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Available until June 30, the "Executive Traveller Package" priced at 7,200 baht per night for single 8,000 baht for double occupancy in an Executive Deluxe room, with breakfast, afternoon tea, evening cocktails, round-trip airport transfer in a Mercedes limousine, in-room high-speed Internet, access to the Westin Executive Club Lounge, ironing service (three pieces per stay) and late check-out until 4p.m. A minimum two nights stay is required.

For more information, call 02-207-8000 ext 8340 to 2 or send an email to rsvn-bangkok@westin.com; web site: westin.com/bangkok.

Absolute Sea Pearl Bach Resort & Spa, Phuket

"Songkran Experience" is a two-night package with breakfast, round-trip airport transfer, one night in the Jacuzzi Suite, round-trip airport transfer and an excursion of Naka Island. It is priced at 10,750 baht and available until April 30. For more information, call 076-341-901.

De Naga Hotel, Chiang Mai

The hotel downtown Chiang Mai has a special offer until October 31 during which deluxe rooms are priced at 2,900 baht per night with breakfast and guests staying two nights and get the third night free of charge but without breakfast, which would cost then an extra 377 baht per person. Reservation must be made a week in advance.

For more information, email info@denagahotel.com or call 053-208-907.

Grand Millennium, Bangkok The "Sawasdee Package" starts from 4,500 baht for single and 5,100 baht for double occupancy per night, with accommodation in a deluxe room, American buffet breakfast, in-room tea and coffee making facility, automatic upgrade to Grand Deluxe room with 24-hour Internet service. The offer is available until September 30.

For details, email rsvn@grandmillenniumskv.com or call 02-204-4111.

Rati Lana, Chiang Mai

The luxury hotel is offering a special deal priced at 1,818 baht net per person per night on twin-sharing basis. (That means you'll have to pay 3,636 baht even if you're there alone.)

The rate, valid until April 30, includes benefits such as breakfast, round-trip airport transfer and 20 per cent discount on spa treatment.

For more information, email info@ratilannachiangmai.com or call 053-999-333.

Sevenseas Resort, Trang

"Adventure Package", available until October 31, is priced from 19,200 baht for a Garden room, with three nights accommodation, daily breakfast for two persons, an excursion to Ko Muk island, round-trip airport transfer and fresh tropical fruit served in-room. Reservation must be made seven days in advance.

For more information, email info@sevenseasresort.com call 075-203-389/90.

Hard Rock Hotel, Pattaya

"Hot Rock" is a new promotion under which deluxe rooms are priced 3,000 baht net per night without breakfast. The offer is valid until October 31. For more information, visit http://www.hardrockhotels.net or call its reservation centre at 038-428755 to 9.

Century Park Hotel, Bangkok

"Century Dining Paradise" is priced from 8,990 baht per night for an Executive Deluxe room, with vouchers worth 1,500 baht for use at its F&B outlets, high-speed Internet, coffee and tea making facility, shuttle service to BTS Skytrain station at the Victory Monument, an English-language newspaper and late check-out until 4p.m. The offer is valid until May 31.

For more information, email corporate@centuryparkhotel.com or call 02-246-7800.

Park Plaza, Bangkok

"Don't Break the Buck" is a new promotion under which deluxe rooms are priced at 4,500 baht per night with breakfast, round-trip airport transfer in a Mercedes limousine, ironing service (three pieces per stay), all-day refreshment and high-speed Internet in-room. The offer is valid until December 31. A minimum two consecutive nights stay is required and bookings must be made at least two days in advance.

For more information, visit http://www.parkplaza.com/bangkokth or call 02-263-5000.

Holiday Inn Resort, Phi Phi Island

Situated at Laem Tong, a quiet corner of the island, the hotel is offering rooms priced at 6,900 baht net per night with buffet breakfast for two persons. The offer is valid for Thai citizens and resident expatriates. Children 12 years old or under eat free of charge. The offer is available until October 31. For more information, visit http://www.holidayinn.com or call 075-627-300.

Away Mae Rim, Chiang Mai

"Happy Weekdays" is a two-night package with stay in a Garden Junior Suite, daily breakfast, one lunch and one dinner, 20 per cent discount on spa treatment and round-trip airport transfer. The package is priced 5,700 baht net per couple and valid for weekdays until May 31.

