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The Parisian Chocolatier Reviving a 19th-Century Trading Card Tradition

The Parisian Chocolatier Reviving a 19th-Century Trading Card Tradition

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Namia River Retreat opened last month on the banks of the Thu Bon River in Hoi An, a coastal city in central Vietnam. The tranquil setting — all 60 villas stand between the water and a palm forest — inspires the resort’s wellness program. Activities include yoga, meditation and duong sinh (an Indigenous form of tai chi) sessions and swimming in the saltwater pool; there’s also access to riverside saunas, bamboo bicycles to explore Hoi An and sunset river cruises. An indoor-outdoor spa specializes in traditional Vietnamese medicine using herbs grown on the property and in nearby gardens. The villas themselves are more indulgent than you might expect at a wellness resort. Each comes with a private pool, a sunken bathtub and an outdoor shower, while the décor is replete with local touches, from the ash-wood furniture made in nearby Da Nang to the artisan-carved wooden wall hangings and photographs depicting Vietnamese life. And for food, you can choose between two restaurants: the Fisherman, a seafood spot, and the Merchant, where the playful menu offers cocktails inspired by street food (the Hoi An Chicken Rice Com Ga features a local rum infused with rice and chicken broth) and equally nontraditional dishes like cao lau carbonara, whose sauce is made with duck egg. From $700 a night, slh.com/hotels/namia-river-retreat.


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The Parisian chocolate company Debauve & Gallais was founded 225 years ago by Sulpice Debauve, a pharmacist to Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette who later became the official chocolate supplier to the kings of France. He introduced the confection as a health remedy to the royal court and, according to the brand, invented the era’s first chocolate one could bite into instead of drink. Those chocolats à croquer flat medallions shaped like old coins — became a signature that remains a Debauve & Gallais best seller today under the name Pistoles de Marie-Antoinette. Along with chocolate bars, truffles, Croquamandes (chocolate-covered almonds created for Napoleon Bonaparte in…

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