Village people: Spa Village, a new destination spa, has opened at Malaysia's Pangkor Laut Resort, which was recently voted best spa resort 2002 in the Harpers & Queen annual travel awards. Opened by Luciano Pavarotti and visited by Joan Collins and Nick Faldo, the spa (pictured) is spread over 1.6 hectares and features eight treatment rooms, Malay, Chinese and Indian healing huts, a wrap house, two bath houses, three nap gazebos, a herbal garden and a 50-metre lap pool as well as a restaurant, bar, library and boutique. Treatments offered include the Javanese Lulur Treatment, which includes a Balinese massage, Lulur exfoliation and a herbal bath (105 minutes, 375 ringgit or HK$770), or the Chinese herbal facial, featuring a snuff of aromatic herbs that relieves headache and sharpens the senses, a warm facial wash and scrub and acupressure massage to tone the facial tissues (50 minutes, 250 ringgit). Call [605] 699 1100 or visit
www.pangkorlautresort.com/spa.htm.
Got your goat: Bring in the Year of the Goat and get a great view of the fireworks (February 2) at the Mandarin Oriental, which is offering special rates for room packages. City View rooms are $1,399, Harbour View rooms are $1,599 and Harbour View Suites are $2,199 (normally $2,950, $3,800 and $6,500 respectively). Rates include breakfast in The Cafe or Clipper Lounge and complimentary use of the gym and sauna. On February 1 and 2, the God of Wealth will distribute Lai See packets throughout the hotel between 12.30pm and 2pm and 7pm and 8pm. The Lunar New Year package is available to HKID cardholders from January 30 to February 9; call 2522 4466 for details.
Take five: Until August 31, the Kowloon Shangri-La has a five-day/four-night New Horizon package to celebrate the debut of its new 450 sq ft Horizon Club rooms. Priced at $24,988 for two, the package includes accommodation in a Horizon Club Premier Harbour View Room and daily breakfast (including one champagne breakfast in bed), plus an impressive array of benefits. Starting with roundtrip airport transfers by Rolls-Royce, over the five days you can indulge in a private dinner served in the room (including wine); a butler-drawn rose petal bath with essential oils; an in-room 45-minute foot massage for two; three-hours' Rolls-Royce chauffeured shopping or sightseeing; a half-day city tour of Hong Kong Island or Kowloon Peninsula with a private guide; and a private three-and-a-half-hour fung shui tour. There's also free broadband Internet access in the room; unlimited dry cleaning and laundry service; late check-out until 6pm, plus you'll get access to the Horizon Club Lounge, where benefits include private check-in and check-out, a purser service, complimentary beverages throughout the day and evening cocktails. Call 2331 6688 for more details (
www.shangri-la.com).
On the piste: Swiss International Air Lines is offering a range of ski holidays to France and Switzerland until the end of April. In France, seven-night packages include Chamonix (from $12,599) and Courcheval (from $18,999), and in Switzerland, Saint Moritz (from $15,519) and Grindelwald (from $11,299). Prices include round-trip economy flights to Geneva/Zurich, transfers by rail or private car, accommodation and six-day ski passes. Call Shun Tak Travel on 2283 2688 for details. To celebrate the opening of the agency's new 3000-sq-ft Mega Leisure Travel Centre in Sheung Wan, you will receive a complimentary TurboJET ticket to Macau if you spend $2,000 or more.