Its five-mile white sand beach bobs with fishing boats at night and championship golf courses nestle in lush tropical surrounds. This place still reeks of old world charm and luxurious spa resorts are sprinkled down the coastline, each one more stunning than the last. If ever I’m asked to suggest honeymoon ideas in Thailand, this is my first pick.

The Marriott Resort and Spa is home to the stunning Mandara Spa. I loved the breath-taking yet understated architecture that seamlessly blends Thai and Western flavours and having this sort of climate means lush tropical planting creates private indoor/outdoor spaces for spa treatments. Imagine standing on slate under a cascading shower with lotus ponds around you before your massage. Landscaped gardens roll onto the gentle beach and you’re only a ten minute walk into Hua Hin town.

Splash about here at the Marriott

A little further down the coast, Chiva Som is a health and wellness spa marketed to the “discretion-seeking” clientele. It looks like the Garden of Eden but you don’t come here to relax and find God! This place is for entire body overhauls: to get fit, lose weight and detoxify your system. This place attracts many of the rich and famous who wander around unrecognised in a fluffy white robe. The price includes three healthy meals a day (including a calorie count for each dish), a daily massage treatment and myriad exercise and toning classes. They take healthy living seriously and there is no smoking allowed on site. Addicts are offered a free acupuncture session and failing that, hard-core smokers have to wend their way down to the beach for a sneaky ciggie.

Chiva Som is detox boot camp bliss!

But I’ve saved the best for last! Travel a little further along again and you’ll find Six Senses Hua Hin and if I were you I’d book a private pool villa here and never come out.  There are 3 dining options to choose from: Italian food in the Beach restaurant, fine dining in The Living Room resting on a lily pond or dining in your own villa with a chef or do your own barbecue. But it’s the pool villas that you’ll come here for. Picture this: your four-poster bed with curtains tied back to reveal your own private garden with a stone bathtub set among the lily ponds, a swimming pool and a day bed for sunbathing or reading a book. You can also book these for around NZ$370 a night.

Six Senses: The ultimate romantic hideaway

How to get there: 

From Bangkok you can take a train to the picturesque railway station in Hua Hin built to welcome King Rama VI’s entourage in the 1920’s. Or take a bus every 30 minutes. Some hotels will provide transfers. Click here for more info. Tripadvisor tips Bangkok to Hua Hin >>>

For more information on Hua Hin, here’s a link to the upscale market complex if you need a shopping fix. Hua Hin Market Village >>>

This post is sponsored by Singapore Airlines* who fly to Bangkok via Singapore, but as always, the opinions are mine (all mine).

* Singapore Airlines operates 12 times per week from Auckland and 5 times a week from Christchurch to Singapore – one of the world’s most vibrant and cosmopolitan cities.  Known for its vibrant culture, shopping and culinary delights; Singapore is the gateway to Bangkok with 5 flights a day.

If you’re stopping over in Singapore, check out my post on the Best Bars in Singapore and my review of Singapore Airlines A380.

www.singaporeair.com

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I picked the brains of the good folks at Singapore Airlines (and if anyone should know, they would) to tell me their favourite bars in this great city. I also asked a few influential Twitterers, so now the work has been done for you, just bookmark this post and you can hit the best spots in Singapore without any fuss. If you’re on a Singapore stopover or this is your ultimate destination, have fun checking out some of these great bars.

For amazing rooftops in Singapore

Enjoy lounge music at Halo

Halo Rooftop Lounge on top of the boutique Wangz Hotel, away from the crowds of Clarke Quay. Fantastic Singapore skyline views, great lounge music and live accoustic events on Fridays and Saturdays.

1-Altitude for it’s amazing 360˚ views from the 63rd floor of the OUB Centre – one of the highest alfresco bars in the world at 282 metres!

New Asia Bar on the 71st floor of the Swissotel is dubbed one of the best 50 bars in the world. This is an indoor bar with fantastic city views and a fabulously long happy hour between 3pm and 9pm to make this a great place to start your evening.

