Organised tours, early get-ups, and cold weather all rank very low on our list of favorite things about travel, yet somehow they fused into a wonderful day away from the frenetic streets of Hanoi. Joined by a small group of other travelers (five in total), we set off on a dreary January morning to explore…
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Finding a charming boutique stay in Mumbai can be a challenge. Sure, you have the Taj, the Oberoi and a plethora of international luxury chains, but small-scale, design-driven boutique hotels are few and far between. A standout is Abode Bombay in the heart of South Mumbai’s bustling Colaba district. Set in a beautiful historical building…
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Call us superficial, but we’d be lying if we’d deny that we put Rajasthan on our ‘to-go’ list mainly because we wanted to shoot a single picture: the blue Queen’s Chambers at the City Palace in Udaipur (header image) – it did not disappoint. Built over the course of 400 years, the Udaipur City Palace…
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What is it with the French and their ways of making any space look effortlessly chic? Staying at Scarlette, a small-scale boutique hotel in New Delhi, feels like entering the set of an ELLE Decor or AD shoot, complete with carefully arranged magazine stacks and precisely positioned picture frames, but peppered with a heavy je…
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Judging from the pompous palace hotels dotted around Jaipur and its surroundings, the Rajasthani’s know a thing or two about luxury stays. However, the over-the-top combinations of velvet drapes and gilded pillars are not everyone’s cup of chai (it’s certainly not ours), so stumbling upon the newly-opened 28 Kothi brought a huge relief. Set inside…
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The days of Bangkok’s Chinatown merely being a street-food heaven are long gone. Attracted by low rents and a slower pace of urban life, Bangkok’s hipsters have flocked to this area and have started snatching up dilapidated shophouses to turn them into something cool. Nowadays, Chinatown’s nightlife scene rivals that of Thonglor and Sukhumvit. The…
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Finding good coffee in Bangkok’s Chinatown area has always been a challenge. Sure, you have the classic coffee shops serving kaffe boran and roadside carts pouring a cup of overly sweet instant coffee, but a perfect latte seemed hard to come by. That was until the lovely folks at Ba Hao recommended Happy Espresso at…
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When you combine the techniques of traditional artisans with the direction of some of Bangkok’s most creative minds, magic is bound to happen. Last month, we had the honour of joining SACICT (The Support Arts and Crafts International Centre of Thailand) and 56thStudio on a visit to local craftsmen and communities in and around Chiang…
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Rome wasn’t built in a day – and Villa Mahabhirom is a great example of that. It took three design-savvy friends seven years to build this hidden luxury retreat in one of Chiang Mai’s lesser-visited neighborhoods. In contrast with most luxury hotels in Northern Thailand, you won’t find much Lanna architecture at ’The Villa of…
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Deep-fried crullers, also known as pa thong ko (ปาท่องโก๋) in Thai or youtiao (油條) in Chinese are a common sight at streetside food carts all over Asia. Usually served as a breakfast dish alongside hot soy milk or porridge, these crispy yet soft sticks of dough make a perfect morning treat. One crafty vendor in Chiang…
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