Travellers' checks

Sunny Sanya and the sandy southern shores of Hainan island have seen a rash of new high-end hotels and resorts in the past decade, but Haikou, in the north, has remained relatively quiet, with just a Sheraton and a Shangri-La representing the major international brands. Joining them on May 1, however, will be the Westin Haikou, a fairly impressive-looking 297-room hotel offering "magnificent sea views" over Haikou Bay and all the usual "luxury" mod cons. As is now the norm with new mainland hotels, the only official imagery on offer is an artist's impression (right), but at least this one appears to include a smattering of authentic smog in the background. Although it doesn't live up to the dubious "Hawaii of China" slogan used to sell the rest of the island, Haikou is an interesting little city, with a good selection of 19th-century European-style architecture (Britain and France both had consulates here in the distant past) in various stages of decay, and the government has lately been spending a lot of money on restoration. Round-trip flights to Haikou with Dragonair can usually be had for less than HK$1,000 and a visit to the cultural end of the island (discouragingly referred to in the 19th century by one visitor as "a dank, poisonous land unfit for normal men") should make for an interesting weekend for anyone who has done Sanya and Yalong Bay, or for those for whom beaches and palm trees hold limited appeal. For opening rates at the new hotel, visit www.westin.com/haikou.

Families looking for an affordable summer break with the kids will find all the bases covered by the Family Fun Package at Shangri-La's Golden Sands Resort (top) on the island of Penang, in Malaysia. Rates start from M$660 (HK$1,560) per room night (plus 16 per cent tax and service charge) for two adults and two children aged under 12, with daily buffet breakfast, daily dinner with free house wines, beers and soft drinks, one pizza lunch, and four hours in the kids' Adventure Zone. A two-night minimum stay is required. For more details, go to www.shangri-la.com/penang/goldensandsresort, click through Offers/Rooms & Suites Offers, and scroll down to the Family Fun Package. Dragonair will start flying to Penang 10 times a week from March 30, replacing the service operated since 1977 by Cathay Pacific.

Although the 2014 Formula One Singapore Grand Prix is still six months away, Swire Travel is already offering early bird tickets with discounts of up to 25 per cent for those planning to make the trip. A useful chart showing all the ticket categories and prices can be found by going to www.swiretravel.com, clicking through Leisure Travel/Hotnews then scrolling down to the relevant link.

Farrington American Express Travel is offering a package to Seoul (top), South Korea, that includes round-trip, economy-class flights with Cathay Pacific and two nights' accommodation from HK$2,750 per person, twin share. The cheapest of the hotels on offer is the Best Western Hotel Vision, a budget hotel which gets mostly positive online reviews. For those willing to dig a little deeper, the Millennium Seoul Hilton is available from HK$3,650, the Renaissance Hotel from HK$4,150 and the InterContinental Seoul Coex from HK$4,350 (note that this is the only hotel that provides complimentary breakfast). These prices will be available until April 16 and include travel insurance. For a longer list of hotels and further details, visit www.amextravel.com.hk or call 3121 3121.