About two months ago, the Anise Hotel opened for business. Located in the heart of Phnom Penh and just around the corner from the Independence Monument on street 278. The Anise is a quiet and small standard 20-room hotel.

Amenities include 24-hour guest service, a refined South-East Asian restaurant and a business center. The hotel doesn’t have a pool, but its superior and deluxe rooms all include DVD players. For smaller groups, the Anise Hotel is a wonderful alternative to some of Phnom Penh’s larger hotels.

To make a reservation at the Anise Hotel, please contact Exotissimo Travel.

At the third meeting of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation between Laos and Malaysia, the two countries agreed to allow direct flights between Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Vientiane, Laos. The first flights will be being in July 2007 on carrier AirAsia. This is not the first time there have been direct flights between the two countries. In 1996, Malaysia Airlines provided direct service between Vientiane and Kuala Lumpur until the 1998 Asian financial crisis. Through resumption of this flight route, Laos and Malaysia hope to boost trade and cooperation between the two countries

Now, you can fly direct between Vientiane(VTE) and Phonsaly(PSL) and Samneua(SN) with the Lao Air Company. On Mondays and Saturdays, the company flies to Phonsaly at 09:00, and returns at 11:00. The route to Samneua also flies on Mondays and Saturdays, leaving Vientiane at 13:30 and returning at 15:20.

The Sofitel Raja Orchid Khon Kaen has just opened a new spa, in the Esaan region, introducing North-East Thailand to the world of luxury. “Le Spa,” a new 500 square meter property cost 15 million baht to build, and it combines European wellness and spa practices with Thai massage techniques.

Le Spa offers nine beautifully appointed treatment rooms decorated with a modern spin on traditional Thai style. There is also one VIP treatment suite for couples and another VIP body scrub treatment room featuring the latest imported ‘wet bed’ technology. Le Spa uses exclusive Decleor products from Paris, and these treatments are supplemented with Thailand’s highest quality spa and massage products. All therapists have received extensive training from European and local spa experts to ensure the highest levels of service and professionalism.

Opened in 1996, the Sofitel Raja Orchid Khon Kaen is the only five-star hotel in North-East Thailand. Since its opening, the property has been the venue of choice for business gatherings and MICE offerings in the region. Khon Kaen is located 265 miles north of Bangkok, and is steeped in Buddhist culture. The Esaan region is lies near both the Cambodian and Lao borders, creating an interesting mix of peoples, customs and lifestyles.

Contact Exotissimo Travel to book a stay at the Sofital Raja Orchid Khoan Kaen.

On 26th May 2007, a new passenger terminal was opened at the Yangon International Airport. According to Myanmar’s transport minister, the new terminal building will be able to handle 1,800 passengers per hour and 2.7 million passengers each year. The new terminal is large enough for five aircraft to land every hour.

Thai Airways, Myanmar Airways, Silk Air, Indian Airlines, Mandarin Airlines, Air China, Qatar Airways, Jetstar Asia, Malaysia Airlines, Bangkok Airways and Thai Air Asia all fly direct to Yangon. Of these airlines, Thai Airways is one of the first to move operations to this welcome addition to Myanmar’s main airport.

Check-In and Customs counters are located on the first (ground) floor of the new terminal. Immigration counters and five boarding gates are located on the second floor.

HOTELIERS in Vietnam are proposing a 50 per cent plus rate increase for rooms next season, and foreign-run tour operators are uniting to protest. In a joint statement, the operators said key properties had failed to honour existing contracts, and rates were being increased to levels described as “a grab for cash.”

Australia-based Travel Indochina product manager, Mr Eric Finley, said: “We have been marketing Vietnam for more than 13 years and have never seen anything like this. When negotiating rates for 2008, we had some hoteliers insisting on immediate rate increases, and increases of 50 per cent on existing bookings. Other companies report hoteliers have insisted on reducing allotments dramatically, some cutting allotments in high season altogether.” The operators said if hoteliers went through with this strategy, it would cost Vietnam’s entire tourism industry across the board, and recovery time from such trauma in other markets had “taken years.”

Phoenix Voyages Groups president, Mr Edouard George, said: “The behaviour of some leading hotels is seriously jeopardising the future of inbound agencies, both in terms of employment and profitability…The hotels should realise inbound agencies are working and preparing travel plans a year in advance.” He said inbound operators were forced to quote “blindly” as a result, and had to turn down several groups “not because the hotels are full, but because they refused to sell their rooms to inbound agencies.”

Focus Asia’s sales and marketing director, Mr Patrick Gaveau, said: “Vietnam has been successful at attracting tourists; it is a safe, exotic and price competitive destination. Now,we wonder if hotels’ outrageous price hikes and the declining appeal of the damaged environment combined with the poor maintenance of landmarks and sites may damage Vietnam’s credibility in the long run.”

Destination Asia’s managing director, Mr Paul Levrier, said: “Within the space of this first quarter of the year, we are already seeing our long term clients search for alternative destinations in the region after being frustrated with the hotels’ approach to business and the lack of ethics applied.“

Bordering Thailand, the Cardamom Mountain range is Cambodia’s largest wildlife sanctuary. This area abounds with rough mountains, wild streams and rare species of plants and animals, and its wildlife has never been fully cataloged or explored. It is home to dozens of large animals including elephants, clouded leopards, tigers, pleated gibbons and Malaysian sun bears.

The Cardamoms are perfect for nature treks and hikes, and its wide variety of birds (over 450 species) make it one of the top birding destinations in the region. For those interested in archeology, many jar sites, ancient Khmer burial sites, have been found in this region. River cruises through the area’s rain forest are also available.

Known as one of the least explored areas in Southeast Asia, the Cardamom Mountains have attracted the interest of several organizations for development. The Cambodian government has begun developing the infrastructure necessary to develop this mountain range into Southeast Asia’s premier adventure destination. Now this is in full progress, tourism soon will find its way through the thick forest and lush rivers with its many endangered species.

The ever-popular Victoria Hotels Speedboat, running between Phnom Penh and Chau Doc has reduced its passenger requirements. From 1st November to 31st March 2008, the minimum number of required passengers has been reduced from four to two on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Victoria Hotels offers daily departures by boat from its property in Chau Doc to Phnom Penh in the morning, with the return trip in the afternoon. The four hour river cruise along the Mekong River is perhaps the most scenic, comfortable and inspiring way to travel between the two cities.

Contact Exotissimo Travel to reserve a place on a Victoria Speedboat.

The Independence Hotel will be re-opening soon. This prominent landmark was designed by a French architect in the sixties. It became famous when King Norodom Sihanouk designed the interior and created the “Promenade des Anglais”, a garden and walkway at the base of the hotel, along the sea. In the mid-seventies the property was closed and abandoned for political reasons.

The historic building has now been completely restored and, with its 52 finely appointed rooms, has become the first luxury boutique hotel in Sihanoukville. Each of the Independence Hotel’s rooms command stunning views of the ocean, and the hotel itself has a swimming pool, conference facilities and tennis courts.

Khao Sok National Park is one of Thailand’s national treasures and home of the oldest evergreen forest in the world. Visitors here can hike through primeval rain forests to the sounds of gibbons calling each other across the canopy above. Native huts nestled in evergreen forests are available for overnight stays. Elephant riding, trekking, canoeing and jeep safaris are all popular activities here, more than enough to satisfy even the most avid of nature or adventure fan.

Khao Sok is easily reached from Phuket, Krabi, Sutat Thani or Khao Lak and should be an essential part of all visits to south Thailand. Contact Exotissimo Travel to organize your next jungle adventure.