Amantaka, the latest luxury property from the Aman group, has just opened in Luang Prabang. Set in a restored French colonial building, the resort consists of 24 suites, an art gallery and spa. It is located just south of Mount Phousi and within walking distance to Luang Prabang’s main attractions. Click here to view the details of Amantaka.

Our Vietnam Seat-in-Coach (SIC) tours are now available at an unbeatable price of 599 USD per person, including domestic flights, first class accommodation and tours, while the superior option is offered at 834 USD with the same inclusions. Departing every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month from October 2009 – April 2010, this 9 Days / 8 Nights package visits Hanoi, Halong Bay, Hue, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh City. Optional extensions to Angkor Wat or beach breaks are available on a non-SIC basis. Click here to view the full itinerary and rates. For booking inquiry, contact [email protected].

Bangkok Airways (PG) flight services between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap will be suspended with effect from 25 October 2009 and the last flights will be operated on 24 October 2009. The Cambodian government has not renewed the airline’s permit following the founding of the new national carrier Cambodia Angkor Air (K6).

Exotissimo Cambodia is rescheduling all flight bookings to Cambodia Angkor Air, which offers 4-5 daily flights between Phnom Penh and Siem Reap on an ATR72-500 propeller aircraft, the same type of aircraft operated by Bangkok Airways on this route. The safety standards and services provided by Cambodia Angkor Air are of a similar standard to those of Bangkok Airways. For more information, contact [email protected].

Specially designed for running and travel enthusiasts, our 3-day Angkor Wat Half Marathon package combines a charity run with sightseeing to the Angkor temples. Taking place on 6 December, the Angkor Wat Half Marathon is an international charity event that raises funds for landmine victims in the country. This package also features a relaxing post-run massage and opportunities to sample Khmer cuisine and explore the ancient monuments on the non-marathon days. View the program details here.

Exotissimo Thailand will be closed on Friday, 23 October for Chulalongkorn Day. We will resume operations on Saturday, 24 October.

In case of emergency, our operations team can be reached at: +66 81 86 72 806

Taking place on 2-4 November, our Chiang Mai Loy Krathong tour is designed for travelers to experience one of Thailand’s most popular festivals. Setting krathong (banana leaf floats) adrift on the Mae Ping River, launching a khom loy (floating lantern) into the night sky and sampling northern Thai signature curry noodles are some of the exciting activities in this 3-day package. Click here to view the program details.

This month we are pleased to announce the launch of our newest Exotissimo destination, Indonesia. Exotissimo Indonesia is soft opening this October and will be fully operational and ready to handle your business from 1 January 2010. Exotissimo Indonesia has a wealth of experience as the company was formed by taking over Maniara Tours, a well respected Balinese travel company established in 1987. Erik Meriot will head Exotissimo Indonesia and will work alongside Trisna Agustini, our Indonesian partner. Prior to his new appointment, Erik had been the General Manager of Exotissimo Myanmar for four years and the Director of our Paris sales office for the last six years. Erik can be contacted at [email protected].

Our new office details are as follows:

Exotissimo Indonesia
Jl. By Pass Ngurah Rai, No. 157,
Sanur, Denpasar, Bali
Indonesia
Tel: (62 361) 288 821
Fax: (62 361) 287 073
E-mail: [email protected]

The fabulous seascapes of Halong Bay and Nha Trang can now be enjoyed from a flying boat, the newest kind of sightseeing service in Vietnam. These inflatable hovercrafts can carry over 400kg each while cruising at an average speed of 70km per hour. Seating a pilot and a passenger, this service is currently only available for FITs. For clients looking for a touch of adventure in their Halong tours, this option can be incorporated into our Halong and Hanoi Discover Tour. Contact [email protected] for more information.

The center of the tropical storm Parma is reaching Vietnam’s northern coast today around 7pm after ravaging the Philippines for one whole week. The storm is much weaker than the Category 2 typhoon Ketsana which affected central Vietnam two weeks ago.

At the moment the main affected area is Halong Bay as all boats are forbidden to leave port and all cruises were cancelled for yesterday (Tuesday), 13 October and today (Wednesday), 14 October and most probably also tomorrow.

Since yesterday, we have been talking to all our clients booked on cruises and we have informed them about the situation. We then proposed alternative programs and re-arranged all bookings. Options varied from day trips to Hoa Lu, additional sightseeing in Hanoi, cooking classes to overnight excursions to Mai Chau to the west of Hanoi.

If you have clients affected by these changes, you would have heard from our Travel Consultants about what has been done. The changes are done with minimal inconvenience for your clients and without them having to spend any extra money. In cases in which the changes result in a lower total pricing, we will inform you first to seek your opinion on how you want to handle things.

WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW?

- The storm will be moving inland from Halong to Hanoi and will weaken considerably once it touches land this evening. As of 2pm (Vietnam time) today, it did not even rain in Hanoi.

- Visits in and around Hanoi for today and tomorrow will be affected by the wind and rain. We will plan all visits as well as possible.

- We do not see any reason to postpone or bypass a trip to Hanoi and do not expect any hotel closures unlike during the Ketsana storm.

For clients curious about Asian farming lifestyles, our rice planting workshop in an organic farm is a great introduction. Included as an optional half-day activity in our 3-day Sukhothai in Depth program, this workshop gives clients a taste of traditional agricultural life by donning a Thai farmer outfit with hands-on participation in the planting and ploughing process. View Sukhothai in Depth here.