travellers' checks

If Wes Anderson's latest film, The Darjeeling Limited, has given you a taste for Indian rail travel, you may be further inspired by news that yet another luxury train, the Golden Chariot, has gone into service in the south of the country, running between Bangalore and Goa. With Dragonair set to launch services to Bangalore in May, this will be a viable excursion for Hong Kong travellers - or at least those who can afford the US$2,901 price tag for the seven-night round trip (US$2,167 per person for double occupancy). Double and twin-bed compartments feature liquid crystal display televisions with six satellite TV channels, a DVD player, a wardrobe, a writing desk and private bathroom. Also on board are a restaurant coach, a lounge-bar coach, a fully equipped gymnasium, two rooms offering Ayurvedic massages and a high-speed internet area. There's a good deal of sightseeing along the way, with excursions and stopovers in Mysore, Kabini, Hassan, Badami and several other places of interest. For details, visit the India Rail Tours website at www.indiarailtours.com, where similar upmarket train operations such as the Deccan Odyssey (which links to Goa, continuing up to Mumbai) and the Palace on Wheels can be booked. Tours to Darjeeling are available.

The Bavarian capital, Munich, celebrates its 850th anniversary this year with various events and festivals. Under the Worldhotels banner, four of the city's hotels are offering packages throughout the year. Hotel Vier Jahreszeiten Starnberg's Happy Birthday Munich package includes two nights in a double room, including buffet breakfast, a one-day ticket per person for public transportation (bus, subway and tram), a welcome cocktail and city map, for Euro131 (HK$1,590) per person. Eden Hotel Wolff has a King Ludwig package, which includes two nights' accommodation in a deluxe Alp-style room, a traditional veal sausage meal, a Bavarian delicatessen menu, a city tour and 'a small surprise on the room' (sic) from Euro188.50 per person for a double room. The Discover Munich packages from Fleming's Hotel Munchen-Schwabing and Fleming's Hotel Munchen-City, including two nights' accommodation, breakfast, a sightseeing bus tour of the city and a sauna and steam bath, are selling for Euro131 and Euro146, respectively. For reservations, call 800 96 85 63 (toll-free from Hong Kong) or visit www.worldhotels.com.

A Ritz-Carlton opened this month in Guangzhou, in the Pearl River New City area of Tianhe district, close to the Guangzhou Opera House, Museum of Art and the International Convention and Exhibition Centre. The 351-room hotel promises 'luxurious guest rooms featuring elegant European design, distinctive amenities and premier views of the Pearl River', and a swanky suite with a walk-in wine cellar, outdoor Jacuzzi and barbecue area on the 38th floor. At 540 square feet, basic guest rooms are claimed to be the largest of their kind in the city. Promotional opening rates start from 1,350 yuan (HK$1,480) a night on weekdays for a deluxe room, with weekend packages starting at 988 yuan a night, including buffet breakfast for two. For reservations, visit www.ritzcarlton.com.