ASIA
This vast continent stretching from vibrant Tel Aviv to the rarified heights of Bhutan, and criss-crossed by ancient trading routes, Asia remains as energetic and as vital as ever. All your senses will be rewarded, whether you seek stillness at Udaipur, the City of Lakes; long for the high drama of Sumo in Tokyo’s Ryogoku district; or wish to rise at dawn over the temples of Angkor Wat in a hot air balloon.
Renowned for a diverse and delectable food scene you could simply eat your way across Asia; from sashimi in Japan, a sizzling wok on the streets of Chiang Mai or a six-course Michelin-star menu in Singapore, the exotic flavours, smells and sights are guaranteed to get your taste buds tingling.
Find magic in the wonders of the Taj Mahal or mystical Vietnamese temples, and away from the hustle and bustle of Hong Kong’s harbour and Bangkok’s floating markets, you’ll discover peace in the rainforest-fringed beaches of Malaysia or the prehistoric pink shores of the Komodo Islands. Every destination will fill your heart with unforgettable memories of exotic lands.
BHUTAN
In the high peaks of the Himalayas, this tiny Buddhist kingdom is steeped in folklore and mythology and remains mysterious and enigmatic. Mountains, dramatic cliffs, lush forests, glacial rivers and rolling pastures offer some of the most exciting trekking in the world. Amongst the spectacular cliffside temples, fortresses and monasteries with their vibrant festivals and prayer flags, a rich cultural history has been perfectly preserved.
CHINA
It is hard to encapsulate a country that's home to almost a quarter of humanity and an ancient civilisation stretching back 5,000 years. China is still shrouded in mystery, and offers an extraordinary travel experience filled with folklore, food and far-reaching views. Modern China contains striking contemporary metropolises such as Shanghai and Hong Kong, and rural areas where life has changed little for centuries, and it's this curious juxtaposition that makes China so intriguing.
Whether you make for the monumental tourist landmarks, (The Terracotta Army at the northern foot of Lishan Mountain, The Great Wall, The Forbidden City) or you’d prefer to get under the skin of Chinese culture in the lesser visited rural regions of Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi, boasting fairy-tale temples and willow pattern landscapes and where life slows down to a tai chi pace, you can now enjoy freedom to explore and enjoy your chosen itinerary.
INDIA
A remarkable country and one that the adventurous traveller will fantasise about visiting or dream of returning too. India’s exotic, romantic and ancient traditions are juxtaposed with a modern, and bustling culture. With so much to see and do, India offers adventure and excitement in abundance for all who visit.
It’s not just the palaces and sightseeing that visitors relish but the festivals, arts, crafts, cuisine, heritage, and shopping. India will enchant and delight you with colourful pageantry, including Diwali, the festival of lights in October/November and the springtime festival of colour, Holi. It will enrich you with its culture, embrace you with its warmth and overwhelm you with hospitality.
Winter, Summer and Monsoon are the three distinctive seasons. The winter months, October to March, are often considered the best time to visit. December and January are cooler but this can be a good time to visit the beaches of Goa in the Southern states.
Take a tour of Rajasthan with its grand forts, and royal palaces including the monumental Amber Fort at Jaipur. The ‘Golden Triangle’ presents a perfect introductory tour including New & Old Delhi, the incredible Taj Mahal, and Ranthambore National Park, home of the Bengal tiger. Visit Mumbai, Shimla, Delhi and Lucknow, steeped in Colonial history or head south to the relaxing backwaters of Kerala.
INDONESIA
Comprising more than 17,000 islands, Indonesia is easily the world's largest island chain. An archipelago of tropical volcanic islands, untouched beaches, jagged mountain ranges and ornate temples, it is one of the most diverse and exotic nations on Earth. While many make a beeline for Bali’s beaches and the rice terraces that blanket Ubud, Indonesia offers so much more.
