Hot destinations

Ah, Asia.

Or rather, the Asias.

There's the fascinating modern Asia that's moving headlong into the 22nd century, and there's the timeless, mysterious Asia that still exists as evoked on traditional screen prints. But with the speed at which things are changing and developing in this area of the world, neither one seems destined to stay the same for long.

The good news is that now is a perfect time to take that trip to Asia you've been dreaming about. With nearly every country proclaiming 2007 as its special year to promote tourism and competing for vacation dollars, there are deals aplenty.

Even destinations that have been off the beaten path, such as Vietnam and Cambodia, are suddenly buzzing with new attractions.

Tracking down deals

So where do you start? It depends on your budget, and the first step is getting there.

As a Canadian, you could cash in those accumulated Aeroplan points before they start to expire by booking one of Air Canada's non-stops from Canada to many points in Asia.

But if you don't have points to burn, the deal of the year for the adventurous has got to be the Cathay Pacific Airways' just-announced All Asia Pass for 2007. It offers a round trip to Hong Kong from Toronto or Vancouver plus three weeks of unlimited flights to any of 23 Asian destinations — which covers almost anywhere you'd probably want to go — for $1,599 if you sign up to be part of their Insider's program at www.cathaypacific.ca. Bookings must be made through a travel agent.

Also new this year is the China Air Pass from China Southern Airline. It's good for multiple flights around the country, and starts at $329 US .

As long as you're traveling all that way across the Pacific, you might as well check out what's new in several different places while you're in Asia. Here are destinations and attractions that are generating buzz from frequent travellers as the places to see this year.

Hong Kong

It's the 10th anniversary of the reversion of the former British Crown colony to Chinese authority, with festivities and celebrations planned throughout the year. The vibrant city continues to grow and perfectly blends the atmosphere and the flavours of old and new China with amazing non-stop shopping.

Among newsmakers this year are the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, atop a soaring new skyscraper at the edge of the harbour and the reborn Mandarin Oriental Hotel, which was shut for nearly a year of renovations.

Meanwhile, small boutique hotels are an emerging trend bucking the steady growth of the huge towers. The newly opened Luxe Manor is the first boutique hotel on the Kowloon side of the harbour, and its decor is described as "surreal" . New on the central side of the harbour is The Fleming, a 66-room "urban lifestyle concept" in the midst of the financial and shopping district.

The Vancouver-based Rhombus Hotels is also opening its new Hotel Panorama on the city side of the harbour early this year .

Another Canadian connection is the Langham Place Hotel, affiliated with the company that runs the Delta Chelsea Hotel in Toronto .

And the venerable Peninsula Hotel has upgraded yet again . If travelling in style is your thing, the hotel just took delivery of 14 new Rolls-Royce vehicles to pick up guests from the airport.

Thailand

Koh Samui Island, an 80-minute flight from Bangkok, has some of the hottest new resorts in Thailand. Canada's Four Seasons is opening a lavish resort in February .

Meanwhile, the cognoscenti are also checking out the luxurious Evason Hideaway & Spa; the Napasai Pansea Orient-Express Hotel on Maenam Beach and the Karma Samui.

Krabi is a southern Thai beach area that wants to become the new Phuket, and the Rayavadee Krabi and the Krabi Thai Village Resort are vanguards of several more luxury resorts opening this year.

Chiang Mai is a northern Thai city known for its many monasteries and temples, but it has become a bustling place these days, with traffic everywhere. Hotels getting raves from critics are the resort-like Four Seasons, the new D2 Hotel managed by Dusit Hotels and the Mandarin Dhara Dhevi.

Bangkok remains fascinating, with funky new hotels and places to dine opening regularly. One of the more intriguing new additions is the Lebua Hotel in the 63-storey State Tower, which boasts two of the world's highest restaurants .

Vietnam

Three decades after the end of the war, Vietnam is finally coming into its own.

Hoi An (near Danang) is famous for China Beach, and it now has its first five-star resort, the Nam Hai, which features 40 pool villas .

Sapa, located in the mountains north of Hanoi, is a centre of the indigenous hill tribes of Vietnam. The venerable Victoria Express, which travels from Hanoi up to Sapa in the mountains of northern Vietnam, has just got modern new trains to take guests to the Victoria Sapa Resort & Spa. Also, consider a cruise on the classic 1910 paddlewheel steamer Emeraude around Halong Bay, with its thousands of rocky caves .

Nha Trang, the beach area between Danang and Ho Chi Minh City, is bustling with new hotels. The small Hideaway Ana Mandara has been chosen by Conde Nast Traveller magazine as one of the world's top resorts. The Vinpearl and the Sunrise Beach Resort also rank highly in surveys.

Cambodia

Siem Reap, the colonial city near Angkor Wat, is becoming increasingly popular among savvy global travellers with the arrival of gorgeous modern hotels such as the FCC Angkor and the Amansara. Visitors seeking something classic might want to visit the Raffles Grand Hotel d'Angkor this year before it undergoes extensive renovations.

The Mekong Delta has two off-the-beaten-track resorts on the border of Cambodia, the Victoria Chau Doc and the Victoria Can Tho. The Can Tho operates boats up the Mekong to Phnom Penh, and then transfers passengers by plane to Siem Reap.

Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh, is also developing into a must-see, with many new hotels open now and more due later in the year.

China

Shanghai is Asia's hottest destination and no one, it seems, can get enough of its boomtown excitement and cuisine. There are literally large and small hotels and restaurants opening weekly. Things change so quickly that the internet is the best source of information on this area. One good source of customer comments and travel advice is the travel tales section of asiahotels.com.

Beijing is a place all roads will lead to in the lead up to the Summer Olympic Games in 2008, and hotels are already taking bookings. The city is in the grip of a hotel-building frenzy. Among prominent arrivals are the Park Hyatt in the top five floors of a skyscraper near the Forbidden City, which has a 360-degree view of the neighbourhood. There is also the Regent Beijing and the ultra-modern Ritz-Carlton Beijing Finance Street.

Insiders point to Lijiang City in southwestern China's Yunnan Province as this year's must-see hideaway. It's a time warp of traditional architecture, bridges and canals that has so far resisted the redevelopment that is sweeping most Chinese cities. Banyan Tree Resorts & Spas has opened both a city hotel and a traditional-styled property in the countryside.

And a travel tip: Even though accommodations and air routes are expanding at unprecedented rates across Asia, demand is growing even faster. There no longer seems to be an off season anywhere, which means it's important to make bookings in advance of your trip and confirm them before you arrive. That's a lot easier these days, because even places far off the beaten path have modern computers and can make all arrangements though the internet.

Wallace Immen is a travel writer who journeys regularly to Asia.