For more information, visit http://www.astudo.com/weekday or call 02-696-8239.

Rayavadee, Krabi

This luxurious resort celebrates its 15th anniversary with a special offer for Thais and resident expatriates. The Deluxe Pavilion is priced at 15,000 baht with breakfast for two persons, round-trip airport transfer, 15 per cent discount on spa, food, and an excursion to neighbouring islands. The offer is valid until October 31.

For more information, visit http://www.rayavadee.com, send an email to reservation@rayavadee.com or call 02-301-1850, 075-620-740 to 3.

Note: Rates quoted do not include service charges or VAT, unless noted. Offers such as room upgrades and late check-out are usually subject to availability.

Cathay Pacific Airways has been voted "Airline of the Year 2009" while Thai Airways has slipped from fourth to 10th place, according to a survey by UK-based research firm Skytrax conducted over an eight-month period from August 2008 to March this year.

The survey covered 16.2 million passengers from 95 nationalities who were asked to vote on matters such as quality of staff, catering, entertainment and airport lounge in order to determine customer satisfaction.

Cathay Pacific led the list of top-10 airlines, relegating repeat winner Singapore Airlines to second place, followed by Asiana Airlines, Qatar Airways, Emirates, Qantas, Etihad Airways, Air New Zealand, Malaysia Airlines and Thai Airways.

"A factor behind the Cathay Pacific win is clearly the consistency of product and service they provide to customers," said Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted. "Not only are Cathay Pacific satisfying their passengers onboard, but the ratings they achieved for their airport operations in Hong Kong also played a considerable part in this success."

Singapore Airlines ranked best for seats in the first class, Etihad Airways for business class, Qatar Airways for economy class and Virgin Atlantic Airways for best premium economy-class seats.

Best among low-cost airlines was AirAsia, followed by Air Berlin and Britain's easyJet, while Malaysian Airlines scored the highest for cabin staff, followed by Asiana Airlines and Thai Airways.

Emirates was the pick for inflight entertainment, Thai Airways was cited for the best lounge for first-class travellers, and Virgin Atlantic for best business class lounge. In catering, Singapore Airlines emerged top in first class, Etihad Airways and Asiana in business and economy class respectively.

Bangkok Airways, meanwhile, was voted best regional airline in Asia.

Phuket hotels cited

Two new Phuket-based hotels are on the Hot List 2009 of the UK edition of Conde 'Nast Traveller magazine.

The list drawn up annually is a guide to hottest new hotels around the world. This year the magazine drew up a 70 hotels and two of them are in Thailand.

They are Anantara Resort & Spa on Mai Kao Beach and the rustic-chic Six Senses Destination Spa Phuket.

Major events next month

Three major events - the sixth Thailand Travel & Dive Expo, Thailand Golf Expo, and Wonderful Thailand - will take place simultaneously at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre from May 14-17.

Altogether they will feature around 600 booths showcasing dive gear and courses, trekking equipment, cameras, attractive hotel, airline and cruise packages, car rental service, tour and golf packages.

Also available to visitors are photo tips from professional photographers and scuba diving lessons from seasoned divers. Other features include photo and bouldering contests.

Organisers hope to attract about 300,000 visitors over the four-day period.

Visit http://www.thailanddiveexpo.com or call 02-203-4222 for more information.

Orchids at airport

A pleasant surprise is in store for visitors transiting Suvarnabhumi Airport: an exhibition of Thai orchids in the departure hall between rows K and L.

The exhibition, in progress since start of this month, runs until May 6. The orchids on show are replaced every week.

In addition, Airports of Thailand is showcasing talent of Thai university students. Apart from an exhibition of their paintings, they will be happy to draw portraits of travellers free of charge, if requested.

Walking strips highlighted

PBM Publications has introduced a Thai-language guidebook that highlights walking strips in and around Bangkok.

The new title, Nong Pong , features 30 walking strips in the inner parts of the capital and on the outskirts such as Min Buri and Bang Khun Thian and even in the neighbouring provinces of Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani and Samut Prakan.

All routes are accompanied by maps together with names of interesting stops like TK Park, Centralworld, Siam Square, the Snake Farm on Rama IV Road and Jim Thompson silk house.

The book is priced at 195 baht.

For more information, visit http://www.pbmpublications.com.