Ku De Ta on top of the Marina Bay Sands

Ku De Ta on top of the enormous Marina Bay Sands is where people go to be seen on the top of the world. But down the other end of this boat shaped rooftop is Sky on 57 which is not as crowded. There’s a minimum spend of $30 if you’re not dining at the restaurant (about 2 drinks!) but the view is spectacular and hey, you’re on holiday!

Lantern on the rooftop of the Fullerton Bay Hotel is one of the newest spots in town with views overlooking the harbour and to the impressive Marina Bay Sands.

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Clarke Quay, Singapore. Pic from Yeowatzup

For busy and fun and where the ex-pats hang out, Clarke Quay is where everyone heads of an evening on the banks of the Singapore River as it’s full of great bars and restaurants.

Try Brewerks if you like boutique beers and aren’t afraid of pushing the envelope a little – like beer brewed with sticky rice following an old Chinese recipe. This micro-brewery is also known for its all-American cuisine and does one of the best burgers in town.

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The legendary Sling

For iconic Singapore you really have to have a Singapore Sling and throw your peanut shells on the floor of the Long Bar at Raffles. Expect to pay about $25 for the long pink drink, but you know – when in Rome… (jump here for my blog on the Singapore Sling and their secret recipe)

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For something quirky, watch the angels at Divine. Pic by Dekcuf

If it’s quirky you fancy, Divine, in the art deco Parkview Square hotel lobby should be your starting point. This wine bar in Singapore’s art deco business “Gotham City” is famous for the barmaid dressed in a silver tutu with angel wings who flies up the 12 metre wine rack to retrieve your bottle. (Bottles start at $80). The building is worth seeing – even though it was built in 2001.

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Lounge at Prive Bar

For those afraid of heights but not wanting to miss out on the killer city views, Prive on the ground floor of Keppel Bay Marina is perfect. It also serves the best peach daiquiris and to-die-for mini wagyu burgers while lounging on big couches and enjoying the waterfront view.

Ying Yang Bar at the Club Hotel in Chinatown is a mellow bar on the roof of this boutique hotel in on Club Street in Ann Siang Hill. It has a great perspective looking up to the CBD skyscrapers and is a great place to kick off as Club Street has so many great little bars and restaurants all set in shop houses (a little like Boat Quay but without the boats!)

And finally but by no means least as you could spend an entire evening just here, St James Powerstation is a destination in itself. Not one but 11 funky bars set in this old industrial power station on the waterfront across the causeway from Sentosa Island and next to the enormous Vivo shopping centre. You’ll find everything from a swanky jazz bar to the pulsating powerhouse with DJs spinning the latest RnB tracks. There’s live rock in the Boiler Room, karaoke (of course), a sports bar and a garden bar for those of a more sophisticated social palate.

St James Power Station hotspot. Pic William Cho

This post is sponsored by Singapore Airlines. Jump here to check out their deals www.singaporeair.com

The crazy wet market. Appearances are deceiving!

So it was that I found myself enrolled in the Chinese Cooking Workshop in Shanghai. I was part of a media group on an Air New Zealand famil (that’s what we call familiarisations when we go to a fancy destination to write about it and entice you to go) and with our local guide we weaved through the busy back streets of this city of 23 million people to the very inconspicuous entrance, 4 journos and our hosts.

English was barely spoken and we were a few minutes late so chef seemed a bit out of sorts. Suddenly we were trailing behind him back out the gate and striding down the path again not entirely sure what was going on. The market!

Righto, looking left and right and trying to keep up while not getting bowled by passing vehicles, we crossed roads and marched on and suddenly came upon what looked like an office block.

Chicken feet anyone?

I was not prepared for the wet market. “Stick together like sticky rice,” he shouted to us through his translator then proceeded to do his best to lose us in the melee inside.

With barely time to take it all in, we passed counters groaning under the piles of fresh veges, so many types of tofu I never knew existed, and meat. Meat of all types. Some of the meat was still alive. (Don’t spend too long with the caged chickens or you’ll be scarred for life, or even with the live fish and frogs. CHOP.)

