Asia

Himalayan kingdoms, the temples and rivers of Southeast Asia, the cities and mountains of Japan and Korea, and island nations from the Maldives to the Philippines.

Asia covers more ground, and more ways of life, than any other region I work in. In the Himalaya, Nepal and Bhutan offer trekking, monasteries and mountain valleys. India alone could fill a lifetime, from the forts and palaces of Rajasthan to the backwaters of Kerala and the peaks of Ladakh. Southeast Asia brings together the temples of Angkor, the Mekong, the street food of Bangkok, Penang and Hanoi, and the islands of Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. Further north, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China combine very old traditions with some of the most modern cities on earth, and Mongolia offers open steppe and nomadic life.

The monsoons shape much of the south and south east, and timing matters more here than almost anywhere. In the Maldives the north east monsoon, from November to April, is generally sunny, while the south west monsoon from May to October brings rain. Sri Lanka has two monsoons, so one side of the island is usually dry when the other is wet. Cambodia is coolest and driest from November to February, and the Philippines are dry from November to May. In Nepal and Bhutan, spring and autumn bring the clearest views, while in Japan and Korea the four seasons are distinct, with cherry blossom in spring and red and gold leaves in autumn.

Journeys here are often built around one country in depth, or two that sit well together: Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Bhutan and Nepal, or Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam along the Mekong. A city at the start, a stretch of culture or wildlife in the middle and a few days by the sea at the end is a familiar shape for good reason. Distances can be large, so I keep the number of internal flights down and the stays long enough to be worthwhile.

Journeys

A group of horses running through the shallows along a sandy, rocky beach.

Bali and Sumba for Two

Four nights in Ubud's river valley, then four on Sumba's Indian Ocean shore.

Eight nights · Indonesia

A white dzong and village houses below forested hills and snow-capped peaks.

Bhutan's Five Valleys

14 nights across Bhutan, lodge to lodge, from Thimphu to the Tiger's Nest.

14 nights · Bhutan

Paro Taktsang, the Tiger's Nest, on its cliff.

Bhutan, Four Valleys

Nine days across western and central Bhutan, two nights each in Thimphu, Punakha, the Phobjikha Valley and Paro.

Eight nights · Bhutan

The silhouette of Angkor Wat behind palm trees.

Cambodia, Angkor and the Cardamom Rainforest

Three nights in Siem Reap for the temples of Angkor, then three in a tented camp in the Cardamom rainforest.

Six nights · Cambodia

Angkor Wat reflected in still water at sunset.

Cambodia: the City, the Temples, an Island and the Jungle

Phnom Penh, Angkor, an island in the Gulf of Thailand and the Cardamom Mountains.

12 nights · Cambodia

A white stone bridge and a pagoda beside a still lake, with snow-capped peaks behind.

China's Mountains by Private Jet

Turquoise lakes, Lijiang's old town and the Tibetan edge of Yunnan, by private jet.

Eight nights · China

The Jal Mahal palace standing in a lake below dark hills under a pink and violet sky.

Delhi, Agra and Rajasthan

Old Delhi, the Taj Mahal, tigers and the Aravalli hills, flying privately between them.

Nine nights · India

A snow-covered mountain with trees and rocks near Manali, Himachal Pradesh.

Delhi, Tigers and the Himalaya

Six nights from Old Delhi to the tiger forest of Ranthambhore and on to the mountains above Manali.

Six nights · India

The towers of Angkor Wat in silhouette against an orange dawn sky, reflected in a pool.

Hidden Indochina by Private Jet

Bangkok, Angkor, Luang Prabang, Sapa and the Golden Triangle, by private jet.

14 nights · Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam

A tiger standing on a dusty forest track, looking straight ahead.

India's Tiger Parks

Two of India's great tiger reserves, linked by private jet from Delhi.

Nine nights · India

A small wooded island in calm blue sea under white summer clouds.

Japan, Art Islands and Onsen

Tokyo, the art island of Naoshima, Kyoto and the hot springs of Ise-Shima.

14 nights · Japan

Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto across its pond in autumn.

Japan, Tokyo to Nara by Road

Thirteen nights on the back roads of Honshu, from the galleries of Tokyo through the hot springs of Hakone, Izu and the Alps to the old capitals of Kyoto and Nara.

13 nights · Japan

Green forested hills below the mountains of the Himalayas.

Kathmandu Valley and the Himalayan Foothills

Four nights among the courtyards and craftsmen of Kathmandu, then three on a ridge in the Himalayan foothills at Dhulikhel.

Seven nights · Nepal

A snow peak in the Himalaya lit gold by the setting sun.

Kathmandu and Dhulikhel

Three nights among the temples of the valley, four of Himalayan rest.

Seven nights · Nepal

A houseboat on the palm-lined backwaters at Alappuzha in Kerala.

Kerala and Sri Lanka's South Coast

Seven nights from the backwaters of Kerala to the whale waters off Sri Lanka's south coast.

Seven nights · India, Sri Lanka

Sunset over the Mekong River at Luang Prabang.

Luang Prabang, Town and Forest

Three nights in the old town of Luang Prabang, then two in the forested hills outside it.

Five nights · Laos

A white sand beach among palms and grey limestone near El Nido.

Manila and Palawan

A night in Manila, two in Puerto Princesa, then eight among the islands of Bacuit Bay at El Nido.

11 nights · Philippines

A snow-covered Himalayan peak lit gold by low sun above dark ridges.

Nepal, Mustang and Everest by Air

Kathmandu, the high valleys of Lower Mustang and a helicopter morning over Everest.

Nine nights · Nepal

The Taj Mahal and its four minarets under a warm golden sky.

North India by Private Jet

Mumbai to Varanasi by private plane, with Rajasthan's palaces and tigers between.

13 nights · India

Aerial view of steep green karst islets rising from a turquoise lagoon.

Raja Ampat by Private Yacht

Nine nights among the reefs and karst islands of Raja Ampat, from Sorong and back.

Nine nights · Indonesia

Mehrangarh Fort on its hill above Jodhpur in the golden light of evening.

Rajasthan, Desert, Forts and Tigers

Eleven nights across Rajasthan, from the dunes of Jaisalmer to the leopard hills of Jawai and the tiger forest of Ranthambhore.

11 nights · India

The stupas of Borobudur at sunrise, with mountains in the haze beyond.

