Talking Travel: Temple Hotel's First Anniversary, Thailand, New Zealand, and Even More Deals for Beijing Travelers

There are weeks when there are so few deals that I have to write about other things like destinations or near-misses, but this is certainly not one of them.

Right here in Beijing, Temple Hotel, named to Conde Nast Traveler's 2014 Hot List of The Best New Hotels in the World, celebrates its first anniversary this month by offering RMB 1,000 off per night on four of their five suites. According lumdimsum.com, those suites normally run RMB 3,000 to 3,500 per night, so that's a nice discount. Congratulations to Temple Hotel on its anniversary, and read more about the deal here. We hear there's a good restaurant next door called Temple Restaurant Beijing that some of readers have liked. Maybe some of the visitors coming from Boston or Los Angeles this summer can take advantage of the promotion throughout July.

Kingdom Travel is offering a summer break package in Pattaya, the beach resort closest to Bangkok, with a five-day, four-night package that includes roundtrip economy airfare between Beijing and Bangkok; three nights' accommodation in Pattaya; one night of accommodation in Bangkok, all accommodation with breakfast. Cost is RMB 3,550 per adult and RMB 1,680 per child, although it does not specify what age qualifies as a "child." Some taxes and surcharges apply, including a "peak season surcharge" between July 16 and August 19. Well, it may be "peak season" for the parents of school-age children that are the target of the promotion, but it's not peak season in Thailand – it's the rainy season. See the weather forecast for Bangkok here. See Kingdom Travel's website for more information on the package.

Country Holidays is offering a ten-day New Zealand South Island self-drive tour across the Southern Alps that includes airfare, hotels, and rental car, along with activities that include swimming with dolphins, a jet boat ride, and a half-day hike on a glacier. The trip runs RMB 28,900 per person and up, not too bad considering all that's included. Learn more here.

Beijing officials reported another ten percent drop in tourism arrivals for 2013, and blamed pollution. We knew this already. It seems with every passing increment of time (quarter, half-year, year), ten percent fewer tourists arrive. While it's better as a percentage, we guess, that's still kind of worrying.

Our friends at the aforementioned Conde Nast Traveler just put out their list of five things smart travelers should do in July. We are always big fans of advance booking and advance travel planning, but this was the tip that surprised us: "'July is a great month to buy tickets to Polynesia,' says Tahiti travel specialist Kleon Howe. That’s because Air Tahiti Nui and Air France typically raise their fares to the region every August – this is your final opportunity to get this year’s prices." And from the same source, have this list of 25 tips tattooed on your forearm.

That's it for now. Have a great weekend. 'Til Tuesday, one road flat safe.

Photo: TripAdvisor