New York, NY, February 2006 — Pacific Delight World Tours pulls out all the stops and sets the standard for deluxe touring with its new 16-day, all-inclusive "Vietnam, Cambodia and Bangkok Gold Vistas" package: fully-escorted with 10 to 16 participants, locally guided when fewer than 10; group size limited to 16; in-depth exploration of the major sights of each country; cultural entertainment and local interaction; and luxury accommodations in world-class hotels. 21 departures, several guaranteed, aboard Cathay Pacific from Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York, between April 2006 and March 2007, are priced $5,548 to $6,358 per person, double.
Vietnam's sublime beauty and cultural wealth is highlighted in visits to Hanoi's One Pillar Pagoda, Temple of Literature – dedicated to Confucius, Imperial City and the Old Quarter; Danang's Cham Museum with its stunning sandstone sculptures, China Beach and Marble Mountains; cruising aboard a traditional Chinese junk amid the floating villages, fisherman and pearl fisheries of Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site; a walking tour of the 2,000-year-old trading port of Hoi An; the numerous sights in Ho Chi Minh City — Notre Dame Cathedral, Reunification Palace, Ben Thanh Market and Thien Hau Pagoda; and the vast network of tunnels at Cu Chi used by the Vietnamese troops for defense, shelter, storage and hospitals during the Vietnam War.
Cambodia's most famous landmark, Angkor Wat, is the centerpiece of two days in the country. Angkor Wat was built by the Khmer civilization between 802 and 1220 AD and is one of the largest temple complexes in the world and an astonishing architectural achievement. The surviving structures number more than 100 and after guests have spent half the day exploring they make their way to the hilltop Phnom Bahkeng to watch the sunset. Other activities include a boat trip on Tonle Sap Lake, visiting fishing villages and the unusual floating village of Chong Kneas, set in the lake during dry season and moved upstream when the rains arrive.
After escorted tours of Bangkok’s Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Thailand’s most sacred structure, and the Royal Grand Palace’s gilded pavilions, tour guests visit the Jim Thompson House, the "Legendary American of Thailand" who founded the Thai Silk Company and entertained countless dignitaries and the well-to-do in his architecturally exquisite home. Also on the schedule are visits to the Floating market at Damnernsaduak and Nakorn Pthom, the world's tallest pagoda.
Special meals and cultural entertainment run the gamut on this "Gold" program: performances at Hanoi's Water Puppet Theater showcasing an art form dating back to the 11th century, and a classical Thai dance performance with dinner at the renowned Sala Rim Nam restaurant, lunches of fresh seafood aboard a Chinese junk and at Lang Co, a palm-shaded beach on the South China Sea, and a dinner cruise on Bangkok's Chao Phraya River.
A four-day Hong Kong extension, $828 per person, double, includes three nights at the Kowloon Shangri-La Hotel, daily breakfast, transfers and baggage handling and a half-day island tour.
The package includes trans-Pacific air aboard Cathay Pacific Airways; deluxe accommodations at the five-star Sofitel Metropole in Hanoi, Furama Resort Danang, Sheraton Saigon Hotel & Towers, Sofitel Royal Angkor Hotel and Oriental Hotel in Bangkok, and the four-star La Residence Hotel & Spa in Hue; all meals; sightseeing, excursions and entertainment; transportation by private deluxe motorcoaches or by air; a professional tour director; transfers, baggage handling, hotel taxes and service charges; and $100,000 flight insurance when air reservations are ticketed by Pacific Delight World Tours. Single supplements range from $1,850 to $1,990; extra nights in Hanoi are $201, in Bangkok, $597 to $667.
Pacific Delight World Tours is the largest provider of escorted and independent tours to China, the Orient and Southeast Asia, and has expanded into Turkey, Africa, India and the South Pacific. Reservations and brochures can be obtained from travel agents and Pacific Delight World Tours, telephone (800) 221-7179 or (212) 818-1781; web site www.PacificDelightTours.com.
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