Singapore, Bali, Komodo and Java

Singapore, then Ubud, two nights under sail in Komodo National Park, and the temples of Central Java.

11 nights · Singapore, Indonesia

Marina Bay at dusk, with the city's towers and a large observation wheel reflected in still water.

Singapore, City and Island

Four nights in Singapore, two in town and two on Sentosa.

Four nights · Singapore

Sunrise over the tea plantation at Boh, in the Cameron Highlands.

Singapore, Malaysia and Borneo

Singapore, then overland through Malacca, Kuala Lumpur, the Cameron Highlands and Penang, to the beach in Langkawi and a river lodge in Borneo.

15 nights · Singapore, Malaysia

A forested island under a glowing sunset cloud in the Andaman Sea.

Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand

Singapore, three nights on the Eastern & Oriental Express, then Bangkok and Chiang Mai.

13 nights · Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand

A red dirt road winding through bright green tea terraces.

Sri Lanka by Air

Tea country, Galle Fort and the south coast, joined by short private flights.

Nine nights · Sri Lanka

Tea fields on a misty hillside near Nuwara Eliya in Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka, Tea, Leopards and the Sea

Nine nights from Colombo up into the tea hills, down to the leopards of Yala and on to the beach at Weligama.

Nine nights · Sri Lanka

The white spires of a temple on the bank of a wide river under a blue sky.

Thailand, North to the Gulf

Bangkok, the northern hills and Koh Samui in nine nights.

Nine nights · Thailand

Snow-capped Mount Fuji above a calm lake, with a low shoreline of trees and houses.

Tokyo, Hakone and Kyoto

Tokyo, an imperial ryokan in Hakone, and four nights in Kyoto.

11 nights · Japan

Limestone islands covered in green rising from turquoise water, with more karsts fading into the distance.

Vietnam From North to South

Hanoi to Saigon in 13 nights, with short flights between the stops.

13 nights · Vietnam

Stays

Water and hills on Padar Island in Komodo.

AYANA Lako Di'a

AYANA Lako Di'a is a 54-metre phinisi, handcrafted in South Sulawesi, that sails from AYANA Komodo Waecicu Beach into the waters of Komodo National Park.

Sails from AYANA Komodo Waecicu Beach, Labuan Bajo, into Komodo National Park, Indonesia

An aerial view of the white canvas tents set in a grid among trees.

Aman-i-Khás

Aman-i-Khás is a tented camp on the threshold of Ranthambhore National Park in eastern Rajasthan, the reserve people travel to for its Bengal tigers.

Ranthambhore, Rajasthan, India

Aerial view of the ruined stone town of Bhangarh among trees and low hills.

Amanbagh

Amanbagh lies in the Aravalli Hills near Alwar in Rajasthan, about two hours by road from Jaipur.

Ajabgarh, Alwar, Rajasthan, India

Amandayan

Amandayan stands on Lion Hill above the lanes and canals of Lijiang's UNESCO-listed Old Town, with Jade Dragon Snow Mountain on the horizon.

Lijiang, Yunnan, China

A white lighthouse on the stone ramparts of Galle Fort, with palms against a blue sky.

Amangalla

Amangalla occupies the former New Oriental Hotel inside the ramparts of Galle Fort, the 17th-century fortified town on Sri Lanka's south-west coast that is now UNESCO-listed.

Galle Fort, Galle, Sri Lanka

Amanjiwo

Amanjiwo, peaceful soul, sits in a natural amphitheatre in Central Java, with the limestone Menoreh Hills behind it, the Kedu Plain in front and four volcanoes, Sumbing, Sundoro, Merbabu and Merapi, on the horizon.

Borobudur, Central Java, Indonesia

A river winding through a green valley between steep forested mountains.

Amankora Bumthang

Amankora is a journey of five lodges across the western and central valleys of Bhutan, at Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, Gangtey and Bumthang, designed to be travelled in sequence.

Jakar, Bumthang Valley, Bhutan

Traditional houses with painted windows on a green hillside, below a large temple building.

Amankora Gangtey

Amankora is a journey of five lodges across the western and central valleys of Bhutan, at Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, Gangtey and Bumthang, designed to be travelled in sequence.

Phobjikha Valley, Gangtey, Bhutan

Tiger's Nest monastery clinging to a cliff face, with cloud drifting through the forest below.

Amankora Paro

Amankora is a journey of five lodges across the western and central valleys of Bhutan, at Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, Gangtey and Bumthang, designed to be travelled in sequence, and Paro is usually where it begins and ends.

Paro Valley, Bhutan

Punakha Dzong on a riverbank beneath forested hills and a blue sky.

Amankora Punakha

Amankora is a journey of five lodges across the western and central valleys of Bhutan, at Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, Gangtey and Bumthang, designed to be travelled in sequence.

Punakha Valley, Bhutan

Snow-capped Himalayan peaks seen through pine trees above layered blue valleys.

Amankora Thimphu

Amankora is a journey of five lodges across the western and central valleys of Bhutan, at Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, Gangtey and Bumthang, designed to be travelled in sequence.

Thimphu, Bhutan

An aerial view of villas scattered through forested hills around a lake, with the sea on the horizon.

Amanoi

Amanoi, the first Aman in Vietnam, sits on a hillside above Vinh Hy Bay within Nui Chua National Park, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve on the south-central coast; its name joins a Sanskrit-derived word for peace with the Vietnamese noi, meaning place.

Vinh Hy Bay, Khanh Hoa, Vietnam

An empty beach and wooded headland at Laem Singh, Phuket.

Amanpuri

Amanpuri, Sanskrit for 'place of peace', was the first Aman resort and remains the group's flagship, on its own peninsula on Phuket's west coast, in a former coconut plantation above the white curve of Pansea Beach.

Pansea Beach, Phuket, Thailand

The towers of Angkor Wat glowing at sunrise, framed by trees.

Amansara

Amansara began life as the guesthouse King Sihanouk kept for visiting dignitaries, a building in the 1960s New Khmer style rather than a colonial villa.

Siem Reap, Cambodia

A gilded temple with a tiered roof and white stairs, framed by palms under a blue sky.

Amantaka

Amantaka occupies a group of French colonial buildings on a garden estate in the old town of Luang Prabang, which is UNESCO-listed.

Luang Prabang, Laos

Aerial view of a curved sandy beach between turquoise water and dense palm forest.

