Family Friendly

The brand new Ibis Patong (10 Chaliermphrakiat Rd., Kathu, Patong, 02-257-4558. www.ibishotel.com/asia), in the heart of Patong, has just opened this May. No, it neither has pool villas, nor is it a boutique resort by the sea. But the good thing is it’s a member of Ibis hotels under Accor Group and that means a trusted brand with affordable prices. And Ibis is also disabled-friendly. Three out of the 260 comfy rooms are disabled-accessible. Moreover, the hotel’s buffet breakfast opens from 4am to noon. Patong’s party animals
should approve. Rooms are B1,200-1,700.

Take Two

Marriott is now breaking into two more areas with two new Courtyard hotels. (For those who don’t have a clue, Courtyard is Marriott’s smaller and less expensive brand created for business travelers and families.) One is Courtyard by Marriott Phuket at Surin Beach (106/27 Moo 3, Cherngtalay, Talang, Phuket, 076-303-300. www.mariott.com), opened early this month. The other one will follow shortly in August, in Cha-Am, titled Courtyard by Marriott Hua Hin at Cha-Am beach (854/2 Burirom Rd., Cha-Am, Petchburi, 032-708-300). Both offer Thai residents and expats with a work permit a room at B3,400 (B2,900 on Sun-Thu.) Through Oct 31.

Healthy Haven

Take a really long vacation and get yourselfa healthy and luxurious reward. Head to the Yoga Retreat and Sanctuary at The Nam Hai (Hamlet 1, Dien Duong Village, Dien Ban, Hoi An, Vietnam, 84-89-10-48-55. www.ghmhotels.com). There, you can start your days off with sunrise meditation, then try out their long list of activities:daily yoga class, Hoi An city excursion, Vietnamese cooking class, and spa treatments. Prices start from US$2,500 (B83,049) for a seven-night stay, daily breakfast, a guided trip to the My Son ruins, yoga classes led by Ted McDonald, opening and closing gala yoga dinners with special activities and airport transfers.Aug 30-Sep 6 and Sep 6-13.

Earlier, Cheaper

Qantas and British Airways (02-627-1701, www.qantas.com, www.ba.com) are offering special prices for early birds to a variety of destinations. Roundtrip flights to Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide start from B20,400, Auckland,
Christchurch, Wellington and Queenstown are from B23,460 and roundtrip tickets to London are from B28,460. Bookings must be made by Jul 31 for travel dates by Oct 31.

Hit the Road, Jack

Forget backpacking and travel back to the days of caravans and camping. Tourism
New Zealand (02-670-0114/5 www.newzealand.com), Malaysia Airlines (603-37843-3000. www.malaysiaairlines.com) and KTC (02-665-5000. www.ktc.co.th) come up with a six-days-five-nights campervan package. At B35,500 per person, get air tickets from/to Auckland (transfer via KL), rental of a Maui campervan, a choice of a ride in the Skyline Gondola or a free one-hour ski lift pass and complimentary access to Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge in Kuala Lumpur. For more info and booking, contact Kiwi New Zealand Tour Specialist, 02-676-9398. Through Sep 30.