Innholdsfortegnelse for June - July 2025 i DestinAsian

“THE IMPULSE TO TRAVEL IS ONE OF THE HOPEFUL SYMPTOMS OF LIFE.”—Agnès RepplierS Summer is finally here — and with it, the promise of a longer holiday in some beautiful, sun-kissed locale. I’ll soon be jetting off to Amsterdam for a few weeks, and I’m looking forward to catching up with friends, the longer days, and warm but not scorching temperatures. It really is the best time of year for outdoor swimming and boat rides down the canals. If you love being out on the water, we have just the thing this issue. I’m thrilled to announce DestinAsian’s inaugural Cruise section, launched just in time for World Oceans Day on June 8. We hope you enjoy this compilation of tips and suggested itineraries, from a milestone expedition cruise in the…

THAILAND The dense jungles of Khao Yai National Park are a refuge for all kinds of wildlife: hornbills, sambar deer, and fighting giant stag beetles, so named for the strong antler-like mandibles found on male insects. But at the months-old Khao Yai Art Forest (khaoyaiart.com), a short distance from the park’s northern boundaries, what draws visitors is a giant bronze spider standing in a field. Nine meters high, this larger-than-life arachnid from Louise Bourgeois’s famed Maman series will be on display until mid-August. A three-hour drive northeast of Bangkok, the 85-hectare “art forest” is the counterpart to Bangkok Kunsthalle, an experimental art space that opened last year in a disused printing house. Both are overseen by the Khao Yai Art initiative, the brainchild of Thai-Korean philanthropist and art collector Marisa…

HONG KONG As late as the mid-1990s, Ma Wan Island produced what was said to be the tastiest shrimp paste in Hong Kong. City dwellers once made the journey on boats to its main village to savor the pungent condiment and feast on locally fished seafood. But the arrival of a new airport highway would spell the end of that idyllic existence, paving the way for large-scale development and relegating Ma Wan to a stepping stone between the city and Lantau Island. Fourteen years after its last remaining residents were relocated, the island’s oldest settlement has made a dramatic comeback. Ma Wan 1868 (mawan1868.com) recasts the former fishing village as an artists’ hub, with the derelict houses now gussied up in a rainbow of vivid colors by Sun Hung Kai…

AESTHETICÁ ULUWATU This sole outpost of Byron Bay’s Aestheticá clinic brings Australian facial expertise to the Pecatu area of Bali’s southern Bukit Peninsula. Consultations are at the heart of the experience. As co-founder Emma Walker emphasizes, it’s the diagnostic expertise and bespoke service that drives transformative results. The most nurturing treatment is the Level 3 DV Bespoke Facial, which features nutrient-rich Dermaviduals skin-care products paired with LED light therapy. Aestheticá Uluwatu also offers premium skin boosters, thread lifts, and top-tier dermal fillers—all designed to regenerate without overstatement (aestheticauluwatu.com). AWILD Also in Pecatu, the facial studio at AWild stands out for treatments like the 80-minute Japanese V-Shape Lift, inspired by the Kobido face massage technique. Therapists here trained intensively for four months to master this natural face lift. After being cleansed…

EXPEDITION Been dreaming of that ultimate Antarctic adventure? For those with more than two months to spare, this epic voyage with Ponant might be just the ticket. At the height of the southern summer in 2028, the Marseille-based cruise line’s Le Commandant Charcot — the world’s first hybrid-electric polar exploration vessel — will embark on an 18,000-kilometer circumnavigation of the White Continent, a feat never before attempted by a luxury cruise ship. The expedition will depart the Argentinian port town of Ushuaia in January and sail westward through the Southern Ocean to reach Hobart 30 days later. After a stopover in the Tasmanian city, Le Commandant Charcot will head back to South America following the eastern coast of Antarctica — a leg that will take another 34 days. Jointly commanded…

If Taipei’s food culture had a most defining year, it would be 1949. It was then that three major culinary influences converged in the Taiwanese capital: Taiwan’s majority Hokkien population from China’s Fujian Province, who’d been settling the island since the 17th century; the Japanese, who ruled Taiwan from 1895 to 1945; and an influx of more than a million mainland Chinese refugees, who arrived in the late 1940s with Chiang Kai-shek’s Chinese Nationalist armies as they retreated at the end of the Chinese Civil War. In the Taipei of 1949, these diverse populations and cooking styles came together in a great melting pot known as Ximen, or “West Gate.” Named for a gate on a Qing-era city wall — a wall razed by the Japanese to expand a railway…

40.8445° N, 14.2389° E “There’s something special about looking back through the pages of my travel sketchbooks,” says Sydney-based Margaret Maguire, an avid traveler and urban sketcher. “They evoke smells, sounds, and feelings that transport me right back to each spot. I remember the weather that day, the food I ate, and the people I met as I sat drawing.” One such location was the hill of Vomero in Naples, which Maguire recalls as a highlight of her 2023 trip to Italy. There, perched high above the city on the ramparts of Castel Sant’Elmo, she captured this view across the former Carthusian monastery complex of Certosa di San Martino to the Gulf of Naples and the slopes of Mount Vesuvius beyond. “It was my second visit to Naples but my…

