New Cathay deal

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Three Asian Cities For The Price Of One

Destinations: Bangkok, Singapore, Hong Kong

Provider: Cathay Pacific Airways

Activities: Air, Lodging, Package

Dates: Travel valid September 1 - November 30

Author: Sascha Segan

 

 

May 6, 2004 -- Folks who can't sit still will appreciate Cathay Pacific's latest "Deal of the Month," sending you to Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangkok for $799. There's just one catch -- you have to visit all three cities, in that order.

 

The $799 fare is good from New York, LA or San Francisco. You must travel between September 1 and November 30, and you have 30 days to complete your circle and fly home.

 

Cathay already flies nonstop from LA and San Francisco to Hong Kong. Starting July 1, they'll also fly nonstop from New York to Hong Kong, a run of more than 16 hours from gate to gate.

 

For a complex ticket on a top-notch airline, this is a great price. While you can certainly get roundtrips to Hong Kong for less, and the Singapore-Bangkok run is covered by low-cost airline Air Asia, the legs from Hong Kong to Singapore and from Bangkok to Hong Kong are usually extremely expensive.

 

When we priced out this trip as separate tickets, we couldn't find a bookable price lower than $1,300 from the West Coast, or $1,400 from the East Coast.

 

For simple roundtrips to Hong Kong, try your favorite online travel agent. For even more complex itineraries, you'll probably want to look at Cathay Pacific's $999 All Asia Pass (www.cathay-usa.com/offers/aap/subdefault.asp). But if these three bustling metropolises attract you, Cathay's $799 deal is unbeatable.

 

If you're interested, book by May 31 at www.cathay-usa.com/dotmtriple/dotm.asp.

 

Got the Cheap Airfare? Time For A Cheap Hotel!

 

Cathay Pacific has secured some pretty good hotel deals for Hong Kong and Bangkok. Check out their offerings at www.cathay-usa.com/dotmtriple/hotels.asp.

 

In Hong Kong, Cathay has highly discounted rates at four of the Regal hotels, including the Frommer's-rated Regal Kowloon. Rooms at this "middle of the road ... adequate" hotel are a reasonable $81/night during September, but $132/night during October. Rooms at the posher Regal Hongkong are $94 during September and $145 during October. You'll find cheaper rooms at the Regal Oriental and Regal Riverside, which we unfortunately haven't reviewed: they're $56 in September and $81 in October. To get these rates, call 800-222-8888 and ask for rate code CXDOTMMAY.

 

In Bangkok, they'll cut you a deal at the Frommer's-approved Shangri-La, which boasts "boasts acres of polished marble, a jungle of tropical plants and flowers, and two towers with breathtaking views of the river." Nab a room there for $125 single or $145 double by calling 800-942-5050 and mentioning rate code DOTMCX.

 

But we think you can do even better on Priceline. On the Priceline watchdog board BiddingForTravel.com, we've seen bidders nabbing the Bangkok Shangri-La and comparable hotels for $55-$60/night. Rooms at the Regal Kowloon and comparable hotels have run $45-55/night on Priceline from time to time. Priceline bidding can be a bit arcane, but we think the huge amounts of money you save are well worth the work. Hop over to www.biddingfortravel.com for advice on how to get Asian hotels cheaply.