Travellers' checks

Keen photographers heading for Angkor Wat, Cambodia, in search of the perfect shot can get a head start with an Angkor Photo Adventure package on offer at the plush La Residence d'Angkor, which includes a one-day excursion with a local professional photographer. The basic package also includes two nights' accommodation and a three-day pass to the Angkor temple complex for US$1,400, but you can add on extra excursions including an elephant ride, a bicycle tour and a helicopter flight (above) over Angkor. For more information and reservations, go to the hotel's website at www.residencedangkor.com and click on the small "View offers" button, tucked away at bottom left. Travellers on smaller budgets, or who would prefer to strike out on their own, can find plenty of useful information at angkorsunsets. com, which was set up last year to help tourists find alternative viewing points for the classic Angkor sunset scene.

Air France describes its latest round of web deal fares to Europe as "jaw dropping", which is just what they would be if the HK$3,600 included tax and fuel surcharges. Most fares actually come in at about HK$7,000 - depending on the airport taxes of the destination city - but the list of cities is long and the fares are still good value. Destinations include Bordeaux, Lyon, Geneva, Zurich, Milan, Rome, Venice (above), Madrid, Barcelona, Vienna, Prague and Lisbon. Most trips pass through Paris (some via Amsterdam, if operated by KLM), where you can stop over in either direction for an extra HK$750. Your time away must be at least five days or include a Sunday, and the maximum time away is one month. The last date for online bookings is February 10, for departure from February 1 to March 31. Visit www.airfrance.com.hk for a full list of destinations and online reservations.

The Oetker Collection, which manages such celebrated high-end properties as Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc, in Antibes, France, and Le Bristol Paris, has just opened L'Apogée Courchevel (top), in Europe's most exclusive ski resort. There's no shortage of luxury accommodation in Courchevel, but with the Oetker name (perhaps better known among its less-affluent clientele for Dr Oetker frozen pizzas and other culinary staples) behind it, this should be among the very best. Offering 33 suites, 20 double rooms, a penthouse and a private five-bedroom chalet with its own spa and cinema, L'Apogée also boasts a private ski lift. It's located at the top of a former Olympic ski jump, which could prove useful for departing guests who are running late. Extra free-night opening offers (starting from €900/HK$9,500 per night), and some very impressive Alpine scenery, can be found at www.lapogeecourchevel.com.

Tiglion Travel is selling a two-night package to Penang, Malaysia, that includes both Shangri-La's Golden Sands (top) and Rasa Sayang resorts, on the island's north shore, at Batu Ferringhi, from HK$3,490. The Rasa Sayang is the smarter of the two, but the properties are next door to each other and you can wander between them, and sign your bill at either's restaurants and bars. Other hotels and resorts on offer include the nearby Lone Pine Hotel (from HK$3,690), which is the lesser-known sister property of the famous Eastern & Oriental in Georgetown, and the Hard Rock Hotel (from HK$3,490). The most interesting of the Georgetown options is the 19th-century Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion (from HK$3,190), a former private Chinese home that was bought by a group of conservationists in 1989 and opened as a guesthouse and museum in 1995. Prices are offered per person, twin-share, and include round-trip, economy-class flights with Cathay Pacific and daily breakfast, but not tax and fuel surcharges. For a full list of hotels and reservations, visit www.tiglion.com or call 2511 7189.