| February 2006 |
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Give It A Goa
Goa was a
colony of Portugal until 1961, and its mixture of Eastern and Western
culture, make it an ideal destination for first-time travellers to India
like myself and wife Eleanor. |
Bairro Alto Hotel, Lisbon
You've booked your flight to
Lisbon and are excited; then you go online to
search for a hotel and your heart sinks. Endless business hotels, miles from
the city centre, no style, no Latin soul. Well, be of good cheer. Billed as the Portuguese capital's first
contemporary boutique hotel, the stylish
Bairro Alto is right in the thick
of the action. In fact, the converted mansion block on Praça Luis de Camöes,
a square in the hilltop old quarter, could not be in a better spot. |
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Global meet
on environmental tourism begins
Oman International Conference for Environmental Tourism began its sessions
here on 26.2.2006. The three-day conference inauguration ceremony at
Al Bustan Palace Hotel was presided over by Dr Yahya bin Mahfoudh Al
Mantheri, president of the State Council. |
Night Golf At Royal Palms
Royal Palms Estates, which owns and operates an 18-hole Championship Golf
Course in
Mumbai, has introduced the concept of night golf. |
Hilton Hotel Auckland, New
Zealand
Promoted as 'The Boutique Hotel completely surounded by water', the
Hilton Auckland is indeed in a unique location, right at the end of
Princess Wharf. |
Melbourne all set for
Exciting Commonwealth Games
Some 4,500 of the finest athletes from 71 countries will be aiming for top
positions at the Melbourne 2006 Commonwealth Games. |
High Style, Low Rates: Spanish
Paradores
The country has put $500 million into redoing its paradores, with talented
designers eagerly signing on to give gorgeous old buildings their due. |
Elite chefs create dishes for Emirates
From March 1, passengers in First and Business Class will be able to enjoy
meals on board created exclusively for Emirates by elite chefs from Jumeirah
hotels. |
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Langkawi Make A Strong Pitch For Tourism
Langkawi with its white sandy beaches, pristine sea water and sunshine
throughout the year, could be an ideal destination for high-spending foreign
tourists. |
Kyoto, Japan - A Geisha guide to
Kyoto's floating world
Memoirs of a Geisha -- both the Arthur Golden novel and the
film version of it -- depicts the Gion of yesteryear, but contemporary
Kyoto
remains a city lush with sensual experiences for even the most hurried of
travelers. Take a walk through these picturesque streets, and you can
experience the sights, sounds and sensations of Geisha's "floating world." |
Foreign tourists coming back for
more
A national survey has revealed that more foreigners are coming back to
Vietnam after their
first visit, to rediscover the trendy Southeast Asian travel destination. |
Gateway to the
Great Barrier Reef - 48 hours in Cairns
This is a great fun resort that offers far more than just coral and brightly
coloured fish, says Frank Partridge. |
Empire hosts Malaysia Holidays reps
The Empire Hotel and Country Club recently hosted a familiarisation trip
for visiting representatives from Malaysia Holidays, an agency based in
Australia, which specialises in travel packages to
Malaysia and
Brunei,
stated a press release. |
Home of the ruby red
Port. The word conjures up images of professors swirling glasses of the
ruby-coloured wine, discussing philosophy by a log fire. |
Pelangi Beach & Spa
Resort Langkawi spending RM15 million on guestrooms and ballroom
Pelangi Beach & Spa Resort Langkawi is to use a budget of some RM15
million (US$4 million) to refurbish guestrooms and the resort’s function
rooms into a ballroom. |
Luxury up in lights
The Conrad Bangkok is set to host the 2006 Bangkok International Film
Festival’s glittering Awards Gala Dinner, featuring a cavalcade of
international and local stars. |
Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai
launches Innovative Dining Experience for Single Travellers
The
Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai has launched “Interactions” a new dinner-time
experience aimed specifically at individual business travellers looking for
conversation and company over dinner. |
Metropole in world’s
top 500 hotels
The
Sofitel Metropole Hanoi’s reputation as a world-class hotel received a
boost recently when readers of two leading US travel magazines voted the
hotel into a list of the world’s 500 best hotels. |
Riverside Recognition
Starting off the New Year on a high note,
Bangkok Marriott Resort & Spa has received a Silver Award – Best Hotel
in Asia at the 2005 Virgin Holidays Travel Awards held in London at the end
of last year. |
Thaipusam festival in Batu Caves
Hindu devotees carries kavadi offering cage
climb 272 steps to the Batu Caves temple near the giant statue of Lord
Murugan during the Thaipusam festival in Batu Caves, near
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia on Saturday, Feb. 11, 2006. |
Bargain price for journey to paradise
Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to Kamala, a small former fishing
village just a few kilometres north of Patong but with a very different
vibe. |
Tourism in Taiwan
Transport minister has new plans to encourage tourism in Taiwan |
Sheraton
Resort and Towers Abu Dhabi
I have spent time at the
Sheraton in Abu Dhabi previously, in
the restaurants and the tavern pub, but hadn't stayed there before. The
hotel is right near the city centre, at the start of the Corniche road,
which runs along the esplanade of the city of Abu Dhabi. It is 37 kilometres
from the Abu Dhabi Airport. |
American golf too pricey? Fly to Pattaya or Bangkok, Thailand
Thailand really is a
golfer's dream. Weekdays, many excellent courses here charge $10 per round
plus $5 for the mandatory caddie. |
Asian Overland to make the
Frangipani bloom
ASIAN Overland Holdings Sdn Bhd, having bought over
Langkawi Village Resort
from Maldives-based Universal Resort Ltd for RM18 million, will spend RM5
million to upgrade it to 4-star status and rename it Frangipani Hotel. |
Sheraton Langkawi
Beach Resort completes lobby and Port Cochere refurbishment
Sheraton Langkawi Beach Resort has recently completed a full
refurbishment of the lobby, lobby lounge and Porte Cochere, offering guests
a new sense of arrival. The lobby upgrade follows the full refurbishment of
their 231 rooms and suites, and is the first Sheraton hotel in Malaysia to
feature Sheraton Sweet Sleeper Bed. |
HOSPITALITY: The genius of The Oriental
Premier hotel owes so much to Kurt Wachtveitl. Passion is the first thing
that Kurt Wachtveitl mentioned when asked how he had managed to remain the
general manager of
The Oriental Bangkok Hotel for 38 years without the slightest idea of
quitting. |
Rousing start to the Dog year
Quality Hotel City Centre Kuala Lumpur and Micasa All Suite Hotel in
Jalan Tun Razak welcomed the New Year by inviting the award-winning Kok Ngai
Troupe to spice up the Year of the Dog with a rapturous performance that
left the hotel guests, mostly foreigners, spellbound. |
