Sweet temptation: If you're planning a sojourn to Shanghai, M on the Bund is offering pavlova at dinner for only 10 yuan (HK$9.4) a slice, until July 15. Call [86 21] 6350 9988 for reservations (7/F, 5 The Bund, on the corner of Guangdong Lu, Shanghai 200002;
www.m-onthebund.com).
A great serve: Hotels with the best service, from the World's Best Service Readers' Survey 2003 to be published in the June issue of Travel + Leisure magazine
1. Boyer Les Crayres, Reims, France
2. MalaMala Game Reserve, South Africa
3. Amandari, Bali
4. Ritz-Carlton Bali Resort & Spa
5. The Peninsula, Bangkok
6. The Oriental, Bangkok
7. The Lanesborough, London
8. The Peninsula, Beverly Hills
9. The Peninsula, Hong Kong
10. Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay
10. The Regent, Bangkok
The great wall: For the first time, you can walk the full length of Hadrian's Wall (above), the second-century Roman frontier that crosses the north English countryside from coast to coast, and is a World Heritage Site. The 135km Hadrian's Wall Path, which opened on Friday, is ideal for a week-long walking holiday, but 40 short walks have also been created for those with less time and energy. Call [44 1434] 322002 or visit
www.hadrians-wall.org or
www.nationaltrail.co.uk for more details.
Backpacker baptism: Check in has five free copies of Lonely Planet's new title, Rite Of Passage, to give away to the first five readers who e-mail
[email protected]. Featuring travel tales from backpackers, the compilation makes an ideal goodbye gift for anyone travelling round Europe this summer. It details the challenges, mishaps, absurdities, epiphanies and the inevitable romance experienced by more than 40 young travellers, from meeting locals in Prague to finding love in Paris. Available by mail order for $155 (including postage) from Asia Publishers Services (tel: 2553 9289; e-mail:
[email protected]).
Deals on wheels: In association with Budget Car Rental, Experience Holidays can arrange car hire in Australia with prices starting from $226 per day in the eastern states and $416 in Western Australia and the Northern Territories (based on two weeks' hire in a 1.4-litre manual Renault Clio). Prices in New Zealand, meanwhile, start at $242 (based on two weeks' hire in a 1.3-litre manual Ford Ka). Valid until September 30 and October 31 respectively, call Concorde Travel on 2526 3319 for more details.
Internet check-in: Travellers from any of the 15 cities that Northwest Airlines serves, including Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan and Korea can now check in and print off their boarding pass over the Internet via the new Check-In service on
www.nwa.com. Until July 31, first-time users of the service who are members of Northwest's WorldPerks frequent flyer programme, will receive a one-time bonus of 1,000 air miles.
