If you're looking for holiday inspiration, there's lots to get excited about this coming season. These are the best new hotels in Asia this autumn
Anantara Ubud Bali Resort
Resort suites are perched among the tree tops
This hotly anticipated resort will finally be flinging open its doors from October.
Guests at Anantara Ubud Bali Resort can expect a tranquil, tropical retreat neighbouring the traditional hillside village of Banjar Puhu north of Ubud, the island’s ‘arts and crafts’ centre.
The resort offers 85 suites and pool villas as well as 15 branded residences that cascade down a forested hill towards a mountain stream.
The one- and two-bedroom villas all have infinity pools and are perched among the treetops.
Facilities run to two heated pools, one adult-only and one for families, a jungle-clad yoga deck and a gym. There’s also a kids’ club, helpful if parents fancy sloping off to the Anantara Spa for an indigenous treatment or healing therapy.
Dining options include signature restaurant AMERTA serving local dishes prepared in a wood-fired oven, KIRANA for local fare and breakfast options and SULANG for cocktails with misty valley views. Designer Dining options are also available, such as private picnic lunches by a waterfall or a celebration dinner in a private pavilion.
Anantara Ubud Bali resort is a two-and-a-half hour drive from Bali’s international airport at Denpasar.
QT Singapore
All the glamour beside the rooftop pool
The first QT branded hotel in Southeast Asia has opened its doors in Singapore. Located within a refurbished heritage building on Robinson Road, boutique hotel QT Singapore boasts a stunning redesign and plenty of mod cons.
Lead designer Nic Graham of Nic Graham & Associates has immersed the hotel in Singaporean art and design, collaborating with local and international artists to bring a “contemporary infusion of culture and design to life”, with bold colour and artistic furnishings.
QT Singapore has 134 guest rooms, all ensuite with walk-in rain shower, and including double-ceiling Corner, Junior, Balcony and Premier suites. Further in-room amenities include ipad-managed room controls, wireless Bose speakers and Dyson hair products.
Dining spaces include Cygnet with a Manhattan steakhouse and Rooftop for cocktails crafted with local ingredients and city views.
“After a phenomenal transformation, QT Singapore is ready to bring its bold and creatively charged hospitality to the heart of Singapore’s culturally vibrant district,” said Norman Arundel, director of QT Hotels & Resorts.
Radisson RED Danang
Radisson Red is located on the oceanfront strip in Danang
Danang is fast becoming one of the most popular family holiday destinations in the region and with good reason. This month sees the opening of one more international hotel, this time on the oceanfront road in Danang. Radisson RED Danang offers rooms and suites and is steps away from My Khe Beach.
Designers have kept the look local with lots of Vietnamese artworks hanging on guest room walls, alongside all mod cons.
Facilities run to a resort pool, a fitness centre with steam room, sauna and heated jet pool and four dining spaces. Brasserie is open all-day serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, or head to the rooftop bar for live music and sunset cocktails. Grab a snack at SWIM on the pool deck and there’s a coffee lounge that serves as a co-working space should you need to catch-up on any work during your break.
Suites at Radisson RED offer almost 65 sq m of space with separate living areas and balconies with panoramic ocean views.
Radisson RED is a sister property to Radisson Hotel Danang.
Namia River Retreat Hoi An
Namia is the only five-star villa resort in Hoi An
Also in the Danang vicinity but perhaps more suited to parents travelling without children, Namia River Retreat is set to welcome guests from this winter season.
The property is the only five-star villa resort in the heart of historic Hoi An and is located on an islet overlooking the Thu Bon River. It’s a short bike ride from the heritage town. There are 60 villas each with private pools and guests can take advantage of the resort’s numerous wellness facilities and cultural activities.
Each stay includes a complimentary 90-minute daily well-being experience, including a 30-minute herbal hammanm followed by a 60-minute traditional therapy session. Guests can also join morning Duong Sinh sessions, Xong Hoi steam remedy treatments and Dien Chan oriental face reflexology sessions.
Activities include bamboo bicycle rides through the Nipa Forest, encounters with local artisans and sunset riverboat cruises.
The pool villas offer spacious bedrooms, sunken bathtubs with views of the private pool and ensuite bathrooms with showers.
Namia River Retreat opens on December 15.
Avani Ratchada Bangkok
Avani Ratchada Bangkok has opened in the city's new CBD
This new property by Avani Hotels & Resorts has opened in Bangkok’s new Central Business District, joining sister properties Avani+ Riverside Bangkok and Avani Sukhumvit Bangkok in the Thai capital.
Ratchada district is renowned for its craft and street food markets and the hotel connects with the city via an MRT station and is also close to the Airport Rail Link and BTS Skytrain.
Avani Ratchada Bangkok has 402 guest rooms and suites in the high rise property, including a 169 sqm Presidential Suite with cocktail bar and private sauna.
