into the swimming ghats, to find brass tiffins (the original lunchbox). Do as the locals do and have the shopkeeper etch your initials onto your tiffin.

Then duck through an unsuspecting door that opens into a rambling, multi-story fabric castle. Beware of mountains of pure silk and finely embroidered cottons tumbling down. Ever wonder where Anthropologie’s globally-inspired bed throws come from? This place. But the real treasures are the stacks of natural, undyed cashmere scarves. You’ll have to ask to see them. There are snowy whites, herringbone grey, and every shade of classic camel. Have your selections hand embroidered with the date of your trip or your initials for just a few rupees on your way through Delhi or Mumbai.

Finally, have your very own pair of jodhpurs tailored (remember, the ones you are going to wear with your anklets come summer?). Jodhpurs are the world’s last garment that cannot be ready made. As Jodhpur residents see it: if they’re pre-stocked, then they’re not real jodhpurs. Your tailor will measure your foot, ankle, knee, hip, and calf to ensure that your pair slips on easily, has just the right amount of billow at the thighs, but fits snuggly at the hip and from the knee down. Choose from an array of stiff crisp cottons, or bring your own yardage. If you want to go all out, consider a gauzy block-printed cotton from Jaipur or a weighty ikat silk from Orissa.

Jodhpur is also famous for tribal silver and palace antiques. If you have a day (or a week) to browse the many antique shops that line the main road, you may well score an authentic find like hollow dowry bangles thick enough to stash gold and silver coins.

Cochin
Skip from the desert to the lush south. On your way to a houseboat adventure on Kerala’s famous backwaters, spend a day in the sleepy city of Cochin. Jew Town is chockablock with antique shops, but the best take-homes are pouches of potent black pepper—Kerala is famous for producing some of the world’s finest pepper.

Then drop into Malabar House to buy one of their signature pillows. Hand painted with blue two-dimensional Sufis twisted into yoga poses atop tigers, these are fun and chic and you won’t see anything like them elsewhere. Guaranteed.

Mumbai
Make Mumbai your port of departure, and stuff that extra suitcase you brought to the brim. By now everyone is familiar with Mumbai’s big players: Good Earth, Bungalow Eight, Forest Essentials, and Bombay Electric. But nesting amongst these magnets, are under-the-radar spots not to be overlooked. My favorites: wedged between Good Earth and Bombay Electric in Colaba, up a little stairwell, is a lampshade shop selling poppy-red silk palace shades and cut-glass hanging bulbs. Get one to drape in your foyer. Then head to WomenWeave—a trust and shop that supports women in handloom weaving—for stunning, understated handwoven yardage, scarves, and sarees Mumbai’s international fashion crowd is embracing.

Delivery to your suite
If you’re craving something only available in India, but not even in stores, then select an item from Bobo Calcuttawala’s line of hip silhouettes made from colorful, limited edition prints on silk and muslin. You’ll have to plan ahead though; selections are made to order and can be sent to your hotel room, anywhere in India, one week from when you place your order.

Where to Stay
India has a crop of inspiring new, design-driven properties that will fuel your hunt for artisan keepsakes. The most spectacular of the bunch is Jaipur’s Sujan Rajmahal Palace. Part Rajput fanfare, part Wes Anderson fantasy, Rajmahal Palace is nothing short of dreamy. Go in the off-season and have the grounds to yourself: June temperatures in Jaipur may be sauna-like, but having the run of this darling is one huge reason to brave the heat.

We pulled-up the pink granite drive—fitting for the pink city—to be greeted by an army of perfectly turned-out butlers with gleaming smiles and a pristine thunderbird sporting the license plate “Jaipur 1.” It only got better from there. As the sole resident guests (thank you heat wave!) we were swept through room after fanciful room by Sujan’s Vice President—an extremely well-heeled gentleman with the most amazing Indo-British accent.

This is the kind of property so thoughtfully designed even the air conditioners match the color scheme of each room. The entire place has been impeccably restored and decked out floor to ceiling in 42 custom Mughal-inspired wallpapers. There are charming umbrellas that dance around the porticos, polo princes in the teal breakfast room, fuchsia lotus flowers in the Maharani suite, and of course Rani stripes in the Maharaja apartment’s foyer. You will be transported by each and every corridor, powder room, and even the lime soda welcome drink served with a sprig of fresh mint in hefty cut-crystal tumblers.

