Pan Pacific Nirwana Bali Resort

The Pan Pacific was formerly under the Le Meridien brand. It’s located a short way away from the frenetic scene of South Bali (such as Kuta, Legian and Seminyak) on the west coast very near the famous Tanah Lot temple. The resort includes an 18-hole Greg Norman designed golf course.

Deluxe Pool View Room at the Pan Pacific Nirwana Resort

The deal: Stay a minimum of two nights in a deluxe pool view room before 31 December 2012 for a special price of US$155++ per night. The rate includes the room, daily breakfast, a 30 minute massage and 20% off additional spa treatments. Bookings must be made by 31 August 2012. See the web site for full details.

The Okura Prestige – Bangkok

The Okura Prestige is a brand new hotel (to be opened in May 2012) with direct access to the Skytrain near Bangkok’s embassy row, and not far from the city’s main shopping district. The luxury chain promises a blend of Japanese and Thai cultures with cutting edge facilities.

Deluxe room at the Okura Bangkok

The deal: The Okura Discovery Package offers a special rate of 5,800 Baht++ per night (that’s just under US$200) for a deluxe room. The special rate includes breakfast and complementary Internet use. Offer valid for stays from 14 May to 31 December 2012. See the Okura Bangkok web site for full details.

Banyan Tree Spa Sanctuary Phuket

The Banyan Tree resort on Phuket was built around what once was a tin mine. Consisting entirely of villas, many with private pools, spread out on lush grounds around a lagoon, the resort is an idyllic honeymoon destination as well as a place to relax and reconnect. The resort is adjacent to an 18-hole golf course and also includes its own gym, tennis courts and yoga rooms.

How many of these can you manage in a day?

The deal: For those that like Thai massage, this seems like an offer you can’t refuse – Book three nights or more under their Ultimate Spa Retreat promotion and you’ll receive unlimited – that’s right, unlimited – 90-minute spa treatments. The promotion also includes daily breakfast, a consultation with a Ayurvedic doctor, daily high tea, morning yoga session, and more. See the Banyan Tree web site for full details.

Anantara Resorts – Worldwide

Anantara operates a number of resorts around Southeast Asia as well as the Maldives and United Arab Emirates. Each resort is designed to harmonize the environment with local craft traditions and culture. Every resort provides a unique cultural immersion, as well as all the comforts you’d expect from a luxury get-away.

The Anantara Si Kao resort in Trang province, southern Thailand

The deal: Anantara’s shoulder-season "Stay Longer" promotion offers discounts of up to 35% for longer stays. The promotion is good at all resorts, but the minimum stay (starts at three nights) and discount vary by destination. The promotion is good for stays from 1 May to 30 June 2012. See the Anantara web site for full details.

The hotel bills itself as a radical re-imagining of what a city hotel should be, and on the face of it they have definitely done something interesting. The curiously perforated sunscreen shields a ultra-modern concrete and glass structure. The screen probably does a good job keeping the rooms from being too hot (an important consideration at this time of year) and there’s nothing in the way of a view from the low-rise structure anyway.

The interior makes heavy use of concrete-gray as a base color, but curved surfaces and lots of splashes of color keep it from being cold or hard. There is free wi-fi throughout the hotel, and I also noted coffee machines in several public areas, which the manager I spoke to informed me were free for hotel guests.

I didn’t get offered a look at the rooms, but from the photos on the hotel’s web site, you can get a good idea of what they’re like – very modern, glass-enclosed bathroom, a tilted wall here and there.

Given the location, right in the heart of Bangkok’s main shopping district, Lit seems like a really good option. Published rates start at 7,000 Baht (about US$230) but discounts from both the hotel’s own web site as well as on-line booking sites suggest that you can easily get a room at the Lit for around US$120, which is pretty good deal for a nice hotel in that area.

For more information, visit the LIT Bangkok web site, or you can check for discounted rates from one of our partners at the POSH Guide.

Although newly built, the little hotel aims for an old-world turn-of-the-twentieth-century charm, with a light Greek-revival design, stressed wood floors, and antique furnishings complemented by newly built furniture in the same style. There are four suites and four studio rooms.

The suites have a large ‘living’ room with an over-sized dining table, sofa, mini-bar and large breakfront cabinet. The adjoining bedroom has a queen size bed, and off it is a dressing area with a large desk and two wardrobes. The bathrooms are rather small, with just a walk-in shower and old-fashioned fittings.

The studios are of course just a single bedroom, with either a queen bed or two twins. There are connecting doors between the suites and studios so you can have a two bedroom suite if needed. All of the flat-screen televisions in each room are ‘smart’ TVs that have Internet capability as well.

Hotel amenities include a restaurant, a lounge cum library dubbed ‘The Joy Luck Club’ and a roof-top swimming pool. The pool is a good shape for laps and has plenty of deck room for sunbathing. There are no high-rises in the immediate area, so at mid-day the roof is going to be quite sunny.