Amanwella

Amanwella sits above a curved beach on Sri Lanka's south coast near Tangalle, between two rocky headlands and backed by a coconut grove.

Tangalle, Sri Lanka

Green trees above the sea at Puerto Princesa.

Amorita Resort, Puerto Princesa

Amorita in Puerto Princesa is the Palawan sister of the Amorita on Bohol, opened in March 2026 by the Philippine group One-Of Collection.

Barangay San Pedro, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Philippines

Two pagodas on a forested mountain ridge in northern Thailand at golden hour.

Anantara Chiang Mai Resort

Anantara Chiang Mai Resort lies on the bank of the Mae Ping River, on Charoen Prathet Road in the centre of the city, in the grounds of the former British Consulate.

Mae Ping River, Chiang Mai, Thailand

Rows of tea bushes across green hills, with forested mountains beyond.

Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort

Anantara Golden Triangle sits on a wooded ridge of 160 acres above the point where the Ruak and the Mekong meet, and from the terraces you look across to Myanmar and Laos.

Golden Triangle, Chiang Rai, Thailand

Aerial view looking down on palm trees at the edge of a shallow reef.

Aqua Blu

Aqua Blu is a 60-metre explorer yacht that lives full time in East Indonesia, sailing the reefs and volcanic islands of the Coral Triangle.

East Indonesia (Raja Ampat, Komodo, Spice Islands)

A room open to the garden, two chairs facing maples in full autumn colour.

Asaba

Asaba was founded in 1484, when Yakuro Yukitada Asaba came to Shuzenji to help establish the Soto Zen temple and opened a lodging house before its gate.

Shuzenji, Izu, Japan

A golden-roofed Tibetan monastery spread across a hillside above a lake.

Banyan Tree Ringha

Banyan Tree Ringha sits in the Ringha Valley outside Shangri-La in north-west Yunnan, some 10,000 feet up in the mountains.

Ringha Valley, Shangri-La, Yunnan, China

A stone torii gate on a sandy beach, with low islands on a pale sea beyond.

Benesse House

Benesse House on Naoshima is a hotel and a contemporary art museum at once.

Naoshima, Kagawa, Japan

A calm river flowing through green forest in Kaga.

Beniya Mukayu

Beniya Mukayu stands on a hill above the hot-spring town of Yamashiro Onsen in Kaga, Ishikawa Prefecture, about 40 minutes from Kanazawa.

Yamashiro Onsen, Kaga, Ishikawa, Japan

A double-arched stone bridge over a palace moat, with a white tower among pines behind.

Bvlgari Hotel Tokyo

Bvlgari Hotel Tokyo, the Roman jeweller's eighth hotel, fills the 40th to 45th floors of the Tokyo Midtown Yaesu tower, within walking distance of Nihombashi, Marunouchi and Ginza, with views over the Imperial Palace gardens and, on clear days, to Mount Fuji.

Yaesu, Tokyo, Japan

Green fields beneath brown hills at Punakha.

COMO Uma Punakha

COMO Uma Punakha sits on a small hill at the western end of the Punakha Valley, above the Mo Chhu river, and its rooms look over the valley and the water.

Botokha Kabesa, Punakha Valley, Bhutan

Rolling green tea plantations beneath a moody sky in the Cameron Highlands.

Cameron Highlands Resort

Cameron Highlands Resort stands on a hilltop beside the Cameron Highlands golf course, in the cool hill country of Pahang, almost a mile above sea level and among tea plantations and woodland trails.

By the Golf Course, Brinchang, Tanah Rata, Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia

A blue and white boat moored by a simple dock among greenery in Weligama.

Cape Weligama

Cape Weligama sits on 12 acres of terraced clifftop on Sri Lanka's south coast, about 30 metres above the Indian Ocean and some 26 kilometres from Galle.

Weligama, Southern Province, Sri Lanka

The tall white central tower of Wat Arun above the river bank on a cloudy day.

Capella Bangkok

Capella Bangkok opened in 2020 on the east bank of the Chao Phraya, the group's first hotel in Thailand, and Michelin calls it an urban resort in the truest sense: landscaped gardens, a pool, several restaurants and a spa, 10 minutes on foot from the Old Town.

Charoenkrung Road, Bangkok, Thailand

A white Art Deco hotel building with gilded balconies on a tree-lined street corner.

Capella Hanoi

Capella Hanoi stands a few steps from the Hanoi Opera House, between the Old Quarter and Hoan Kiem Lake, and Bill Bensley conceived it as a tribute to the opera, imagining the inn where singers, composers and costume designers might have gathered after the final curtain in the jazz age.

Hoan Kiem, Hanoi, Vietnam

A curved white sand beach fringed with tall palm trees and calm shallow water.

Capella Singapore

Capella Singapore sits on 30 acres of rolling parkland on Sentosa Island, about ten minutes from the centre of the city yet set apart from it.

Sentosa Island, Singapore

Tea bushes covering rolling hillsides under a pale sky.

Ceylon Tea Trails

Ceylon Tea Trails occupies five restored planters' bungalows spread across three working tea estates in the Bogawantalawa Valley near Hatton, in Sri Lanka's Central Highlands, set between 1.5 and 16 kilometres apart around Castlereagh Lake.

Bogawantalawa Valley, Hatton, Sri Lanka

A white suite tent lit at dusk in a garden, with mountains behind.

Chamba Camp Thiksey

Chamba Camp Thiksey, one of the TUTC camps, stands below Thiksey Monastery, one of the great gompas of Ladakh, often compared to a smaller Potala Palace.

Thiksey, Ladakh, India

Villas along the edge of the lagoon and the island's palms, seen from the air.

Cheval Blanc Randheli

Cheval Blanc Randheli has its own island in the Noonu Atoll, north of Malé, and brings the Cheval Blanc art de recevoir to the Indian Ocean.

Randheli Island, Noonu Atoll, Maldives

Waves on the sand at Hua Hin, from directly above.

Chiva-Som

Chiva-Som opened on April 19, 1995, on 6.7 acres of beachfront in Hua Hin, where the Thai royal family built summer palaces in the 1920s.

Hua Hin, Thailand

Palm forest meeting the beach and lagoon at Dhigurah, South Ari Atoll, from above.