The custom designs are singular to the property but follow my trail and you’ll snag a bit of the vibe for yourself.

Ready to go? Get in touch to begin planning your great adventure through India.

// May 26, 2019

Christa is on a mission: to reset, rejuvenate, bliss-out, and find holistic wellness in Bali. She goes beyond the legendary spas and fabled beaches (although, she’ll certainly squeeze in some of this as well!) to meet with traditional healers, learn to eat raw, and practice living at a slower pace. Follow her journey as she checks-in here about what it’s like to unwind from her big city life for two weeks in paradise.

5/26/2019 Because sometimes we just need to meditate with stingrays

I’ve chowed down on raw pancakes, received a jolt to my internal energy, and sipped healing water. Now what? I am off to meditate with stingrays, learn to surf with a four-time Olympian, and hopefully cross paths with a shark! For the final leg of my trip, I am hugging the coastline and filling my days with beach and ocean.

First up: a three-day diving course where I learn to breathe underwater, conquer my fear of the vast shores, swim like a fish, and meditate beneath the surface. I become so relaxed and attune to being beneath the surface that by my third day stingrays swim past me like friendly neighbors and I begin to crave a shark sighting—something I never thought I would say. My world has instantly doubled in size to include lands above and below the surface.

Next, I meet my surf instructor. He is a four-time Olympic windsurfing medalist. Unlike me, he grew up in the waves. Throughout the day he teaches me how to read the waves and how to keep them from conquering me. Intuition is everything. Soon I am flowing with the waves and feeling less and less like a tourist on and off the water in Bali.

5/20/19: What does water have to do with it?

A lot. For the Balinese, water is both a spiritual and functional element. The Pura Tirta, water temples, fulfill both of these roles: they are a place of daily worship, and also act as part of the Subak irrigation system. The priests in these temples care for the sacred water and offer blessings but they are also responsible for allocating water allowances to the rice paddies and villages that surround the temple.

Dressed in a traditional sarong and sash, I go to the temple for my first water blessing. It is a holiday, and I join the many Balinese who have come for the same purpose, flower and incense offerings in their hands. Together, we pray five times bowing with prayer hands at our foreheads before we drink sacred water to clear our chakras.

Back at COMO Shambhala, a stunning wellness retreat tucked into the pristine jungle, I learn about approaching wellness in a holistic way. There are resident experts including a yoga teacher, Ayurvedic doctor, dietician, massage and beauty therapists, acupuncturist, and meditation guides. I am practicing my daily meditation as prescribed by the healer. Poolside and surrounded by gargantuan ferns and birdsong, peacefulness arrives quickly and I wonder what it will be like to integrate these practices into my city life?

5/13/19: Energy Healing 101

Om Swastiatsu, “wishing you well,” is the traditional Balinese greeting, typically performed silently with prayer hands and a bow. This gentle greeting epitomizes the Balinese approach to life: slowing down, showing appreciation and kindness, and forgoing unnecessary words and negative interactions to make space for nourishing the soul. These are the values I hope to embrace during my two-week wellness journey through Bali. These well wishes feel like they hang in the air in Bali.

My first stop is the stunning Fivelements wellness retreat. I am immediately won over by this sanctuary. When designing Fivelements in 2010, founders Chicco and Lahra envisioned a place where guests could find clarity both physical and mental, large-scale and small-scale. Success! I am convinced everyone who visits leaves with more good in them.

My first real push toward seeking clarity comes in the form of my breakfast: green juice and buckwheat pancakes with maple syrup, cashew butter, and strawberries. Sounds good? It was. And, it was entirely raw. For some, this is a frightening prospect, but believe it when I say my meals at Fivelements feel indulgent and decadent, yet I have never felt lighter or better nourished.

I venture beyond the walls of Fivelements and am struck by the sheer beauty of the landscape. It is lush, dramatic, colorful, and very worthy of a sweaty, two-hour bike ride complete with an impromptu rice harvesting session!