Self-drive through NZ

Tourism New Zealand will hold a seminar to brief travellers on how to plan self-drive holidays in the Land of the Long White Cloud, along with tips and attractive travel packages.

The seminar runs 1:30p.m. to 4:30p.m. on April 25 at Six Stars Travel's meeting room at J Avenue, Soi Thong Lor 15, and on May 23 at KTC Travel Service on the 18th floor of UBC II Building, Sukhumvit Soi 33.

For reservations and other details, contact Tourism New Zealand at 02-670-0114 to 5, Six Stars at 02-613-0588 or KTC Travel at 02-631-3444 ext 2.

Jetstar adds to daily flights

Jetstar will add a third daily Singapore-Bangkok service on October 1 using the Airbus 320.

The increase in frequency is a result of renewed focus on leveraging synergies and Jetstar Group's assets between operations in Australia and that of Singapore-based Jetstar Asia/Valuair, according to itsr CEO Bruce Buchanan.

"Our alignment between Jetstar, Jetstar Asia and Valuair is already providing new flying opportunities for our customers to access more low fares to more places in the region," he said.

Phuket marathon June 14

The fourth Laguna Phuket International Marathon scheduled June 14 expects to draw some 4,000 participants from 40 countries.

Race categories comprise the full 42km marathon, 21km half-marathon, 10.5km mini marathon, 2km children's run and a 5km walk.

Online registration is open until June 5 at http://www.phuketmarathon.com.

If you have any comments or news to share, mail them to karnjanak@bangkokpost.co.th

As the city surveys the wreckage, a new set of movies represent a chance to be realistic and optimistic about Bangkok

Bangkok: charming, baffling, tricky, sleazy, delightful, rich, broke. And recently: smouldering, maddening, dividing, ill-omened. The idea of making a collection of movies called Charming Bangkok comes across as a brutal irony given the recent lunacy we've found ourselves in. But this is no irony; if done right, it will be a worthy attempt to be realistic and optimistic, an attempt to praise and to pan, to show the hidden layers and forgotten peoples of this angelic city we love and hate.

The production has been under way for some of the nine movies in the ensemble (except those that require the locations in and around the protest sites in the Old City). Saneh Bangkok, or Charming Bangkok - the producers are seriously considering changing the English title - is a project co-conceived a month ago by producer Saksiri Chantarangsi and TV Thai, the public broadcasting station that's gearing up to add fresh content after one year in service (see box).

By format television movies, the nine shorts, however, are designed to have the meat and matter of real films. In doing so, Saksiri has invited nine film directors to each create a 20-minute short about Bangkok as they see, dream, reflect, or imagine it. TV Thai plans to air the episodes in late June, and the possibility of releasing them in the cinemas is very likely.

What makes the ensemble a fine catch is the unprecedented gathering of nine filmmakers whose credits are largely formidable. Their mere names would actually spark interest even among international film distributors: Prachya Pinkaew (Ong-bak, Tom Yum Goong); Wisit Sasanatieng (Tears of the Black Tiger, Citizen Dog); Pen-ek Ratanaruang (Invisible Waves, Ploy); Aditya Assarat (Wonderful Town); Chukiat Sakweerakul (The Love of Siam); Kongdej Jaturnrasamee (Handle Me With Care and screenwriter of Me, Myself and Happy Birthday); Bandit Rittakol (the Boonchu movies); Ruethaiwan Wongsirasawas (Wai Olawon 4); and Santi Taepanich (Crying Tigers, Bangkok Time).

"We think of Bangkok not just as a place, but as a concept, or as the representation of the people who live here," says Saksiri. "The nine directors we picked have a unique style and sensibility, and I hope their works here would become a visual archive of contemporary Bangkok - not just the beautiful Bangkok, but Bangkok as it really is."

Usually a 25-minute TV episode costs around 200,000 to 300,000 baht to make. Each short in Charming Bangkok has been allocated a million baht, a generous sum that will ensure the quality of the production. Thai TV has received partial support from the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), who views the collection as a timely cultural expression and perhaps, now that the image of the city has gone up like the black smoke around Victory Monument, as a new promotional tool for global audiences.

