Guests booking Aqua Mekong cruises in 2018 being hosted by acclaimed Australian Chef, David Thompson, will be able to take advantage of 30% savings on normal cruise prices for these special June and August departures.
The 4-night cruises from Ho Chi Minh City to Phnom Penh from 22 – 26 June and 3 – 7 August will include exclusive hosted components with David, who has been Consulting Chef with Aqua Mekong since its inaugural cruise in October 2014, including:
- Customised Market Tours – Travel with David to local markets to learn about locally grown and harvested ingredients, so essential to the freshness of Aqua Mekong’s dishes.
- Master Cooking Class – Attend a cooking class or kitchen tour hosted by David as he walks guests through his secrets of recipe planning, preparation and execution.
- Interactive Q&A with the Chef – Find out how the dynamic international food scene is transforming the way David designs his latest visions of culinary creativity.
Lead-in rate for the 4-night cruise is USD3780 representing a 30% saving on normal Aqua Mekong cruises of this duration.
Guests will experience the green Summer season and vibrant culture, history and cuisine of Southeast Asia aboard the sustainably crafted Aqua Mekong, a five-star floating hotel with 20 designer suites, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Mekong River, a 1:1 staff to guest ratio and twice daily shore excursions by high-powered skiff.
Aqua Mekong is the only ship on this stretch of the Mekong River to offer a fully-equipped gym, screening room, outdoor cinema, observation deck and an upper-deck pool.
Guests will dine on stunning dishes created by David Thompson and board the Mekong’s only private tenders for expert guided short excursions to serene Buddhist temples and stilted villages or exploration by bicycle and kayak.
For information and bookings, please contact your travel agent or Aqua Expeditions Australia on 1300 124 204 or reservations@aquaexpeditions.com.au
Having been named the 2016 Diners Club International’s Lifetime Achievement Award winner for Asia, David Thompson is a culinary artist who has established himself as a champion of authentic Thai cuisine and brought worldwide attention to Asian cooking.
David’s restaurants perennially earn Michelin stars and rank on ‘The World’s Best 50’ list, yet David arrived at such accolades for his Southeast Asian cuisine by accident.
An unexpected detour in his 1986 holiday plans left the Sydney native marooned in Bangkok where he discovered Thai food by “happy serendipity”.
The young chef began to study the Thai language as well as the diversity of the country’s cuisine, eventually finding his way to recipes in the Thai ‘books of the dead’ which became David’s most valuable resource and inspiration.
David returned home to achieve success in Sydney with the 1992 opening of Darley Street Thai and Sailors Thai three years later.
The Australian chef was then asked by Singapore lifestyle ad hospitality legend, Christina Ong, to create a Thai restaurant in her Halkin by COMO Hotel in London.
Nahm opened in London in 2001 and was awarded a Michelin star within six months – the first Michelin star for a Thai restaurant.
Nine years later, David did what many critics considered audacious, bringing Nahm to Bangkok where he has developed a loyal following even among Thais, thanks in part to using only the finest quality Thai ingredients, including many straight from his own farm in Ratchaburi Province outside the Thai capital. His restaurant, Long Chim, has expanded to Singapore, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, showcasing the spices and diversity of Thai street food.
