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Recognised and Awarded, Elite Havens Proves to Be the Best

in Destinations/News by

The pursuit of excellence in every aspect of our business, is a value embedded deep within the DNA of Elite Havens. Thus, it makes us proud to be bestowed with the renowned Certificate of Excellence 2018 from TripAdvisor.com – not for one, or two, but 19 villas across Asia. The awards, which were distributed earlier this year, recognise businesses across the world that consistently deliver an outstanding customer experience. The achievement is earned over time, where guests judge and review their stay at an elite haven. The villa must maintain an overall TripAdvisor rating of at least four out of five, have a minimum number of reviews and have been listed on TripAdvisor for at least twelve months. Says a representative of TripAdvisor.com, “We love working with such committed partners. Elite Heavens deservedly won our Certificate of Excellence after performing outstandingly throughout 2018.”

Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) have been supporters of speciality lodging for the past few decades. Still, says Elite Havens’ Managing Director and former Chief Technology Officer, Riyaz Moorani, “We don’t get a ton of business from them because our product isn’t the average holiday stay. We work in a niche market, offering luxury villas to the discerning traveller. Most people use OTAs to look for good deals on hotels and so our product doesn’t quite fit in with what they’re selling. But more and more, we are finding that people seem to be willing to make a commitment to book a big villa through OTAs. The market is gradually changing.”

This observation finds credence in recognition from Booking.com, who recently honoured Elite Havens with The Guest Review Award. These awards are given to Booking.com partners who have consistently received a review score between eight and ten from guests, with at least five reviews, for a period of two years. It recognizes key partners like Elite Havens, for their commitment to exceptional hospitality and service.

Moorani adds, “Each award that we receive is a great reinforcement of the fact that we are doing something right. We pride ourselves on delivering quality service. So, if we get a reward for fantastic reviews, it is noteworthy, especially when you consider how many properties are offered on those sites. To be in the top 9-10% of their properties in terms of performance shows that we are delivering on our promise to offer an exceptional luxury experience,

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Breaking the Circle in Yaowawit, Phuket

in Destinations/News by

Situated in the verdant jungles of Thailand’s Phang Nga province, two hours north of Phuket, Yaowawit School is home to as many as 150 underprivileged children from the surrounding areas. Either orphans or children whose families cannot take care of their upbringing, the children of Yaowawit live at the school until they turn 18. Different from other establishments, the school focuses on holistic education and experiential learning to help break the cycle of poverty. It proudly claims that quite a number of its graduates have gone on to university and the older ones have even begun successful careers.

Founded in the wake of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, Yaowawit is an impressive operation. Dedicated mentors work tirelessly to care for the children and teach them important life skills. While the school generates its own income from several small enterprises and is working towards being self-sustaining through the use of permaculture, it is grateful to receive help from individuals, small groups and corporations that share the school’s vision.

On 15 May 2019, the Elite Havens Phuket team decided to head to Phang Nga for a day of fun with the children of Yaowawit. On the way, Elite Havens Thailand Country Head, Femke Beekers, shared, “As a responsible company, we must also think about the community. So, along with the villa owners, we find out the needs of the community and help out as much as we can. In the past, we have supported the children of local prisoners in Baan Lung Pitak prison and the abused mothers in Good Shepherd by donating food and gifts on Children’s Day and Christmas. And we are always looking for locally-sourced products we can use in our villas. One such product we use is a beautifully scented soap made by abused mothers. We give this soap as gifts to our guests on their birthdays or in special gift baskets and we include a note about the women who make the soap and what they’re doing to make their lives better. We heard Yaowawit has a really good organic farm and that they also make products like detergent, so in addition to giving gifts today, we’d like to look into buying their produce or products for our villas. That way, our assistance is more long term.”

When the Elite Havens team arrived,

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Treat Professional Burnout and Recharge at Selofit

in Destinations/News/Recreation/Wellness by

Life is an endless loop of chasing the clock. Work, traffic, chores, to-do lists – one by one the stresses pile up and inevitably affect your mental framework and productivity levels. The only way to break the loop is to step out from the circle.

Reboot yourself by enrolling into Selofit, a Revitalisation Camp being held from 3-7 October 2019, at Selong Selo Resort & Residences, Lombok. The five-day camp has been especially designed for working professionals who need to recharge themselves and return with a renewed zest. Get back to the working world with a positive energy, and the ability to set new goals and achieve them with confidence.

