My first destination article for PAX Magazine appears in the summer issue. Find the digital version at PAXMagazine.ca.

Anantara Hotels and Resorts, a brand launched with one resort in Thailand in 2001, now includes 13 hotels and resorts across the country, with a collection of 35 properties stretching cross Asia, the Middle East and Africa. While the brand may not be well known to Canadians, it is part of the Minor Hotel Group, one of the largest hospitality and leisure companies in the Asia Pacific region, and a member of the Global Hotel Alliance.

PAXnewsWest.com recently had the opportunity to visit two recent additions to the Anantara portfolio in Thailand to learn what this luxury hotel brand can offer the Canadian traveller.

Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel

This 354-room property in the Ratchaprasong district of Bangkok was rebranded from the Four Seasons Bangkok on March 1 of this year. (Four Seasons is currently building a new hotel in Bangkok – the Four Seasons Bangkok at Chao Phraya River – slated to open in 2018.) The hotel is slated to undergo a $20 million USD renovation to “stay relevant,” Titiya Chooto, general manager of the Anantara Bangkok Siam, told PAXnewsWest.com. “With the rebranding, it will be nice to give a new look to the rooms,” Chooto said, adding that the hotel’s many Thai artworks will be maintained. The hotel’s three buildings will undergo renovations one at a time to minimize guest disturbance.

“Anantara is known for its service,” Chooto said. “We build on the warm Thai hospitality, which is going away a bit in five-star hotels.” Anantara has introduced a new tradition at the hotel – every Friday, staff dress in traditional Thai costumes. “It’s exciting for us,” Chooto said. “It’s something everyone who comes to Thailand wants to experience, and it’s a significant add-on for us since the rebranding.”

PAXnewsWest.com started one morning at the hotel with an alms giving ritual with a local monk, a unique Thai experience the hotel offers daily to its guests. The hotel’s spa also offers services inspired by Thai traditions, including the 90-minute Siam 2482 treatment, which uses healing traditions from Thailand and the surrounding area to send guests into a state of bliss.

The hotel is an easy walk from Lumphini Park, shopping and the Ratchadamri Skytrain Station.

Anantara Chiang Mai Resort and Spa

This 84-room property is another relatively recent addition to the Anantara portfolio, having rebranded from the Chedi Chiang Mai to become the 100^th property in the Minor Hotel Group’s portfolio in November 2013. The resort, located on the Mae Pring river, is designed to be “very romantic,” according to general manager Syahreza Ishwara, with assistant sales manager Premhathai Boonchaliew adding the hotel is popular with couples and honeymooners ­– including Canadian visitors, who Boonchaliew said rank tenth among the hotel’s markets. She added that couples stay an average of two to three nights at the resort ­­– located in Thailand’s second-largest city – as part of a trip through Thailand or the Southeast Asia region.

The resort is indeed a romantic retreat, with the lobby and grounds lit by candles. Each room has a balcony daybed and a partition that allows the room to be opened up so guests can soak in the couple-sized bathtub while enjoying the view. Those game to get up early on vacation can catch a stunning sunrise over the river.

The hotel complex includes the former British Consulate, built in 1921. It now houses the hotel’s The Service 1921 Restaurant and Bar, which opened in April of this year and embraces a 1920s British intelligence theme. The colonial feel extends to the afternoon tea, offered on the terrace, but the restaurant’s main menu focuses on Szechuan, Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. Executive chef Prabhash Prabhakaran incorporates influences from his native India, and is assisted by chefs from Thailand, China and Vietnam.

“Food is very subjective,” Ishwara said. “Our guests have very different palates, and we want to ensure there’s something for everyone.”

Guests looking for a unique Thai experience at the resort can sign up for Muay Thai boxing classes through the fitness centre, learn the art of Thai massage at the spa, or take a class in Thai cooking or fruit carving through the Spice Spoons Anantara cooking school.

The hotel is located less than a five-minute walk from Chiang Mai’s famous night market.

Both hotels offer agents a 10 per cent commission on eligible bookings. Agents can find more information at the Anantara travel agent website: www.anantara.com/travel-agent.

