In the lead-up to the 50th anniversary of ASEAN (Association of South-east Asian Nations), get to the region before everyone else does, for a year-end holiday.
The disadvantage of always being in vogue is the need to keep reinventing yourself. That explains why Bali – the perfect blend of evergreen hills, sacred temples and buttery-sand beaches – keeps improving with age. It has long been world class but, to remain on the cutting edge, the perennially popular island is introducing new hotels that go beyond the realms of convention.
First up, opening later this year is Hoshinoya, the international debut by the Japanese brand famed for its five-star ryokans – age-old traveller’s inns with traditional rooms and foaming onsens (hot pools). Overlooking the Pakerisan River, the resort in Ubud is a water wonderland of heritage canals, stilted gazebos and pools. Its villas have been designed to promote omotenashi, the endearing Japanese tradition of hospitality.
Also new to the island is W Retreat & Spa in Seminyak (above), which has a recording studio for guests, clearly with an eye on the rock stars who will likely head here to let their hair down. Until then, the flavour of the month is the beachfront enclave of Canggu, a hipster spot that has been spared the overdevelopment of Kuta. Before word gets out, check out La Laguna (Jalan Pantai Kayu Putih, Berawa, 80361 Badung, Tel: 62 812 3638 2272), a boho beach bar and restaurant; or Bungalow Living home store, a cafe that stocks handmade lifestyle accessories.
Yangon – home to Shwedagon Pagoda, a colossus of golden spires and gilded Buddha statues – is not what it once was. Old government buildings, which still bear impressions of Victorian England, were once the staple of tourist itineraries, but the buzzword for this year is cruising. Drop by Botahtaung Jetty in the heart of the old town and be bowled over by a vibe that is now more French Riviera than dilapidated Rangoon dock.
The latest arrival to set sail on the Irrawaddy River is The Strand Cruise, bringing the patrimony of the city’s colonial-era Strand Hotel onto the waterways. Like other new arrivals on Myanmar’s rivers – the Heritage Line’s Anawrahta river cruiser that tootles from Bagan to Mandalay; or Pandaw’s Andaman Explorer, which explores the Mergui archipelago farther afield – the vessel comes equipped with butlers and vintage interiors that echo the times of authors Rudyard Kipling and George Orwell, albeit with a revived spirit.
Built by French colonialists 80 years ago, Vietnam’s rail line running from north to south could be described as the ultimate survivor. Linking Hanoi (above) to Ho Chi Minh City, it is a 1,700km route that has been bombed, destroyed, abandoned and forgotten.
The train carriages haven’t changed much since they were put in use 40 years ago, and a journey onboard remains a throwback to when the nation was still trying to piece itself together.
Stay onboard today and you can complete the trip in little more than 36 hours – far shorter than the two-day, three-night journey it used to take. Better still, spend a week or longer, hopping on and off in Danang and Hue.
Few sights rival the scenic beauty of Vietnam’s countryside rolling by from your train window as you leave each station.
To say things have changed in the sleepy village of Vang Vieng since the introduction of tube rides on the Nam Song river (above) is a massive understatement. Once a backwater agricultural village, hemmed in by paddy fields and a backbone of limestone karsts, Vang Vieng is now rebranding itself as an eco-tourism and adventure destination.
Such a reversal of fortune is more to do with its knife-edged topography than its laid-back vibe: Climbers now seek out natural highs on the crags, while adrenaline junkies zip-wire, canyon and rappel off the surrounding limestone cliffs.
The ultimate addition to all this is the Vang Vieng Challenge, a two-day mountain assault by adventure tour company Green Discovery. A springboard for white-knuckle thrills, it pits you against a 50m waterfall abseil and a 120m-long zip line above banyan and bamboo forest, while testing you on one of the country’s first via ferrata routes. Afterwards, it will leave you awed and inspired.
To have one great music festival close to where you live is a reasonable prospect these days. To have two is a serious windfall. That’s the case on the island of Penang (above) where, following theWorld Music Festival each April, trumpeters, double bass maestros and percussionists drop by for the hipper-than-hip Penang Island Jazz Festival (December 1 to 4; above).
The annual four-day jam, which made its debut in 2004, is held in Batu Ferringhi and brings together the best local and international musicians, all of whom are bonded through a mutual love of beats and blue notes. But it’s not just about keeping the rhythm. In partnership with its offshoot sibling, the Island Jazz Forum, the festival also champions the social mandate to promote music at the grassroots level for children.