We squeezed into the tiny kitchen to toss our woks

Then we were racing back down the road to our classroom where bowls, chopping boards and knives were laid out. We made two dishes, kungpao chicken and spicy tofu (which also had minced pork, much to the vegetarians amongst us dismay). So here’s how to make the tasty and quintessential kungpao (aka kongbao) chicken:

Ingredients: (these portions look a little on the teeny side to me, so I guess it’s just for 1 serve. Your help is welcome in the comments below!)

100g chicken breast, peanuts (to add later), 1 tsp sugar, 2 tsp rice wine, 2 Tbs dark soy sauce, 1 tsp chili paste, 1 tsp vinegar, 1.5 tsp corn starch, 1 Tbs ginger, 1 Tbs garlic

Method:

Bash chicken breast with a mallet, then dice into 1 cm cubes. Season with salt and combine with sugar, cooking wine and starch.

In a wok fry ginger, chopped garlic, chili paste, cooking wine until fragrant. Add diced chicken, a little water, sugar, dark soy sauce, vinegar and some starch. Toss around and add fried peanuts and chopped dried chillies to serve.

Kungpao chicken with chillies

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Tai chi on the Bund

It’s overcast with a hint of drizzle that isn’t bothering anyone. We walk along the concourse beside the Huangpu river that they call the Bund. It’s German for embankment or quay. It is edged in ornate stone buildings across the busy road but the concourse along the riverside is wide, lending itself to sightseers, groups doing tai chi and men flying kites early in the morning.

It’s also one of Shanghai’s most photographed spots and it is here I learn about the Wedding Book.

In China, having your wedding photos taken is no simple exercise. You don’t take them on the big day, you start weeks, if not months, before in different locations wearing different hired wedding outfits.

Creating the Wedding Book

Now that I am looking, I see brides and grooms dotted like confetti all over the city, embracing and posing in front of various iconic buildings, bridges and sights.

The first couple I saw, I thought was a photo shoot for a magazine as she was in full western wedding regalia with strapless white dress and big poofy flower in her hair, he in a tuxedo, canoodling beside a popular cafe on a leafy street in the French Concession. I also took photos.

The next bride I spied was in red – the traditional Chinese wedding colour. He was in a black suit with black cummerbund and a white dragon looking tie. They were trying various poses sitting on bridge railings as the photographer instructed.

I was intrigued and as we had a Chinese tour guide, I asked all my nosey questions…

The lady in red

What is the Wedding Book all about?

Umpteen different outfits are hired to put together for this pricey Wedding Book. This crusade can start up to a year before the wedding day as couples hire a photographer to go out each weekend and ‘catch them unawares’ in fabulous places. Typically the bride will choose 5 or 6 dresses. But it’s not all formal. I spied a couple in a bus stop with matching Will You Marry Me? T-shirts on. No photographer in sight so they were either extras on their way to the shoot or maybe they’d just finished and were happy to wear their love T’s in public.

On the actual day, more dresses will be worn. This time purchased. One will be a western gown and another a traditional Chinese gown.

The book is then bound beautifully and shown at the reception. It costs about NZ$2000, but don’t worry about finding the money. Each wedding guest is asked to give $500 as their gift.

I’m sorry, but I think I’m busy that day.

If Shanghai is on your wish list, click here for more info on Air New Zealand >>>

Suzy Fewtrell

So cutting straight to the chase, we booked a shopping tour with a kiwi woman named Suzy Fewtrell. She moved to Shanghai when Air NZ started flying here because her husband was a pilot. They loved it so much that he left the company to stay and Suzy set up her business for western shoppers who want all the donkey work done for them.

We taxi’d to meet her with a bus and a driver at her usual pick-up point at a local Starbucks about 8.30am for a full day of shopping – which I thought might possibly be a little too long and quite probably kill me. How wrong I was and even the token male in our group went berserk and could have gone longer!

