A regular fixture atop lists of the world's best hotels, the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, in the south of France, dates back to 1870, when the Villa Soleil first opened as a sort of writer's retreat. It became the Grand Hotel du Cap in 1889, and then, with the opening of the nearby Eden Roc pavilion, in 1914, the hotel adopted its current appellation. A rugged-looking swimming pool was created beside the pavilion by the explosive demolition of a basalt rock face, and both pavilion and pool are this year celebrating their 100th anniversary. Its exclusive location, on the Cap d'Antibes, across the bay from Cannes and its May film festival, made the hotel a favourite location for movie stars from the 1950s onwards, but the property had already been well patronised by the rich and famous for decades. Like most hotels on the French Riviera, the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc closed for the summer season until the early 20th century (people came to the Riviera to escape the winter, not chase the sun, in those days), but now it closes for the winter, and will reopen this year on April 17. The chances of getting a room for the Cannes Film Festival this year, or indeed next year or the year after, are zero, but the pool (now of the infinity variety, rather than the rugged, dynamited dipping pool of old) and pavilion are, unlike the rest of the property, open to the public, should you be in the area and fancy an afternoon of idle celebrity spotting.
Travellers with a yearning for the open seas but with an aversion to the long buffet lines and "international entertainment" offered by the massive cruise liners currently heaving in and out of the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal now have something to look forward to. Silversea, which operates smaller, luxury cruises all over the world, has just launched the third and latest of its even lower-capacity expedition vessels, the Silver Discoverer. Although not scheduled to visit Hong Kong this year, the 120-passenger ship will be operating 10- to 18-day voyages between New Zealand and the Russian Far East, via the South Pacific, Bali, Kota Kinabalu, Taiwan, Japan and elsewhere in the region, offering a reasonably convenient way to get yourself aboard one of the more interesting and exclusive cruises operating within reach of a short-haul flight. For a full itinerary and more details, visit
www.silversea.com.
The Osaka Marriott Miyako Hotel opened last month, in what Marriott Hotels describes as "the tallest building in Japan". While undeniably lofty, the 60-storey, 300-metre-high Abeno Harukas (right) - the upper floors of which are occupied by the hotel - is less than half the height of the 634-metre Tokyo Skytree and slightly shorter than the 56-year-old Tokyo Tower, so presumably there is room for debate as to what constitutes a "building". Semantics aside, the self-proclaimed "ultra-high rise complex" (which would be only the seventh tallest building in Hong Kong, after Nina Tower in Tsuen Wan) provides some pretty impressive views across all of Osaka and beyond, and if you are planning on visiting the city this summer, opening rates and accommodation packages valid till the end of June can be found at the hotel's website. This can be more swiftly reached with the help of Google than through
www.marriott.com.
Cathay Pacific Holidays' Chiang Mai Bonus Night Promotion offers three nights for the price of two at a choice of four hotels. The cheapest of these, the Mercure Chiang Mai, is priced (per person, twin share) from an unusually affordable HK$1,700 including round-trip flights with Dragonair, a room upgrade, full breakfast, in-room internet access and welcome drinks. Also on offer are the colonial-style 137 Pillars House (from HK$3,635), the Four Seasons Resort (from HK$5,435) and the (formerly Mandarin Oriental) Dhara Dhevi (from HK$6,050). Not included are taxes and fuel surcharges, which will add a still-manageable HK$713 to these prices. The last date for departure is July 7. For full details and online reservations, go to
www.cxholidays.com.