An anthology of short films based on the character of a city is at once a gimmick and a means to filter the soul (or souls) of the place through disparate prisms. Paris has Paris Je t'aime, a collection of 20 shorts representing the 20 districts of the city. New York has New York Stories, three shorts made by three famed New Yorkers. Recently Tokyo had Tokyo!, in which three non-Japanese directors were asked to each make a short about the Japanese capital
The results can be a fluffy mishmash, like Paris Je t'aime, or eccentric, as in Tokyo!. But most significantly, these anthologies aren't tourism brochures; for such a project to capture the full dimensions of any city, the shorts must not shy away from the unsavoury aspects that make up the identity of the place.

The fact that Charming Bangkok was greenlighted not long before the Songkran fracas means the artists were committed to the stories before they'd had a chance to reassess their ideas after our embarrassing mess. The involvement of the BMA also raises the question of whether the collection would turn out to be pure advertising. Yet Takerng Somsap, head of programming at Thai TV, assures that the shorts will be an honest representation of Bangkok as the each filmmaker sees it.

"We asked these well-known directors to make the films because we know they have a clear idea about what the city is to them," says Takerng. "Every party involved understands that this is the best way to make the collection work."

Director Wisit Sasanatieng, who has finished shooting his episode called Sightseeing, says: "It's not my interest to shoot the landmarks of Bangkok. Instead we shot Bangkok as we see it, the nice and the not-so-nice. To me, this place is like any big city, we live here and we complain a lot, though the complaints aren't always valid."

Sightseeing, starring Bongkot "Tak" Khongmalai and Tantai Prasertkul, is the story of a blind woman who lives under a bridge. One day she runs into a man who claims to be an angel, who then takes her sightseeing around the city in which she lives but never actually appreciates.

Veteran Bandit Rittkol continues his bumpkin-in-the-big-city trope in the short Bangkok Turad Turae, roughly translated as "Bangkok Wanderers", about a farmer who wins a sum from the lottery and decides to take a trip to the capital with his wife. Pen-ek Ratanaruang will soon shoot his part, still untitled, about a female clubber (Vanida "Kifsy" Temthanaporn from Girly Berry) and her chance encounter with a stranger after her car breaks down on a deserted road on the outskirts of the city. Kongdej Jaturanrasamee, meanwhile, has Pee Makham, or "tamarind ghosts", a popular slang referring to the prostitutes around Sanam Luan
Aditya Assarat, whose Wonderful Town earned much praise last year, originally came up with a story set entirely in Pantip Plaza. But the building denied the request for location shooting, so the director is now preparing to film another short, about two men reflecting and remembering Bangkok and New York, starring Ananda Everingham and Louis Scotts.

Meanwhile Ruethaiwan Wongsirasawas, the only female director in the ensemble, casts Arak "Pe" Amornsupasiri in a nostalgic tale told through the window of a moving (not torched) bus. Her segment has already been shot.

Prachya Pinkaew is known as a filmmaker of action movies, but for the collection he's now editing a documentary containing his personal appreciation of Bangkok. Independent director Santi Taepanich, too, is shooting Dear Bangkok, a documentary featuring interviews with motorcycle taxi drivers, Chao Phraya ferrymen, dancers at Erawan shrine, transvestite prostitutes, security guards, monks, garland girls, migrant hilltribes, Thai-speaking expats, and the man who controls the lights at Democracy Monument.

"Bangkok is happiness and sadness in a mixed bag," says Santi. "People arrive here from everywhere, and they have different purposes and ideas about why they're here. Their dreams, happiness and memories of this place are also different, and that's what makes Bangkok what it is."

"Bangkok is not a very nice place at the moment," says producer Saksiri. "But this collection is about the people, and not just the city of Bangkok. We hope that there are still many other things in this city that are worth remembering and celebrating besides what we've seen in recent days."

After 14 months on the air, TV Thai, formerly known as Thai PBS, is moving in the right direction even though the process of soul-searching for the country's first public station is still long and arduous, says managing director Thepchai Yong. "We still have to go through many trials and errors," he says. "But our goal as stipulated by the law is clear: this is the station that aims to provide knowledge, as well as entertainment, and as a result it's also our job to encourage people to take part in thinking and solving the problems of the country."

