New and improved Holiday Villa Beach Resort

The Holiday Villa Beach Resort in Cherating is a pleasant weekend getaway for the weary city dweller. By REVATHI MURUGAPPAN
CHERATING beach has always been a haven for backpackers and surfers, especially during the monsoon months of November and December. It has the perfect combination of great waves, a wide stretch of white 0sandy beach, a plethora of dining choices and a happening nightlife.


Since Club Med opened its first Asian venture here back in the 70s, other hotels have quickly followed suit and visitors have a wealth of accommodation to choose from, catering for all budgets. One such lodging is the recently refurbished Holiday Villa Beach Resort, a Malaysian hotel chain founded in 1987.

Dinner under the stars was a pleasant change though. Tables and speakers were set up outdoors and thankfully, the night was breezy and beautiful. The flies miraculously disappeared and we had the likes of Lionel Richie crooning his best numbers to provide the entertainment.

The first night saw us having a barbecue – fresh fish, squid and prawns never tasted better! The next day, a heavenly meal of steamboat awaited diners. Then it was time for some karaoke at the Fun Pub.

With all those pounds you might have put on from the chow, it’s advisable to work off the calories. For recreation, you can always jump into the two swimming pools or the open air Jacuzzi. Or enjoy a game of tennis, basketball or volleyball.

While the hotel does offer water sports like water scooters, sailing and kayaking, sadly during our visit, the recreation centre was closed. Since the guest count was minimal, the water sports operator decided to take the day off. It was a pity as the weather was sunny so we chose to sit on the sundeck and bask in the serenity of the South China Sea before dozing off.
Room rates begin from RM280.

School holiday packages are available until June 10. Call for details.

Holiday Villa Beach ResortLot 1303, Mukim Sg KarangCherating, PahangTel: (09) 581 9500E-mail: chv@tm.net.my
http://www.holidayvilla.com.my/

source from:
http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/

Visit Malaysia year 2007

MALAYSIA is on the right track when it comes to attracting tourists. Since Visit Malaysia Year 2007 was launched on Jan 6, there has been a steady stream of visitors to the country.

Tourism Ministry secretary-general Datuk Dr Victor Wee attributed this to the promotional efforts for the VMY launch and Eye On Malaysia, the huge ferris wheel that reaches a height of 60 metres and which offers magnificent views of Kuala Lumpur.

He said the operatic quartet Il Divo, which kicked off their world tour here on January 16, further brought international attention to Malaysia.

Flora Fest also attracted thousands of visitors with more than 3,000 holiday packages sold for the event.

“Thaipusam is another big event in terms of attracting tourists and so is the Le Tour de Langkawi,” said Wee.

The Asian version of Le Tour De France is from Feb 2-11.

He added: “The Chinese New Year open house in Malacca, to be organised by the Culture, Arts and Heritage Ministry, and another planned by the Penang State Government will also be a big crowd puller. We are expecting a lot of Chinese tourists for the open houses.”

Some 50 major events are in the pipeline for VMY07 and these include the popular Colours of Malaysia, the Petronas Malaysian F1 Grand Prix, National Water Festival including the Labuan International Sea Challenge, the Malaysia International Aerospace Exhibition at Subang International Airport and two World Music festivals – in Sarawak and in Penang.

“We are confident of achieving 20.1 million arrivals,” he said. Malaysia hopes to make RM44.5 billion in foreign exchange for VMY07.



Rail-ly affordable holiday

By SHANTI GUNARATNAM

FANCY a rail holiday? Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad is offering affordable holiday packages at the Matta Fair next month.

Visitors can expect up to 30 per cent discount for travel to any railway destination in the country, with hotel accommodation. KTMB will promote destinations such as Penang, Ipoh, Malacca and Johor Baru.

Matta Fair organising committee chairman Datuk Mohd Khalid Harun said KTMB had participated in the fair for the last three years but this is the first time they are giving such fantastic offers.

During the three-day fair, KTMB will also offer discounted rates to KTM Komuter passengers with the aim of getting more people to travel by train and thus ease traffic congestion.

National carrier Malaysia Airlines has also lined up great bargains for tickets and holidays packages.

Khalid was speaking at the signing ceremony between Matta and the New Straits Times Press to appoint the newspaper as its media partner for the March fair. The signatories were Khalid and Badrul Hisham Mahzan, NSTP’s general manager of advertisement, sales and advertising department.

