Kuching is Malaysia's cheapest holiday spot, Surabaya is Asia's most affordable
In its recently-released list of budget-friendly summer destinations for the June to August 2025 travel period, Agoda noted that Kuching offers the lowest average nightly room rate in the country at RM227.64, edging out Kuala Terengganu, which held the top spot for April to May this year.
"Destinations like Kuching offer travelers rich cultural experiences without a hefty price tag.
"Whether it's exploring heritage trails in Kuching, indulging in street food in Hatyai or discovering temples in Tirupati, these places give travelers the chance to explore without stretching their wallets," said Agoda Malaysia and Brunei country director Fabian Teja.
Fabian said Agoda's data reveals a wide variety of travel options across Asia this summer.
"From Surabaya and Tirupati to Hatyai and Kuching, the diversity of destinations on this list shows how summer travel can be both memorable and budget-conscious," he added.
Agoda's Cheapest Summer Destinations ranking is based on the average room rates in the 10 most popular destinations across nine Asian markets, providing a regional snapshot of value-for-money getaways.
At the regional level, Surabaya in Indonesia took the crown as Asia's most affordable summer destination, with average room rates of just RM150.33 per night.
Tirupati in India (RM158.92) and Hatyai in Thailand (RM167.51) rounded out the top three.
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New Straits Times
a day ago
- New Straits Times
Kuching is Malaysia's cheapest holiday spot, Surabaya is Asia's most affordable
KUALA LUMPUR: Kuching has reclaimed its title as Malaysia's most affordable holiday spot, according to digital travel platform Agoda. In its recently-released list of budget-friendly summer destinations for the June to August 2025 travel period, Agoda noted that Kuching offers the lowest average nightly room rate in the country at RM227.64, edging out Kuala Terengganu, which held the top spot for April to May this year. "Destinations like Kuching offer travelers rich cultural experiences without a hefty price tag. "Whether it's exploring heritage trails in Kuching, indulging in street food in Hatyai or discovering temples in Tirupati, these places give travelers the chance to explore without stretching their wallets," said Agoda Malaysia and Brunei country director Fabian Teja. Fabian said Agoda's data reveals a wide variety of travel options across Asia this summer. "From Surabaya and Tirupati to Hatyai and Kuching, the diversity of destinations on this list shows how summer travel can be both memorable and budget-conscious," he added. Agoda's Cheapest Summer Destinations ranking is based on the average room rates in the 10 most popular destinations across nine Asian markets, providing a regional snapshot of value-for-money getaways. At the regional level, Surabaya in Indonesia took the crown as Asia's most affordable summer destination, with average room rates of just RM150.33 per night. Tirupati in India (RM158.92) and Hatyai in Thailand (RM167.51) rounded out the top three.
Malaysian Reserve
4 days ago
- Malaysian Reserve
Wynn Macau and Wynn Palace Will Host Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025 Awards This July
Wynn announces its curated events program for Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025, bringing together the world's leading talents in a celebration of modern cocktail culture MACAU, June 29, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — As the Official Host Partner of Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025, Wynn Macau and Wynn Palace will host the tenth edition of the annual awards ceremony this coming July. In line with this highly-anticipated celebration of the region's bar industry, the resort will present a diverse program of drinks-focused events