With 5 different factories, shopping centres and shops, plus lunch and transport all included for about NZ$240 per person, we trundled off first to the Fabric Market. Excitement was running high – a little Christmas Eve-ish we felt.

It was winter when we were there so the market was all about cashmere coats and suits. It was a veritable wonderland. Suzy and her team of guides have relationships with select vendors that they have worked out excellent, pre-bartered prices with and have had a NZ tailor come and check out the quality of their work. I was a bit sceptical that the prices might include a kick-back for Suzy so didn’t pay too much attention to her list of vendors at first and turned in circles like a music box ballerina and headed off in the direction of a stunning red cashmere number with a page from Vogue pinned to the front to show me how on trend it was for winter.

Buy off the rack or have a coat made overnight

Thinking back now, the price wasn’t too bad (around NZ$160), but I couldn’t budge them on price so left it. In the end I found a lime green cashmere coat, fully lined and in a cape shape with buttons pulling a high neck together for about $120. I can’t wait for winter and it’s only barely summer! Suzy’s pre-arranged prices are definitely better than we non-bartery-type shoppers can get and she is also on hand to help with any bargaining that you might want to try at other vendors. She also speaks the language which is helpful when trying to negotiate.

I bought two 100% silk ties, 2 scarves, 3 pairs of cuff links, a belt and that coat for less than $200. Stoked. Back to the bus we went and compared purchases. Two of our group had coats being made overnight that were duly delivered to the hotel at 8.30am the next day, all fitted and lined.

Next we went to a place that sells gorgeous ceramics – plates, bowls, vases – but I decided my luggage didn’t need the weight. We stopped for a delicious lunch which Suzy ordered on our behalf so we could taste all the different dishes, then off we set again to the Silk Factory where the worms were being boiled and their silk cocoons unravelled by machines into fine spider-web like threads to be made into duvet and pillow fillers.

Silk worms in their cocoons

Along the chain I went and saw how they stretch the wet threads over a frame, then 4 ladies holding a corner each stretch at least 100 layers over a bed to make the duvets. I bought a king size duvet and 2 pillows which were vacuum packed for travelling for $200. Suzy said these are the most popular items her guests buy and often she is asked to send them overseas to those who wished they’d bought them on her tour.

Next stop was for antiques and collectibles. I was after a sculpture of a Chinese coin – which I eventually found in marble at the next stop. Christmas decorations were out in full force, homewares, fresh flowers and the most amazing fake flowers I’ve ever seen.

Getting a pearl necklace made for mum

Finally it was the Pearl Market, which is a misnomer as it’s 3 floors of all kinds of jewellery, luggage, handbags and nick nacks. I spent the remainder of the contents of my wallet here on gifts galore – including some very cute chopsticks and my piece of art.

But one last story I must tell you before you stop reading and click onto another website (don’t do it!) is about the couple from Wellington who had built a new home and had a quote of $28,000 for curtains. They contacted Suzy and she sorted out which factories to take them to, so over they flew and got all their curtains made, lined and bought the tracks and tie-backs. And even including the 250kg of overweight luggage to bring it home rather than ship it, they got the whole lot for $6,000. YES they did.

So jump here to Shopping Tours Shanghai and check out the full day, half day, everything tour, curtain tour, personal tour and custom tailoring tour. It’s so worth it that I’m thinking about rounding up a few of my BFFs and going back.

And click here for Air New Zealand and see if they have any great Shanghai deals on today.

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Club Med Phuket is in Kata Bay, with a great beach for swimming, just walking distance to local markets and short Tuk Tuk ride to Patong. There is a 9 hole pitch and putt; snorkeling boat trips and cooking lessons included plus Baby Club for 4mths – 23mths at extra cost.

At the moment the resort is undergoing a massive refurbishment (and if it’s anything like their flagship makeover of their Bali property, it’ll be wow!) It will open in 2012 with a stunning new look. The resort’s renovation is inspired by Thai lanterns and local colours, aptly named “Magic of Lights”, by designer Mark Hetich.

