Hot Hotels

Summer’s fast approaching, and with it come public holidays, school vacations and that insatiable urge to escape the oppressive heat by any means necessary. I decided to devote this week’s column to a couple of great places to stay in the region that are also good value for money—so stop dilly-dallying and book a holiday already.

In Love With Laos

Richard Smith, who used to come ’round the HK Mag offices promoting events at Drop, has since fled south to balmier, swankier Laotian pastures. He’s doing a stint at a boutique hotel called Satri House, giving their F&B staff some extra training, and he reached out from Luang Prabang to share his impressions of the hotel and its surroundings. The 25-room hotel is located in a colonial-style mansion of former Laotian royalty, with dark wood furniture (I swooned at the sight of the four-poster beds with sheer curtains) and spacious balconies, plus a tropically verdant outdoor seating area beside a tranquil swimming pool. Smith also extols the virtues of Laotian cuisine, as well as the city's French-influenced bakeries and café culture. “It's very sunny and hot here at the moment—I plan an afternoon poolside tomorrow!” Richard writes. How cruel—I’m writing this as Hong Kong is enveloped in an apocalyptic black rainstorm.
A stay at Satri House starts at $1,500 per night. Book via www.satrihouse.com.

Sale, Sale, Sale!

I’m a sucker for deals, and Hotels.com is offering discounts of up to 50 percent on per-night rates at certain Bangkok hotels. They’re pretty upscale ones, too. At the Hansar Bangkok, for example, rooms start at $1,389 per night, down from the original price of $2,315. Spend the night just below vaunted sky bar Sirocco at the Lebua at State Tower for only $1,012 per night (regularly $2,025). And at the sleek n’ chic Metropolitan Bangkok, pay $791 instead of $989 for a night’s stay. Prices exclude all fees and taxes (of course); book until May 10 for stays until May 31.
Book via www.hotels.com/deals/bangkok-asia or Hotels.com’s English reservations hotline at 2840-0899.

Tip from a Reader

Lovely reader Kelly Leahy wrote in last week with a suggestion for travelers to Boracay, and I figured I shouldn’t keep her recommendation to myself. Leahy had such a stellar experience staying at the Argonatua Boracay, a boutique resort with rooms, apartments and villas for rent, that she wanted to share it with us. She writes: “I just returned from a wonderful holiday in Boracay where I stayed at one of my favorite hotels ever. I was even moved enough to write a review on TripAdvisor… Boracay—especially White Beach—can be quite a zoo, but the Argonatua Boracay is a true getaway from Hong Kong, where you can enjoy true peace and quiet, spectacular views of the sea, cocktails at sunset and stars at night.” In addition to Cebu Pacific’s new direct flights from HKIA to Kalibo (one gateway to Boracay), Philippine Airlines has also started flying the same route nonstop as well. P.S. We love fan mail, and we get less of it then you might think. Hint, hint.
Argonatua Boracay rooms start at $727, apartments at $1,455 and villas at $2,182 per night. Visit www.argonauta-boracay.com to book.

Email me at halberts@asia-city.com.hk or follow me on Twitter: @HanaRAlberts.