taking place in the week surrounding the ceremony on July 15. As the city hosts the prestigious awards for the first time, Wynn will open its signature drinking and dining destinations to takeovers from the world's top talents, offering the patrons exclusive chances to sample exceptional food and beverage from the best of the best across Asia. As the Official Host Partner of Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025, Wynn is proud to support Macao's standing as a premiere destination in the Asian food and beverage landscape. Ms. Linda Chen, President, Vice Chairman and Executive Director of Wynn Macau, Limited, shared, 'We are truly honoured to host the Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025 awards ceremony. This marks another milestone in our global partnership with 50 Best, following our successful collaborations as an official partner for The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2024 and Asia's 50 Best Restaurants in 2018 and 2019. This prestigious event will bring together Asia's finest bartenders and mixologists in Macao, fostering an exchange of ideas and innovation. The entire Wynn team looks forward to showcasing Macao's vibrant and diverse culinary scene to the world, reinforcing our shared golden calling card as a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy and further solidifying our reputation as a global center of tourism and leisure.' This year's events program will include the highly anticipated Bartenders' Feast, an annual tradition held the night before the main event on July 14; Meet the Bartenders, an exclusive media roundtable session; the Asia's 50 Best Bars Awards Ceremony, complete with dazzling red-carpet arrivals and a lively cocktail reception on July 15; and the official Closing Party the day following. Additionally, from July 11 to July 19, Wynn Palace and Wynn Macau will play host to a line-up of more than 25 guest chef and mixologist events, bar takeovers, pop-ups and masterclasses, including two 50 Best Signature Sessions from leading industry personalities, venues and brands. The majority of events are open to the public, creating a one-of-a-kind opportunity where local residents and international visitors, bar industry professionals and media alike can experience top-notch drinks and cuisine from some of the world's best establishments, right in the heart of Wynn Macau and Wynn Palace. The culinary events scheduled at Wynn Palace and Wynn Macau between July 11 to 19 are as follows: SW Steakhouse x Born & Bred – July 11-12A four-hands dinner featuring Korean fare by Executive Chef Kyung-hwan Min from Seoul's hanwoo beef haven Born & Bred (No.51, Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2025) and American surf-and-turf cabaret SW Steakhouse's Executive Chef Helder Sequeira Amaral for two nights on July 11 and 7pmVenue: SW Steakhouse, Wynn Palace Keegan McGregor's World Class Takeover (sponsored by Diageo) – July 11-12Keegan McGregor (Diageo World Class 2024 Champion) will be pouring up his award-winning drinks at SW Steakhouse, highlighting the flavors of Canada, his home 8pm – lateVenue: SW Steakhouse, Wynn Palace Lakeview Palace x Yong Fu x Tell Camellia Tea-tales – July 11-12A cocktail-paired dinner featuring drinks from Hong Kong's temple of tea cocktails, Tell Camellia (No.97, Asia's 50 Best Bars 2024), thoughtfully paired with exquisite Ningbo cuisine by Executive Chef Liu Zhen from Hong Kong's MICHELIN starred restaurant Yong Fu and modern Jiangnan cuisine by Executive Chef Kevin Zhu of Lakeview Palace for two nights on July 11 and 7pmVenue: Lakeview Palace, Wynn Palace Elliot Faber Takes Over Mizumi – July 11The honorary 'Canadian Sake Samurai' and co-founder of Sake Central in Hong Kong gets behind the bar with a menu of sake-centric 7pm – late Venue: Mizumi, Wynn Palace Nepal's Finest: Barc x Tell Camellia x