Drawing on the ancestral culture of serenity and indulgence the resort will boast a new specialty restaurant, a new quiet pool along with a complete refurbishment of their current bar, restaurant, spa and reception areas.

The new A La Carte restaurant will offer Thai specialties and stunning views of the ocean. The main restaurant will be revamped, offering 5 separately themed pavilions for a different dining ambiance each day, with 4 air-conditioned and one chic alfresco dining room. Guests are also in for a new cuisine experience with over 90 new dishes to be introduced.

A new adults-only quiet pool will be added as an ideal getaway for couples looking for a relaxing Thai retreat. With spectacular views of Karon Bay this “Whisper Zone” will offer peace and intimacy and will complement perfectly the revamped Club Med Spa by Payot with 12 treatment rooms, Jacuzzi and two Turkish Baths.

But the big impact is saved for the new oval concept bar. It will stand out in purple mixed with a combination of bright colours that typify local Thai design. The expanded lounge is furnished with beautiful oversized sofas and low wooden tables crafted by local artisans. While guests mingle and enjoy their drinks, they will be treated to a stunning view of the ocean. And don’t forget, Club Med is an all-inclusive resort so your bar tab is already taken care of.

So here’s the deal: 7 nights, all inclusive including return flights from New Zealand and transfers from $2879 per adult and $1695 per child 4-11 years. The sales period is until October 28, 2011 for travel to April 20, 2012. There are a few black out dates in December and January, so jump through here to Club Med NZ and find out more >>>

And remember, these prices include all your meals, snacks, drinks – including unlimited alcohol, so it’s very good value (I should be on commission. I’m not!)

I was on a whistle-stop three-day tour from Bangkok to the Golden Triangle where Thailand borders Laos and Cambodia. My itinerary indicated the drive from Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai would take about three hours and along the way we’d visit ancient ruins, 1000-year old temples and poke around villages and factories of artisans busily creating paper parasols, carving wooden elephants and gluing egg shells onto lacquer vases to stunning effect.

Chiang Rai and it’s sister town Chiang Mai are where many of the quality handmade crafts you find in Bangkok markets are made. This region is also a favourite stomping ground for backpackers keen to trek through the jungle for a bit of flora and fauna appreciation, and for the less intrepid, cheap Thai massages (about $14 for an hour) and of course, shopping.

My afternoon was going to be spent visiting the monstrous new Hall of Opium museum, which documents the history and misery the opium trade had on the region and its people during the lucrative 19th century, and the ensuing battles that came with it – like the British and Chinese invasions.

But a single sentence in between the paragraphs on my A4 printout simply said “dining at Cabbages and Condoms Restaurant, Wiang Pa Pao”.

If there’s one thing I can’t handle about Fear Factor, it’s the food they make the money- and fame-hungry contestants eat. So when condom salad appeared on the menu I nearly fled. But realising I would only get as far as the bus in the carpark waiting for the rest of our group, I decided to brave the prophylactic dish.

Cabbages and Condoms is a restaurant chain with five outlets in Thailand. This one in Chiang Rai also has budget accommodation on site by way of cottages designed more for the backpacker. It’s comfortable and simple, but by no means swanky.

The whole condom concept would be humorous if its mission wasn’t so serious. These restaurants help to raise funds for the Population and Community Development Association. PDA was founded 35 years ago and is one of Thailand’s most well established non-government funded organisations. Its primary concern is for the welfare of the country’s rural poor and when it started in 1974 it provided education on family planning and sexually transmitted diseases.

I have to admit, this worthy explanation didn’t assuage my trepidation. But a billboard at the entrance, painted with ten brightly coloured condoms, arms waving and faces smiling, proved they do see the lighter side of their mission.

I entered through the gift shop selling many quality souvenirs which also included a bunch of condom flowers. I couldn’t think who I’d give them to, so abstained from purchasing. They also sell the real thing, but I was more taken by the bouquet.