In Java alone, there are eight UNESCO World Heritage sites to visit, including the jaw-dropping Buddhist temple spires of Borobudur, best admired at sunrise. See orangutans swing freely in the steaming forest canopies of Sumatra, or encounter lumbering Komodo dragons in the Komodo National Park. Sail sun-dappled waters of Raja Ampat or escape to Lombok, considered the new-wave Bali for its wonderfully unspoiled beaches. Whichever destinations you opt for, you’ll surely catch a glimpse of Indonesia's awe-inspiring landscapes, architectural feats and deeply woven cultural traditions along this string of inviting islands.
JAPAN
After centuries of isolationist policy, Japan’s distinct and unique culture is intriguing. Astoundingly futuristic neon-hued cities, off the scale shopping and dining opportunities wrapped exquisitely in good design and impeccable style and then high speed rail links into beautiful natural landscapes, this is one of the most beguiling places to visit. Cultural idiosyncrasies mysterious to the foreign visitor can make the lifestyle a little intimidating at first, but the courteous and hospitable locals make this is one of the most rewarding island nations to navigate.
In rural areas, stay in traditional ryokan inns for an authentic taste of Japanese life from a bygone era where locals still wear kimono. Unwind in the thermal waters of a communal onsen bath house. Explore your spiritual goals at buddhist temples enveloped by dense bamboo forests and dive clear waters at spectacular coastal resorts such as Okinawa. Japan will live on in your heart forever.
LAOS
Indochina’s final frontier, Laos is one of the few destinations where, in some areas, visitors are yet to deviate from a few well-trodden sights. Only now emerging after years of isolation, Laos, pronounced locally without the ‘s’, is a country of steep, jungle-clad valleys inhabited by resilient communities who live at a refreshingly unhurried pace. The former royal stronghold, Luang Prabang, is a mosaic of golden elaborate temple wats and Indochinese villas, its streets often filled with silent processions of monks.
In the capital, Vientiane, you’ll find faded French-colonial mansions and coffee shops. The rest of the country is predominantly one blanket of green, carved with slow-flowing tributaries of the Mekong. As you explore, you’ll happen upon little-visited hill tribes, backwater towns and temples that predate Cambodia’s Angkor Wat.
MALAYSIA
Once central to the spice trade route, Malaysia is steeped in Chinese, Indian and Muslim influences, creating a rich cultural and culinary heritage. The old world meets a vibrant, modern society in the capital, Kuala Lumpur, where glittering skyscrapers share space with seasoned markets. Not far away however, great swathes of primary rainforest remain intact.
Visit Penang for its colonial architecture and bustling night market, hike through national parks, swim in mountain waterfalls, marvel at rubber plantations, and discover traditional ways of life in the Kampung villages along the east coast. Stay on one of Malaysia’s pristine tropical islands such as Langkawi or the Perhentian Islands where you’ll share your days with Hornbills and lazy monitor lizards. The UNESCO-protected cities of George Town and Malacca are strewn with Javanese mosques, Chinese prayer halls and Edwardian Baroque architecture and everywhere you go you’ll be greeted with a warm Malaysian welcome.
Image Credit: One&Only
MYANMAR
A destination guaranteed to entrance and beguile, a golden land, dotted with the spires of gilded pagodas and blazed over all year round by a tropical sun, Myanmar, (formerly Burma) has an innate sense of magic that has left it frozen in time. A luxury holiday in Myanmar will take you from the emerald, rock-studded waters of Mergui to the majesty of Mandalay; a melting pot of colonial architecture, botanical gardens, and the mighty Anisikan waterfalls.
Take a river boat journey to a remote temple inhabited by cats trained to jump through hoops. Behold the world’s largest reclining buddha at Win Sein Taw Ya, or stroke a jungle elephant in the Yangon Zoological Gardens, and this beautiful land of legend and folklore will forever live in your heart.
NEPAL
Nepali culture is mysterious and intriguing and you’ll find little has changed here for centuries. With eight out of ten of the world’s highest peaks including Everest, (known locally as Sagarmatha, or Holy Mother), the Himalayas offer some of the best trekking in the world, thanks in no small part to the hardy local guides and Sherpas. You don’t have to be an elite mountaineer to enjoy the terrain and there are expertly organised tours. Or take the easy option and book a flight round the summit of Everest from the bustling capital, Kathmandu. In the lowland area, visit Chitwan and Bardia National Parks for a chance to glimpse a rare Bengal tiger or a one-horned white rhinoceros.