Courtroom – July 11Bar stars from Kathmandu's Barc (No.39, Asia 50 Best Bars 2024) and Hong Kong venues Tell Camellia (No.97, Asia's 50 Best Bars 2024) and Courtroom come together in a pop-up celebrating their shared Nepali 8pm – lateVenue: Wing Lei Bar, Wynn Palace Chef Tam's Seasons x Bar Mood (sponsored by Lee Kum Kee) – July 12A cocktail-paired dinner featuring a curated menu of creative drinks from bartender Nick Wu of Taipei's Bar Mood (No.37, Asia's 50 Best Bars 2024) served alongside refined seasonal Cantonese cuisine by Executive Chef Tam Kwok Fung of Chef Tam's Seasons (No.9, Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 and No.72, The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025).Time: 6pmVenue: Chef Tam's Seasons, Wynn Palace 50 Best Signature Session: Maybe Sammy x Drunken Fish – July 12Bar Manager Hunter Gregory and Bar Director Paolo Maffietti of acclaimed Sydney bar Maybe Sammy (No.26, The World's 50 Best Bars 2024) will bring its signature playful elegance to the experience, crafting bespoke cocktails that perfectly complement the innovative seafood creations by Executive Chef Henry Zhang of Wynn Macau's immersive seafood restaurant Drunken 7pmVenue: Drunken Fish, Wynn Macau Wing Lei Bar Showcase: Mark Lloyd – July 12 & 16Head Mixologist Mark Lloyd serves up a selection of Wing Lei Bar's most memorable signature 7pm – 9pm on July 12; 3pm – 5pm on July 16Venue: Wing Lei Bar, Wynn Palace Inventors' Laboratory: Julio Bermejo x Sam Ross – July 12Bar industry icons Julio Bermejo (creator of Tommy's Margarita) and Sam Ross (creator of the Penicillin and Paper Plane) meet up for a guest shift of perfected modern 9pm – 12amVenue: Wing Lei Bar, Wynn Palace Bar Pop-up: Teresa Cocktail Bar x ZLB23 – July 12Intimate drinking experience Teresa Cocktail Bar from Napier, New Zealand pops up alongside Bengaluru's underground Kyoto-inspired speakeasy ZLB23 (No.40, Asia's 50 Best Bars 2024).Time: 10pm – 2am Venue: Palace Reserve Club, Wynn Palace 50 Best Signature Session: Sushi Mizumi x Martiny's – July 13An exclusive cocktail-pairing lunch featuring Takuma Watanabe of New York's Martiny's (No.24, The World's 50 Best Bars 2024) shaking up Japanese riffs on classic cocktails, perfectly complemented by a selection of innovative Japanese delicacies specially curated by Executive Chef Hironori Maeda at Sushi Mizumi, the intimate 14-seat sushi bar at Wynn 12pm – 1:30pm; 1:30pm – 3:00pmVenue: Sushi Mizumi, Wynn Palace Hong Kong Takeover: Mostly Harmless x Artifact x The Pontiac x Call Me Al – July 13A high-energy takeover for the ages from some of Hong Kong's shiniest stars – the afternoon begins with a mash-up of Mostly Harmless (No.45, Asia's 50 Best Bars 2024) and Artifact from 3pm to 6pm, followed by a clash between The Pontiac and Call Me Al from 6pm to 3pm – 9pmVenue: Wing Lei Bar, Wynn Palace Wing Lei Bar Beach Club: Honky Tonks Tavern x Potato Head Bali – July 13Hong Kong's Nashville-inspired watering hole Honky Tonks Tavern (No.67, Asia's 50 Best Bars 2024) joins hands with Potato Head Bali to serve up sea and sun vibes alongside cocktails, live DJs sets and 3pm – 6pm Venue: Palace Reserve Club, Wynn Palace iichicko Takeover Series: Tokyo Confidential x Call Me Al/Artifact x 28 HongKong Street x Bar Trench – July 13An unchained, two-part takeover of shochu-focused cocktails, beginning with Lukas Kaufmann and Rogerio Igarashi Vaz Singapore's 28 HongKong Street (No.78, Asia's 50 Best Bars 2024) and Tokyo's Bar Trench (No.25, Asia's 50 Best Bars 2022) from 7pm to 10pm. Leading ladies Holly Graham and Beckaly Franks with their respective bars Tokyo Confidential (No.53, Asia's 50 Best Bars 2024 ) and Artifact/Call Me Al will follow up with tipples from 10pm to 7pm – lateVenue: Mizumi, Wynn Palace Drunken Fish x Kinsman – July 13Sippers and snacks featuring Cantonese-inspired drinks by the Kinsman team