Originally due to open in 2013, the Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain resort (above) in Chengdu, Sichuan province, is now promising to be ready by this May. Located at the foot of Mount Qingcheng, about an hour's drive from Chengdu's international airport, the 113-suite resort will be the first Six Senses property to open in mainland China. Nearby attractions include Mount Emei, a couple of panda facilities and the ancient Dujiangyan irrigation system, which is a Unesco World Heritage site. For further details on the resort and advance bookings, go to
www.sixsenses.com. Dragonair flies to Chengdu twice daily.
As mass tourism floods into Myanmar, more adventurous visitors are taking roads, and rivers, less travelled to remote areas of the country. In the far northwest, an area of Nagaland (most of which lies in India) has started to see a steady trickle of foreign visitors over the past few months and, in September, a new river cruise will take the Rimowa-toting luxury set into the region for the first time. Pandaw River Expeditions' seven-night trip up the Chindwin River aboard the RV Kalay Pandaw (below) promises to pass through "dramatic scenery of dense jungles, high cliffs and deep gorges and remote villages" on its way to the border with India. Full-board prices start from US$3,500 per person, including domestic flights between either Yangon or Mandalay and the embarkation and disembarkation points of the one-way cruise. Even with the flat-bottomed RV Kalay Pandaw, this journey will only be possible on September 12, 19 and 26, before the river becomes too shallow for safe navigation. For a full itinerary and reservations, visit
pandaw.com and click through Expeditions/A Voyage to Nagaland.
Travellers flying to Europe via Finland with Finnair can now get some shut-eye between connections in one of the new GoSleep pods (below) that have just been installed at Helsinki Airport. Not for the claustrophobic, the Finnish-designed pods contain an airline-style lie-flat seat and sockets for charging electronic devices, and feature a roll-down top providing a cocoon of privacy and darkness. These are the first to be made available in Europe, but GoSleep pods are already in use at airports in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Located between gates 18 and 38, they cost €9 (HK$77) per hour with blankets and pillows. Finnair flies daily between Hong Kong and Helsinki.
A Mandarin Oriental has been on the cards for the Moroccan city of Marrakesh for several years. The first attempt ended in 2011, when the company reportedly pulled out of a management contract with a property that became the Taj Palace - and is now the Sahara Palace - at the last minute. The company's second choice (below), which was announced in early 2013, is finally due to open on June 18, with 63 villas and suites not far from the city centre. Marrakesh probably has more luxury boutique hotels per square kilometre than any other city in the world, so you might want to shop around before making reservations, but it's good to see the MO brand finally staking a claim in this still tourist-friendly corner of North Africa.
