The best hotel swimming pools in the world for swimming must be big pools where you can get in some laps. Whether they’re enchanting courtyard pools lined by palm trees or sleek infinity pools with sweeping sea views, the bigger the better for some serious swimming. Summer is well and truly underway in the northern …
This Lao khao soi recipe makes a delicious filling Laotian soup with wide rice noodles and a rich, hearty sauce of pork mince, tomatoes and fermented soy beans that could best be described as a Southeast Asian style ragu Bolognese soup. Warning: this is seriously addictive. This Lao khao soi recipe is one I’ve been perfecting for …
Buddhist New Year festivals are beginning at the end of this week in Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar. Here’s what to expect and how to prepare for Cambodia’s Khmer New Year or Choul Chnam Thmey, Thailand’s Songkran, Thingyan in Myanmar, and Boun Pi Mai in Laos. Buddhist New Year festivals are starting in four countries …
Learning to cook a dish from one of Asia’s best restaurants, mastering the art of making macarons in Paris, and cooking with a Countess in Venice are just a few of our picks of the best cooking classes in the world. I've long said that discovering the cuisine of a destination is a way into the heart …
Asian travel etiquette is not so complicated to understand, nor is it mysterious. Almost every Asian guidebook, travel website and those free little tourist magazines seem to have a section on etiquette — how you should greet people, how to conduct yourself, what’s considered good manners and what’s not, and what you should wear. Yet we’re …
I was asked to craft a Grantourismo-style romantic city escape or luxury honeymoon holiday, a break focused firmly on love and romance but one involving a slow, local and experiential travel, and a lot of food and wine. Grantourismo's romantic city escapes and luxury honeymoon holidays Barcelona, Spain Stay The intimate ABaC Hotel, designed by architect Antoni de …
We spent a lot of time in 2011 in South East Asia. Based out of Bangkok for four months while researching a book and working on stories, we bounced across the region on assignments, around Thailand, along the Mekong, and to Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. It's since we left, while posting our Asian stories, that we’ve …
Our local guide to The Mekong comes courtesy of Mason Florence, executive director of Mekong Tourism. Based in Asia for 20 years, Mason is a publisher, former guidebook writer, journalist, photographer, and tour guide. Few people know the Mekong better. It’s hard to envisage one person being able to provide a local guide to The …
Where to stay in Luang Prabang? A decade ago your options would have been limited to guesthouses, because for many years the UNESCO World Heritage-listed town was predominantly a backpacker destination with few choices for travellers looking for comfort and style. Things have changed in Luang Prabang, and while backpackers still outnumber other travellers, the charming …
The waiter who looked after us during the Amantaka cooking course we did on the organic farm in the Luang Prabang countryside was brilliant. His service was impeccable. He was so good at his job that when we asked him what his future plans were, whether he had a dream, we expected he would say …
We’re doing a morning market walk, followed by a Lao cooking course on an organic farm in the Luang Prabang countryside, with sous-chef Anousith from the beautiful Amantaka resort. When I ask Anousith where he’s from, he responds “Luang Prabang," and grins. "But my home is the morning market.” It’s early morning in Luang Prabang and while the …
That the classic film stock company Kodak has filed for bankruptcy protection has left me with mixed feelings. While I have no sympathy for businesses that don’t adapt to the times (hi Sony), I do see this as a time to reflect on the twilight of chemical-based film. And it is something that saddens me. …