from Hong Kong served alongside delectable snacks from Chef Henry Zhang of Wynn Macau's immersive dining venue Drunken 9pm – 12amVenue: Drunken Fish, Wynn Macau Mr. Black Presents: Offtrack – July 13An eye-opening pop-up of craft cocktails from Singapore's music-centric bar and restaurant Offtrack (No.25, Asia's 50 Best Bars 2024) fuelled by Mr. Black Coffee 8pm – 11pmVenue: SW Steakhouse, Wynn Palace North American West Coast Road Trip: Laowai x Thunderbolt x Pacific Cocktail Haven – July 13A cocktail-driven journey through some of North America's best, featuring teams from Laowai, a 1920s Shanghai inspired speakeasy in Vancouver (No.67, North America's 50 Best Bars 2025); SoCal-style hotspot Thunderbolt from Los Angeles (No.24, North America's 50 Best Bars 2025); and San Francisco's welcoming Pacific Cocktail Haven (No.16, North America's 50 Best Bars 2025).Time: 9pm – 1amVenue: Wing Lei Bar, Wynn Palace Best of British: Wing Lei Bar x Schofield's Bar x Kwãnt Mayfair x Hey Palu – July 13Five of United Kingdom's bartending legends converge for a night of cocktail excellence, with Mark Lloyd (Wing Lei Bar, Macao), Joe Schofield and Daniel Schofield (Schofield's Bar, Manchester), Alex Palumbo (Hey Palu, Edinburgh) and Erik Lorincz (Kwãnt Mayfair, London, No.52, The World's 50 Best Bars 2024), soundtracked by a live DJ set of everyone's favorite Britpop 10pm – 2am Venue: Palace Reserve Club, Wynn Palace Wing Lei Bar Aperitivo Canto presented by Campari – July 14Featuring an extensive lineup spanning Marco Dongi from Bar Sathorn, Bangkok; Matteo Cadeddu from Opium, Bangkok (No.73, Asia's 50 Best Bars 2024); Filippo Sanchi from Bar S-OTTO, Shanghai; Wing Lo from Bar Leone, Hong Kong (No.1, Asia's 50 Best Bars 2024); Lorenzo Querci and Giovanni Allario from Moebius, Milan (No.38, The World's 50 Best Bars 2024); and Jay Gray from Idle Hands, Singapore, plus Cantonese fusion snacks by Cantonese master chef Tam Kwok Fung and a live DJ, this is sure to be an Italian takeover not to be 1pm – 7pmVenue: Wing Lei Bar, Wynn Palace The Aubrey Takes Over Mizumi – July 14 Bar Manager Stefano Bussi serves craft libations from Hong Kong's self-proclaimed eccentric Japanese izakaya The Aubrey (No.10, Asia's 50 Best Bars 2024) at Wynn Palace's one-MICHELIN-starred 7pm – 10pmVenue: Mizumi, Wynn Palace Battle of the Houses – July 14Desiree Jane from Sago House in Singapore (No. 15 on Asia's 50 Best Bars 2024) and Nick Lappen from Jing Bar at The Temple House in Chengdu will be pouring up drinks by the two great houses for one unforgettable 8pm – 11pmVenue: SW Steakhouse, Wynn Palace Chef Tam's Seasons x Masque x Sidecar – July 15Acclaimed Chef Tam Kwok Fung of Chef Tams' Seasons (No.9, Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2025 and No.72, The World's 50 Best Restaurants 2025) partners up with Head Chef Varun Totlani of modern Indian cuisine restaurant Masque (No.19, Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2025) for an ingredients-driven four-hands collaboration, paired with libations by Lopsang Galchen Lama and Yangdup Lama from the famed New Delhi drinking outpost Sidecar (No.84, Asia's 50 Best Bars 2024).Time: 1pm Venue: Chef Tam's Seasons, Wynn Palace After Party presented by Perrier – July 15 The after party celebration of Asia's 50 Best Bars 2025, featuring Riccardo Rossi from Freni e Frizioni in Rome (No.53, The World's 50 Best Bars 2024), Summer Chen from Vender in Taichung (No.30, Asia's 50 Best Bars 2024), Myung Kyu Kim from Bar Myung in Seoul, and Nikita Matveev from Dead Poets in Hong After the awards ceremony – 2am Venue: Palace Reserve Club, Wynn Palace Drunken Fish x Ministry of Crab – July 18-19 A two-night-only collaboration dinner featuring the famous mud crab focused fare by Chef Dharshan Munidasa of Sri Lankan-born restaurant Ministry of Crab (No.58, Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2025) and