Flying the flag The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, more commonly known as P&O, began scheduled passenger and mail services between Hong Kong and Britain in 1845. Its grand harbour-front building was one of the finest in the colony and, for 20 years, P&O offered the only reliable transport to and from Europe. Re-branded as P&O Cruises in 1977, the company still calls in at Hong Kong from time to time, though with nothing like the frequency it once did. Later this year, P&O will begin repainting its ships in a rather bold celebration of its British heritage by emblazoning the vessels' bows with what it describes as the world's longest versions of the Union flag. And as if that weren't patriotic enough, a new ship called the Britannia (bottom right) will be launched in March. That
same month, Hong Kong will be the embarkation port for a 20-night cruise that will sail to Dubai via Hainan Island, Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia and India. Anyone with a desire to recreate the old P&O voyage home, or at least the first half of it, can find a full itinerary and book online at www.pocruises.com Prices start from £2,049 (HK$26,000) per person, full board.
Railway reads Over the years, the train has been a particularly fruitful mode of transport for writers, who, in a comfortable chair, with few distractions and in a usually convivial atmosphere, have created many classic works of travel fiction and non-fiction. Recently published, The Railway Anthology gathers the work of more than 50 writers, from Charles Dickens and Lewis Carroll to Bill Bryson and Paul Theroux. Peter Fleming (brother of James Bond creator Ian, but a superior writer) describes the Trans-Siberian Railway of the 1930s; we join Mark Twain as he journeys from Calcutta to Darjeeling; and Mark Tully takes us up the Khyber Pass. The Railway Anthology, compiled by Deborah Manley and published by Trailblazer Publications, is available in hardback at amazon.co.uk for £8.42.
Virgin territory Having acquired the property earlier this year, Virgin Limited Edition - Richard Branson's boutique luxury hotel and resort company - has just reopened Mont Rochelle (below), a posh 22-room hotel and vineyard located a 45-minute drive from Cape Town, in South Africa. The renovated Mont Rochelle (which opened a couple of days before Virgin Atlantic announced it would stop flying to Cape Town from next April) dates back to the 17th century, and is surrounded by some of South Africa's most striking scenery. Until the end of the year, guests booking four nights or more will get their last night free, with rates starting from a reasonable £250 per night, including breakfast. For further details and reservations, go to www.virginlimitededition.com
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Deal of the week Swire Travel is selling a two-night stay at the X2 River Kwai Resort, an eight-cabin boutique design hotel that opened in July on the banks of the infamous waterway north of Bangkok. Prices start from HK$2,390 for a PoolXide Cabin and go up to HK$3,330 for a Luxe Cabin Suite, with a couple of other accommodation options in between. These prices, which include round-trip, economy-class flights to Bangkok with Cathay Pacific and daily breakfast, will be available until the end of next month, when they will go up by a few hundred dollars until mid-December. Airport transfers are not included, but a vehicle for up to three people is offered for HK$670 each way for the two-hour drive. For further details and reservations, visit www.swiretravel.com Go to x2resorts.com to see the various types of accommodation offered. Travellers with more interest in the film that made it famous than in the river itself will, within the next couple of years, be able to visit a reconstruction of that bridge on the River Kwai near Kitulgala, in Sri Lanka, which was where the movie was filmed. The small town is currently popular for its white-water rafting and jungle activities, which can be discovered at www.kitulgalaadventures.com
