Personal Recommendations for the Best of Asia
Where to in Asia?
I don’t have one favourite place in Asia because for me the whole region has so many special places. Where is best really depends on what type or style of holiday you are looking for. Here is a quick round-up of my personal recommendations.
Best for Beaches
Some of the best beaches are to be found in Krabi and Khao Lak in southern Thailand. The movie version of Alex Garland’s novel, The Beach, was filmed in this area on the island of Ko Phi Phi, between Phuket and Krabi. One of the best beaches here has to be Railay Beach: it is on the Krabi mainland but only accessible by boat. Unfortunately being so good means it does get very crowded; there are plenty of other similar beaches along this coast line or on one of the nearby islands so don’t be put off.
Credit: Tourism Authority of Thailand
The best time to visit this area is from December to March. Accommodation ranges from backpacker to deluxe.
Best for Families
Singapore stands out for me especially for first-time visitors: it really is a clean, green, garden city. I love pottering around the different ethnic areas like Chinatown and Little India and can thoroughly recommend a banana leaf curry. One of our family favourites is Sentosa Island a short road or cable car ride from the city: my son and I had a great time on the luge.
Credit: XXVIII
For a beach holiday I would suggest Phuket Laguna on the Thai island of Phuket: within this tourist enclave there are several four and 5 star hotels. Or if you prefer a quieter less-developed island you could look at Langkawi off the west coast of Malaysia where there is a wide range of accommodation from 3 to 5 star plus. The best time to visit both these islands is December to March.
Credit : Tourism Authority of Thailand
For a busy beach holiday from March to October I recommend Ko Samui in Thailand. Here too, all budgets are catered for. The busiest time is August and prices are at their peak then.
Best for Fly-Drives
The only two countries I would consider are Malaysia and Thailand; and not just because they drive on the left. For the most part the standard of driving is reasonable and the road infrastructure is well-developed with good signposting (on the main routes at least). And, in the case of Malaysia especially, English is spoken (mainly by the young) in many parts of the country.
There are two things worth knowing about driving in Thailand. First, truck drivers and motorcyclists seem to believe in karma more than most: they appear not to mind risking both their life and yours by hurtling toward you on the wrong side of the road. Second, I suggest you do not drive at night since many road users have an aversion to lights (or at least to turning them on) and cows, well, they don’t have lights. I would also counsel against driving in and around Bangkok: it is just too chaotic.
Car hire in Thailand is probably best restricted to local areas e.g. around Chiang Mai or in and around Phuket.
In Malaysia however I would be very happy driving anywhere on the Peninsula: and a circle trip is both achievable and enjoyable.
Credit: Tourism Malaysia
Best for Honeymooners
I found that some honeymoon couples want to do something memorable rather than just fly and flop. Well, how about climbing Mt Kinabalu in Sabah, East Malaysia. This excursion is a realistic option for those with a reasonable degree of fitness. You need to allow 2 days to complete the 13 mile (21 km) trek – although the World Record for the ascent is less than 3 hours! If you are a mere mortal you will start climbing in the morning and arrive at the Laban Rata Rest house late afternoon. After dinner, and hopefully some shut-eye, you will continue your journey at 3 a.m. arriving at the summit in time to see the sunrise: now what could be more romantic?
Credit: jrwebbe
For more traditional romance, I cannot think of anything better than luxuriating in your private plunge pool, in your own private villa overlooking the rice terraces of Ubud in Bali. I find the whole island (or most of it) very special: there is a quiet calm about its people. There is a great respect for balance in the world and the Balinese endeavour to hold on to their traditions and heritage.
Credit: Pita Maha
These are of course just my opinions and a tiny snapshot of the possibilities. What do you think of these suggestions and what are your own recommendations for the Best of Asia?
Tony Champion is a former owner and managing director of Far East specialist tour operator Magic of the Orient. He spent some 25 years helping people plan their tailor-made holidays around Asia. Today he publishes a blog dedicated to inspirational holidays in Asia and invites like-minded people to share their experiences of hotels and soft adventure tours in the region.
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June 9th, 2009 at 6:26 pm
For our honeymoon, we took the transmongolian line from Russia, through Mongolian and into China. Seeing Asia unfolding by train was a magical experience.
