Although not quite the global travelers like the Irish, whose St Patrick’s Day celebration is now a global excuse to go green and have fun. The popularity of tequila, and the marketing bucks of the major drinks companies, seems set to ensure that Cinco de Mayo – which commemorates an initial victory by Mexican forces, led by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguín, over the French in the Battle of Puebla in 1862 – becomes a global party. And what’s not to enjoy Mexico has great food, drinks and music enough for any fiesta.

This May “Grab a Corona to Mexico”, to win a $40,000 8-day Mexican USA cruise package for two. Look for the Corona promotion girls in your favourite outlets to collect your Corona Cruise passport and then collect stamps to win goodies like a 4GB SD memory card, $200 sports wear coupon (5 stamps), a Casio Digital camera (10 stamps), and a $2000 cruise travel coupon (15 stamps). There’s two rounds of luck draws as well, the first offer the glamorous cruise trip the second almost $100,000 of prizes. Check out www.coronafun.com.hk or your favourite outlet for more details.

As local palates become increasingly sophisticated more and more restaurants are offering wine matching menus where you can enjoy a set diner menu with each course paired to a different wine selected specially to complement that particular course. Recently Pearl on Peak (Lvl 1, Peak Tower, 128 Peak Road, 2849 5123) invited us to try their new gourmet Spring Blossom Wine Dinner with the wines chosen by local wine expert Lau Chi Sun to complete Australian Chef Geoff Lindsay’s six course menu. Highlights included a Guigal Condrieu 05 whose citrus, litchi and fresh ginger flavours complemented the one side seared tuna and zesty salad. A richly textured and full bodied Heathcote Estate Shiraz 04 went beautifully with strong flavours of the rare Kangaroo fillet, while a light Warres Otima 10 Year Tawny port was perfectly for a dessert comprising a bittersweet chocolate souffle, coffee cream cigar and XO Cognac ice-cream. Six courses, six glasses of wine and a great view across the harbour - $980 plus 10%.

The Avenue of Stars on the TST waterfront is a stunningly lame copy of its US counterpart. And were it not for the awesome view of the Fragrant Harbour I doubt anyone would visit it. Now though there’s a bar there, it’s not a very big bar and shock horror you can actually sit outside. While other World Cities would be exploiting their waterfront for leisure, tourist and cultural activities. Hong Kongs builds government offices, but we do have Deck n Beer (TST Promenade, Avenue of Stars, 2723 9227).

Over in Macau, Gary the former manager of Delaney’s Wanchai asked us give a plug to his new home the Blue Frog Bar & Grill Macao (Shop 1037, Lvl 1, Grand Canal Shoppes, The Venetian Macao, +853 2882 8281) which has a variety of daily specials designed for gamblers, shoppers and those of you who have just gone to relax and enjoy a spa. It’s Burger Burger Mondays, buy one burger and get second half price, 6pm to close. While Wednesdays is ladies night, so from 4pm to close it’s buy one standard drink get one free for Ladies. Thursday is Steak Out Night with a Salad, 8oz Rib eye Steak and glass of wine MOP268pp. Blue Frog is open daily 7am to late, food served all day. Happy Hour daily 4pm to 8pm, buy one get one free.