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What's New For the Frequent Traveler

By Walter Glaser

Airlines

Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines (SIA) award-winning in-flight entertainment system, KrisWorld, gets even bigger and better with double the movie and CD selections, more audio categories, the latest popular television programmes and exclusive games.   These new entertainment options cover over 400 choices that include 60 blockbuster movies and over 90 TV hits. Fans of sitcoms like Friends and Everybody Loves Raymond can catch some of the most popular episodes, along with over 90 other TV hit programmes such as CSI, The West Wing and Alias.
  
Music fans can pick from a dazzling selection of 200 CD titles ranging from the latest chart toppers and jazz favourites to world music, J-Pop, K-Pop and Chinese pop.  KrisWorld will also feature a new category of audio CDs called Audio Books, with two of the most well loved classics of all time, Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice among recent selections.

Malaysia Airlines
Malaysia Airlines is inaugurating another international destination to its network with scheduled air services linking Kuala Lumpur with Siem Reap, Cambodia's gateway to Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Effective 3 June 2004, Malaysia Airlines will operate three weekly flights on Monday, Thursday and Saturday between Kuala Lumpur and Siem Reap. The outbound flight departs Kuala Lumpur at 11.00 hours to reach Siem Reap at 12.10 hours. The return flight departs Siem Reap at 13.00 hours and transits Phnom Penh at 13.45 hours before proceeding to arrive Kuala Lumpur at 17.20 hours on the same day.

Garuda
Garuda has some new flights.  The one from Yogyakarta to Singapore will be serviced three times weekly by using B737-300s with 110 seat capacity, departing Yogyakarta at 06.35 local time and arrival Singapore at 09.50 local time every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The incoming flight will depart from Singapore at 17.15 local time and arrive into Yogyakarta at 18.30 every Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday.
 
Another new route – Padang - Pekanbaru – Singapore – will be serviced 4 times weekly every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday using B737-300 with a 110 seat capacity. The flights depart from Padang at 12.55 local time, arrive at Pekanbaru at 13.35 local time, and depart for Singapore at 14.20 local time with arrival Singapore at 16.15 local time. The return trip from Singapore will be at 10.55 local time, arriving at Pekanbaru at 10.45 local time, and departing again for Padang at 11.30 local time, with an arrival into Padang of 12.10 local time.

Star-Alliance
This group has been joined by its first Eastern European member – Poland’s LOT Airlines.  We have had good reports about LOT, which operates its more travelled routes with late-model Western aircraft rather than Russian ones.

Hotels

Shangri La Hotel, Singapore
If you are heading for Singapore and don’t like settling for less than the very best, book into the Shangri La Hotel and request one of the club rooms in the front Tower Wing. Not only is this hotel the only one in inner Singapore with a resort-like garden and pool, but these rooms are arguably the most user-friendly we’ve seen for a long time. Spacious, comfortable, and with bathrooms the size of most hotel rooms, I couldn’t blame any guests for not wanting to leave the room.  The Shangri La Hotel, Orange Grove Road, Singapore 258350,SINGAPORE Ph:++ 656 730 2888

Mandarin Oriental, Miami
Miami is the accepted transit hub for anyone wanting to do business in Latin America.  And there is no better place to stay at than the Mandarin Oriental, part of that famous Hong Kong-based group.  The hotel is ultra modern, and the service is impeccable.  They also fully understand the needs of clients from Asia – not always the case with US hotels. 
Mandarin Oriental, Miami, 500 Brickell Key Drive, Miami, Florida 33131, USA
Reservations – Telephone: +1 (305) 913 8383, Facsimile: +1 (305) 913 8317
Email: momia-reservations@mohg.com

Restaurants

Jules Verne, Paris
If you want to really impress business guests when hosting them for lunch or dinner in Paris, a place that’s hard to beat is the Jules Verne restaurant.  Perched 125 meters above Paris on the famous Eiffel Tower, this very serious Michelin-star restaurant may just provide your most impressive dining in Paris. What could be better than outstanding cuisine by master-chef Alain Reix, modern décor, and a view right across the City of Lights? The restaurant has its own elevators in the South pillar of the Eiffel Tower’s ‘legs’.  But be warned, you need to book weeks ahead and prices match the view and quality. When I plan to visit to Paris, I usually phone ahead for a booking three months before arrival. But it’s worth the effort!
Restaurant Jules Verne, 2nd Level, Eiffel Tower
Reservation by phone or fax essential
Tel: ++33 1 45 55 61 44, Fax: ++33 1 47 05 29 44
Website: http://www.eiffel-tower.com/teiffel/uk/pratique/resto/

La Bourgogne, Buenos Aires, Argentina
With the economic crisis looming large, many things are changing by the day in Argentina.  But business people are finding that this country now presents some unprecedented business opportunities.  When business-entertaining in BA you and your guests will appreciate the outstanding cuisine of executive chef John-Paul Bondoux, who presides over the only Relais Gourmand in Argentina with his elegant French and International dishes.  La Bourgogne will offer a dining experience you will long remember. And if you are in Buenos Aires for lunch on a Sunday, don’t miss the sensational brunch also at the Alvear Palace Hotel. Experts rate it as the best in Argentina.
La Bourgogne at the Alvear Palace Hotel, Avenue Alvear 1891- C1129AAA Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Tel: ++ 5411 4808 2170, Fax: ++ 5411 4808 2423