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island

Conrad Maldives Rangali Island spreads across two natural islands in the South Ari Atoll, joined by a bridge, with 151 villas set over the lagoon or along white beaches.

Rangali Island, South Ari Atoll, Maldives

Desa Potato Head

Potato Head was founded in Indonesia in 2010 by Ronald Akili, under the motto Good Times, Do Good, and Desa Potato Head in Seminyak has become a manifesto for how a hotel can deal with its waste.

Seminyak, Bali, Indonesia

The Annapurna range in snow under a deep blue sky.

Dwarika's Sanctuary

Dwarika's Sanctuary stands high on a ridge in the Himalayan foothills at Dhulikhel, above terraced fields that fall away towards the Indrawati River, about an hour from its sister hotel, The Dwarika's, in Kathmandu.

Dhulikhel, Kavre, Nepal

Islands scattered across a turquoise sea, seen from a forested hilltop.

Eastern & Oriental Express, A Belmond Train

The Eastern & Oriental Express first ran in 1993, built from carriages bought in Japan and refitted in the spirit of its sister train, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.

Round trips from Singapore through Malaysia

Chew Jetty in George Town, Penang, seen from the air.

Eastern & Oriental Hotel

The Eastern & Oriental Hotel stands on Lebuh Farquhar in George Town, Penang, facing the sea behind a seawall built in 1907.

Lebuh Farquhar, George Town, Penang, Malaysia

Jagged islands covered in green, rising from the sea at El Nido.

El Nido Resorts Lagen Island

Lagen Island sits in a forested cove on Bacuit Bay, between a four-hectare forest and a calm, shallow lagoon; the resort says it has the densest forest over limestone of the 45 islands and islets in the bay, and a trail climbs through it to a view of a cove on the far side.

Lagen Island, Bacuit Bay, El Nido, Palawan, Philippines

Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi

Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Otemachi fills the top six floors of the 39-storey Otemachi One Tower in the financial district, looking over the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace; on a clear day the view reaches Mount Fuji.

Otemachi, Tokyo, Japan

Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai

Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai lies in the Mae Rim Valley among rice paddies, jungle and mist-covered mountains, and sets out to be the classic Northern Thai resort.

Mae Rim, Chiang Mai, Thailand

A small island in the ocean off Langkawi, seen from the air.

Four Seasons Resort Langkawi

Four Seasons Resort Langkawi lies on Jalan Tanjung Rhu, between a mile-long sandy beach and towering limestone cliffs, inside the Langkawi UNESCO Global Geopark.

Jalan Tanjung Rhu, Langkawi, Malaysia

Wooden boats moored on a river in front of a row of old yellow shophouses.

Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai, Hoi An, Vietnam

The Nam Hai lines a kilometre of Ha My Beach on Vietnam's central coast, a short drive from Hoi An.

Ha My Beach, Hoi An, Vietnam

Mountains and the lake at Hakone, seen from above.

Gora Kadan

Gora Kadan stands in the grounds of the Kan'in-no-miya Villa, the summer retreat of Prince Kan'in Kotohito, who named it Kadan, the word imperial households used for residences where they received foreign dignitaries and honoured guests; the villa kept that role until 1948.

Gora, Hakone, Japan

A long covered wooden walkway beside a raked garden, with red and green maples behind.

HOTEL THE MITSUI KYOTO

Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto stands beside Nijo-jo Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, on the site of the Kyoto residence of the Kitake, the senior branch of the Mitsui family, who held the property for more than 250 years.

Nakagyo, Kyoto, Japan

Terraced rice fields stepping down a green valley under a hazy sun.

Hotel de la Coupole - MGallery

Hotel de la Coupole stands on Hoang Lien Street in Sa Pa, the hill town in Vietnam's far north, and it was the first modern hotel of its kind in the town.

Sa Pa, Lao Cai, Vietnam

Sunset over the sea from a beach in Raa Atoll.

JOALI BEING

JOALI BEING, on Bodufushi Island in Raa Atoll, calls itself the Maldives' first wellbeing island.

Bodufushi Island, Raa Atoll, Maldives

An aerial view of a hillside lap pool and gardens above the sea, with forested hills behind.

Kamalaya Koh Samui

Founded in 2005 on the southern coast of Koh Samui, Kamalaya takes its name from the Sanskrit words for Lotus Realm.

Koh Samui, Thailand

Kiyomizu-dera temple in Kyoto at sunset, with cherry blossom.

Kanamean Nishitomiya

Kanamean Nishitomiya is a small ryokan in central Kyoto, on Tominokoji street in Nakagyo-ku, that has welcomed guests since 1873.

Tominokoji Rokkaku-sagaru, Nakagyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan

A stone path between ponds of lotus leaves leading to a carved temple gateway among trees.

Mandapa, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve

Mandapa takes its name from the Sanskrit for temple, and this Ritz-Carlton Reserve is laid out like a Balinese village on the banks of the Ayung River outside Ubud, with its own temple and working rice paddies.

Ayung River, Ubud, Bali, Indonesia

A suite balcony with wicker seating overlooking the Chao Phraya river and city towers.

Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok

Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok opened on the banks of the Chao Phraya in 1876, and in 2026 it marks 150 years as the city's most storied address.

Bang Rak, Bangkok, Thailand

The Kuala Lumpur skyline under an orange sunset sky.

Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur

Mandarin Oriental, Kuala Lumpur is set between the gardens of KLCC Park and the Petronas Twin Towers, with views over both, and is linked directly to the towers and the Suria KLCC shopping centre.

Kuala Lumpur City Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

A row of restored shophouses painted pink, cream and green, with shuttered arched windows.

Mandarin Oriental, Singapore

Mandarin Oriental, Singapore opened in 1987 as The Oriental Singapore, its fan-shaped atrium designed by John Portman with theatre in mind, and reopened on September 8, 2023, after a six-month transformation.

Marina Bay, Singapore

Green mountains under white clouds at Wonosobo in Central Java.

MesaStila Resort and Spa

MesaStila Resort and Spa is built within a coffee plantation at Losari, near Grabag in the highlands of Central Java, ringed by eight mountains, with cool highland air, tropical gardens and rice terraces around it.

Losari, Grabag, Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia

Aerial view of NIHI's long sandy beach curving along the coast, with surf breaking and villas set into the green hillside.

NIHI Sumba

Nihi Sumba began with a wave.

