Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2018 i Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia, Hong Kong & Macau

THIS MONTH ON TRAVELANDLEISUREASIA.COM THE BOOMING THAI BEACH TOWN WITH SOMETHING FOR ALL Whether you’re craving a soothing spa retreat or a family-friendly getaway, Hua Hin is a coastal dream. WHERE TO DRINK CRAFT BEER IN BEIJING The Chinese capital is awash with exceptional small-batch brews using local ingredients in innovative ways. It’s time for a bar crawl. HANOI’S NEWFOUND SENSE OF COOL Contemporary art, trippy music festivals, craft suds and third-wave coffee shops have made the Vietnamese capital a progressive hot spot. LOOKOUT Why winter is the perfect time to visit Kyoto; Australian chef Clayton Wells is shaking up Singapore; Southeast Asian jewelry designers to watch; the best of 2017; the latest travel deals and more. travelandleisureasia.com DOWNLOAD US T+L TABLET EDITIONS Available on iOS, Android, Win 8 and…

Visit your roots “My mother wants us all to go visit her late father’s home village in Toishan, China, before all our distant relatives who are still there die off. I’d like to help her get back to the place her dad left 90 years ago.” — JENINNE LEE-ST. JOHN, DEPUTY EDITOR Take a digital detox “I’m addicted to Instagram—I’m that annoying person who won’t let you eat until I’ve taken a picture of the food. This year I’d like to disconnect more when I travel, and see the sights in real time rather than through my phone screen.” — ELOISE BASUKI, FEATURES EDITOR Mix business with pleasure “Most of my trips are for business and can be pretty predictable. I’d like to try and make time to explore further…

Despite Langkawi’s 500 million years of truly awesome geological history, some believe that a curse seven generations ago has held more power over the future of this island, which has in many ways been left behind in the Southeast Asia tourism boom. A major problem: the lack of direct flights from regional hubs. But now that Langkawi has three superstar hotels, coinciding with the end of those seven generations, any curses—transport or otherwise—seem likely to be lifted. Debuting just three months ago, The Ritz-Carlton Langkawi (ritzcarlton.com; doubles from $590) feels organic, like it sprouted from the place, snuggled in a rainforest so full of life that inquisitive monkeys swing down onto your porch to peer into your room. The secluded beach houses a collection of pool villas and is book-ended by…

After the cyclones of 2015, which caused severe damage across Fiji, the tranquil and resilient South Pacific islands are rebounding with significant investments, property upgrades and conservation programs that will foster a new era of sustainable tourism and help maintain the acrchipelago’s pristine coral and mangrove habitats. New properties include the affordable Marriott Resort Momi Bay (marriott.com) with 22 overwater bure (bungalows) and located just 45 minutes drive from Nadi International Airport, and the Kokomo (kokomoislandfiji.com), a lush and leafy 56-hectare private island on the pristine Great Astrolabe Reef and best accessed by helicopter or seaplane. Existing resorts upped their game to draw in conservation-minded divers and nature enthusiasts. The über-exclusive private-island resort of Laucala (laucala.com), owned by Redbull founder Dietrich Mateschitz and home to spacious villas tricked out with teak tubs and…

Growing up in rural Illinois, I developed a passion for wide-open spaces, which can be hard to come by now that I live in New York City. Craving a physical challenge in a beautiful setting, I found Canadian outfitter CMH Heli-Skiing & Summer Adventures, which has been providing access to British Columbia’s peaks for more than 50 years. Though familiar with heli-skiing, I had never heard of heli-hiking, in which guests are zipped off to otherwise inaccessible trekking locations by helicopter. After viewing CMH’s images of raging glacial rivers and rugged mountain landscapes, I was sold. I flew to Calgary, Alberta, and drove about three hours west to CMH’s helipad near the small town of Parson, British Columbia. There I met the international, 34-person group with whom I would be…

