Travellers' checks

The Cheval Blanc Randheli resort in the Maldives made quite an impression last year with its exclusive Cheval Blanc-branded seaplane "swathed in signature taupe Italian calf leather, and serene white interiors". Now, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts is upping the ante with a branded Boeing 757 (above) that will carry 52 passengers (or "discerning travellers") around the world on extremely expensive holidays. Carrying the Four Seasons name on the fuselage and the company logo on the tail, the renovated Boeing will begin operating next February with a 24-day, round-the-world flight, starting in Los Angeles and visiting eight exotic destinations including Hawaii, Bora Bora and the Taj Mahal. Prices start from about HK$922,000 per person (twin share), which, not surprisingly, covers full board and activities (and, indeed, a free Rimowa carry-on suitcase for any travellers of that financial calibre who don't already have one). For further details, go to www.fourseasons.com.

The Caravelle Hotel (right), in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is celebrating its 55th anniversary this month by offering 55 per cent off standard room rates. The hotel didn't actually open for business until Christmas Eve 1959, but the building's opening ceremony was held the previous May, hence the promotional head start. The hotel's name was supposedly taken from the Caravelle jet airliner, which Air France had recently begun flying into what was then Saigon, and the carrier originally owned most of the ground floor, leased the whole first floor and had the fifth and sixth floors perpetually reserved for its cabin crew. The Caravelle Hotel, in particular its rooftop bar, became popular with foreign correspondents during the Vietnam war, and Associated Press, NBC, CBS, The New York Times, The Washington Post and many others had offices in the hotel. After the war, in 1976, the hotel was taken over by the government and renamed the Doc Lap Hotel - the name by which it was known until 1998, when the hotel was reopened, with a new 25-storey tower, as the Caravelle Hotel. Guests taking advantage of the discount rate (available from May 7 to 31) will have to book at least two nights, with non-refundable payment required upfront. For further details and reservations, click Promotions at www.caravellehotel.com.

Visitors to the Universal Studios Japan theme park in Osaka will, from July 15, be able to mingle with the likes of Harri Pottâ, Ron Wiizurii and Hâmaionii Gurenjâ (as they are known in Japan) at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter attraction. Offering a similar experience to the Universal Orlando Resort's themed area of the same name, the Osaka version will feature Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Flight of the Hippogriff, Hogwarts (or Hoguwâtsu) and Hogsmeade Village. Japanese of all ages have been avid readers of the Harry Potter series since Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (above) was published in 1997, so expect very long queues for the first few months. For further details and advance ticketing, visit www.usj.co.jp/e.

Private car transfers between the airport and hotel and no weekend surcharges are two of the benefits offered with TLX Travel's two-night Thai Airways package to Bangkok. The list of available hotels, most of them mid-range, is a long one, beginning in order of price with the Bangkok Cha-Da Hotel, which is offered from HK$2,690. Better options, closer to the centre of town, include the Swissotel Nai Lert Park (from HK$3,090), on Wireless Road, the Dusit Thani (from HK$3,390), in Silom, and the riverside Royal Orchid Sheraton (also from HK$3,390). Top of the price list is the Shangri-La Hotel (below), where Deluxe rooms start from a package price of HK$4,090. These rates, available until the end of October, include round-trip, economy-class flights with Thai Airways, daily breakfast and the above-mentioned airport transfers. For further details and reservations, visit www.tlxtravel.com or call 2270 7600.