Wanokaka, West Sumba, Indonesia

A glass-fronted hotel entrance lit up at dusk, pines behind.

Noborioji Hotel

Noborioji Hotel sits at the edge of Kōfuku-ji, one of Japan's oldest temples and a UNESCO World Heritage site, facing the greenery of Nara Park, where tame deer roam.

Nara, Nara Prefecture, Japan

Water winding between steep green islands at El Nido, seen from above.

Pangulasian Island

Pangulasian Island is one of the El Nido Resorts in Palawan, set on its own island with forest behind it and a marine sanctuary at its doorstep.

Pangulasian Island, El Nido, Palawan, Philippines

A red building topped by a clock in Colombo.

Paradise Road Tintagel

Paradise Road Tintagel is a 1930s colonial-era mansion at 65 Rosmead Place in Colombo 7, named after the Cornish castle linked with the birth of King Arthur.

Rosmead Place, Colombo 7, Sri Lanka

Park Hyatt Bangkok

Park Hyatt Bangkok opened on May 12, 2017, on the site where British ambassadors once held their garden parties.

Bangkok, Thailand

The Saigon skyline seen across a wide river under a blue sky.

Park Hyatt Saigon

Park Hyatt Saigon faces Lam Son Square in the centre of District 1, beside the Opera House and within walking distance of the old colonial quarter.

Lam Son Square, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Prayer flags above Thimphu and its green mountains.

Pemako Thimphu

Pemako Thimphu stands in the heart of Bhutan's capital, within easy reach of the town's main sights.

Thimphu, Bhutan

Amber Fort above its lake near Jaipur, with birds wheeling overhead.

Raffles Jaipur

Raffles Jaipur stands at Kukas, between the old Pink City, UNESCO-listed, and the Aravalli Hills.

Kukas, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Buildings and boats along the water in Manila.

Raffles Makati

Raffles Makati stands at 1 Raffles Drive on Makati Avenue in the city's financial district, near the Legazpi and Salcedo neighbourhoods, and shares its building with the Fairmont Makati.

Makati Avenue, Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines

An outdoor pool with blue mosaic tiles, lined with sun loungers and parasols, facing a white colonnaded pavilion.

Raffles Singapore

The Armenian Sarkies brothers opened Raffles in 1887, and a century later, in 1987, it was declared a National Monument of Singapore.

Beach Road, Singapore

Birds flying over the lake at Jal Mahal in Jaipur.

Rambagh Palace

Rambagh Palace was built in 1835 and served first as a royal guest house and hunting lodge; Virtuoso describes it as home to generations of royals for more than 185 years, and some of its rooms are the former chambers of the Maharaja.

Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Waterfalls spilling through trees into a clear turquoise pool.

Rissai Valley, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve

Rissai Valley lies in the Zhongcha Valley near Jiuzhaigou, the UNESCO World Heritage Site in northern Sichuan named for the nine Tibetan villages in its mountains, where snow peaks, emerald lakes and waterfalls fill a nature reserve of nearly 180,000 acres.

Jiuzhaigou, Sichuan, China

Boats on the river at Luang Prabang in low sun, with mountains beyond.

Rosewood Luang Prabang

Rosewood Luang Prabang lies on the edge of the town in the Nahm Dong Valley, within the UNESCO-listed area, where the designer Bill Bensley reimagined a forgotten 19th-century hill station around a waterfall flowing between the banks of the Nam Dong River.

Nahm Dong Valley, Luang Prabang, Laos

The Independence Monument in Phnom Penh lit at dusk, with trails of traffic.

Rosewood Phnom Penh

Rosewood Phnom Penh is set at the top of what the hotel calls Cambodia's tallest skyscraper, a tower of 39 floors on Monivong Boulevard in the centre of the city.

66 Monivong Boulevard, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

A leopard walking over rocky ground in the hills of Jawai.

SUJÁN Jawai

SUJÁN Jawai is a tented camp of 10 suites set against the Aravalli Mountains in the leopard country of the Rajasthan steppe at Jawai, where Rabari herdsmen still graze their animals on the open land.

Bisalpur, Jawai, Rajasthan, India

A tiger walking through brush near water in Ranthambore National Park.

SUJÁN Sher Bagh

SUJÁN Sher Bagh was the first SUJÁN tented camp, built in 2000 by a family of wildlife filmmakers on the edge of Ranthambhore National Park, and it keeps an old-world safari style drawn from the 1920s.

Sherpur Khiljipur, Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan, India

SUJÁN The Serai

SUJÁN The Serai is a desert camp on 100 acres of private land and native desert scrub in the Thar, about 40 kilometres, or 40 minutes by road, from Jaisalmer.

Near Jaisalmer, Thar Desert, Rajasthan, India

Angkor Wat at sunrise, reflected in the water in front of it.

Shinta Mani Angkor

Shinta Mani Angkor began as a not-for-profit school giving free hospitality training to disadvantaged Cambodians, and the hotel that grew from it still helps fund the Shinta Mani Foundation from its room revenue.

Royal District, Siem Reap, Cambodia

A wide river valley with terraced fields below bare brown slopes and snow peaks.

Shinta Mani Mustang

Shinta Mani Mustang stands on a hillside above Jomsom in Nepal's Mustang district, in the Kali Gandaki valley near the Tibetan border, facing the snow peaks of Nilgiri at about 7,000 metres.

Jomsom, Mustang, Nepal

A tented suite above a jungle river, its deck lit at dusk among the rocks.

Shinta Mani Wild

Shinta Mani Wild occupies a private stretch of jungle in Cambodia's Cardamom Mountains, on a wildlife corridor between Bokor and Kirirom national parks, and Bill Bensley created it as much to safeguard that land as to welcome guests to it.

Cardamom Mountains, Cambodia

A small town with green roofs below snow-capped mountains at Manali.

Sitara Himalaya

Sitara Himalaya is a private sanctuary of just ten guest rooms on a hill above Manali, ringed by high Himalayan peaks.

Manali, Himachal Pradesh, India

A timber villa on a slope among tall pine trees in sunlight.

Six Senses Bhutan

Six Senses Bhutan runs its own circuit of five lodges through Thimphu, Punakha, Gangtey, Bumthang and Paro, 82 keys in all, from 25 suites and villas at Thimphu to just nine each at Gangtey and Bumthang.