1 The Maharajas’ Express, India Itineraries from three to seven nights allow you to experience top destinations—Agra, Jaipur, Goa—in sophisticated surroundings. The butlers are attentive, and dinner in the two gracefully fitted restaurant cars is served on Limoges china. The 41-square-meter, two-bedroom, two bathroom Presidential Suite is situated in its own carriage. maharajas-express-india.com; three-night trips from $3,850. 2 The Ghan, Australia Traveling almost 3,000 kilometers from Darwin in the north to Adelaide in the South, The Ghan offers a premium way to cross Australia’s rugged Red Centre, with stops in Nitmiluk (Katherine) Gorge, Alice Springs and the underground town Coober Pedy. Platinum Service offers full-size private cabins with all-inclusive five-course meals at the exclusive Platinum Club, where local fare and Australian wines are on the menu. greatsouthernrail.com.au; three-night trips from…

Things tend to move pretty fast in Queenstown. This is only fitting in one of the adventure capitals of the world, but snow sports are now just the tip of the iceberg in what has become an all-seasons destination. Norwegian goldminers introduced skiing to the region during the 1860s, and this scenic spot has been New Zealand’s winter playground since the first rope tow was installed in 1947. The flow of international visitors has steadily increased ever since and, thanks largely to an explosion in the popularity of mountain biking, shoulder seasons are a thing of the past in the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest little town. Since the now 50-year-old Skyline gondola (skyline.co.nz) began allowing bikes and took the uphill out of downhill mountain biking, riders flock from all over the…

The advent of Airbnb’s Experiences (airbnb.com/experiences) cemented a new age of bespoke travel, one that bypasses the typical tourist trail and offers that ever-elusive unique trip. These intimate tours give travelers a chance to really connect with locals and explore a city from a resident’s point of view. Since January 2017, the travel website’s total weekly Experience attendees grew 20 times, and the platform now offers more than 3,100 tours in more than 40 cities, across 26 countries. Bangkok’s most popular Experience is not for the squeamish: visit a traditional Thai tattoo master to watch him hand-tap the ink into the skin of sak yant devotees with a frighteningly long needle, and even get your own. In Saigon, go beyond a morning coffee, with a tasting session hosted by a local…

PLUS: A NEW OPEN POOL FLOTATION THERAPY SPA AND OUR FAVORITE WELLNESS TRENDS SOME PEOPLE DON’T MIND STROLLING AROUND hotels in their bathrobes, and that’s just fine with us. But serious wellness-minded properties are giving them less of a reason to, designing rooms that are ever-more holistically enveloping cocoons. In Siem Reap, Anantara Angkor Resort’s extensive renovation includes a perk that’s gaining increasing marketing crescendo: in-room spas. Their palatial Henri Mouhot and Anantara Explorer suites (anantara.com; doubles from US$1,060) come with treatment beds, Jacuzzi bath (sunken, oh yes), and plunge pool, all no more than 10 steps away from the sleeping quarters. No need to tiptoe surreptitiously past curious eyes on the way to the main resort spa. No worry about getting to your appointment on time. And no more…

SUPERSAVER Cantaloupe Aqua Hotel Galle Explore the Indian Ocean on this four-day marine package. Sail out to a breeding ground for a 200-strong pod of blue whales for a whale-watching experience before visiting a nearby turtle hatchery. You’ll be treated to a Sri Lankan dinner for two, with daily breakfast also included. The Deal Marine Nature Experience: a night in an Aqua Ocean Play room, from US $197, through April 30, 2018. cantaloupehotels.com. BEACH BALI Banyan Tree Ungasan Bali Prepare for uninterrupted beachside bliss at this award-winning resort on the picturesque cliffs of Bali’s southern peninsula. Each of the distinctively Balinese Pool villas has a 10-meter infinity pool, private jet pool and spacious living, dining and sleeping areas. Book a weekend stay and you’ll not only receive 40 percent off…

10 A.M. Shake off jet lag with a pour-over coffee and a pastry from Reykjavík Roasters (reykjavikroasters.is) before heading to the Kjarvalsstaðir gallery (artmuseum.is) to check out paintings and sculptures by some of Iceland’s best artists. 12 P.M. If the coffee didn’t wake you up, a dip in the public Vesturbæjarlaug swimming pool (visitreykjavik.is) certainly will. Afterward, have lunch at Sæmundur í Sparifötunum (kexhostel.is; entrées US$17–$38), a great spot for burgers, salads and craft beer. 3 P.M. Work off that burger by shopping. Geysir (geysir.com) stocks quality knitwear as well as colorful blankets and throws, and 12 Tónar (12tonar.is) houses both a record shop and an independent music label. Many of the friendly staff play in their own bands. 6 P.M. (and on) Kick off happy hour with a White Russian at the Lebowski…