Cheneston's Restaurant, London
Smart travelers who want the very best and don’t like mega-hotels regularly stay at London’s Milestone Hotel. Cheneston’s Restaurant here is in line with the hotel’s outstanding quality and has the feel of dining in a gracious, aristocratic home.  Next time you’re in London, why not try it?
Cheneston’s Restaurant at the Milestone Hotel, 1 Kensington Court, London, W8 5DL, Tel: ++ 44 207 917 1000, Fax: ++ 44 207 917 1010, website: www.redcarnationhotels.com

Scusa Mi, Melbourne
With a magnificent view of the city, and located a five minute walk from the CBD, this is the perfect venue for your business lunches or dinners.  Jonathon Alston, the new chef here, trained in top restaurants in France and Britain, the service is impeccable, and if you like Italian food, you will be delighted.  It’s where the President of Italy dined when visiting Australia.  Doesn’t that say it all?
Mid Level ,Southgate, Southbank  Phone: (613) 9699 4111
Opening hours: 7 days Lunch:12 noon-3pm. Dinner: 6pm-late.  Licensed.  Accepts credit cards

Worth Noting 

Best Fares
Research by the International Herald Tribune has shown that the consistently best fares on the web are offered by the large web-marketers, Cheap Tickets, One Travel and TravelNow. Savvy travelers check these prices, but still book through their travel agents if they can match the costs.
www.cheaptickets.com/
www.onetravel.com/
http://www.travelnow.com/

Logging On Around the World
It wasn’t too long ago that carrying a laptop when booking into hotels around the world was no assurance of being able to log on in your room. In most cases ancient switchboards effectively blocked any ability to log on. No longer! In a recent trip that took us from Australia to Singapore, India to Europe, and USA to Mexico we found to our delight that every single hotel, from small inns to giant mega hotels had changed their switchboards to facilitate easy logging on.  It certainly makes life easier for the road warrior.  However, some hotels only allow you to log on through fast connection terminals that involve huge charges.  It’s worth an email to whatever hotel your travel agent is suggesting, checking on what they offer in log-on facilities. 

Word of Warning

Hong Kong Airport
The new Hong Kong airport is terrific!  No doubt about that!  But while the duty free shops look splendid, the prices are certainly less so.  On checking through the prices at the Hong Kong Duty Free I was surprised that there were very few items I could not have bought considerably cheaper after haggling with shopkeepers in town.  What’s the point of having a duty free shop if you can’t buy more cheaply than in the city’s ordinary discount stores.  Much the same, by the way, applies in Australia on things other than spirits and tobacco products.  Australian duty free prices are mostly only 10 per cent under recommended retail which makes them higher than those at most self-respecting discount stores in the cities.

Tibet
With oil being discovered, major mineral exploration being developed, and a new rail system going into place, China is moving quickly on developing this region, and many say that business opportunities abound.  But if you’re heading for Tibet, don’t rely on a credit card.  On a recent trip there, I found that it was virtually impossible to find an ATM or any place that will give you a sizeable cash advance.  If you’re prepared to get in the queue at the Bank of China you can get minimalist amounts, but certainly not enough to do any serious shopping.  Yet surprisingly, the telephone service in the hotels in Tibet was nothing short of excellent with extremely reasonable prices.  Wish I could say the same for the quality of food in that country.  It was almost as abominable as the legendary snowman.

Break Away

La Cote D'Or, Saulieu, France
Parisians ‘in the know’ who want the ultimate dining and pampering experience head for Burgundy where, two hours out of Paris, La Cote d’Or is one of the finest Relais & Chateaux properties in France. Operated by   charming  Dominique Loiseau, La Cote d’Or is within easy driving range from Burgundy’s wineries and some of the most delightful old towns and villages in France.  But now Dominique has added a new dimension to the property – a marvellous new spa! It offers everything from facials to body wraps, with experts applying each treatment. When in France we keep going back and back, finding new innovations each time. If you have a couple of spare days in France, you will certainly enjoy this wonderful hotel and the picturesque surroundings.
La Cote d’Or, 21210 Saulieu, Burgundy, France. TEL:   33 3 80 90 53 53, FAX:++33 3 80 64 08 92, website: www.relaischateaux.fr/loiseau

Guilin, China
Whether you are going to Guilin on business or as a break away, this is one of the most beautiful and interesting tourist destinations in China.  The Sheraton Hotel here is the best choice and is very centrally located.  I recommend that you ask the concierge to book you a car and driver, and that you include a half-day river trip.  The mountains here look like they are straight out of an antique Chinese wall-hanging, and are among the most photogenic in the world

Thought For The Day

Notice in a British field:
THE FARMER ALLOWS WALKERS TO CROSS THE FIELD FOR FREE, BUT THE BULL CHARGES

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