Earth Hour at YTL Hotels

Join YTL Hotels in the global campaign to raise awareness of global warming by turning off your lights this Saturday on March 31^st, 2012 for Earth Hour. From 8:30pm until 10pm, YTL Hotels' luxurious properties will be joining the rest of the world by turning off its lights and all other non-essential electrical appliances.

If you're planning on staying at one of our resorts this Saturday, don't worry, we won't leave you completely in the dark! Our properties are going to be candlelit for the occasion which you can enjoy while dining on specially created Earth Hour themed menus which will be accompanied by live music.

The combined carbon emission savings of turning off all the non-essential lights in each of YTL Hotels' Malaysian luxurious properties as well as YTL Corporation's other Malaysian and Singapore companies will come to 1,398 (kgC02/hr). That's the equivalent of almost 8,290 hours of computer usage!

We're not leaving our participation though at just our Malaysian properties, Earth Hour is a global event so YTL Hotels will take its participation overseas with its properties in Thailand, Bali and Japan also collaborating to send out a powerful message on the issues facing our planet regarding Global Warming.

If your staying at the private tropical island, Pangkor Laut Resort, during the event, you can look forward to a specially designed Earth Hour buffet at Feast Village. The special Earth Hour menu is priced at RM375++ per person.

 

There will be live entertainment at the Unmistakably Malay Tanjong Jara Resort with a Wayang Kulit performance which will manipulate the light and shadows. Want a drink with the performance? Low Carbon Footprint mocktails will be served throughout Earth Hour to add to the experience.

And up in the highlands at Cameron Highlands Resort, a romantic ambiance will be set with with all of the essential lights turned off and the corridors will be lit with tea lights. The special Earth Hour menu is priced at RM200++ per person.

For those of you staying at The Majestic Malacca, a pianist will be performing live for you during a candlelit dinner in The Mansion which you will walk to guided by tea lights that will line up the walkways and common areas. The special Earth Hour menu is priced at RM140++ per person.

At Vistana Kuala Lumpur, complimentary low-energy snacks will be served while walkways and common areas will be lined with atmospheric tea lights to lead you to your candlelight dinner at the Coffee House.

Meanwhile, a mini hawker fair will be set up at Vistana Kuantan’s poolside, with mesmerising cultural performances by the hotel staff, while you can tuck into the mouthwatering array of traditional Malaysian delicacies.

Besides being treated to light snacks and fruit punch,  you will be invited to light up Vistana Penang's re-creation of the Earth Hour logo formed by tea light candles at the Lobby, during countdown.

And what about our oversea properties?

At Spa Village Resort Tembok, Bali, get yourself ready for a spiritual ambiance as the resort captures the essence of Earth Hour with the poolside lined with candles out under the stars and by the beach. To mark the occasion, there will also be a live Gamelan performance which you can enjoy with a barbeque dinner.

For those staying at The Surin, Phuket, you can either dine by candlelight at the Lomtalay Thai restaurant or enjoy a candlelit barbeque on the beach which will be served with a complimentary glass of Prosecco.

In Niseko, the restaurants and lounge area at The Green Leaf Niseko Village will be lit with candles. The Hilton Niseko Village will also be offering spa treatments in candlelight in the Wakka Spa and there will be a live Japanese Drum performance at The Flame for your entertainment.

“Our customers and guests are our top priority and we want to celebrate Earth Hour with them by having a line-up of interesting events so that 31 March 2012 will mark a special day for all to participate in,” stated Ruth Yeoh.

YTL Hotels' Latest Facebook Competition

Do you need a holiday? Don't we all? Well now you have the chance to take one with YTL Hotels' latest facebook competition, 'Diving into the Deep'.

We're offering you the chance to take yourself and someone special on a three day, two night stay to the Unmistakeably Malay Tanjong Jara Resort. Located on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, Tanjong Jara Resort is a sanctuary of luxury and well-being steeped in age-old Malay traditions. The 'Diving into the Deep' theme was chosen to coincide with the start of Dive Season at Tanjong Jara Resort but it doesn't mean that if you can't or don't dive that you can't enjoy this fabulous prize.

 

The submitted pictures for the competition can be underwater or in the water. If you have images of yourself at the beach, that is also acceptable as long as you are in the water at the beach. So for example, you could submit a picture of yourself being hit by a giant wave or walking along the beach hand in hand with your loved one with the waves lapping at your feet. Anything that you have that involves you and the sea, we want to see!

