Over in Ayutthaya, the start of this important religious event is marked by the Aquatic Phansa Festival, which sees more than 200 colourful boasts floating down the ancient Lad Chado canal, beauty pageants and creative cultural activities.

Find out more at http://www.TatNews.org

Fun for all the family

The Murray, Hong Kong welcomes visitors to the SAR with a Summer Staycation package that’s available for stays between June 29 and August 31.

Room rates start from HKD 5,200 (Bt21,800) for a N2 Grand Room and HKD 7,900 for Signature Suite. The package includes daily breakfast for two adults and two children, a HKD2,000 dining voucher at Murray Lane, Garden Lounge and The Tai Pan, HKD2,000 credit for treatments and activities by Wellness, round-trip Peak Tram ticket for up to four persons, signature Murray cake with welcome gift and complimentary extra bed with additional sofa-sleeper for children.

Book your stay at Niccolohotels.com or email reservations.themurray@niccolohotels.com.

Malaysian indulgence

Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur celebrates the completion of its renovations with the Club Indulgence package starting at MYR909 (Bt7,500).

Guests can enjoy a two-night stay in a newly-revamped Club Room, airport limousine transfer upon arrival, MO Club Lounge benefits (breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and evening cocktails, use of the boardroom for two hours and five pieces of dry cleaning per day), 20-per-cent reduction on spa treatments at The Spa and late check-out until 4pm.

Online booking can be made at http://www.MandarinOriental.com.

Fly and Drive for Benz

Switzerland’s luxury 7132 Hotel in Vals is offering a Fly and Drive package for those joining its Mercedes-Benz driving training session on September 13.

Priced at CHF576 (Bt19,300) for double occupancy and CHF776 for single occupancy, the package includes a two-night stay in a Deluxe or House of Architects room between September12 and 14, helicopter flight, on-road safety training in the afternoon, return with the helicopter to the hotel, breakfast buffet and free admission to the 7132 Thermal Baths.

Register at 7132.com/en/packages.

Benefit with Best Western

Best Western is providing all its members with a $20 Best Western Travel Card after their first stay this summer. Travel must be booked and fulfilled before September 3.

The Best Western Business Advantage benefits include preferred rates, automatic Elite Level Status Upgrades, 10-per-cent more bonus points, exclusive promotions, free annual memberships to Tripit Pro, the all-in-one travel organiser, as well as enrolment in Avis Preferred, which helps speed up the car rental process.

Sign up at http://www.bestwestern.com/en_US/best-western-rewards/business-advantage.html.

THE CHARM of French colonial elegance and the slow life are turning Luang Prabang into the hottest destination in Southeast Asia not just for tourists but also for luxury hotel chains, with the brand-new Rosewood the latest resort to open in the ancient royal capital of Laos.

Offering six-star hospitality and great cuisine, the Bt600-million project owned by Thailand-based Elysian Development, has been five years in the making, transforming the lush valley on the edge of Luang Prabang into an upmarket holiday retreat reminiscent of the late colonial era.

Hilltop Tent

“My family operates two boutique hotels in Luang Prabang and I decided to build this new project to provide travellers with more of a luxury experience. The location is perfect for tented-style villas and we are fortunate to hold a 50-year lease on the land,” Rena Udomkunnatum, Elysian Development’s managing director, explains.

“In line with Unesco’s restrictions, our designs stay true to Luang Prabang’s traditions. The roofs are the basic shades used by local residents used, all the buildings are low-rise and the architecture is a blend of classic Laotian and French colonial style. This matches Rosewood’s philosophy of giving ITS properties an authentic ambience.”

Just a 10-minute drive from the heart of the old town into the countryside, the resort occupies 16 rai and boasts 23 one-of-a-kind guestrooms, villas and tents, designed by acclaimed architect Bill Bensley.

The options include Riverside Rooms, Suites and Villas, Waterfall Pool Villas and Hilltop Tents, ranging in floor area from 48 to 90 square metres. During the low season, the room rates start from US$670 (Bt22,100) and go up to $1,200.

Designed on the theme of a Laotian Hill Station, each unit has a private swimming pool, oversized balcony and outdoor wooden bathtub that allow guests full privacy, extra comfort and a chance to indulge in the beauty of nature.

