news to use THE NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Outrigger opens fourth Thai hotel
THE Outrigger Laguna Phuket Beach Resort in Thailand officially opened last month (April). The fourth Outrigger property in Asia, joins Outrigger Laguna Phuket Resort and Villas, Outrigger Phi Phi Island Beach Resort and O-CE-N Bali by Outrigger. Room rates, breakfast,
range from
including THB4,695
(around £105) for a deluxe lagoon to up to THB23,195 (£510) for a two- bedroom villa. Rates across the 11 room categories are subject to 18.7% service charge and VAT. Among the resort’s restaurants is
Locavore which emphasises ‘seasonality, sustainability and traceability through education and a close relationship with local farmers, fishermen and suppliers’.
outriggerthailand.com
Commission bonanza from Fiji
FEW properties shun the publicity gained by tour operator brochure inclusion but one that does is Laucala Island in Fiji.
But for travel agents
seeking the ultimate sale, with rates from US$5000 per couple per night, this is an ideal destination for high worth clients.
There are 25 luxury villas on the
reef-surrounded Laucala and guests reach the island via a 50-minute flight from Nandi International Airport, with customs/immigration handled on Laucala itself. Island
amenities include five
restaurants, a spa, an 18-hole golf course, fishing, diving, 12 horses and a Fijian cultural evening all run with a staff of some 400 people. All activities – including the kids’ club – are hosted by professionally qualified people. On arrival,
every guest fills out a questionnaire about their likes and dislikes, from food to activities, and they are then allotted a guest relations ‘buddy’ to liaise with them throughout their stay.
Some 95% of all food is grown on the island and is ‘100% organic’. Kurt Wachtveitl, the resort’s Global Advisor, says travellers often combine a stay on Laucala with an Australian and/or New Zealand holiday.
laucala.com
8 May 2013
1st Class Holidays is offering free hotel transfers to Rocky Mountaineer passengers at the start and end of their rail journey. The transfers are available (at selected hotels) for new bookings made by the end of May for travel between May and September this year and valid on Rocky Mountaineer’s First Passage to the West, Journey Through the Clouds and Coastal Passage routes. The offer applies to selected hotels in Vancouver, Banff, Jasper and Seattle.
1stclassholidays.com
The golden temples and stupas of Bagan provide a popular photo opportunity for visitors to Burma
Kuoni explores the Far East
KUONI has a new ‘Explore Thailand, Vietnam and Beyond’ campaign that explores the sights and sounds of Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia and Indonesia. Featuring stay-put options, twin-centres
and tours highlights include a Bangkok and Burma combination, with two nights at the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel and Towers in the Thai capital with the five-
star Road to Mandalay cruise along the Irrawady
River, Burma. Guests will
experience traditional Burmese village life, visit a local farm and meet local school children.
Including flights with Thai Airways from Heathrow and transfers, it is priced from £5199pp, based on two sharing, for departures in October 2013.
kuoni.co.uk/stores
Icelandair adds Alaska with Anchorage service
ICELANDAIR is expanding its route network this year with a new service to Anchorage, Alaska. The airline, which flies from Heathrow, Gatwick and Glasgow, will also increase frequency from the latter two airports. There will be two flights per week to Anchorage, from May 15 to September 15 (Wednesdays and Sundays outbound, Mondays and Thursdays inbound). Visitors on the new route this year can journey on to Denali National Park, home of America’s highest mountain, Mount McKinley, which on June 7 marks the 100th anniversary of its first ascent, by British explorer Hudson Stuck and Americans Harry Karstens, Walter Harper and Robert Tatum. Denali Park, often offered as an add-
on to Alaska cruises, is stocked with wildlife like grizzly bears, wolves, caribou, moose and golden eagles.
icelandair.co.uk;
travelalaska.com
1ST CLASS OFFER FOR ROCKY MOUNTAINEER PASSENGERS
www.sellinglonghaul.com
RENETTE HARTRIDGE
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