TripAdvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Awards: Who Made the Cut?
Tuesday January 31, 2012
Tripadvisor's users have spoken: in their recent Travelers' Choice Awards (tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice), a number of Southeast Asia destinations and hotels got recognized by Tripadvisor's 60 million readers as the best of ... Read More
Mandarin Oriental, Jakarta Joins Car-Free Sunday With "I Love Weekend" Bike Event.
Tuesday January 31, 2012
I've blogged before about Jakarta, Indonesia's Car-Free Sunday scheme, which is a great way to catch the local atmosphere in Indonesia's capital city. The Mandarin Oriental, Jakarta (compare rates|buy direct) ... Read More
Bali Beach Barbecue on Nusa Dua: Courtyard by Marriott Bali Launches Beach Club.
Monday January 30, 2012
The Courtyard by Marriott (compare rates|buy direct) is one of the newest resorts lining the Nusa Dua upmarket enclave in Bali, and this early on they're raising the bar with ... Read More
Yoga Health Retreats to Hold 11 Retreats in Bali in 2012.
Monday January 30, 2012
One of Australia's most successful yoga teachers will soon be sharing her secrets in a series of retreats across Bali, Indonesia. Sue Hawkins has been operating from Australia's Byron Bay ... Read More
Krakatoa's Wrath, Indonesia: Climbing Anak Krakatau Safely.
Saturday January 28, 2012
Image © Getty Images.
You can't say you've explored West Java unless you've gone climbing Anak Krakatau. The climb is rather challenging, though - the ground is unstable and crumbly, having ... Read More
Island Hopping Off Davao City, Philippines on Islands Banca Cruises’ Cushy New Boats.
Monday January 23, 2012
Image © Islands Banca Cruises, used with permission. Photographer: Arthur Yap.
In the Philippines, fishermen and ferry boatmen ply their trade on the outrigger boats called banca. As boats go, ... Read More
Valentine’s Day on a Private Island and Other YTL Hotels Treats for Two.
Sunday January 22, 2012
The BOH Tea Plantation at Cameron Highlands - Image courtesy of YTL Hotels, used with permission.
With Valentines' Day coming up, it'll get harder in the next few weeks to ... Read More
Legoland Malaysia to Open Late 2012, Your Guide’s Inner Child Goes Squeeeee.
Friday January 20, 2012
Mr Siegfried Boerst and Mr Philip Skitch with Ollie the Dragon. Image courtesy of Legoland Malaysia, used with permission.
With the unveiling of a 10,000-brick Lego dragon called "Ollie", Siegfried ... Read More
Chinese New Year is Here! A Calendar of Events in Penang and Singapore.
Friday January 20, 2012
Photo by Eugene Tang / Singaporesights.com
The Chinese New Year celebrations in Penang (Malaysia) and in Singapore are heating up, with the eve of of the Year of the Dragon coming ... Read More
Humanizing Asian Travel: A Conversation with Travel Wire Asia’s James Craven.
Thursday January 19, 2012
Image courtesy of Getty Images.
Southeast Asia travel is personal. That's what we try to live up to in this outfit; we're neither aligned with the corporate voices (staid, sales-centric) ... Read More
For Chinese New Year, Stay in Oriental Grandeur at the Ritz Carlton, Millenia Singapore.
Wednesday January 18, 2012
Image courtesy of Ritz Carlton, Millenia Singapore / Zuji.com.sg.
With the Lunar New Year holidays in Singapore coming up, the Ritz-Carlton, Millenia Singapore (compare rates|buy direct) offers a special package for ... Read More
Southeast Asia Travel Readers' Choice Awards 2012 – Nominations Have Begun!
Wednesday January 18, 2012
Image © About.com.
It's time once more for the About.com Readers' Choice Awards, and Southeast Asia is jumping in for the first time. We're calling for nominations - recognize your ... Read More
YTL Hotels’ Straits to Luxury Experience: Escape on a Yacht to a Romantic Island Getaway.
Friday January 13, 2012
Image courtesy of Princess Yachts International plc.
Next time you want to "get away from it all", how about really getting away from it all? How about sailing on ... Read More
“Letters from Vietnam” Author Jacqueline Lundquist Hosts Exclusive Tour to Vietnam.
Thursday January 12, 2012
When Jacqueline Lundquist's father died mere months after returning from his tour of duty in Vietnam, he left behind a gap in her memory that was only filled much later ... Read More
A Massive Year-of-the-Dragon Chinese New Year Bash at the Marina Bay Sands.
Thursday January 12, 2012
Image © TravMedia/Marina Bay Sands.
If you're building your trip around events at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore (compare rates|buy direct), expect your calendar to get pretty busy ... Read More
Friendly Planet Travel Cracks the Myanmar Mystery, Launches Mystical Myanmar Tour.
Wednesday January 11, 2012
The main stupa at Shwedagon, Yangon, Myanmar. Image © Getty Images.
Myanmar has not gotten a lot of good press lately, but things are changing. With international sanctions slowly easing ... Read More
Southeast Asia Unesco World Heritage Sites – Is Unesco Recognition a Double-Edged Sword?
Wednesday January 11, 2012
This week, the New York Times lays out exactly what is right - and what is wrong - about Unesco World Heritage Site recognition. Lay aside the quibbles about the ... Read More
Mandarin Oriental Jakarta, Indonesia: A Lion, A Dragon, and Nine Delicious Courses.
Tuesday January 10, 2012
The Mandarin Oriental, Jakarta (compare rates) is always on the money when it comes to their festive treats (see their Christmas promotion from a few weeks back), and their Chinese ... Read More
Royal Plaza on Scotts and the Hilton Singapore: 2 Tasty Takes on the YuSheng Chinese New Year Feast.
Monday January 9, 2012
Images courtesy of the Royal Plaza on Scotts (left) and the Hilton Singapore (right).
Chinese New Year in Singapore just isn't complete if you don't celebrate it with a ... Read More
Dragons and Crabs Lead Park Hyatt Saigon, Vietnam’s Tet Holiday Festivities.
Monday January 9, 2012
Starting the Chinese Year of the Dragon in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam? Drop by the Park Hyatt Saigon (compare rates|buy direct): they're kicking off their annual Tet celebrations with ... Read More
La Barca Singapore's Chinese New Year Feast with a Tuscan Twist.
Sunday January 8, 2012
La Barca Ristorante and Wine Bar in Singapore (www.labarca-sg.com) embraces Chinese New Year, albeit with a unique continental twist. The restaurant's Italian Prosperity Salad is La Barca's take on yu ... Read More
The Black Nazarene Procession, Manila, Philippines – A Show of Faith 8 Million Strong.
Wednesday January 4, 2012
On Monday, one of Manila's biggest processions will take place: the Black Nazarene procession, a massive parade that trundles through the city streets once a year on January 9. The ... Read More
Marina Bay Sands Kicks Off Singapore’s Biggest BASE Jump on New Year.
Monday January 2, 2012
Jimmy Pouchert makes a perfect landing on the Bayfront Bridge, after BASE jumping off of the Marina Bay Sands Skypark platform. Image courtesy of Marina Bay Sands.
BASE Jumping is ... Read More
Be Careful of Bali Tattoos - HIV case traced to Bali Tattoo Shop.
Monday January 2, 2012
To my list of Bali Health Tips I've added another one: watch out for those dodgy Bali tattoo parlors. A badly designed tat could be the least of your problems. ... Read More