This story originally appeared on PAXNewsWest.com

The sun obliged yesterday, shining on guests as they arrived at the Transat Holidays 2015–2016 sun product launch in Vancouver, presented at an intimate lunch for 20 agents at Blue Water Café.

Transat's new 2015–2016 sun brochure features 35 destinations. For the first time, all vacation destinations are offered as Transat Holidays packages, including those previously available only under the Nolitours banner…

Read the rest at PAXnewsWest.com

"I could have lived anywhere, but I chose to live on Kauai.” It was a refrain heard over and over again on a recent PAXnewsWest.com visit to the destination.

"Kauai has a feeling, a spirit,” said Sabra Kauka, a Kauai cultural representative. "It has a way of embracing you and saying ‘Aloha.'”

Ninety-seven per cent of Kauai's land is undeveloped, with many pristine areas accessible only by boat or foot, and some only by helicopter (a quirky piece of legislation prevents the construction of buildings that exceed the height of a mature coconut tree)…

Read the rest at PAXnewsWest.com

The Thailand Travel Mart Plus (TTM+) 2015 wrapped up Friday after three days of connecting Thailand tourism operators and service providers with buyers and media.

The 2015 Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) campaign encourages visitors to "Discover Thainess,” a theme much discussed at the event. What exactly is "Thainess”? It's that unique aspect of Thailand that keeps visitors returning to the country…

Read the rest at PAXnewsWest.com

PAXnewsWest.com is on location in Thailand this week for the Thailand Travel Mart Plus (TTM+) 2015.

Before attending the TTM+ opening reception last night, media guests (including PAXnewsWest.com) spent the day exploring Bangkok with Tourism Authority of Thailand representatives. First was the Pak-Klong Market, the largest wholesale and retail flower market in Bangkok, which also does a brisk business in produce. After a quick peek at the rows of stalls selling garlands, roses, herbs, and fruits and vegetables, it was off to the Amita Thai Cooking School for a lesson in Thai cuisine…

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Representatives from Visit West Hollywood are in Vancouver this week to highlight the best of the 4.9 square kilometre city which Communications Manager Chris Arboleda calls "geographically and culturally the centre of L.A.” PAXnewsWest.com sat down with Arboleda to learn more about this "hip, trendy and diverse” neighbourhood with "an authentic Hollywood feel.”

Read the rest at PAXnewsWest.com

David Smith of Interface Images is a Vancouver-based freelance photographer who also teaches the art of digital photography on some of the world's top cruise lines. Recently, he spoke at the BC Association of Travel Writers annual symposium about how to take better pictures while travelling.

The key? Take pictures of people. Sure, landscape and architecture shots are great, but it's pictures of people that will make your travel photography unique (and share-worthy) and help you build and capture lasting memories. "Explore what your camera means to you as you interact with cultures around the world,” he said. Here are his top three tips for getting great shots of local people as you travel around the world.

1. Ask permission

Taking someone's photo without asking is at best rude, and at worst can get you in serious trouble. While people in North America may be hesitant to have their picture taken, people in other cultures may be flattered you asked. "Internationally, your camera can unlock doors to local culture,” Smith said. Improve your odds of success by asking to "create” someone's picture rather than "take” it – it's a simple shift of language that makes a big difference.

2. Work the easy connections

Simply put, be nice. Be nice to cab drivers and others in the service industry – Smith has been invited into local families' homes more than once just by being polite and expressing an interest. When purchasing local goods in a market, be friendly and ask the vendors to pose with their products – they'll be happy to show off what they sell.

3. Create rapport

Bring pens, stickers and other gifts from home (Canadian flag items are a big hit) to thank people for allowing you to photograph them. Be sure to show people the photos you take of them on the camera's LCD screen. As strange as it may to sound in selfie-obsessed North America, some people may never have seen a photograph of themselves before, and it can bring them great joy.

Bonus tip: When taking pictures of people who know each other (friends or family members), ask them to "touch heads.” It brings their faces together (and gets them smiling) for a much more interesting photo than a line of people standing in a row.