Based on the Lunar Calendar, Chinese New Year can fall between late January and mid-February – it varies from year to year. This year is unique because Chinese New Year and Valentine’s Day coincide. To celebrate this rare coincidence, the Ayana Resort and Spa in Bali is offering a special package. From now until the end of March, anyone wishing to celebrate the Lunar New Year in style can do so in the utmost luxury, with rates starting from US$894 per room for a three-night stay.
The package includes daily breakfast, three course dinner, aromatic petal massage for two, access to the aquatonic seawater therapy pool with 12 hydro-massage stations, return airport transfers, complimentary flower bath upon arrival, access to the 18-hole golf putting course and tennis pavilion for club, suite, and villa guests, and seasonal fresh fruit served daily.
“We look forward to welcoming guests for the auspicious occasion of Lunar New Year and can promise them a romantic holiday as we welcome 2010 – the Year of the Tiger – together,” says the hotel’s general manager, Charles de Foucault. “While at Ayana, they can also enjoy direct access to the new Rock Bar, perched on natural rocks 14 meters above the ocean, to celebrate the New Year in style!”
What’s on Offer Around the Region
Hotels throughout Asia are laying out the red carpet with an array of packages. Set in its own private rain forest estate, Capella Singapore is offering a Spring Indulgence package from 15 January through 5 March. Couples will spend two nights in a villa with daily breakfast, a late check out, and a 90 minute spa treatment per person for a total price of S$2,000, or approximately US$1,435.
In Myanmar, The Strand has promoted itself as “the finest hostelry east of the Suez” since the Victorian era. It is offering two nights in a deluxe suite over the Chinese New Year period for US$560. The package for two includes daily breakfasts and dinners at the Strand Grill plus your own personal butler, airport transfers, and welcome drinks and a fruit platter on arrival.
In northern Thailand, The Chedi Chiang Mai Retreat on the banks of the Mae Ping River is offering a holiday package from 13 through 15 February priced from TB15,200 for two nights. Daily breakfast and a 60-minute Thai Massage, plus Chinese New Year dinner on 14 February, are included in the price.
In Kuala Lumpur, a Chinese New Year treat for golfers is on offer in the form of Twenty Ten @ The Club at The Saujana, a five-star urban retreat next to the Saujana Golf & Country Club. It is offering two nights from 7 through 22 February for couples, priced at MYR 2,010, approximately US$590. Included are automatic upgrade to a terrace suite and an ancient Balinese massage at the spa as well as daily buffet breakfast and either lunch or dinner at the restaurant. Other benefits include complimentary evening cocktails, mini bar, and all-day coffee and tea.
Located on legendary China Beach in Central Vietnam, The Nam Hai Hoi An is welcoming golfers to play on the newly opened Montgomerie Links course designed by European Tour legend Colin Montgomerie. Chinese New Year holiday packages are available from 8 through 21 February to residents of Greater China, Singapore, Korea, and India, running four nights plus daily breakfast in a hotel villa for US$1,398.
The Mandarin Oriental Singapore is offering a Lover’s Indulgence package. Included are two nights’ accommodation in a harbour suite, round-trip airport transfers by Mercedes-Benz limousine, complimentary access to The Oriental Club including champagne breakfast, all-day soft beverages, afternoon tea, evening cocktails with hors d’oeuvres, and more, a complimentary bottle of champagne, a bouquet of roses, fresh strawberries and handmade chocolate pralines, a romantic rose petal bath, Valentine’s Day turn-down surprises from the hotel’s award-winning chefs, and a five-course Valentine’s Day set dinner inclusive of pairing wines for two persons created by Michelin-starred Chef Marco Pedrelli at Dolce Vita Italian restaurant.
If that’s not enough, there will be 180 minutes of spa indulgence at The Oriental Spa – a special treatment for couples including a welcome foot ritual, aromatherapy body scrub, tranquillity bath, and The Oriental Spa’s signature Oriental massage. Priced at SGD 3,999 per room per night, the Lover’s Indulgence package requires a minimum two nights’ stay and is available only from 13 through 15 February.
Pictured: Ayana Resort and Spa, Bali