As far as questions go, it’s a great one: if you had to fly for just one meal, what would it be? It’s queries like these that make my day stop and my stomach grumble. And, it’s part of our start to the year in the form of where you should travel in 2018 (page 17). This year we’re offering more than just a list of destinations, instead suggesting themes for your trips during the next 12 months, ideas that hopefully will make your journeys more enjoyable. Around Asia, there’s never a shortage of new travel experiences and 2018 is already off to a quick start. In this issue, we take an in-depth look at what ever-changing Bangkok has to offer visitors—and what better guides than those who live here?…

Sure, crossing a remarkable restaurant off your bucket list is satisfying. But many people are looking for more than a good meal: they want to forage for ingredients, understand how those ingredients are connected to the land, sea and community, and take part in the creation of their dishes. Join Chinese food expert and cookbook author Fuchsia Dunlop on a 13-day grazing trip of a lifetime on her Gastronomic Tour of China with Wild China (wildchina.com; 13-day tour from $7,390, see website for dates and details). You’ll join a noodle-making lesson in Beijing, before eating your way though Xi’an, Chengdu and Shanghai, and finishing in Hangzhou to pick tea leaves with a Longjing green tea farmer. There’s also a 10-day Yunnan-focused epicurean tour with Dunlop, and a seven-day tour with company…

1 Go Snowcat Skiing in Japan Up the thrill-factor of your ski vacation and venture to prime, untouched powder runs on the Karibayama mountain range on Hokkaido Backcountry Club’s Shimamaki Snowcats. Their two-day trip reaches peaks of up to 1,520 meters, with runs that descend 450 vertical meters through open alpine bowls and clusters of frosted birch trees. hokkaidobackcountryclub.com; two-day package from $1,300 per person. 2 Trek to Everest Base Camp Only a few hundred people reach the summit of Mount Everest every year. But hiking to the base camp? More accessible, and still pretty brag-worthy. The 17-day Adventure Consultants’ trip winds through the Khumbu Valley, where you’ll sleep in comfortable tents. adventureconsultants.com; from $10,900. 3 Taiwan on Two Wheels For a do-it-yourself cycling getaway, head to Taipei. Cycling paths…

1 Step Back in Time in the Ancient Kingdom of Bagan It’s one of the world’s great archaeological sites, but a self-guided tour of the vast Burmese ruins of Bagan can be a daunting experience with more than 2,000 temples at hand. Rebecca Mazzaro, a T+L A-List travel specialist from Asia Transpacific Journeys, can help organize a custom tour that includes a visit to an archaeological dig site and a private dinner atop a temple, or you can join a longer tour that explores further into this golden land. atj.com; custom Burma tours from $400 per person per day. 2 Listen to Survivor Stories at Hiroshima Peace Museum This sprawling museum and park tells the history of the nuclear bomb that wiped out 90 percent of the city in 1945,…

YOU KNOW A COUNTRY’S DINING scene is coming of age when the disparate daring concepts that land on our plates and fill up our glasses help us realize how much we actually have in common. New players in Singapore are bringing a more exploratory dimension to intimate tables and bar counters, offering patrons a perambulation through different continents, and the chance to discover hidden gems. Here are three new openings epitomizing the movement. Restaurant Ards Slow the taxi down or you might just miss the large wooden doors fronting this nondescript 40-seater along restaurant hotspot Duxton Road. The interiors may seem a little stark (white walls with dark brown curtains), but the food is anything but. While chef-owners Ace Tan and David Lee are relative unknowns on the dining scene,…

I’M FLOATING ON MY BACK in pitch black. No matter how I move, I can’t sink. Flotation therapy is a type of holistic spa pioneered in 1954 by American psychoanalyst and neurophysiologist John Lilly. Taking a scientific approach to deep relaxation that he called Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy, Dr. Lilly plonked people in isolated sensory deprivation tanks. Floating in filtered water mixed with 500 kilograms of pure salt is believed to trigger relaxation responses that are much deeper than normal sleep, and perhaps even send the body into the elusive Theta state, in which the nervous system’s workload is reduced by 90 percent. Consequently, blood pressure lowers and heart rate slows, and the body regenerates by harmonizing its chemical and metabolic balance. Removing for an extended period of time all…

