June 1, 2004 -- When people plan their first trip to Asia and ask me for advice, I try to find out what interests them. If they like being up to date, I suggest Japan; if they yearn for the unbelievable, I tell them to try India; if they want a gigantic work in progress, there's no better place than it's China. But for a milder form of exotica, fall back on Southeast Asia, where there's plenty of the unusual, a little of the modern, and a healthy dose of old-fashioned charm
Pleasant Holidays has some attractive trips to this part of the world, good this summer (August 16-September 15) on Cathay Pacific, and this winter (November 16, 2004-March 5, 2005) on United Airlines. Tours flying Cathay in clued:
- A 12-day/10-night package to Hong Kong and Vietnam, beginning at $2,296, with lodging in Hong Kong, Halong, Hanoi, Hue, Danang and Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon);
- An 11-day/nine-night bargain featuring Cambodia and Vietnam, starting at $2,252, with lodging in Hanoi, Siem Reap (Cambodia), Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City. Siem Reap, of course, is the airport for the magnificent UNESCO World Heritage site Angkor Wat and its satellites.
Using United Airlines, there's a 10-day/eight-night package to Bangkok, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh and Hong Kong, from $2,102. Also in the three packages are the sightseeing tours where applicable, including tours of Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong Island (and a sampan ride), the Mekong Delta, the Royal Grand Palace in Bangkok, Phnom Penh, and the temples of Angkor. Prices are based on double occupancy and include roundtrip airfare from Los Angeles or San Francisco, intra-Asian airfare, daily breakfast, some lunches and dinners, meet & greet amenities at airports and roundtrip transfers to hotels, baggage handling at airport, all service charges and hotel taxes. Contact Pleasant Holidays at www.pleasantholidays.com or 800/742-9244.
On Your Own
If you get to Asia on your own, and want to stay in luxury hotels, it helps to be aged 55 and over while many of the Pan Pacific hotel chain properties are offering senior rates from now through late December, 2004 (dates vary by property). You have to show your ID on check-in. Some examples:
- At the Pan Pacific Bangkok, you pay only $126 for a superior room (vs. $235 for the rack rate). Includes daily breakfast buffet, welcome drink and fruit basket, one-way transfer from airport to hotel, and a 55-minute Thai massage per person per stay.
- The Pan Pacific Manila cost for a single or double room is $95 (vs. $190 single, $210 double), and that includes roundtrip airport transfer and breakfast for two.
- The Pan Pacific Kuala Lumpur will charge you $55 (vs. $137) for a double occupancy room, including free breakfast for two, late check out (3 PM), morning newspaper, use of health club and 15% discount at food and beverage outlets. If you're traveling with up to two children aged 12 and younger, they get to stay free in your room.
- If you want to stay at the KL Pan Pacific Airport hotel, the daily rate is $79 up to $100 (vs. $187), but you must be 60 or older to qualify here.
- At the Sari Pan Pacific in Jakarta, Indonesia, you'll pay just $63 for a standard room (vs. $180), including breakfast for two, welcome drink and a fruit basket.
Contact Pan Pacific at www.panpacific.com or 800/327 8585 in the US or Canada.