Khalid said the fair, to be held from March 16 to 18 at Putra World Trade Centre in Kuala Lumpur, will have 850 booths.

“Seventy per cent of the exhibitors will be offering domestic packages. We hope to make RM85 million in sales.”

Entrance fee to the fair is RM3 for adult. Children below 12 get to enter for free.



Resort showroom at airport

THE opening of the Miri Marriott Resort & Spa’s showroom at the Miri airport recently was officiated by Sarawak Assistant Minister of Infrastructure Development and Communications Lee Kim Shin.

Also at the opening were resort general manager Stefan Gruber, representatives of Miri Airports Berhad, Sarawak Tourism Board, airlines and various government agencies.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH2594 from Kuala Lumpur, with 100 passengers on board, were the first batch of guests who were greeted with welcome drinks and ushered to the showroom for a quick preview.

Lee said he was very pleased with the Marriott’s continued efforts to promote tourism in Miri and thanked Gruber for the initiative in opening the showroom as it would make a great first impression on visitors to Miri and Northern Sarawak.

Gruber said their objective was not only to create a great first impression but also to ensure that all visitors felt welcomed and had someone answer all their queries.

He added that Miri Marriott Resort & Spa recently received the Sarawak Hornbill Tourism Most Promising Luxury Hotel & Resort award.

For details, please contact the resort at tel 085-421121 or visit marriott.com/property



Extreme-ly well-prepared

By DIANA YEOH

PERAK is going to the extreme for Visit Malaysia Year with a list of adrenalin-pumping activities.

On the itinerary are “power” events like Outdoor Haven Tempurung Extravaganza (March 10), Malaysia Motocross (March 11), International Iron Bound Challenge (May 19-20), Ipoh International Run (July 1), Malaysia Skydive (July 14-15), Pulau Sembilan Fishing Safari (July 21-22) and Powerman Malaysia (Nov 11).

For those who prefer a slower pace, there are the Perak International Dancesport Championship (Jan 6), Agrofest Perak (June 7), International Orchid Festival (June 7-12), Perak Endurance (July 7, 8) and Perak Tropical Rainforest Tourism Symposium (Oct 27-28).

State Agriculture and Agro-Based Industries and Tourism committee chairman Datuk Mohd Radzi Manan said the state hopes to attract some 3 million foreign tourists with these highlights on “extreme sports” and eco-tourism events.

“We have allocated RM3 million for clearing-up works that include homesteads in Selama, adding 80 rooms in Bukit Larut, upgrading facilities at Gua Tempurung/Taiping/Ipoh, development of the Kuala Gula bird sanctuary and recreational sites Kuala Woh and Lata Kinjang.

Welcome to Travel to Asia

For those who have visited many website looking for places of interest in Asia, we thank you for the initiative. Therefore, this blog is created for the frequent traveler, travel enthusiast and even a curious visitor who wish to know Asia better.
In this first posting, we would like to introduce Malaysia, our beloved country.

Malaysia - An Introduction by Lonely Planet
Malaysia is one of the most pleasant, hassle-free countries to visit in southeast Asia. It's buoyant and wealthy, and has moved towards a pluralist culture based on a vibrant and interesting fusion of Malay, Chinese, Indian and indigenous cultures and customs.

Malaysia's love of Western-style industrialisation is abundantly clear in its big cities. Aside from the gleaming glass towers of the 21st Century, though, Malaysia boasts some of the most superb beaches, mountains and national parks in Asia

Quick fact

• Full Name

Federation of Malaysia

• Capital City

Kuala Lumpur

• Area

329,750 sq km

127,316 sq miles

• Population

23,000,000

• Time Zone

GMT/UTC +8 ()

• Daylight Saving Start

not in use

• Daylight Saving End

not in use

• Languages

Malay (official) Known as Bahasa MalaysiaEnglish (other) Tamil (other) Chinese (other)

• Religion

52% Muslim, 17% Buddhist, 12% Taoist, 8% Christian, 8% Hindu, 2% tribal

• Currency

Malaysian Ringgit (RM)

• Electricity

240V 50HzHz

• Electric Plug Details

British-style plug with two flat blades and one flat grounding blade