Hot Hotels
Summer’s fast approaching, and with it come public holidays, school vacations and that insatiable urge to escape the oppressive heat by any means necessary. I decided to devote this week’s column to a couple of great places to stay in the region that are also good value for money—so stop dilly-dallying and book a holiday already.
In Love With Laos
Richard Smith, who used to come ’round the HK Mag offices promoting events at Drop, has since fled south to balmier, swankier Laotian pastures. He’s doing a stint at a boutique hotel called Satri House, giving their F&B staff some extra training, and he reached out from Luang Prabang to share his impressions of the hotel and its surroundings. The 25-room hotel is located in a colonial-style mansion of former Laotian royalty, with dark wood furniture (I swooned at the sight of the four-poster beds with sheer curtains) and spacious balconies, plus a tropically verdant outdoor seating area beside a tranquil swimming pool. Smith also extols the virtues of Laotian cuisine, as well as the city's French-influenced bakeries and café culture. “It's very sunny and hot here at the moment—I plan an afternoon poolside tomorrow!” Richard writes. How cruel—I’m writing this as Hong Kong is enveloped in an apocalyptic black rainstorm.
A stay at Satri House starts at $1,500 per night. Book via www.satrihouse.com.
Sale, Sale, Sale!
I’m a sucker for deals, and Hotels.com is offering discounts of up to 50 percent on per-night rates at certain Bangkok hotels. They’re pretty upscale ones, too. At the Hansar Bangkok, for example, rooms start at $1,389 per night, down from the original price of $2,315. Spend the night just below vaunted sky bar Sirocco at the Lebua at State Tower for only $1,012 per night (regularly $2,025). And at the sleek n’ chic Metropolitan Bangkok, pay $791 instead of $989 for a night’s stay. Prices exclude all fees and taxes (of course); book until May 10 for stays until May 31.
Book via www.hotels.com/deals/bangkok-asia or Hotels.com’s English reservations hotline at 2840-0899.