To win, it's all down to votes. Whoever has the most votes by the 6^th of April, 2012 at 2359 (Malaysian Time) will be announced the winner by us on our Facebook page on the 9^th of April, 2012. So get your friends to vote for you and to give them an incentive to help you out, we're giving every person who votes a 15% discount voucher for a spa treatment at a Spa Village at any of our resorts. This voucher is per person and not per vote.

The full breakdown of the prize is as follows:

• 3 Days/ 2 Nights stay for 2 persons in 1 room at Tanjong Jara Resort
• A daily breakfast
• 50% off a dive or snorkel excursion (minimum 2 persons)
  
  

 The prize is valid from April 1^st to 31^st October 2012 (excluding July 15^th to 31^st August) and only those who are 18 years of age can participate. You can read the full Terms and Conditions on the competition's rule page.

This is a chance for you to immerse yourself into the nature's wonders at Tanjong Jara Resort. The opportunity to snorkel or dive at the tropical island Tenggol Island is just a short boat ride away and is one of the most beautiful islands in South East Asia. You can read more about Dive Season at Tenggol Island with our previous blog post.

We wish you all the best of luck but the only way you can win is if you start sending those pictures in!

International Guest Yoga Teacher at Spa Village Resort Tembok, Bali

Next month, Spa Village Resort Tembok, Bali will be visited in April by an international yoga teacher, Erica Mather. If you've been looking for an earthly and spiritual experience then this is the opportunity you've been searching for.

Erica has been teaching yoga for six years since 2006 in New York City and this year, she is appearing at the Bali Spirit Festival. Erica believes in the path of personal growth and supports those interested in learning about the body, alignment and how to create space within oneself for the spirit to grow though intelligent, challenging yoga and coaching classes.

Erica Mather is a certified Forrest Yoga instructor and Forrest Yoga Mentor Teacher and teaches at the Wanderlust Festival, Kripalu and you can visit her website at http://ericamather.com. Erica is being brought in by Linden Shaffaer who is the founder of www.pravassa.com which you can visit for guides on how to restore one's life balance.

We look forward to welcoming her to Spa Village Resort Tembok, Bali next month!

Diving Season Returns to Tanjong Jara Resort

It's March and it's time to dig out those snorkelling masks and dust off your dive equipment because Malaysia's best-kept secret, Pulau Tenggol, is officially ready to be revealed once again. With the wet season officially over, the Unmistakably Malay Tanjong Jara Resort provides a route to a wealth of underwater adventures for both beginners and experienced dive enthusiast.

From March to October, the deep waters of the Terengganu Marine Park come to life, offering a perfect window onto untouched coral gardens and rare species of marine life. Check out some of our images of some of the friendly sea creatures you could go swimming with!

Tenggol Island is situated in the South China Sea on Peninsular Malaysia's east coast and is one of Malaysia's most beautiful and serene islands. Over 20 stunning dive sites surround the main island of Pulau Tenggol so there's plenty of space in the vast ocean for all to enjoy! With depths up to 30 metres guaranteeing sightings of some of the world's most spectacular marine life. Be one of the divers who glides through the waters with friendly sea turtles while watching giant manta rays coast through the ocean and, if you are lucky, there is also a chance guests can spend their dive excursion swimming with the largest fish in the world, the Whale Shark.

The Tenggol Diver's Escape dive package gives you the perfect opportunity to explore the South China Sea's underwater haven. You can, for a minimum of 3 nights stay for MYR 980++ per night, and included in the price is a daily breakfast and two days of diving excursions, inclusive of a barbeque lunch on Tenggol Island. The Tenggol Diver's Escape package runs from the 1st of March 2012 until 30th of September 2012 and must be used within the specified period. Diving equipment is not included in the price but is available to hire from the Water Sports Centre.

If you're an inexperienced diver, Tanjong Jara Resort's experienced dive instructors are ready to lead you on a journey of discovery with a range of PADI licenses, including Open Water Diver and Advanced Open Water Diver as well as Emergency First Response and Rescue Diver courses on offer. If your interested, you can receive the PADI theory book prior to their visit and for those beginners out there, introductory diving classes are available.

Tanjong Jara Resort provides the ideal breathtaking underwater haven practically right on its doorstep with just a 50-minute anticipation building speedboat journey between Tenggol Island and the resort. This an unforgettable experience that will create lifelong memories and an amazing diving holiday experience for anybody who can't wait to stick on those flippers and dive right on in to the deep blue sea.