Cabbages and Condoms restaurants have a reputation for good, cheap food but that salad was freaking me out. I sat down, ordered a coke and proceeded to the buffet to load my plate with Thai style chicken, rice and other delicious-looking yet unidentifiable goodies. The salad sat ominously at the end of the table.

Bravely I walked over and joined the small party of onlookers who were peering into the bowl. Tiny, rolled up condom-looking rice crepes decorated the dish which turned out to be a regular salad underneath. Very clever.

The name is a gimmick that the locals understand. Cabbages are plentiful up here and the hopes are that condom use will be just as common. A line at the bottom of the menu read, “Our food is guaranteed not to cause pregnancy.”

Only thirty years ago it seemed everything caused pregnancy in these rural areas. Thai families averaged seven children. Today the average is two and the PDA is proud to have been a part of this shift, particularly for poor families who also remain largely uneducated about HIV and AIDS.

Many of Chiang Rai’s youngsters leave their jungle backyards and head south for a better life in the big smoke of Bangkok. Instead they end up lured into the lucrative sex industry, ignorant to its dangers.

But during these family planning programmes, it became apparent that the rural communities required far more than a reduction in fertility rates. The PDA has since established medical, training, conservation and business education programmes. One of the most recent initiatives is the Vegetable Bank which links underground irrigation to small plots so families can cultivate fast growing, high value veges that require only small amounts of water. This style of farming enables villagers to earn up to $100 per month from their 800 sq metre lots – about three times what they were earning before the system was started.

PDA’s original family planning campaign was started by a Mr Mechai Viravaidya in the 1970s. His mission was to attract as much media attention as possible in his quest to change society’s values particularly to taboo subjects like sex, contraception, vasectomies and now abortion. He has succeeded. Now best known as Thailand’s advocate of family planning and safe sex, he is fighting to bring change, not only in Thailand’s bedrooms but at government level. Twelve thousand volunteers have delivered contraceptives to over 16,000 villages and today PDA programmes cover a third of the country. Mechai is now slang in Thailand for ‘condom’ and the safe sex activist has become a senator.

So after the salad had been sampled and my horizons widened, I left the restaurant with more than just my appetite sated. And instead of a mint, everyone received a free condom.
Jump here to PDA for Cabbages and Condoms, Chiang Rai branch.

Chess, the great global game

It didn’t matter that I couldn’t speak Bahasa Indonesia to the bunch of guys playing chess outside a little snack shop, and it also didn’t matter that my ‘helpers’ couldn’t speak English, nor that my chess skills were average to say the least.

“Eat him!” shouted the Indonesian man standing beside me giving animated advice as the group of onlookers grew.  That phrase was about the extent of his English, so given that I was a chess novice with no better idea, I did. I shifted my bishop and ate my opponent’s queen. A bold move, but one that brought cheers from the crowd as clearly one of the sharpest players in the game slapped his hand to his forehead and took another drag of his cigarette across the formica table and I felt like the winner even though we’d only just begun.

I was sitting outside a café, if you could call it that, on the Indonesian island of Bintan, about an hour by ferry south of Singapore on the South China Sea. It was more like someone’s little kitchen really with a window from which to serve passersby. A small group of water taxi drivers waiting for their next fare were watching a game when I wandered over in search of a drink.

I asked the lady through the window for a beer and got my camera out to snap the busy scene. Within moments a chess board was opened in front of me and I was arranging plastic players while trying to explain my limited chess skills via hand movements and charades. It was useless, I was surrounded by eager assistants and so the duel began: four advisors and me against the man with the fag.

Bintan is the largest of the Riau Islands and its resorts serve as the weekend escape for families from nearby Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia who come seeking respite on the beaches that encircle the jungle interior. The famed Komodo dragon lives here, but I didn’t see one, which was just as well as it most likely would have eaten me. They can smell their prey up to 2km away, I’m told.

