West Australian

January 24, 2004

Hotel guide holds Asian key

An exhaustive traveller's survey has come up with a gem of a book on Asian accommodation, as Margot Lang reveals

You're going to Asia on holiday, or maybe on business. How do you find the best hotel for your needs? With more than 15,000 hotels and resorts to choose from, the decision is not easy.

Insights Guides, well known for its excellent holiday guide books, has come up with a gem of a book, Asia's Best Hotels & Resorts, based on a survey of 42,000 travellers conducted by the independent travel website asia-hotels.com.

Between them, the group nominated 3813 hotels. The website's editors and hotel inspectors sifted through 115,000 comments and scores to select the most popular choices. A team of travel writers then researched the hotels and reduced the number of favourites to 300.

The result is an independent, authoritative and entertaining guide to 300 recommended hotels and resorts in 21 countries.

As you would expect, the list includes some world-renowned hotels with prices to match their reputations.

But the best doesn't always mean the most expensive. Good service, cleanliness, location, facilities, restaurants, family-friendliness and overall value for money have all been taken into account to give the hotels a bellhop rating, with most of the entries in the book getting a high 4.5 or 5.

We have quoted the minimum room rates listed in the book (converted from US to Australian dollars) but some prices have already changed. You can find the latest rates and make reservations at www.asiahotels.com.

In Asia you can stay at top quality hotels at rates which would get you little more than a two-star shoebox in many European cities.

Near the ancient Angkor temples in Cambodia, you can find five-star splendour at the Sofitel Angkor from $203 a night. If you're on a budget, The Angkor Village Resort, also with 4.5 bellhops, charges $91 a night for its wooden bungalows nestled among ponds and gardens.

In China, the scenic West Lake of Hangzhou is famed for its beauty and the five-star Shangri-La Hangzhou has a supreme setting on the northern banks of the lake. Its bellhop rating is 4.5 and its rooms start at $107.

The Peace Hotel on the Bund in Shanghai was the epitome of style in colonial days and 70 years on its rates five star and four bellhops, with the rooms from $115. Down busy Nanjing Xi Road, the Portman Ritz-Carlton combines the latest in modern facilities with exceptional service. The hotel is five-star with 4.5 bellhops and rooms start at $73.

In Hong Kong, The Peninsula Hotel has long been renowned as one of the finest in the world for style, service and sophistication. It gets a top bellhop score of five. Rooms start at $422.

Next door to the posh Peninsula is the YMCA. The Salisbury, only 3.5 stars but with a high bellhop rating of 4.5. The facilities and service are good and the value is unbeatable, with rooms from $106.

India is famed for its palace hotels and three in colourful Rajasthan get top bellhop scores of five. Rajvillas Jaipur brings to life the fantasies of living in a palace and being waited on hand and foot in opulent surround. Rooms are priced from $379 a night.

The Lake Palace Udaipur, spectacularly set in the middle of a lake, has prices starting at $375. At the Rambagh Palace at Jaipur, built in white marble in royal proportions, you get the palatial ambience at cheaper rates, with standard rooms from $150.

A regular favourite with those who know India is the Ajit Bhawan in Jodhpur, described as an absolute oasis for weary travellers, blending heritage, personal service and a fantastically low price - rooms start at $58. This hotel is listed as an editor's pick.

Bali has some wonderful places to stay and no fewer than 18 get top scores of five or 4.5 bellhop ratings. The three Aman hotels - Amandari, Amankila and Amanusa - charge from $865 a day for their stylish exclusiveness, but the Ritz-Carlton Resort and Spa at Jimbaran Bay also gets five bellhops and has rooms from $200. The Novotel Coralia Benoi Bali, with Balinese décor and style, is described as a gorgeous hideaway hang-out, fabulously family friendly, with rooms priced from $75.

Tokyo is renowned for its high prices but the five-star Shinagawa Prince Hotel, an enormous complex with 3680 rooms, has rates from $125 a night. The hotel is opposite Shinagawa station and has all the facilities of a small town. Its bellhop rating is 4.5.

A quirky editor's pick in tranquil Luang Prabang in Laos is Le Calao Inn, described as one of the loveliest hostelries in Asia. A beautifully restored 1904 French mansion, it has balconies overlooking the Mekong River and rates starting at $76.

Malaysia has some great value hotels, but one of the best must be the Mutiara Burau Bay Beach Resort Langkawi, with150 simple chalets set among pretty gardens and trees on the beachfront on the holiday island of Langkawi. It's only three-star but gets five bellhops. Rates start at $84.

In Kathmandu, you can stay at the charming five-star Yak & Yeti Hotel (four bellhops) for $135 a night, with first-class facilities and friendly service, or the bargain- priced Kathmandu Guest House (4.5 bellhops) from $24, where the clean, comfortable rooms rate only three stars but the service is five-star.

Singapore has a wealth of five-star hotels, with the legendary Raffles in a class of its own. Opened in 1887, it has been refurbished in fine style and gets a 4.5 bellhop rating. Rooms start at $505. Cheaper but still top rating are the Oriental at $140 a night and the Conrad Centennial at $141.

If you're looking for a bargain, try the 25-rooms Keong Saik Hotel, slap in the middle of Chinatown, only two stars but four bellhops for its ready charm, exotic and authentic location, helpful staff and rates from $47 a night. The Royal Peacock is also well-priced, from $73, a clean and comfortable three-star hotel in a row of former shophouses, rated at four bellhops.

The Kandalama Hotel in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, is described as one of the most amazing hotels in Asia, built into a cliff in the middle of a forest, with views of a 5th century rock fortress from the swimming pool and two ancient cities nearby. Four stars, five bellhops, rates from $98.

Thailand has 31 five-star entries, and nine of these get the ultimate five-bellhop accolade. The venerable Oriental has long been the place for celebrities to stay in Bangkok and its new spa is one of the best. Rates at $261.

Across the Chao Phraya River, The Peninsula is worthy challenger, with cutting-edge opulence, a huge riverside swimming pool and fine cuisine. Rooms from $194. Top marks for value in Bangkok go to the two-star Majestic Suites Hotel. Which has spick-and-span rooms with TV and fridge for $32 a night, and the four-star Baiyoke Sky Hotel, from $58 a night, both rated at four bellhops.

Phuket is the place for holiday luxury at good prices. The Kata Thani Hotel & Resort, the Thavorn Beach Village Hotel, the Cape Panwa Hotel, the Holiday Inn Resort and the Novotel Coralia Resort are all quality four-star hotels priced from about $85 a night.

In Vietnam, the Rex Hotel in the centre of Ho Chi Minh City is famed for its character and history. It has four stars and 4.5 bellhops but rooms start at a modest $79 a night.

Hanoi's classic Sofitel Metropole Hotel has tradition, style and all the latest amenities. It's five-star with 4.5 bellhops and costs from $154 a night. The modest 33-rooms De Syloia is deservedly popular for its service and its clean and spacious rooms. It's close to the city centre, rated three-star and 4.5 bellhops, with rooms starting at $76.