NEW HOTEL TO OPEN IN BINTAN
On Feb 8, the Cenizaro Hotels & Resorts group is opening The Residence Bintan, its first hotel in Indonesia.
The five-star barefoot luxury resort, located on the south-east coast of Bintan, is designed by award-winning hospitality design firm Hirsch Bedner, which has put a modern twist on the traditional Javanese style for the 127 suites and villas.
Privacy is paramount in the villas and suites lining the coast, each of which offers expansive and unobstructed views of the landscape. Some are equipped with private infinity pools.
Families can enjoy child-friendly activities such as traditional batik or birdhouse painting, tie-dye classes and cooking classes at the resort.
Outdoor activities include kayaking, knee-boarding, mountain trekking, tours to nearby mangroves, deep-sea fishing and snorkelling, as well as diving at the reefs around Pulau Mapur, which is 30 minutes away by boat.
Rates start at $251.41 a night (excluding taxes and fees) and, as an opening offer, guests who book 14 days in advance will receive 10 per cent off the room rate.
The opening rates include daily breakfast and shared land transfer from the ferry terminal to the resort.
Stays in the Garden and Vista Terrace suites will include a complimentary set lunch for two, and one child below 12 years old will eat for free with an accompanying adult.
Stays in a Beachfront Villa will come with a complimentary set dinner or in-villa dinner for two, and one child below 12 years old will eat for free with an accompanying adult.
For more information, go to cenizaro.com/theresidence/bintan.
CHINESE NEW YEAR PACKAGES
Travellers looking for a last-minute Chinese New Year retreat can check out deals from the luxury resorts in Phuket and Hua Hin.
The five-star Sri Panwa (www.sripanwa.com) sits on 16ha of lush hillside in Phuket, and all its suites and villas feature a private pool and spectacular ocean views.
The resort is offering a three-night accommodation package that includes round-trip airport transfer by private luxury car, daily fresh fruit basket, daily breakfast and a Sri Panwa gift set.
Also included are a Chinese New Year's Eve family reunion dinner at the resort's Baba Chino Chinese restaurant for up to eight people (depending on accommodation type), a 90-minute aromatic Thai oil massage at the resort's Cool spa and a five-course dinner at Baba Soul Food Thai restaurant.
Rates start at $5,321 for a penthouse suite.
Baba Beach Club, Hua Hin (www.bababeachclub.com/huahin), which has 29 suites and villas overlooking the Gulf of Thailand in Cha-am, is also offering a three-night package.
It comes with daily breakfast, daily fruit basket, a Chinese New Year's Eve family reunion dinner, a 60-minute aromatic Thai oil massage, a five-course dinner and three-course lunch.
Rates start at $2,591 for a ground-floor Beachfront Pool Suite.
A similar package is also available at Baba Beach Club Phuket (www.bababeachclub.com/phuket) on Natai beach, a 20-minute drive from Phuket International Airport.
Rates start at $2,866 for a three-night stay in a Baba Suite.
All the packages are for stays from Feb 14 to 24.
CATALAN CAVA IN BARCELONA
Discover Catalonia's cava region through The Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona, which has launched a two-night Cava Experience package.
Guests will receive a bottle of Aire cava, produced especially for the hotel by leading Catalan winery, L'Origan.
They will also go on a private chauffeured cava-tasting tour of the historic L'Origan cellars at Sant Sadurni d'Anoia and the vineyards, and tuck into a traditional meal at a local restaurant in the Penedes area.
When they return to the hotel, guests will enjoy a dinner tasting menu with wine pairing at the hotel's premier Blanc restaurant.
The package starts at €2,624 (S$4,200) for two and includes daily breakfast. It is for stays from now till December.
For more information, go to www.mandarinoriental.com.
Lydia Vasko