Unlike a bootcamp or a yoga retreat, Selofit aims to instil a deep sense of well-being. The program has been built by Will Harvey, an experienced mind-body coach who likes to incorporate lifestyle changes and a change of mindset into your healthy living routine, to help you make a sustainable difference in your life. Expect an introduction to balanced nutrition, along with being taught empowering skills, all this supplemented with high intensity workouts.

“I played Australian football when I was younger,” shares Harvey. “That was my sport, I even represented Australia at the junior level. I’m an outdoorsy person and always wanted to help people get healthy and fit. As I evolved in the personal training business, I realised that fitness training alone wasn’t enough. You need a holistic approach. Your emotions affect your body, and thus your productivity. You can not just do one thing and ignore the other aspects, if you wish to optimise your health.”

Not your regular retreat, there’s plenty of fun and play at Selofit too. The package includes accommodation in a luxurious Selong Selo villa, which comes with your own private pool. Connect with nature as you gaze at the endless vistas, listening to the sound of crickets, a gentle tropical breeze blowing by. With a sense of being cut-off from the world, there couldn’t be a more befitting venue for this course.

Attendees of previously held Selofit Camps can’t stop talking about it. Nigel Hobler shares his experience, “The training and diet programme at Selofit were so well balanced. They were artfully combined with other activities, such as spearfishing and surfing.

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Women’s International Tennis Singapore’s Charitable Initiatives

in News/People by

Women’s International Tennis Singapore (WITS) was founded in 2000 by Chris Clontz, to provide a daytime tennis league to ladies living in Singapore. They grew from an initial 150 players, to the 637 doubles and 63 singles players registered in Scoring 2019 Season.

 In 2017, WITS registered as a society in Singapore, with a constitution directing it to raise funds for chosen charities. WITS committee members are all volunteers, and donate their spare time and energy to various important causes.

For several years, WITS supported a children’s charity in Cambodia called Sunrise, and made it possible for the children to take tennis lessons and have access to rackets, balls and other tennis paraphernalia. In 2016, they decided to support charities in Singapore and chose Aidha, an organisation that helps empower expat women to manage their finances and start businesses in their home country.

As a registered society, WITS can only support one charity raffle per season. It now supports Aware as well. Aware helps women in Singapore through difficulties at home, by providing helplines, legal advice and support centres.

For the past few years, Elite Havens has supported WITS, offering a villa holiday, at a luxurious property that features tennis courts, for the end of season awards, held in June and November. This has enabled WITS to raise more money for their chosen charities, through raffle ticket sales for the villa prize. As teams have enjoyed the benefits of villa stays, many members are now loyal customers of Elite Havens, booking villas for their personal holidays as well.

In addition to the charity work, WITS is increasingly becoming more environment-friendly and has stopped production of paper waiver forms and rule books. They now only use the online version. WITS members are also trying to minimise usage of single-use plastics and plastic bags.

That is not all. Members are involved in a range of related philanthropic activities. Recently, Leighann Beevor – a key committee member in charge of the WITS Facebook page – initiated a large collection of used tennis balls, to ship to a children’s tennis academy in the Philippines. Another member, WITS committee registrar Tanja Tullberg, helps coach soundball students in Singapore. Soundball is tennis for the visually-impaired and Tullberg recently accompanied the Singapore team to Spain for the Soundball World Cup. 

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Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn Just Crowned

in Culture/News by

Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn was crowned Saturday, May 4, 2019.

“I shall continue, preserve, and build upon the royal legacy and shall reign with righteousness for the benefit and happiness of the people forever,” the King announced.

66-year old King Vajiralongkorn assumed the throne 2 years ago. On Saturday, during a televised ritual from the Grand Palace, he took his crown from the country’s chief Brahmin, a Hindu priest. The ceremony was a mixed Buddhist-Hindu ceremony, observing the country’s main religions.

 
 
 
 
 
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#ขอพระองค์ทรงพระเจริญ

A post shared by Lan-laCafe.rimtang (@ls.nookie) on May 4, 2019 at 5:18pm PDT

King Vajiralongkorn became Crown Prince and heir apparent in 1972. He studied in Australia and the UK. He has two daughters and five sons. Last week, the king wed his new queen, General Suthida Vajiralongkorn Na Ayudhya.

 
 
 
 
 
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#ขอพระองค์ทรงพระเจริญ ???#เรารักสถาบันพระมหากษัตริย์ไทย??

A post shared by Duangjun Phunniam (@phunniam) on May 5, 2019 at 8:52am PDT

We are honoured to join the kingdom of Thailand in celebrating the auspicious occasion of the royal coronation of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn. Long live the King.

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