sensational seafood dishes prepared by Executive Chef Henry Zhang of Wynn Macau's immersive dining venue Drunken 7pmVenue: Drunken Fish, Wynn Macau For more information about the restaurants and bars at Wynn Macau and Wynn Palace, please visit: For media enquiries, please contact: The Foundry Asia Sophie SteinerSenior Branding & Communications Manager, The Foundry Asia (Shanghai, Regional)E: sophiesteiner@ M: +86 185 2171 0484 Ian FanHead of Brands & Communications, The Foundry Asia (Hong Kong, Regional)E: ianfan@ M: +852 9819 8595 Germaine WoonFounder, Managing Director, The Foundry Asia (Singapore, Regional)E: germainewoon@ M: +65 91016680 Wynn Macau & Wynn PalaceCheryl Huang, Assistant Vice President – Brand MarketingE: T: +853 8986 5239 Sofia Lou, Senior Manager – Public RelationsE: T: +853 8986 5251 Elsa Ho, Manager – Public RelationsE: T: +853 8986 5256
BusinessToday
6 days ago
- BusinessToday
Star Voyager's Expanded Hong Kong Schedule Opens Doors to Asia's Coastal Gems
StarCruises has announced that Star Voyager will extend its homeport season in Hong Kong through to November 14, 2025, following strong demand from regional and international travellers. The extended deployment adds 24 new voyages to the original 21 already scheduled, bringing the total to 45 sailings. Departing weekly from the centrally located Hong Kong Ocean Terminal, the cruises will connect guests to popular destinations across East and Southeast Asia, offering flexible options ranging from two to five nights. To celebrate the extended season, StarCruises is offering exclusive savings. Guests booking the new itineraries departing between August 31 and November 14 can enjoy a 10% discount. Additionally, those who book between June 23 and July 25 for selected July and August departures will receive HKD 100 onboard credit per cabin, per night. This limited-time offer is a great incentive for travellers eager to set sail. In response to growing interest in autumn travel, StarCruises has bolstered its most popular roundtrip routes from Hong Kong. These include 11 additional 2-night weekend 'Sea-cation' cruises, new weekday departures, and increased sailings to Kaohsiung, Penghu, Naha, and Miyakojima. Notably, a new 5-night itinerary on September 14 will swap Ishigaki for Naha while maintaining stops in Keelung and Penghu. Adding to the appeal, Star Voyager will debut new 5-night cruises to exotic destinations like Vietnam, the Philippines, and Sanya, often called 'the Hawaii of China.' These include voyages to Nha Trang and Da Nang in Vietnam, Ha Long Bay and Da Nang, as well as Boracay and Coron in the Philippines. These itineraries promise a blend of vibrant culture, natural beauty, and unforgettable experiences. Each destination has been thoughtfully selected to showcase the richness of Asia's landscapes and heritage. In Vietnam, guests can unwind on Nha Trang's white-sand beaches or explore Da Nang's Marble Mountains. Ha Long Bay offers an iconic sailing experience through limestone islands and emerald waters, while Sanya delivers tropical relaxation with a distinctly Chinese flair. Meanwhile, Boracay's powdery shores and Coron's crystal-clear lakes make the Philippines a standout addition for adventure-seekers and beach lovers alike. Michael Goh, President of StarDream Cruises, expressed delight at the strong initial response, saying the extended sailings and diverse itineraries reflect the true spirit of Asian cruising. He highlighted that the additional departures will provide more opportunities for both local and international travellers, appealing to a broad range of cruising enthusiasts. For those interested in booking, Star Voyager's extended Hong Kong sailings from August 31 to November 14 will be available online from July 7. Prospective guests can contact local travel partners or visit to reserve their voyage. Related