Riverside Villa

“It’s the one-of-a-kind place, embraced by a mountain range and waterfall. Today, we all live in fast-paced city and this is the good place to resource ourselves by enjoying the slow life. It’s a small property from a group with experience in luxury accommodation,” says Sonia Cheng, Rosewood Hotel Group’s chief executive.

“The design celebrates local culture and history, blending arts, cuisine and a holistic approach that links with our DNA philosophy – ‘A Sense of Place’,” she continues.

Inspired by the notion of a gracious French host – perhaps a diplomat or retired expatriate – the Bill Bensley team sourced and collected furnishings and artefacts for thoughtful placement in specific rooms to reflect the personalities and interests of travellers who might have stayed here over a century ago.

Guests might discover newspaper clippings and illustrations from the early 1900s, vintage Kodak cameras, the cutting-edge technology of the time, even croquet mallets from 1900 in homage to French obsession with the sport when a female team from that country competed in that year’s Olympic games.

A bathroom in a Riverside Villa

“It’s a beautiful valley. I created a sprawling walkway along a waterway and the rooms are designed one by one to give different details of the different stories,” Bensley tells The Nation.

“We have taken great care in looking for original artefacts, paintings and illustrations for each individual room, combing through Parisian flea markets, antique stores and vintage-ware collections. It was important to capture how the travellers of the time were hosted and made to feel at home.”

Hemmed in by a lush tropical forest, the opulent lobby is graced with a fireplace and elephant-inspired furnishings, reminding guests that this land was once a path taken by elephants as they made their way to the creek.

Overlooking to the landscaped garden, the Great House restaurant serves a selection of farm-to-table-dining and Lao specialities influenced by the cuisine of historic royal courts.

The Gruest House restaurant 

The adjacent Elephant Bridge Bar presents a stunning view of the river, perfect for a relaxing evening drink or whiling the afternoon away. Guests can enjoy light snacks, simple and healthy fare, and refreshing hand-crafted cocktails and beverages that use local herbs and spices for a tropical twist.

For complete relaxation, the Rosewood Spa soothes body and soul with the traditional holistic wellbeing programmes that combine Laotian healing remedies and Western techniques.

All therapies draw from nature to support life and healthy living, while experts help guests select native herbs, plants and fruits from the organic garden in the resort to create the tailored treatments.

Find out more at http://www.RosewoodHotel.com.

The stunning seafront destination features a wealth of family-friendly facilities, such as a kids’ club, an outdoor pool and a children’s pool with a sandy play area. There’s even a children’s buffet counter at the lively restaurant Makan Kitchen, and kids are welcome at the spa too.

TeddyVille, the museum, houses Malaysia’s largest collection of teddy bears, including some of the first teddies ever made.

An introductory promotion has room rates starting at 300 ringgit (Bt2,464) per night for guests booking direct via the resort’s website. And admission to TeddyVille is discounted 20 per cent.

“We fully understand the needs of families travelling with children,” says general manager Linda Giebing. “With more than 1,000 teddy bears on show, TeddyVille is a one-of-a-kind museum that will delight all visitors.

“We also offer other special, activities such as ukulele lessons and kids’ cooking classes to ensure that children staying with us have an enjoyable experience that last a lifetime.”

Overlooking Miami Beach and the turquoise seas beyond, Double Tree Resort by Hilton Penang features 316 rooms and suites, including Family Rooms connected by hallway doors to create a private sanctuary.

The spa offers treatments for kids six to 12 years old.

Find out more at (+60 4) 892 8000.

The airline currently operates 42 weekly flights to Bangkok and the new 787-10 is deployed on flight SQ983, departing Bangkok at 8.05pm, while the return flight SQ982 depart Singapore at 5.30pm.

Book a flight at http://www.SingaporeAir.com.

Imaginary stories in Milan

The luxury Armani Hotel Milano, Italy is joining the “Racconti Immaginari” exhibition by Paolo Ventura, which is on view at Armani/Silos until July 29, with a special package on the same theme.

Starting from Euro 634 (Bt23,700), guests can stay in an Armani Deluxe room, tuck into an American breakfast at Armani/Ristorante, sip a cocktail in the panoramic Armani/Bamboo Bar and visit the exhibition at Armani/Silos for free. Complimentary room upgrade and late check-out are also offered subject to availability.

Set up your plan at http://www.ArmaniHotelMilano.com.