Bhutan, five lodges

Palms and a pale beach on clear turquoise water off the Cambodian coast.

Six Senses Krabey Island

Six Senses Krabey Island opened in March 2019 on a private island of 30 acres in the Gulf of Thailand, about five kilometres off Ream National Park on Cambodia's south coast.

Koh Krabey, Ream, Preah Sihanouk Province, Cambodia

Large smooth granite boulders on a sandy cove, with clear water and a green headland.

Six Senses Samui

Six Senses Samui is set on a raised headland at the northern tip of Koh Samui, with 67 villas spread through 20 acres of native planting and views out over the Gulf of Thailand.

Koh Samui, Thailand

A six-bedroom villa and its pool among the trees, seen from above.

Soneva Fushi

Soneva Fushi opened in 1995 on Kunfunadhoo Island in the Baa Atoll, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve that the resort helped to establish, and it is still the purest expression of Soneva's barefoot idea: shoes come off on arrival and stay off.

Kunfunadhoo Island, Baa Atoll, Maldives

An overwater villa's water slide curving down into the lagoon, seen from above.

Soneva Jani

Soneva Jani occupies Medhufaru, an island in the Noonu Atoll, and most of the resort stands out over its wide, shallow lagoon.

Medhufaru Island, Noonu Atoll, Maldives

Overwater villas scattered across a turquoise lagoon.

Soneva Secret

Soneva Secret is the first resort in the remote Makunudhoo Atoll, in the far north of the Maldives, and the most private of Soneva's three islands, reached by a 75-minute seaplane flight from Malé or a 40-minute hop from Soneva Fushi.

Makunudhoo, Haa Dhaalu Atoll, Maldives

An aerial view of a wooded island with thatched villas over the water and a footbridge.

Song Saa Private Island

Song Saa occupies two small islands in Cambodia's Koh Rong Archipelago, joined by a footbridge over the sea and reached by a 45-minute speedboat transfer from Sihanoukville.

Koh Rong Archipelago, Cambodia

An elephant near the trees on the Kinabatangan River.

Sukau Rainforest Lodge

Sukau Rainforest Lodge stands on the banks of the Kinabatangan, one of the most important rivers in Borneo, in the Malaysian state of Sabah.

Sukau, Kinabatangan River, Sabah, Malaysia

The Buddha statue in Hussain Sagar lake at night, with the lights of Hyderabad behind.

Taj Falaknuma Palace

Falaknuma, 'mirror of the sky', stands on a hilltop 609 metres above sea level on the edge of Hyderabad.

Falaknuma, Hyderabad, India

A temple beside a tank of water in Thiruvananthapuram at night.

Taj Green Cove Resort & Spa

Taj Green Cove Resort & Spa stands on 16 acres of tropical gardens on a green hillside at Kovalam, near Thiruvananthapuram, with lawns running down towards the Arabian Sea.

Kovalam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

A wide lake in Udaipur ringed by the city and low hills, seen through bare branches.

Taj Lake Palace

Jag Niwas was built in white marble between 1743 and 1746 by Maharana Jagat Singh II, the 62nd custodian of the House of Mewar, as a summer retreat on an island in Lake Pichola, facing east so that its residents could greet the sunrise.

Lake Pichola, Udaipur, India

Boats on the Ganges below the ghats and temples of Varanasi.

Taj Nadesar Palace

Nadesar Palace was built in 1782 and later became a residence of the Maharaja of Benares, which explains the art and furniture from his collection that still fill the rooms.

Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

The White Temple of Wat Rong Khun reflected in its pool, near Chiang Rai.

Tatvani

Tatvani is a private estate of 29 acres outside Chiang Rai in northern Thailand, laid out among rice fields, gardens, koi ponds and lotus pools near the Mae Kok River.

Chiang Rai, Thailand

The white dome of Boudhanath stupa in Kathmandu, with prayer flags.

The Dwarika's

The Dwarika's is a heritage hotel in Kathmandu's Battisputali district, created by its late founder to keep the arts and crafts of the Kathmandu Valley alive and in use.

Battisputali, Kathmandu, Nepal

The fluted sandstone tower of the Qutb Minar rising above green lawns under a cloud-streaked sky.

The Imperial New Delhi

The Imperial opened in 1936 on Janpath, a few minutes from Connaught Place, and it still feels like the New Delhi its architects imagined.

Janpath, New Delhi, India

The pink sandstone façade of the Hawa Mahal in Jaipur, with its many small windows.

The Leela Palace Jaipur

The Leela Palace Jaipur stands on a nine-acre estate on the Delhi road, well away from the traffic of the Pink City, with the Aravalli hills on the horizon.

Kukas, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India

Humayun's Tomb in red sandstone and white marble, framed by tall palms under a blue sky.

The Leela Palace New Delhi

The Leela Palace sits in Chanakyapuri, the diplomatic enclave of New Delhi, among the embassies.

Chanakyapuri, New Delhi, India

A river running through Melaka between tall buildings.

The Majestic Malacca

The Majestic Malacca is a restored Straits Settlement mansion of the 1920s on the waterfront of the Malacca River, within the town's UNESCO World Heritage area, and it is one of YTL's classic hotels.

188 Jalan Bunga Raya, Malacca, Malaysia

A Chinese fishing net on the shore at Fort Kochi.

The Malabar House

The Malabar House is a documented part of the history of Fort Cochin, the old harbour quarter of Kochi.

1/268 Parade Road, Fort Cochin, Kochi, Kerala, India

The Taj Mahal reflected in the long water channel of its garden, lined with cypress trees.

The Oberoi Amarvilas

The Oberoi Amarvilas stands about 600 metres from the Taj Mahal in Agra, and every one of its rooms and suites has a view of the monument.

Agra, India

Two tigers, one lying and one standing, on a grassy forest track.

The Oberoi Vindhyavilas Wildlife Resort, Bandhavgarh

The Oberoi Vindhyavilas sits just outside the gates of Bandhavgarh National Park in Madhya Pradesh, a landscape of forest and grassland in the Vindhya Hills known for its tigers.

Bandhavgarh, Madhya Pradesh, India

The Oberoi, New Delhi

The Oberoi, New Delhi opened in 1965 on Dr Zakir Hussain Marg and reopened in January 2018 after a complete renovation.

Dr Zakir Hussain Marg, New Delhi, India

A golden chedi and red and gold temple roofs under a clear blue sky.