Special opening rates start at just 4,000 Baht (~ US$135) and includes breakfast for two, free wi-fi access throughout the hotel and mini-bar use. Visit the Cabochon Hotel web site for more details.

Update – 23 April 2012: The hotel is now appearing at on-line booking sites. Have a look at our own page for the Cabochon Hotel to see what rates are available.

Several areas of the resort are already under renovation, to be ready for re-opening by the re-branding date. These include the two special restaurants, Benihana and Trader Vic’s. For reservations and more information, you can visit the Anantara Bangkok Riverside web page.

The overall design of the Kempinski Bangkok is meant to form an oasis within the busy city. The two guest wings wrap around a large central courtyard, which is planted with some already lush foliage, and dotted with four salt water swimming pools. All of the corridors are single-loaded on the exterior of the buildings, so every room faces the courtyard. This design effectively shuts out the noise of the city and gives the courtyard a true resort feel.

The guest rooms exude a comfortable opulence, with huge bathrooms, large beds and state of the art flat screen televisions. A panel in the credenza next to the televisions gives you access to ports that will allow you to plug in just about any device you may travel with. The bathrooms feature a large free-standing bathtub and separate shower stall. As seems to be ‘standard’ in hotels these days, there’s a glass wall between the bathtub and the bedroom. The walls are covered in a padded Thai silk, with accent panels depicting scenes of village life. There are several different panels, so you may see different scenes if you visit different rooms. In fact, Thai art decorates the hotel throughout. Built on Crown Property, with investment from the Crown Property Bureau, the Siam Kempinski aims to display the best of Thai arts and culture, and plans to rotate the works on display on a regular basis.

All rooms include free Internet access and breakfast. The hotel’s Brasserie Europa main restaurant has an open kitchen and outdoor poolside seating. Just off the lobby is the hotel bar, with a large wall of wines and spirits as well as an outdoor area that serves as a cigar lounge. Down an amazing grand hallway is the "T Room" a plush place to relax in the afternoon for a high tea, although there’s also a bar. Nearby is the hotel’s Thai restaurant Sra Bua, which won’t be done in time for the opening this week. Overseen by a Michelin-starred Thai chef, Sra Bua will serve contemporary Thai cuisine in a setting that already looks spectacular. Other hotel facilities include a spa and fitness center, as well as the usual complement of ballrooms and meeting rooms. The residence wing also has its own restaurants, although residence guests will also be able to use the hotel’s facilities.

Rates for the Siam Kempinski seem to be competitive with the other top end Bangkok hotels. You can get some special rates and even free nights by booking through the Siam Kempinski Hotel web site before 1 August 2010, or you can check this page for additional booking sites.

The Executive Travel package, for 6,250 per night, gives you access to the Executive Lounge with the following benefits:

• Daily Buffet breakfast
• In-room 24-hour Internet usage
• Upgrade to Deluxe View guest room
• Guaranteed early check-in or late check-out till 1800 hours
• Unlimited garment pressing
• 25% on a single spa treatment at MSpa
• Welcome tea upon arrival
• Coffee/tea service with wake-up call
• Canapés in the evening from 05:30 p.m. to 08:00 p.m.
• Snacks and beverages available 24 hours a day
• Complimentary use of Private meeting room for an hour per stay
• Unlimited local phone calls and no surcharge for credit card access calls
• 24-hour Business Centre
• Exclusive room registration in Executive Club
• Express check-out

Add 1,500 Baht to the above rate for a second person.

For just 4,000 Baht per night, the Ultimate Value package provides the following:

• In-room 24-hour Internet usage
• Guaranteed early check-in or late check-out till 1800 hours
• Mini Bar credit up to THB 500 per stay
• 25% discount on a single spa treatment at MSpa
• Welcome Jasmine tea & fresh fruits
• Coffee/Tea in room service during wake-up call
• Complimentary use of our Health Club including steam room and Jacuzzi with fresh fruits, tea, coffee, espresso, cappuccino and fruit juices. Health Club is accessible 24 hours as required.

These rates are subject to the usual tax and service charges, and are valid until 31 October 2010.

These rates do not currently appear on the hotel’s web site, so you may wish to contact your local reservations center or the hotel directly.

The Sukhothai’s offer is 4,900 Baht ++ for a superior room, 5,900++ for an Executive Deluxe Room and 6,900++ for a Deluxe Suite. All of these rates include breakfast, free Internet access, free mini-bar use and a free one-way airport transfer (for Executive Deluxe and Deluxe Suite only). These rates exclude tax and service charges.

These rates are good for stays until 31 August 2010, although the hotel reserves the right to withdraw the program or change the rates at any time, so you better book now! See the Sukhothai Hotel web site for details.

Those of you that are truly part of the jet set now have a posh new place to park your ride. Bangkok’s first dedicated terminal for private aircraft has been opened at the city’s old Don Muang airport. The new privately operated facility features two hangars, a luxurious lounge and a full range of services.

See the Bangkok Post for full story, or the Mjets web site for more details.