Shoes and high tea

Art lovers booking a stay at Mandarin Oriental, Guangzhou between this Saturday and Tuesday can take advantage of the Head Over Heels Suite Experience as part of the “Shoes: Pleasure and Pain” exhibition being held in collaboration with London’s Victoria and Albert Museum.

The package starts at CNY4,500 (Bt22,800) and covers a one-night stay in a Club Executive Suite, a guided tour of the V&A “Shoes: Pleasure and Pain” exhibition at TaiKoo Hui Mall, afternoon fashion high tea for two at The Taikoo Lounge, a 75-minute foot therapy treatment at The Spa for two, Oriental Club Lounge privileges and complimentary leather shoe polishing service.

Online booking can be made at http://www.MandarinOriental.com/guangzhou.

Bargain buys from Bespoke

Bespoke Hospitality Management Asia introduces the Mid-Year Sale promotion offering guests the chance to save up to 40 per cent when booking a room via X2 and Away website by Sunday.

Valid for stays until November 30, room rates start from Bt1,199 per night for X2 Vibe hotels, Bt1,909 for Away resorts and Bt3,269 for X2 resorts and villas.

Check out the best rates at http://www.X2Lobby.com/mid-year-sale, http://www.X2Vibe.com/mid-year-sale and http://www.AwayResorts.com/mid-year-sale.

Love blossoms in Kanagawa

The much-loved Shonan Hiratsuka Tanabata Festival returns to Kanagawa in Japan’s Kanto region from July 6 and 8.

Devoted to the love story of Princess Weaver Orihimeboshi and the cowherd Hikoboshi, the streets and bamboo trees will be trimmed with beautiful lanterns in different designs, while visitors can also enjoy a colourful parade, cultural performances and a walking street boasting a variety of local delicacies and handicrafts.

Find out more at http://www.Jnto.or.th/newsletter/tanabata/.

An awardwinning Asian hospitality brand, Meritus manages the Marina Mandarin Singapore, Meritus Pelangi Beach Resort & Spa, Langkawi and the iconic Mandarin Orchard Singapore.

“Our strategically located hotels offer top accommodation choices for travellers visiting Singapore and Malaysia,” said Adrian Tan, regional vice presidentsales & revenue strategy, Meritus Hotels & Resorts.

“The launch of this new wholesale distribution platform marks a milestone in our continued thrust to improve our partnership with our offline contractors, while allowing us greater efficiency in the management of our distribution channels. As a result, we enhance our overall yield as well as build up a more robust base demand in order to maximise revenue for our hotels.”

Through Travel Prologues’ Trip Affiliates Network (TA Network) hotel platform solutions, hotels and their traditional travel agents and wholesalers will be able to collaborate more effectively to raise their direct business volume with one another.

In particular, hotels will now be empowered to tap on their offline travel distribution partners to sell any online tactical or promotional rates that have typically only been made available to online travel agents.

The contracting and booking process of a traditional wholesale agent with a hotel typically requires both the hotel and agent manually updating and booking inventory, and getting booking confirmations.

The TA Network platform is designed to leverage technology solutions to facilitate their direct connectivity and automate their inventory management processes so that the hotels and travel agents can eliminate potential human errors in manually maintaining hotel contracts.

“In addition to benefiting from higher yield, greater efficiency and productivity, our hotel clients will also be able to exercise greater control over its distribution channels – thereby reducing the risk of overbooking rooms, particularly during peak travel periods. In the process, they also significantly improve the booking experience for their customers,” says Ho Siang Twang, executive director of Travel Prologue.

Find out more at http://www.MeritusHotels.com.

With itineraries taking in some of Northern Italy’s most attractive and lesser-known destinations, the self-drive tours allow guests to immerse themselves in regional culture and learn first-hand from local artisans about their world-renowned craftsmanship.

Guests can explore the much-loved Lake Maggiore, which stretches from north of Milan into Switzerland, the pretty town of Bergamo that treasured for its steep narrow streets lined with beautifully preserved Medieval and Renaissance buildings, and Cremona, a community celebrated since the 16th century for its violin makers, such as the world-famous Antonio Stradivari.

The tour also serves lunch and guests can call upon a personal road assistant driver at an additional charge to ensure a smooth rental experience from start to finish. The service includes valet parking, car wash, refuelling, technical support and voice connection between vehicles, along with the possibility, at all times, for guests to switch to a modern car.

Find out more at http://www.MandarinOriental.com.