The Siam

The Siam stands in three acres of gardens on the Chao Phraya River in Dusit, Bangkok's quarter of palaces, temples and museums, and is owned and run by the Sukosols, a family of musicians and entertainers across several generations.

Dusit, Bangkok, Thailand

The Victorian Gothic domes and spires of a Mumbai railway terminus, framed by trees.

The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai

The Taj Mahal Palace opened in 1903 on Apollo Bunder in Colaba, facing the Gateway of India and the Arabian Sea, and it remains the grand old hotel of Mumbai.

Colaba, Mumbai, India

Limestone cliffs and rocks meeting the surf on the Uluwatu coast of Bali.

The Ungasan Clifftop Resort

The Ungasan sits on the limestone cliffs of Uluwatu at the southern tip of Bali, high above the Indian Ocean.

Ungasan, Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia

The castle at Matsumoto in winter, beside the water.

Tobira Onsen Myojinkan

Tobira Onsen Myojinkan was opened in June 1931 by Saito Takeshige as a small family inn that served what came from the mountains and its own fields, and writers and scholars soon came to stay for long spells to work.

8967 Iriyamabe, Matsumoto, Nagano, Japan

Mehrangarh Fort on its rock above the rooftops of Jodhpur at dawn.

Umaid Bhawan Palace

Umaid Bhawan Palace is a vast building of golden desert sandstone set in 26 acres of gardens in Jodhpur, and it remains one of the largest private homes in the world.

Jodhpur, India

The island ringed by reef in open ocean, overwater villas off one side.

Velaa Private Island

Velaa is a privately owned island resort in Noonu Atoll, ringed by a 360-degree walkable beach and planted with more than 350 species of plants and trees.

Noonu Atoll, Maldives

The Temple of the Tooth and its pavilion beside Kandy Lake, below wooded hills.

W15 Hanthana Estate

W15 Hanthana Estate is a restored tea-estate bungalow in the Hanthana hills, just south-west of Kandy and about 15 minutes from the city.

Hanthana, Kandy, Sri Lanka

Water, trees and a distant hill in Yala National Park.

Wild Coast Tented Lodge

Wild Coast Tented Lodge stands at Palatupana on the south-east coast of Sri Lanka, where the jungle of Yala National Park meets the Indian Ocean, and its boundary with the park is unfenced, so wild animals pass through the grounds.

Palatupana, Yala, Sri Lanka

andBeyond Punakha River Lodge

andBeyond Punakha River Lodge opened in September 2023 as andBeyond's first fully owned lodge in Asia.

Punakha Valley, Bhutan

The countries

Bhutan

Best time: Mar to May, Sep to Nov

Bhutan, the Land of the Thunder Dragon, is a Buddhist kingdom high in the Himalaya, unified four centuries ago and still deeply attached to its traditions. Paro, home to the cliffside Tiger's Nest monastery, and Thimphu are where most journeys begin. Punakha Dzong sits where two rivers meet, the Phobjikha Valley near Gangtey welcomes black-necked cranes from mid-November to February, and Bumthang and Trongsa hold festivals and valleys of their own. Food is built on red rice, yak and cow cheese, buckwheat and a great many chillies. Spring and autumn bring the clearest skies.

Cambodia

Best time: Nov to Feb

Cambodia was the heart of the Khmer empire, and Siem Reap is the base for Angkor Wat, one of the most famous temples in the world, and Angkor Thom. The Tonle Sap, Chong Kneas, Kampong Chhnang and Battambang show life on the water and in the countryside, and Phnom Penh brings the capital. The Koh Rong Archipelago offers island time at the end. The climate is tropical, with a rainy season from June to October, a cool, dry season from November to February and a hot spell from March to May.

China

China blends ancient history and modern cities like few other countries. Beijing and the Great Wall, Xi'an and the high-rises of Shanghai make the classic first journey, and Hangzhou is a gentler counterpoint. Beyond them lie the Yangtze River and Chongqing, Chengdu, Guilin and Yangshuo, Zhangjiajie, and Kunming, Dali, Lijiang and Shangri-La. Lhasa and Shigatse lead into Tibet, and Dunhuang goes further still. Each region could fill a journey of its own.

Georgia

Georgia runs from Black Sea beaches to the peaks of the Caucasus, and in about 70,000 square kilometres it holds almost every kind of climate, from humid subtropical to permanent snow. Tbilisi is the obvious base. Kakheti and the Alazani Valley mix subtropical and steppe climates, Batumi brings the Black Sea, and Kutaisi, Borjomi and Gori fill out a journey. In the mountains, Racha has long winters and short summers, and Svaneti is humid and green.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong is known first as a city, yet a short ferry ride takes you to a quieter world of islands. Ferries reach Cheung Chau, known for its May Bun Festival and street snacks, Lamma with its seafood and family trail, Peng Chau, Po Toi and Tap Mun. On Lantau, the fishing village of Tai O keeps its old shacks and its Mid-Autumn lanterns. Sharp Island, Yim Tin Tsai and Tung Ping Chau show old salt-making traditions and unusual rock formations.

India

Best time: Dec to Apr; the hills in summer

India is a whole world in one country, organised by its tourism board into six regions. Delhi, Agra and Jaipur make the classic introduction, and Rajasthan continues to Udaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer and the tigers of Ranthambore. Varanasi is the great spiritual city, and Kolkata and Mumbai are big, absorbing places. Kerala has its backwaters, tea estates, Kochi and Kumarakom, and Madurai, Mysore and Goa add more of the south. Leh, Manali and Shimla lead into the Himalaya. Yoga and Ayurveda are rooted here.

Indonesia

Indonesia is a chain of some 17,000 islands, and it was made for exploring. Bali, with Ubud, is the familiar start. On Java, Borobudur, built between AD 780 and 840, is the largest Buddhist monument in the world, with Yogyakarta close by. Komodo National Park, a World Heritage Site, holds the Komodo dragon, with Labuan Bajo on Flores close by, and Lombok, Moyo and Satonda add more islands. Misool, Sorong and Ambon go further afield, and Lake Toba in North Sumatra is the largest lake in Southeast Asia.