Born on February 2008 after iTV (later TITV) was disbanded, TV Thai was launched into uncharted waters as the first public broadcasting service, or PBS, the concept of a TV station as a social service independent from the pressure of commercials and sponsors, like the BBC in the United Kingdom, NHK in Japan, or ABC in Australia. So far, TV Thai has acquired the image of a sober channel, informative and no-nonsense, with a mix of news and documentary programmes. Yet Thepchai, a former journalist, realises that variety and popular appeal are significant in attracting viewers, and TV Thai is facing the classic dilemma of trying to find the right equilibrium for serious and fun content.

The project Saneh Bangkok or Charming Bangkok (see main story), for example, is an attempt to offer a new kind of "after-news drama" that has a more discreet appeal than prime-time soap series. The idea is to inject entertainment into the mix without diluting the core mission of providing knowledge and information.

"The audience is a big challenge," says Thepchai. "We all grew up perceiving television as entertainment. It's our way of life. TV Thai is trying to offer an alternative. It usually takes time for the audience to develop loyalty to a channel or a programme, so we have to start by offering something new right now.

"I believe education and entertainment can go together, though not in every case. If we have a good programme and nobody watches it, it'd mean nothing. We care about our audience, of course, and naturally we want a lot of people to watch our channel, but our goal is not to maximise the number of viewers. Our goal is to produce quality programmes. We want more people to tune into TV Thai, but that doesn't mean we have to please everyone by producing game shows and TV series."

Even though TV Thai isn't officially a government channel, like NBT, the fact that its budget comes from tax money - as specified by the law, the station receives 1.5 percent from the liquor and tobacco tax - makes its susceptibility to politics inevitable. "Thai politicians believe that they need to control the media, especially electronic media," says Thepchai. "So it has become a tradition that when a new government comes into power, they want to exert control over TV stations, even a public station like ours. Are we concerned about this? Yes, because political interference won't do any good to the spirit of a free and independent channel."

Thepchai says that another duty of TV Thai - again, as specified by the law - is to support small and independent producers of TV programmes, who usually have a slim chance to vie for air time from major producing companies. And again, Charming Bangkok is an example of how TV Thai, if it stays true to its promise, would prefer to play indie than mainstream. "It's out job to provide space and opportunities for new people who have ideas and imagination," says Thepchai. "It's part of our mission."

Fourteen months, he adds, is too soon to judge the failure or success of the new station. "A public broadcasting service is a new concept," he says.

"It's new to the audience, to the staff and to me. But we're moving, and I think we're moving in the right direction."

Musical -- and world -- harmony will be on display Wednesday when the YouTube Symphony Orchestra plays at New York's Carnegie Hall.

Ninety-six musicians from no less than 33 countries, ranging from Cuba to Australia and South Korea to Sweden, are to play works from composers including Bach, Mozart and John Cage in the famous music hall.

And they've only been given three days with San Francisco Symphony Orchestra music director Michael Tilson Thomas to get it right.

In a first for the music world, the orchestra was chosen from 3,000 applicants in 70 countries who auditioned via the YouTube video sharing website.

In honor of the occasion, the program will also include the specially composed Internet Symphony No. 1 "Eroica," by contemporary Chinese composer Tan Dun.

At a practice session on Tuesday, the gamble of trying to turn complete strangers into perfect music partners seemed to be paying off.

"I was astonished because I thought it would take a lot longer to get ready," said cellist Pierre Charles, 27, who studies at the Jussieu university in Paris. "The sound was right straight away."

Others said that regardless of how the performance goes, playing at Carnegie was an experience of a lifetime.

"I am an amateur player and for me, it is a very honorable and valuable experience to be here and broaden my life and my music," said oboe player Koichi Osada of Yokohama, Japan.

"This event will help people to become more familiar with classical music, even people who have not been interested in classical music. I hope all the people will listen to the video created after the concert."

Colombian trombonist John Wilson Gonzalez, 27, also described a "marvelous experience" being in New York. "It was unimaginable that I could get to play in Carnegie Hall, a mythical theater where only the great musicians play."

"There are musicians from all over the world -- professionals, amateurs, students. I don't know what sort of level it will be, but it's been really interesting."

The auditions were not the only offbeat aspect of this online-inspired orchestra: Tan Dun's special symphony will feature percussion instruments made from automobile brake discs along with more traditional instruments.

"It could be described as something between a summit conference, scout jamboree or musical get-together. It'll be the first time that people from so many different countries will have had a chance to discover one another online and then actually meet up and make music together," Thomas told NPR radio.