Remote Lands Offers Extraordinary Gourmet Holidays in Asia

A glimpse behind the scenes at Asia’s finest restaurants; insider access to renowned culinary festivals, cooking schools and personalities

NEW YORK, September 17, 2008 - Remote Lands, the world’s leading luxury travel designer offering bespoke journeys to Asia, has just announced its newest offering – Luxury Bespoke Culinary Adventures. Gourmets and foodies alike will enjoy these trips which include five nights’ accommodations in luxurious hotels; all meals and drinks; entrée to private kitchens and cooking schools; access to gastronomic festivals; and private dinners and cocktail receptions in the homes of well-known local culinary personalities. These extraordinary experiences start at $5,000 per person including airfare, and may be customized based on additional services.

Remote Lands currently offers Luxury Bespoke Culinary Adventures to:

Singapore: Remote Lands will arrange for accommodations at the historic Raffles Hotel. Guests will spend three days in At-Sunrice Global Chef Academy, where Remote Lands will organize an exclusive series of gourmet cooking classes, chef demonstrations, and tastings. Participants will benefit from the expertise of a faculty including award-winning authors, world-renowned chefs, and other food professionals from around the globe. Each night, lavish dinners will be held, incorporating traditional Malay foods as well as other dishes. On the fourth day, Remote Lands will offer a behind-the-scenes tour and private dinner at BLU, Singapore’s most renowned restaurant, with celebrity chef Kevin Cherkas, formerly of El Bulli and Arzak. The final evening will feature Sky Dining, an extraordinary gourmet dining experience that takes place in a cable car, from which diners will be able to admire a sweeping view of the entire city. Remote Lands will offer intrepid guests the opportunity to sail out to sea in a fishing boat and spend the morning of their last day line fishing. They will return to the Bugis fishing village with their hosts and enjoy a traditional seafood lunch. Those visiting in April will receive full access to the Singapore World Gourmet Summit (taking place through the entire month); an annual, international gastronomic event which showcases global cuisine and Michelin-starred chefs.

India: Guests will travel to Kerala and Tamil Nadu in South India with Remote Lands. In Kerala, they will stay at the Taj Garden Retreat Kumarakom, in one of the newly built Luxury Villas. That night, Remote Lands will arrange for a private meal on a houseboat, which will be enjoyed while sailing down the bucolic backwaters. Clients will then visit the private home of celebrated local foodies Nimmy and Paul and spend two days enjoying their gracious hospitality, while learning the finer points of local Malabar cuisine and the culture that accompanies it. They will then travel north to spend two days in an old colonial mansion in Telicherry, where they will learn the art of Northern Kerala cuisine, influenced by the Moghuls, and very different from other Southern Indian cooking. Upon arriving in Tamil Nadu on their last day, they will visit The Bangala (The Bungalow in local language), where the owner will prepare her famous local cuisine for a welcome lunch. Her cooking is so well known that food enthusiasts travel from around the globe to sample her dishes.
If visiting in the spring (April 13 and 14), clients of Remote Lands will be able to experience Tamil Nadu’s Puthandu or New Year, which is celebrated with a lavish, multi-course feast, dancing and much festivity.

Vietnam: Remote Lands donates 10 percent of its proceeds to charities in Asia, and will arrange for guests to experience KOTO Hanoi, an internationally accredited hospitality program and restaurant, which offers underprivileged children the opportunity to learn culinary skills. Participants will spend a morning in the KOTO kitchens, learning cooking tips from the young staff, and preparing a meal that will then be served in the establishment’s attached restaurant. For those visiting Hanoi in December, Remote Lands will arrange all-access passes to the world-renowned, annual Aroma Festival (December 18-21). Held at the Sofitel Métropole Hotel, the festival attracts top chefs from around the world – past participants have included Dominique Corby and Didier Corlou, – who will highlight Vietnam as the rising culinary destination that it is. On their second day in Hanoi, clients will uncover local produce and flavors when they meet celebrated chef Bobby Chin and join him on a tour of his favorite food and spice markets. Following, a private dinner will be held in their honor at his eponymous restaurant, which will be attended by his friends and other influential contacts. Guests will be invited to spend their last three days on the luxury junk, The Emperor, where a private chef will prepare dishes from freshly-caught seafood and market fresh vegetables. Water sports, scuba diving and other activities will all be arranged by Remote Lands.

Remote Lands can arrange for Luxury Bespoke Culinary Adventures in many of the other Asian countries and territories including Thailand, China, and Indonesia. For inquiries, please call (646) 415-8092 or visit www.remotelands.com

About Remote Lands

Remote Lands, Inc., the world's foremost luxury bespoke travel provider focused exclusively on Asia, is based in midtown Manhattan with a logistics office in Bangkok. The company specializes in extraordinary experiences in magical, far-flung destinations and insider access to exceptional people and exclusive events. The venture capital-backed company was founded by seasoned business and travel entrepreneurs Catherine Evans Heald and Jay Tindall, both of whom have lived, worked and traveled all over the world. Remote Lands actively promotes socially responsible tourism that strives to bring an understanding of other cultures and helps to preserve their way of life. Ten percent of the company's profits go directly to local charities in developing countries. For more information, please visit www.remotelands.com

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