In a country with more than its fair share of eclectic fiestas, Ligligan Parul, or the Giant Lantern Festival (December 19 to January 6, 2017), stands out for the sheer scale it’s celebrated on. Held in San Fernando, about 70km outside Manila, it’s a carnival of electric Christmas lights. It was first introduced in a simple homage to the Star of Bethlehem, but now costs as much as US$16,000 per lantern, with some exhibits as big as a house.
The story goes that in the 18th century, Spanish colonists arrived in the town, encouraging locals to honour the Virgin Mary by holding a lantern procession. The Filipinos embraced it, seeing it as a symbol of hope and, as time passed, the festival took on a much bigger life. After electricity was introduced to the barrios in the 1930s, what were once rudimentary candle-lit lamps transformed into the razzle-dazzlers, or parols, that thousands gawp at today. Expect to see stained-glass Nativity scenes, making San Fernando the yuletide capital of South-east Asia.
Siem Reap – colourful, chaotic and intoxicatingly teeming – is nothing if not infectious, which makes it an ideal photographic subject. Even in a city forever associated with the glorious temples of Angkor Wat, you will still leave with hundreds of photos of street life, be it of tuk-tuks or the steaming food stalls in the Old Market area.
As if you need any further excuse to improve your holiday snaps, theAngkor Photo Festival (December 3 to 10), now in its 12th year, brings together pros and amateurs for technical workshops, exhibitions and outdoor activities. Not only will it help you perfect those sunset shots of Angkor temples, but its seminars will also allow you to dive beneath the surface to see the city through the eyes of a local. Needless to say, selfie sticks are well and truly banned.
The 600-year-old sultanate is primarily renowned for three things: the nation’s deep-rooted Islamic faith, the stilted water village Kampong Ayer, and oil. But unspoilt jungle?
Take a traditional Iban longboat to Ulu Temburong National Park (above), a 500 sq km swathe of pristine wilderness in the country’s south-east, and be transported to the Borneo of your imagination. Opened in 1991, it turns 25 this year and is a chunk of evergreen rainforest at odds with most people’s perceptions of the oil-rich nation. Those who venture deep into the wilderness to stay at the spectacular Ulu Ulu Resort will be rewarded with sightings of gibbons and hornbills shaking the canopy, as well as squirrels and vipers rustling through the undergrowth. It’s a part of Brunei that few know exists.
Hill Street Tai Hwa Pork Noodle at 466 Crawford Lane, and Chinatown’s Hong Kong Soya Sauce Chicken Rice and Noodle (above) may sound like two unassuming, hole-in-the-wall joints. And to an extent, they are. But churning out S$5 (US$3.50) bowls of bak chor mee (minced-meat noodles) and S$7 boxes of braised chicken hasn’t stopped either from becoming the world’s first hawker stands to earn Michelin stars.
It’s a milestone for street food, but also for Singapore, a food-obsessed city where eating dishes such as spicy chilli crab and laksa (noodles in a spicy coconut-milk broth) has become a national pastime. The Michelin Guide to Singapore, the first to be launched in South-east Asia, arrived in July but, with 27 new Michelin-star restaurants to choose from, it’s the sheer variety of cuisines that will keep people talking well into the New Year.
Look out for lauded Peranakan cuisine – a melting pot of Chinese and Malay – at Candlenut, and fabulous Australian fusion at Osia by Singaporean chef Douglas Tay. For a splurge, try the country’s first and only three-Michelin-star restaurant, Joel Robuchon, a French fine-dining affair on Sentosa. It’s food worth celebrating.
Kanchanaburi, a little town three hours by car from Bangkok, may not have the sophistication of the capital city. But therein lies its appeal – get an authentic feel of local culture at its eateries, which range from laid-back beach shacks to a floating restaurant, Keeree Tara (431/1 River Kwai Road, Thamakham, Muang, Tel: 66 8 7415 8111) on the River Kwai, known for its fried fish served with chilli sauce.
The iconic bridge (above) on the river is just 50m from the restaurant. The Academy Award-winning classic The Bridge on the River Kwai was filmed here. Kanchanaburi’s riverside setting is a glorious backdrop for the film, and the annual River Kwai Bridge Festival (November 24 to December 3) celebrates it with a light-and-sound show that not only narrates history, but also has a big fair, where visitors can try local delicacies.
Text: Mike Maceaheran/Silver Kris