Or a game of chess at Club Med

Club Med, one of about ten hotels dotted along the white sandy beach lapped by water so clear I could see my feet until I was over my head, is tantalisingly dangerous with all the food, all the drinks, all the relaxing time one can handle, all for the one flat price. And for the first couple of days I spun into a gluttonous frenzy until common sense presided and I knew I would be back tomorrow.

But curious as to what life outside the manicured lawns and 24/7 attention was like, I took a taxi to a wee village nearby for a spot of shopping where I snaffled up a pair of woven flax jandals. The humidity was causing havoc to my winter-white blistered feet and these worked wonders. Another driver met us and took the small posse of inquisitive kiwis to the fishing village of Tanjung Uban where I was to meet the locals chewing the fat and find myself playing chess in the noonday sun.

The cool cats of Tanjung Uban

The temperature soared around 35C as I first walked along the rickety wooden pier edged with family homes on stilts. Children played in makeshift sandpits and when I stopped to take photos, their mothers told them to smile and wave at the lady with the camera stuck to her face, or words to that effect.

I walked through an open-air café where a four-year old was throwing a tantrum. His mother didn’t look too bothered as he hurled anger and coke cans around while bemused patrons shouted encouragement. Within minutes he was in tears on his mother’s lap. Ahh kids are the same wherever you go.

Secret boy stuff

Behind the café two ten-year old boys squatted on their haunches fishing for tiny morsels from a line wound around a stick of wood. They were being so secretive I wondered what it was they were catching. Important boy stuff I supposed, and left them to it. Further along, a group of teenage boys were holding a somersault diving competition and called me over. Posing together like a soccer team, I took their pictures then one by one they flipped, flopped and flung themselves into the sea. I wanted to do the same as the heat weighed like a heavy eiderdown on a January afternoon. But decided a nice cool beer would do the trick.

The main street is lined with run-down shops selling shoes, plastic buckets, mops and motorbike repair shops. In fact there are so many motorbikes whizzing around that this would be the most lucrative trade, should I want to start a business here. But deciding on more important matters like where I might get a drink, I found myself at the game of chess in front of the tiny shop almost tucked out of sight and with the help of my panel of advisors (and a little grace from my opponent who would question my sillier moves) I ‘ate’ more pieces and won the match amid much cheering and high-fiving.

Check out the latest packages at Club Med Bintan if you fancy an all-inclusive luxury holiday.

Lounging around at Club Med Bali

The price includes your accommodation, 3 sumptuous meals per day, full open bar (excluding some premium branded spirits and champagne), kids clubs, entertainment and Club Med’s extensive sports and activity offerings.

Check out the all-inclusive packages here Club Med NZ >>>

Adventurous travellers can support Variety – The Children’s Charity by signing up for a unique holiday experience to Vietnam with actor Shane Cortese in April 2011.

The Variety Cycle Vietnam trip is an exciting challenge over the 13 day tour departing Auckland on 2 April 2011. It includes five days of cycling covering 350kms, a visit to a school and orphanage, and sight-seeing in Hanoi’s vibrant streets, the beaches of Nha Trang and the hustle and bustle of Ho Chi Minh City.

“This is a first for Variety – The Children’s Charity and we are so thrilled to help them accomplish their goal to raise funds for their ‘Bikes for Kids’ programme. We have more than 35 years experience in organising adventure itineraries and jumped at the chance to help Variety,” explains Tali Emdin, NZ General Manager for World Expeditions.

“The trend we are seeing in travel today is for people to give something back while having an amazing experience. This type of travel is on the top of most people’s lists whether donating to a cause they believe in or actually going to a destination for a Community Project.”

Only eight places remain with the total group of travellers being 25. The ticket price of $4890 per person includes return airfares from Auckland with Singapore Airlines, twin-share accommodation, comfortable geared bikes, support crew and back-up vehicle, private transport when not cycling, expert bilingual guide, most meals and a $500 donation to Variety. And, the special added bonus to cycle around Vietnam with Outrageous Fortune’s Hayden, aka Shane Cortese!

For more information, please visit www.variety.org.nz or www.worldexpeditions.co.nz