Facilities include restaurants serving Cantonese, international and local dishes, as well as the Metro Lounge with a handcrafted cocktail menu and live music. Grab-and-go options are available from The Pantry. And there's an Avani Club Lounge on the 25th floor where guests can take breakfast, afternoon tea and evening cocktails.
The wellness centre spas an entire floor and includes a pool, gym and spa facilities that feature a Japanese Onsen.
NH Maldives Kuda Rah
This family-friendly resort offers amazing dive opportunities
NH Maldives Kuda Rah Resort opened this month in an atoll teeming with marine life, including turtles, reef sharks, manta rays and whale sharks. South Ari Atoll is a renowned hot spot for some of the Maldives’ largest marine wildlife and offers more than 50 dive sites, most of which are just a short boat ride from the resort.
The resort is a 25-minute seaplane ride from Male. The hideaway has just 51 suites and villas, aesthetically designed with solid wood floors and calming whites and creams with ocean-blue accents.
This family-friendly resort welcomes children with both a kids’ club and babysitting services.
Dining spots include Sea Spray with ocean views and an international buffet-style menu, while Ocean showcases fresh-caught seafood with diners able to handpick their catch of the day. Dishes can also be customised using the restaurant's interactive dining options.
No self-respecting Maldivian resort opens without a spa and the space at Kuda Rah focuses on Balinese and Thai massage techniques in its three treatment rooms, each one equipped with a private steam room and jacuzzi.
JW Marriott Hotel & Suites Saigon
JW Marriott Saigon has short-stay and long-stay room options
JW Marriott has unveiled its very first hotel in Ho Chi Minh City. The 565-room hotel is located in the heart of the Vietnamese city that was formerly known as Saigon.
JW Marriott Hotel & Suites Saigon fills two separate towers; the 21-storey hotel tower has more than 300 rooms and suites for short-stay hotel guests, while the 31-storey residential tower offers one- to three-bedroom residential suites for longer stays in the city. All have views of Ho Chi Minh’s skyline and the Saigon River.
Facilities in each tower include an outdoor swimming pool with skyline views and a fitness centre and there is also a signature spa with treatment rooms, steam rooms and saunas.
The all-day dining restaurant features open kitchens and live cooking stations; there’s also a Chinese dining room and an Italian Ristorante.
Locally, guests can explore Ben Thanh Market and Notre Dame Cathedral, which, like the hotel, are also in District 1.
“JW Marriott Hotel & Suites Saigon sets the stage for an unforgettable travel experience in the heartbeat of the city,” said general manager Mark Van Der Wielen of the launch.
MGM Shenzhen
It's hoped a new international hotel will broaden the city's appeal
A new international resort has opened over the border as Shenzhen welcomes MGM Shenzhen to the beachside area of Xiaomeisha Bay east of the city.
The hotel and entertainment complex launched last month with 321 ocean-view rooms in 15 room types. The most opulent offering, the Presidential Suite, covers 390msq.
The family-friendly property places entertainment at its core and will host M Shows from Las Vegas with circus acts, magic shows, clown performances and fire dances. There’s also a Leo Kids’ Club with comprehensive childcare services and fun, family-focused activities.
MGM Shenzhen is designed by Cheng Chung Design Hong Kong and incorporates a flowing, ‘S’ curve design inspired by the ocean waves of the hotel’s seaside setting.
“Xiaomeisha is evolving into a top-tier destination for coastal leisure,” noted Zhou Feng, president of Diaoyutai MGM Hospitality. “We’re proud to contribute significantly to this transformation, helping to shape Xiaomeisha into a lively nexus of entertainment, marine culture and commerce.”
The opening of MGM Shenzhen represents an important milestone both for MGM and for the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone. It’s hoped the presence of a major international brand will widen the city’s appeal.
Sofitel Al Hamra Beach Resort, Ras Al Khaimah
Take a dip overlooking the Arabian Gulf
Sofitel Al Hamra Beach Resort is Sofitel’s sixth hotel to open in the Emirates and is located at Ras Al Khaimah, around an hour’s drive from Dubai Airport.
This family-friendly property has 292 rooms and suites as well as a larger ‘Maison’ for family groups.
There are six dining spaces, running from a bar, wine bar and pool bar to French-styled Reunion and Polynesian speciality restaurant Waka.
Facilities include a Sofitel Spa featuring Clarins products, ‘several’ pools including a pool for adults only and one reserved for children with an Aqua Splash space and two further pools that are open to everyone. Nine of the hotel’s suites have their own private pools.
For kids, there’s a Sofitel ‘Le Petit Prince’ kids’ club complete with children’s playground, as well as a dedicated teens club which is the first one ever at a Sofitel. Guests also have access to Al Hamra Golf Club adjacent to the hotel.
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