Mongolia was an unexpected gem – everyone was friendly, there were very few tourists, and an interesting museum of national history in Ulanbatar. Definitely recommended
Rachel Cotterill’s last blog post..Travel Tuesdays #21: Catholic China
June 9th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
Rachel, I am a fan of rail travel too but I have not experienced such a journey as yours: sounds brilliant. A cliche I know but that for me is a romantic way to travel.
However, how was the comfort level? IMO for those of a delicate disposition (like me) the opportunities for rail travel, within South East Asia in particular, are limited. There is the 2-night journey on the Eastern & Oriental train between Singapore and Bangkok and the overnight trip on the Victoria Express from Hanoi to Lao Cai (for Sapa)in Vietnam. Aside from those two I tend to recommend short journeys. Having said that I wouldn’t mind trying the train in China sometime and Mongolia I reckon should be on my list.
June 9th, 2009 at 10:25 pm
@Rachel – That is one hell of a honeymoon! We should totally do an article on the best honeymoons…. (writes a note to self).
@Tony – Delicate disposition? *snicker*
June 10th, 2009 at 1:43 pm
If you’re talking about the best of Asia, I reckon Sri Lanka has to get a mention. Where else in the world, let alone Asia, do you get such breadth of beauty, romance and character in such a small island? I lived in Sri Lanka for 2 years and was constantly traveling and constantly surprised by the sheer variety of the scenery and wildlife. And now the war has finally come to an end….
June 10th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
@ Sam – Good suggestion. Ceylon is my favourite tea so it stands for consideration that I’d like the country. Sounds like another blog article in the works!
June 10th, 2009 at 6:43 pm
@Sam. Sri Lanka is ‘out of range’ of my blog at the moment (not enough hours in the day) but I totally agree: wildlife, beaches, culture, scenery, food and friendly people – it is all there. One of my ‘best hotels’ is Hotel Kandalama at Dambulla. But then there are so many ‘best’ bits – a good call Sam.
June 12th, 2009 at 7:14 am
This post is very useful for those people who are used to for travel world wide and who are always to ready for go abroad, specially for those people who want to go European countries like UK. You blog is not a blog it is a informational guide for us. we appreciate your work. Keep it up
June 12th, 2009 at 9:39 am
@Visa – I’m glad you found it helpful. Happy to help.
June 12th, 2009 at 6:25 pm
Hi TONY CHAMPION
As a Malaysia, I’m very proud because I can read a post that has info about my country.
Thanks for this great post
SAPAWI’s last blog post..Seri Kedah Gardeniaa Resort
June 13th, 2009 at 8:08 am
@Sapawi I am glad you liked it.
June 16th, 2009 at 1:13 pm
Hi,
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June 17th, 2009 at 8:43 pm
Hi Andy,
I found your blog through Lifecruiser via the interview. I left a comment there, you might want to check it out.
And oh, I’ve done the Mount Kinabalu climb – which I wrote all about on my blog – and I absolutel loved the experience. It looks easier that it actually is, though. I’ve had an adventure couple comment that Mt. Kinabalu might have been more taxing than Mt. Kilamanjaro! Would you agree on that?
Hope to get to know you and your blog more!
jen laceda’s last blog post..20-Hour Toronto
June 21st, 2009 at 3:04 pm
[...] our recent article about the Personal Recommendations for the Best of Asia, there was some interesting discussion about honeymoons, which got me thinking: Where is the most [...]
June 25th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
[...] what it is about Asia that is so unique and special. I think that Tony Champion’s recent recommendations for the best of Asia was getting near the target, but you’ve hit the nail on the head Mark. Now, I must go and [...]
November 8th, 2009 at 5:54 pm
[...] our recent article about the Personal Recommendations for the Best of Asia, there was some interesting discussion about honeymoons, which got me thinking: Where is the most [...]
November 8th, 2009 at 5:55 pm
[...] what it is about Asia that is so unique and special. I think that Tony Champion’s recent recommendations for the best of Asia was getting near the target, but you’ve hit the nail on the head Mark. Now, I must go and [...]
December 4th, 2009 at 5:08 am
What an awesome list. Looking forward to going to these hopefully most, if not all, once we settle in Thailand. Hope to meet Tony too one of these days.
Thanks for the great share!!
December 4th, 2009 at 8:06 am
@GotPassport I am glad you liked the list. There is still more I want to see too! Once you are in Thailand there is a good chance we can meet up: I hope so.