issue 49 - AsiaLIFE Magazine

dispatchesTravel news from around the region and beyondDesigner ChicTo attract a younger, more style-minded clientele, internationalhotel chains have begun adding hipper brands to theirportfolio. The latest example is newly opened Sofitel So inBangkok, which some surmise is Accor’s answer to Starwood’strendy W Hotel. The 30-storey urban luxury hotelwas designed by leading Thai architect Smith Obayawat,while five of the country’s top designers were let loose onthe interior, each given the assignment of creating a differentlythemed accommodation inspired by the five elements ofwater, earth, wood, metal and fire. All 238 rooms and suitesfeature an Apple Mac mini, the latest iPad and there’s freeWi-Fi throughout the hotel. To celebrate its opening, the hotelis offering a promotional rate of US $80 per night for the first80 days. For more information about the hotel, visit www.sofitel.com or call +66 26240000. – Ellen BoonstraGetting Back to NatureLocated in the heart of the Lao jungle, Kamu Lodge is an awardwinning,off-the-map and eco-friendly option for travellerslooking for a relaxing way to get back to nature. Tourism officialshave singled out the tented eco-lodge for its first ASEAN GreenHotel Award at the 2012 ASEAN Tourism Forum, held recently inManado, Indonesia. Given every two years to the region’s mostenvironmentally active properties, criteria for the recognitioninclude environmental operations, the use of green and locallymade products, collaboration with the community, energy andwater efficiency and waste management. Nestled between verdantrice paddies and the banks of the Mekong River, the compound’s20 private, tented lodges feature solar power electricity, thatchedroofs, and all-natural furniture.Ultimate Golf Package in New ZealandKauri Cliffs Golf Club and Cape Kidnappers GC, arguably thetwo top-ranked golf courses in the entire Asia-Pacific region,have re-issued for 2012 and 2013 their first-ever golf package.The Ultimate New Zealand Golf Package includes nine nightsacross three lodges, four courses, and the country’s two largestislands. Per-person pricing ranges from NZ $9,790 in the lowseason (May through August) to NZ $12,840 in the high season,which runs November through March. This family of celebratedgolf and resort properties is owned and operated by Americanhedge fund legend Julian Robertson, who first visited New Zealandin 1979, and has since adopted it as a second home. Visitkauricliffs.com for more information.12 asialife HCMC