REYKA This small-batch vodka goes through an incredible distillation process: glacial spring water and barley spirits are filtered through 4,000-year-old lava rock, then blended together to create a crisp pour. BRENNIVíN Made from fermented grain and flavored with caraway, Brennivín is Iceland’s homegrown aquavit. (For years, it was one of the few spirits permitted in the country.) You’ll want to enjoy it icecold— and with food. BIRKIR Great for an aperitif or a digestif, this earthy schnapps is infused with Icelandic birch sap, tapped every spring. Talk about farm-to-glass: the sole producer, Foss Distillery, leaves a twig in every bottle.…

DO Singapore’s modern history dates to the 1819 establishment of a British settlement at the base of the Malaya Peninsula. Traders and laborers flocked from around Asia (but mostly China and India) to the free port whose original name, Singapura, means “Lion City” in Malay. Excellent museums in the city shed a spotlight on the various ethnicities and traditions that make up the diverse city. We highly recommend the Peranakan Museum, which is dedicated to people of mixed ethnic origins, many of whose roots go back to the earliest traders who arrived at or breezed through this entrepôt. + In the recently reopened National Museum of Singapore in the grand former City Hall and Supreme Court buildings, art, festivals, film and other media help tie up the best of the…

1 Grace Ma WRITER “Worldly Pleasures” and “En Suite Spas” Pages 52 and 59 “Collaborative dinners and pop-ups and restaurants advocating sharing plates and sustainable grub beget excited chatters nowadays,” Ma says of Singapore dining. This year, she’s excited for the “hilarious supper-club musical Diva To the Death at The Monti starting in February, and kappo-style Japanese fine dining Esora.” But she takes her spa ritual abroad: “The best treatments I had this past year were at Amanemu and the soon-to-be-opened Auriga Spa at Capella Shanghai that made my congested airways feel a lot better straight away.” Instagram: @littlehappyideas. 2 Marco Ferrarese WRITER “Shop with Soul” and “Thinking Outside the Tank” Pages 42 and 63 “Frankly, Malaysia doesn’t shine in fashion,” says the Penang-based writer who meets designer Lisette Scheers…

1 Endangered Apes in Borneo Watch baby orangutans being fed in the Kota Kinabalu rehabilitation center, cruise Kinabatangan River while trying to spy proboscis monkeys, and swim among the island’s pristine aquatic life on the 12-day Classic Borneo tour with Remote Lands. remotelands.com; 12-day tours from $7,100 per person. 2 Big Cats in India Prowl three national parks (including Kanha, the inspiration for Kipling’s The Jungle Book) in search of lions, leopards and Bengal tigers on a 14-day adventure with Abercrombie & Kent. Between jeep safaris and game viewings, there’ll be time to relax in a mix of luxury tented suites and jungle properties. abercrombiekent.com; 14-day tours from $8,995 per person. 3 Humpback Whales in Ningaloo Reef From August through October at Sal Salis, a rustic-luxe lodge in Western Australia’s Ningaloo region, you…

1 Under the Sea, Great Barrier Reef, Australia Just a 45-minute ferry ride from Cairns, Green Island is a 6,000-year-old coral cay along the Great Barrier Reef, where underwater explorers can swim among diverse coral and colorful marine life. Great Adventures’ day tour includes snorkeling or a glass-bottom boat ride, with access to an eco-walk through the cay’s protected rainforest. greatadventures.com.au; full day tour for two adults and two children from $226. 2 Unearthing the Terracotta Warriors, Xian, China A must-visit for any budding archaeologists, the 8,000 sculptures discovered in this ancient tomb are as detailed as they are majestic; each soldier has a unique facial expression hand-carved by the Qin Dynasty craftsmen. A guide is recommended if you have young ones in tow—they’ll help you navigate the crowds and…

