11TH April 2012 was a very special day for an elite group of Very Important Guests of Epson Singapore. They were all flying into the United Kingdom to watch Manchester United Football Club play against Aston Villa. The game was scheduled for the afternoon of 15th April but the group was going there a few days earlier to help them acclimatise to the weather and the jet-lag. Of course, being Very Important Guests of Epson, they also got to visit Edinburgh as well.
The flight into Edinburgh, transit London was uneventful. Upon arrival, the guests were brought to the Castle Terrace, a Michelin Star Restaurant for their welcome lunch. The food was really great and the service was impeccable.
After a sumptuous lunch, it was time to visit the Edinburgh Castle. Edinburgh Castle is a fortress, which dominates the skyline of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, its position atop the volcanic Castle Rock. Built on an extinct volcano, this is both a fortress and royal palace.
After the tour, the group was off to dinner and then turned in early for the night. The next morning, we were off to the Highlands visiting Loch Lomont and as well as the Auchentoshan Distillery. While at the Auchentoshan Distillery, the guests were treated to The Ultimate Auchentoshan Experience, where they were accorded the rare privilege of sampling whisky directly from the casks and as well as tasting some of the rarest Auchentoshan whisky in the Master Blender Room. At the conclusion of the visit, each of the guests were presented with a bottle of Auchentoshan Single Malt with their name printed on the bottle, a great souvenir to bring home to!
The following day, they were off to Manchester. Arrived into Manchester and had lunch at the Hilton Deansgate Hotel, the tallest hotel in Manchester. After their meal, all the guests were eager to do some shopping and hence, they were all off to the Arndale Centre!
On 15th April 2012, it was match day! Manchester United playing Aston Villa in Old Trafford. The guests were given a tour of Old Trafford, and some time to do a little shopping at the Manchester United Shop before they took their place in the stadium. Two goals from Wayne Rooney and strikes from Danny Welbeck and Nani were enough see off Aston Villa and restore Manchester United’s five point lead at the top of the League.
On 16th April, it was time to leave for home and en-route from Manchester to Heathrow Airport, the group stopped by Bicester Village for some last minute shopping. After satisfying their shopping pangs, the group was off to Marriot Hotel, Heathrow for a good dinner before boarding their flight back to Singapore.