5 March, 2013
Travel

Sassy savings for an Easter getaway

5 March, 2013

Easter is fast approaching (yay โ€“ four day weekend alert for 29 March to 1 Aprilโ€ฆ and with Thursday 4 April being a public holiday too, you could even stretch it to a cheeky week-long affair!), but thereโ€™s no need to traipse the web for wickedly good long weekend stays โ€“ clued-up boutique hotel experts Mr & Mrs Smith have done the work for you, with three top tip-offs for a delicious Easter escape (plus some Sassy savings to make your getaway even sweeter!).

Best for spa and beach bliss: Six Senses Hua Hin, Hua Hin, Thailand

Style Pools, pavilions and pampering
Setting Verdant, secluded Pranburi village

Plan an Easter beach break at Six Senses Hua Hin boutique hotel, a serene getaway set in palm-filled, pond-dotted gardens on the Gulf of Thailand coast, just 20 miles south of Hua Hin (accessible by car from Bangkok). Each of the 55 wooden villas opens directly onto a private pool, so you need only leave your personal paradise to indulge in a spa treatment. The hotelโ€™s unique Earth Spa is the prize jewel in Six Sensesโ€™ crown; its nine clay treatment huts sit over a giant lotus pond, linked by airy walkways.

All that pampering and relaxation will work up an appetite, so head to one of the two restaurants for open-air dining. Try dishes with a Thai twang at Living Roomโ€™s sunken salas next to the lotus pond or cosy up with sea views at Mediterranean-inspired Beach Restaurant. The beach beckons by day, with snorkelling, kite boarding and volleyball on the sand. As the evening closes in, pull up a cerise-coloured stool at the Living Room bar and sip on a mean mojito while the sun goes down.

SASSY SAVING: Enjoy 30% off Best Available Rates for stays in select rooms before 14 April. Book with Mr & Mrs Smith and youโ€™ll also receive the Smith Extra โ€“ a complimentary 30-minute foot massage or body scrub for two.

Best for gourmets: New Majestic Hotel, Singapore

Style Bold boutique design doyen
Setting Chinatownโ€™s sleepy shop-house streets

Super-styled and full of surprises, New Majestic Hotel in Singapore is the perfect spot to stay for an Easter weekend full of feasting (and no cheap chocolate bunnies in sight!). This eccentric sanctuary features 30 rooms decorated by the cityโ€™s most creative names, an impressive collection of mid-century chairs in the gleaming terrazzo lobby and delightfully quirky architectural details (portholes in the restaurant ceiling offer glances into the swimming pool above).

Once youโ€™ve had your fill of the design degustation, head to Majestic restaurant, where you can watch contemporary Cantonese cuisine being expertly prepared in the glass-panelled show kitchen. In a next-door shop-house, chef Andrรฉ Chiang whips up award winning dining in his eponymous restaurant or venture further afield to experience Singaporeโ€™s famous hawker markets (Makansutra street-food guide will direct you to the best ones). Top off a day of frenzied shopping and foodie sightseeing with cocktails from the Tippling Clubโ€™s lengthy menu, offering everything from the poetic (Water Drops on Burning Rocks) to the peculiar (Don the Beachcomber Zombie).

SASSY SAVING: Take advantage of this Early Bird offer giving you 10% off room rates if you book at least 14 days in advance. Book through Mr & Mrs Smith and youโ€™ll also nab the Smith Extra โ€“ a complimentary Singapore Sling cocktail on arrival (a scrumptious start to a tasty trip!).

Best for island romance: Naladhu, Maldives

Style Romantic beach retreat
Setting Reef-fringed Veligandu Huraa

Naladhu hotel in the Maldives’ South Malรฉ Atoll is an idyllic island retreat for Easter runaways. Choose between views of crashing Indian Ocean waves from the more private Ocean Houses or serene lagoon vistas in the palm-fringed Beach Houses.ย Private pools and personal butlers make each of the 19 rooms feel indulgent. If you fancy a spot of pampering, just ask your House Master to organise an in-room spa treatment, or take the atmospheric boat journey to sister resort Anantara Dhigu on a nearby island just across the bay, where award-winning overwater Anantara Spa awaits. Swim, snorkel or dive in the pristine turquoise waters or spend days swinging in a hammock on the sand.

Naladhuโ€™s open-air restaurant Living Room serves a spectacular seafood menu, featuring treats such as red snapper with macadamia-nut crust, bok choy, spicy lemongrass and coconut or grilled tiger prawns with goatโ€™s cheese ravioli and asparagus. Fire torches and candles up the seduction factor at dusk, when the pool-deck or shore makes a swell spot for soaking up the sunset. To ramp up the romance, arrange for dinner on private island Guli Fushi nearby or aboard aย dhoniย sailing boat.

SASSY SAVING: Tempted? Get 20% off room rates at Naladhu for stays before 23 December 2013. Book with Mr & Mrs Smith and also receive the Smith Extra โ€“ a personalised wine tasting for two on the house.

To book a stylish Smith stay, visit www.mrandmrssmith.com or call the expert Travel Team on 800 905 326.

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