1 Den, Tokyo Zaiyu Hasegawa is Japan’s rising star, a master at playfully weaving international flavors into a kaiseki menu. His “Dentucky” fried chicken, stuffed with sticky rice, served in a red and white KFC-style box, is a cult dish among globe-trotting chefs. jimbochoden.com; tasting menus from $136. 2 Brae, Birregurra, Australia Dan Hunter, Australia’s buzziest young-gun chef, is known for delicious, oddball inventions like oyster-infused ice cream and wild mushrooms with milk curd. His farm, restaurant and hotel 90 minutes from Melbourne make up a pastoral fantasyland. braerestaurant.com; tasting menu $193. 3 Yang’s Fry Dumplings, Shanghai This fast-food is about the art of the slurp. The size of a small bao, they are filled with greens, pork or shrimp (the best), then fried. The outside is crisp, the inner…

Beyond the windows of the gently swaying dining car, darkness descended. The heaviness of the rain and our speed were increasing at roughly the same rate—optimal conditions for cocktail hour on a luxury train. With an Irish gin and tonic in my hand, I watched the manager of the Belmond Grand Hibernian place a line of small electric lamps on the long table. As the author of a number of books about trains, I had hoped for just this kind of nod to railway history when I’d put this journey on my travel to-do list. Table lamps in the restaurant cars, often shaded in pink silk, were symbols of the trains de luxe of the late 1800s and 1900s, especially those of the Wagons-Lits company, whose sleepers—including the various Orient…

1 Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle, Thailand Set on the borders of Burma, Thailand and Laos, this elegant camp is also a Bensley creation, inspired by Chiang Rai’s hill-tribe villages. Each of the 15 tents is unique, and deluxe styles have private whirlpools. fourseasons.com; doubles from $3,000. 2 Wild Coast Tented Lodge Yala, Sri Lanka Next to Yala National Park, renowned for its dense leopard population, this tented camp is all about being close to nature. The 36 “cocoons” blend seamlessly into their surroundings, with teak floors, canvas walls and jungle views. resplendentceylon.com; doubles from $499 per person, all-inclusive. 3 The Beige, Cambodia On 10 hectares of forest, there are only six residences at this Siem Reap camp. The modern, spacious tents are made from organic materials, have private…

AS I CHECK IN ON THIS, the day after the Rosewood Phuket opened, I have to admit there’s a problem with my villa. Maybe I should have expected opening glitches, slight deviations from what should be, mild shocks to my resort-obsessed system. Yet, my concern is more, uh, personal. More than anything else, I simply want to lie down in this smartly designed space and catch up on my iPad issues of The New Yorker—I’m five weeks behind—but can’t decide whether to do this on the daybed by the window, the three-seat sofa, the comfortable wooden-and-rattan chair in the living room, the double sun lounger under an oversized umbrella by the pool or the sink-into-me outdoor sofa. I do know that I won’t collapse in the bed to read, nor…

NO ONE EXPECTED THE CHEF behind San Francisco’s most Americana-obsessed restaurant, Lazy Bear, to open a Japanese-inspired cocktail bar. But after David Barzelay’s recent trip to Tokyo, the idea for True Laurel (truelaurelsf.com) began to crystallize. “Everything in Japan is about specialization, one expert walking you through an experience from beginning to end. I couldn’t get that out of my head.” After True Laurel began service last month, its fastidious attention to detail— especially at the eight-seat “tasting bar” within—reflected the immersive multicourse hospitality Barzelay witnessed in Tokyo. It’s among the latest in a wave of San Francisco spots offering a Californian interpretation of one of America’s favorite foreign cultures. In recent years, the City by the Bay has renewed its affection for its distant neighbor. The roots of this love…

The Blue Lagoon Heats Up A round of upgrades is giving travelers even more reason to visit. A man-made hot spring and destination spa 40 kilometers from Reykjavík, the Blue Lagoon has long drawn visitors from all over the world. In recent years, the mineral-rich waters got a little too crowded, the facilities a little tired. But enhancements to the spa (a Silica Mud Bar; in-water treatment areas) and the lagoon itself, which has grown by half, are a welcome improvement. And this winter will see the opening of the Retreat (retreat.bluelagoon.com; doubles from US$1,763), a 62-room luxury hotel. With premium access to the water and a chef’s table serving Icelandic cuisine, it’s sure to bring the Kardashians back for another round of selfies. BEST TIME TO GO The warmer…