Japan

Best time: Mar to May, late Sep to early Dec

Japan runs from snowy Hokkaido to subtropical Okinawa, and 70 per cent of it is forest and mountain. Tokyo and Kyoto are the two poles of most first journeys, with Osaka, Hiroshima, Nagasaki and Kanazawa close behind, and Hakone and Beppu for slower days. Cherry blossom moves from south to north between March and May, the autumn leaves run from late September into early December, and winter brings deep powder snow to the north. Summer is very hot and humid, with typhoons possible in August and September.

Laos

Laos is among the least changed countries in Asia, and it values living in the moment over a busy schedule. Luang Prabang, a World Heritage Site, is the place most people begin, with the Pak Ou Caves, the Kuang Si Falls and Pak Beng on the Mekong. Vang Vieng has limestone peaks and cliffs above the Nam Song River, Vientiane is the cosmopolitan capital, and Champasak and Pakse lead to the river islands of the south. Phongsaly, high in the north, has a cool, fresh climate, and Bokeo has more than 30 ethnic groups.

Malaysia

Best time: Apr to Aug

Malaysia offers street food and rainforest in equal measure. Kuala Lumpur, George Town on Penang, Malacca and Ipoh give the cities and their cooking, the Cameron Highlands bring cool air and strawberries in May, and Langkawi and the Perhentian Islands give beaches. On Borneo, Sabah offers Kota Kinabalu, the orangutans of Sepilok, the Kinabatangan River and Danum Valley, and its diving is known around the world, and Mount Kinabalu is climbed from April to August. Kuching and Mulu National Park add further range.

Maldives

Best time: Nov to Apr

The Maldives is a nation of 1,192 islands strung over 871 kilometres of the Indian Ocean, across the equator. Most visitors fly into Male and continue by speedboat or seaplane to a resort island in atolls such as Baa, Ari, Raa, Noonu, Laamu or Huvadhu, while liveaboard boats and guesthouses on local islands offer other ways to stay. The climate is hot and tropical all year, between about 26 and 31 degrees, with the north east monsoon from November to April generally sunny and the south west monsoon from May to October bringing rain.

Mongolia

Mongolia is wide, open and rugged, and its nomadic culture is the heart of a visit. Ulaanbaatar is the starting point, with Terelj and Khustain Nuruu national parks close by. The Gobi holds Khongoryn Els, Bayanzag and the Gurvansaikhan mountains, and Karakorum, Lake Khövsgöl, Khovd, Ölgii and the Eastern Steppes reach further. Riding, road journeys, birding, festivals, temples and time with nomadic communities fill the days, and the cooking offers dishes found nowhere else.

Nepal

Best time: Mar to May, Oct to Nov

Nepal rises from the hot plains of the south to the Himalaya, and the temperature drops about six degrees with every 1,000 metres climbed. The Kathmandu Valley, with Bhaktapur and Patan, holds its temples and squares, Pokhara leads on to Jomsom, Muktinath and Manang, and the trail from Lukla through Namche Bazaar, Tengboche and Gorakshep climbs into the high mountains. Chitwan National Park lies in the south. Spring brings rhododendrons, and October and November the clearest skies.

Philippines

Best time: Nov to May

The Philippines are made up of more than 7,600 islands, many of them ringed by reefs. Palawan holds the lagoons of El Nido, the wartime wrecks of Coron and the Underground River, a World Heritage Site, with Puerto Princesa as a base. Bohol, Cebu, Siargao with its surf, and Batanes add further island choices, and Banaue and Sagada are known for hikes among rice terraces. Divers come for reefs, wrecks and thresher sharks. The dry season runs from November to May, and typhoons peak from August to October.

Singapore

Singapore is a small island nation where skyscrapers, gardens and hawker stalls share the same streets, and where Asian and European influences meet. Marina Bay and Gardens by the Bay show its modern face, while Chinatown, Little India and Kampong Glam hold its older neighbourhoods and much of its food. Sentosa offers a change of pace. The public transport is fast and easy, and the city works well as a short stay at the start or end of a journey in the region.

South Korea

Best time: Mar to May, Sep to Nov

South Korea, the Land of the Morning Calm, moves from misty mountains to neon-lit cities. Seoul is the place to begin, and Busan, Gyeongju, Andong and Jeonju carry the history and food of the regions. Jeju Island, with Seogwipo, Gangneung and Odaesan National Park add coast, forest and mountain. The four seasons are distinct: spring and autumn are mild and clear, summer is hot and humid with more than 270 beaches open, and winter brings snowy mountains and hot springs.

Sri Lanka

Best time: Dec to Apr for the south and west; May to Sep for the east

Sri Lanka packs ancient cities, hill country, wildlife and beaches into one island. Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya and Dambulla are the ancient cities, Kandy and Nuwara Eliya lead into the hill country, and Yala and Udawalawe offer safari. Galle, Mirissa, Weligama and Tangalle are on the coast, and Trincomalee, Arugam Bay and Jaffna are in the dry zone. Two monsoons mean that one coast is usually at its finest while the other is wet.

Taiwan

Best time: Sep to Nov

Taiwan is a leaf-shaped island with high mountains, nine national parks and 13 national scenic areas. Taipei is the starting point, and Taroko Gorge, Hualien, Sun Moon Lake and Alishan show its landscapes. Tainan, Kaohsiung and Taitung complete a loop of the island, and Kenting, in the far south, has summer all year. Wildlife includes the Formosan black bear and the blue magpie. Spring brings drizzle, summer can bring typhoons, and autumn, from September to November, is cool and settled.

Thailand

Thailand is known for jungle retreats, tropical resorts and its cooking. Bangkok is the way in, with Ayutthaya, Sukhothai and Kanchanaburi for history, and Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lampang and Pai in the north. For the coast and islands there are Phuket, Khao Lak, Krabi, Koh Yao, Koh Samui, Hua Hin, Koh Kood and Trang. The year divides into a wet season of about six months, three cool, dry months and three hot ones.

Vietnam

Best time: Mar to May

Vietnam stretches a long way from north to south, and each part has its own weather and character. Hanoi, Ha Long Bay and the rice terraces of Sapa make up the north, Hue, Hoi An and Da Nang the centre, and Ho Chi Minh City, the Mekong Delta and Phu Quoc the south. Street food, traditional crafts, caves such as Son Doong and beaches give plenty of choice. March to May is the most settled time countrywide, Ha Long Bay is clearest from April to June and September to November, and Sapa is lovely in late April and early October.

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