SINGAPORE
The so-called Lion City is so much more than a stopover. This tiny island nation dipped into the warm waters of the South China Sea is a luxury holiday set to impress. A place that many nationalities call home, Singapore is a melting pot for diversity with sights and sounds ever-shifting as you stroll through Indian, Dutch, Malay and Chinese quarters, with vibrant streets home to hawkers peddling outstanding fusion food, cutting edge contemporary art galleries and underground clubbing nights.
Alongside elegant colonial relics such as Raffles, some of the most spectacular soaring modern architecture in South East Asia provides a selection of luxurious hotels, while tranquil tropical wildlife reserves, and public parks, where flowers and butterflies abound, are within easy reach of the inner cityscape.
SRI LANKA
The island of Sri Lanka, shaped like a mango, is a small country with a big combination of attractions and no fewer than seven World Heritage Sites, including ancient cities, temples and nature reserves which makes this the perfect destination for a luxury holiday at good value.
Visit the astonishing Cultural Triangle in the northern centre of the country, comprising the ancient cities of Polonnaruwa, Anuradhapura, Dambulla and the island's crowning glory, the rock fortress of Sigiriya. Heading south to the leafy holy city of Kandy, the hill country and tea estates offer green tranquillity. For wildlife, the beautiful National Parks of Yala and Wilpattu are home to wild populations of leopard, jungle elephant and exotic birdlife. At the centre of the south coast is the wonderful walled city of Galle, worth a day or two's exploration. The south coast is also home to some of the very best unspoilt beaches, with charming boutique hotels looking straight out onto the ocean.
A visit to Sri Lanka combines perfectly with The Maldives for a two-centre itinerary.
THAILAND
Adventures in Thailand are as diverse as the cuisine. Here you can enjoy skyscraping cities, mouth-watering street food, ancient temples, and idyllic islands. Start in Bangkok, a city that throngs with speeding tuk-tuks, buzzing bars, and floating markets. The colours, chaos, flavours and atmosphere make it a unique experience. Away from the hustle and bustle, visit Wat Pho’s Buddhist temple complex, home to a gleaming 150-foot reclining Buddha and one of the earliest massage schools.
Up in the northern jungle, wilderness adventure beckons. Explore the temple-studded city of Chiang Mai and its famous night markets or go jungle trekking, and white water rafting down mountainous rivers.
Head to Thailand’s islands for a far-flung luxury escape where you’ll find an authentic warm welcome and sun-kissed beaches of legendary status.
VIETNAM & CAMBODIA
From the tantalising street-food vendors of Hanoi in the north, to ‘The Pearl of the Far East’ Ho Chi Minh City in the south, Vietnam is possibly one of the world’s most charming and colourful countries to explore with a soundscape to match. Long, geographically diverse and steeped in complex war-time history, holidays in Vietnam cook up a storm of culture and cuisine. Immerse yourself in one of the world’s most characterful destinations with a bicycle ride through the streets of dreamy Hoi An, find balmy beaches and dramatic scenery along Halong Bay and enjoy a host of lavish hotels and tropical retreats from cottages in the midst of the Mekong to stylish city hotels.
Tucked neatly between Thailand and Vietnam, Cambodia is a glittering survivor of a turbulent past. Once ruled by fantastically wealthy kings who left behind vast swathes of elaborate Hindu and Buddhist temples, it is almost impossible to visit Cambodia without seeing the towers of Angkor Wat, a ravishing relic of the Khmer Empire. Siem Reap and the country’s capital Phnom Penh are also not to be missed. Meanwhile, the watery marvels of the iconic Mekong River and Tonle Sap offer a quieter pace of life among sleepy paddy fields and traditional floating villages where friendly saffron-robed monks walk barefoot in prayer. Combined with the fact that the people are courteous and resilient, and the food is a delicious fusion of French and Asian flavours, Cambodia makes a very alluring destination.
