An elegant soaking tub, a romantic dinner on the beach, a relaxing spa experience… these new Asian hotels know it’s the small things that make for an unforgettable romantic escape.
Tantalizing Romance in Bali
No doubt a love match was created when Destination Hotels, which operates independent hotels and resorts in the U.S., and Commune Hotels & Resorts, an international lifestyle hotel group comprising Joie de Vivre Hotels, Thompson Hotels, tommie and Alila Hotels & Resorts, merged earlier this year.
“The merger between Destination Hotels and Commune Hotels & Resorts is great for travel agents as it leads to additional opportunities for their clients to find unique and specific experiences they are looking for, while simultaneously offering travel agents the ability to become comfortable selling various options within a single brand portfolio,” says Andre Fournier, executive v.p., sales & marketing for Destination Hotels. “Together, we provide agents with a fantastic selection of properties to sell across North America, Europe and Asia, all with a unified level of quality.”
For example, the Alila Seminyak resort in Bali, with 240 rooms and suites, is an idyllic option for your lovebird clients. The property, which opened in October 2015, is located along a pristine beach on Bali’s southwest coast, just steps from the Indian Ocean. The resort’s Alila Experiences invites guests to discover the destination through immersions in the local culture and its traditions. One experience guests should not miss out on is a ride along Bali’s southwest coast and a personalized shopping day.
For clients looking to grow their family while on a romantic escape, the resort’s Following Aphrodite’s Footsteps package is the perfect combination of culture and local fertility traditions. The couple will visit the Batu Ngaus Temple, a prosperity and fertility temple, and learn to make djamoe, a traditional herbal potion crafted from herbs, fruits and leaves that’s both beneficial to the body and is known to have aphrodisiac properties. How’s that for getting the romantic sparks started? The day comes to an end as the couple enjoys a romantic feast in a traditional four-poster bed set up on the lawn overlooking the ocean. Rates start at approximately $455 per couple.
Passion in Vietnam
Stunning surroundings coupled with luxury make for the perfect romantic setting: enter The Reverie Saigon, which opened its doors in September 2015. This contemporary hotel located in the city’s D1 neighborhood, which has become a mecca for high-end shopping and hip dining spots, has a reputation as “the boldest expression in opulence” to debut in Vietnam. All 286 guestrooms offer floor-to-ceiling windows with views of Ho Chi Minh City’s skyline, the Saigon River, and the Mekong Delta. Twelve room categories give you plenty of options to offer your clients, ranging from the 463-sq.-ft. Grand Deluxe Twin and Grand Deluxe King rooms to a palatial 3,369-sq.-ft. suite. An ideal option for romantics is the Reverie Romance Suite complete with a porter chair in the elegant bathroom facing a deep-soaking tub—ideal for the imaginative couple. Room rates start at $350 per night including daily breakfast, WiFi and a minibar; suites start at $800 and range up to $15,000 including daily breakfast, WiFi, minibar and airport transfers (depending on category booked). The property also features three on-property dining venues; The Spa and fitness center with steam rooms and saunas featuring both Asian- and Western-inspired treatments; and a pool.
Speaking of elegant offerings, the Haute Ho Chi Minh package, priced at $1,656, takes guests on what the hotel describes as a “stay, spa, shop” whirlwind of a getaway that includes a 3-hour shopping excursion with a guide from Trails of Indochina, three spa treatments, and a 3-night stay, plus airport transfers in a luxury car ranging from a Mercedes S-Class to a Phantom Dragon. Both men and women can relish in the spa offerings as the women wile away time in the Himalayan pink salt sauna or color therapy steam room, while the gentlemen enjoy an invigorating ice fountain for use in conjunction with the sauna.
Double the Pleasure
Two new properties perfectly suited for a romantic escape will be opening soon under the Akaryn Hotel Group—the President by Akaryn and akyra Beach Club Phuket. The properties, however, exude polar opposite personalities. The President by Akaryn, which opens fall 2016, is a 32-suite luxurious hotel in Vientiane, Laos located near the Mekong River that captures the serenity of the surroundings—it’s said that monks outnumber tourists—with its glittering temples, well-preserved colonial-era architecture, and expansive boulevards. The property, with rates starting at $350 per night, will house an exclusive private member’s club with access to a cigar lounge, humidor, and whiskey cellar, as well as the Ayurah Wellness Centre, which will offer programs based on the four pillars of Ayurah Wellness—mind balance, anti-aging, weight optimization and detoxification.
The akyra Beach Club Phuket, meanwhile, is a laid-back, 50-guestroom luxurious beach resort on Natai Beach that will also open fall 2016. With rates starting at $135 per night, the property will offer guests a panoramic seaview restaurant, hammocks for chilling near the beach, a pool, beach bar, and a beach spa cabana.
Contact Information
akyra Beach Club Phuket: theakyra.com/phuket
Alila Seminyak: alilahotels.com/seminyak
President by Akaryn: akaryn.com/president/resort
The Reverie Saigon: thereveriesaigon.com