My day closes with a PancaMahabuta energy healing ritual back at Fivelements. I sit across from the healer and slowly ease into a meditative state. I quickly feel a sense of peace, and energy rushing through my body and radiating outwards. Every now and then my arm or leg involuntarily jumps. I learn this occurs when the healer locates a circulation block and sends energy to the region to renew blood flow. When the session ends, I feel mindful and vibrant. I can even hear and see more intensely. The healer leaves me with these thoughts, which I now share with you: take time to meditate each day by picturing sunshine radiating through your body from head to toe; if you quiet the noise in your mind (which easily builds-up with city living!), you will notice that exhaustion and negative thoughts are also quieted. “A clean mind leads to a clean body and spirit which leads to clean actions.”

Get in touch to learn more about a custom wellness journey in Bali.

I’ve been to China four times in the last five years. I’ve studied Mandarin Chinese in Beijing; taught Chinese University students English in Chengdu; explored Xi’an (going back for the Terra Cotta Warriors), Chongqing (don’t miss the evening river cruise), Luoyang (unforgettable cliff-carved grottos), Shenzen (shopping!), Kunming (must see the Stone Forest), Jiuzhaigou (enjoy the impossibly blue lakes), Hong Kong (the place to go for nightlife) and Taipei (I couldn’t get enough of the Shilin night food market). But I’ve never been to Shanghai—a staple and oftentimes the first stop on most China trips. Why? Chengdu stole my heart.

Located in the southwest Sichuan province and famous for being the home of the panda, Chengdu is a beautiful, hip city with loads of traditional Chinese charm, extremely kind people, and incredible food. For those looking to experience China without the extreme crowds of Beijing and Shanghai, Chengdu is the perfect option.

The Food

I’ll never forget the first time I had real Sichuan food in Chengdu. It’s a sensational feeling to be eating and suddenly realize you’re tongue is severely tingling. You look around the table at others, unsure of whether to admit this feeling you’re having. Suddenly a brave soul asks, “Does anyone else’s tongue feel numb?” and you all exclaim “YES!” It is the weirdest and greatest feeling, caused by the huajiao (花椒) spice, a peppercorn with a unique spicy flavor so strong it seems to numb your mouth. For serious foodies, or anyone looking to taste something truly different, trying Sichuan huajiao is a must. From the traditional, spicy green bean dish 干煸四季豆 to the interactive hotpot—you cook your own food at the table in a boiling hot pot—Chengdu is one of China’s best culinary stops.

Chengdu pastime

The city is full of local landmarks, such as Tianfu Square with the large statue of Mao, temples and monasteries, markets, and local parks. An afternoon spent people watching at a tea house in People’s Park is one of the most relaxing ways to get to know daily life in Chengdu. In a country of 1.4 billion, people watching doesn’t get much better than China. You’ll see residents dress in everything from traditional outfits to head-to-toe designer garb. If you’re inspired to shop, stay next to the city’s most popular new shopping center at the ultra-modern The Temple House hotel.

Beyond the city

One of my favorite things about Chengdu is how accessible the countryside is. Just an hour outside the city are beautiful, lush, green mountains. People often forget that while China is known for cities, it is packed with incredible landscapes and rural towns set amongst this mountainous beauty. I recommend a few nights at the just-opened Six Senses Qingcheng Mountain for Sichuan cooking classes, hiking Qingcheng Mountain (the birth place of Daoism), exploring the local town and capping-off a perfect day with a tsingtao alongside the city’s rushing river below.

Pandas!

Don’t forget the pandas! Visiting the pandas is essential. Visitors can easily visit the main Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding located within Chengdu. But for a less crowded panda experience, the Panda Valley Breeding and Research Center in Dujiangyan is worth the trip. Do more than just observe these playful creatures by becoming a “panda caretaker for a day” at Panda Ark, another nearby panda center in Dujiangyan. I have seen the pandas three times and was just as excited to see them the third time as the first.

Visiting China is easier than ever
With the new single-application, 10-year China tourist visa for US citizens, China is now easier to visit than ever before. Anyone who has visited the China embassy in New York will understand my joy of not needing to return for 10 years! Knowing you have a visa at the ready, means China doesn’t need to be a once-in-a-lifetime destination, so travelers can take risks and diverge from the usual path. I say go for it, and put Chengdu before Shanghai.

Get in touch to begin planning your custom luxury journey to China.