SINGAPORE Just when you thought you had exhausted Sentosa’s pleasures, Singapore’s favorite leisure destination has upped its game with a trifecta of new indulgences, each offering a distinctive experience that goes beyond the familiar attractions. While the original Raffles hotel plays colonial grande dame in the crush of the city’s CBD, newly minted sibling Raffles Sentosa Singapore (raffles.com/sentosa; from US$1,260 a night) has ditched the white-gloved formality for something decidedly more relaxed. Sixty-two pool villas dot a hilltop where resident peacocks strut freely and Yabu Pushelberg’s designs blur the line between outdoor and indoor living. This escape boasts five restaurants (including an omakase den by chef Kenjiro Hashida), a spa set in a repurposed army barracks, and, of course, a fleet of obliging Raffles butlers, though here they ferry Sentosa…

SRI LANKA With a name that rolls off the tongue like an ancient mantra, the latest colonial planter’s bungalow turned boutique hotel to open in Sri Lanka’s tea country enjoys a setting that is equally hypnotic. Here, at a salubrious elevation of some 1,440 meters, the six-suite Uga Halloowella presides over a working tea estate above the shores of Castlereagh Reservoir, a serene lake framed by lush green hills. For half a century, the house was the residence of one Major Marwood Elton Lane, a retired Royal Flying Corps pilot who, according to the inscription on his whitewashed mausoleum at the foot of the property, “died in harness” in 1961 at the age of 87. His 100-hectare tea estate has changed hands a couple of times since, with its current…

On a steamy February morning amid the centuries-old townscape of Galle Fort, I sat in on a conversation about Eurocentric beauty standards with Ghanaian-British journalist Afua Hirsch, listened to Colomboborn author Shyam Selvadurai discuss his 2022 historical novel Mansions of the Moon, attended readings by Tamil poets, and joined a “literary lunch” hosted by another eloquent Sri Lankan diaspora author, Razeen Sally. And it wasn’t even halfway through the day. Like thousands of other people swirling about on the fort’s cobbled streets, I was in town to attend the Galle Literary Festival, one of Sri Lanka’s most esteemed cultural events. The four-day program was packed with sessions and activities, and my plan was to attend as many of them as time and sweltering temperatures would allow. It may be overshadowed…

The obsession with living a longer and healthier life has seen many people adopt an increasingly proactive approach to wellness on all levels — and that includes when they travel. In Bali, two ground-breaking new destinations cater to longevity-seekers through a holistic blend of cutting-edge diagnostics, comprehensive fitness, and the latest biohacks with mindfulness and ancient healing wisdom. The result? A blueprint for an optimal health span that not only adds years to your life, but also vibrant life to your years. Opened in April, the Vitality Centre (revivoresorts.com) at Nusa Dua’s exclusive Revivo Wellness Resort is the first such facility in Bali to fully integrate longevity science into its core philosophy. The 1,500-square-meter center—a minimalist rectangle of glass and steel lined with wooden slats across its facade—offers protocols for…

BALI Held at the Ayana Bali Resort on March 7, DestinAsian’s 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards ceremony marked not only the 18th edition of the annual event, but also the first time the awards have been celebrated with a gala dinner. More than 200 guests were in attendance to honor the award recipients — who represented the region’s best hotels and resorts, serviced apartments, top airlines and airports, cruise lines, and more — during an elegant evening enlivened by a performance by Balinese dance company KitaPoleng. We extend a heartfelt thank you to our venue partner Ayana Bali Resort for providing their stunning ballroom, top-notch facilities, and an unforgettable culinary experience. Gratitude also goes to the night’s impressive lineup of sponsors: mattress maker King Koil, premium kitchen sink and faucets brand…

It’s not easy to hit the road when you’re already in one of the world’s most spectacular places. Deep in the mountainous heart of Shikoku, the Iya Valley is a pristine gem, its forested slopes rising steeply above a jade-colored river crossed by homespun vine bridges. I have been roosting here for the past several days with my old friend Mason Florence, an American photojournalist and former Japan Times reporter who authored some of the original Lonely Planet guides to Japan. Mason first visited Shikoku more than a quarter century ago and returns regularly to the Iya Valley, where he keeps the hand-built wooden cabin we’re staying at. With his deep knowledge of local culture and foodways, he’s the ideal guide for a road-tripping adventure across the smallest and least…

Ahmad Alomari’s favorite foraging spot overlooks a world of trouble. To the left, the Sea of Galilee, site of the 1960s War over Water between Israel and its Arab neighbors. To the right, civil war–torn Syria. Ahead, the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. But conflicts of the Promised Land seemed far removed from Ahmad’s pretty olive farm outside Umm Qais, a small town in the highlands of northwestern Jordan. Rooted in rich volcanic soil, the gnarled trunks of his centuries-old trees rise from a sea of wild fennel, caper berries, dandelion, asparagus, carob, and heirloom wheat. Alomari was born amid the ruins of nearby Gadara, once among the great Greco-Roman cities of ancient Palestine. Aside from guiding visitors through the archaeological site, these days he also collaborates with community-based tour operator Baraka…

UDARA BALI The Quantum Sound Dome at this integrated yoga resort near Canggu offers a once-in-a-lifetime wellness experience. Designed to enhance one’s vibrational frequency, the rounded vault ceiling of this purpose-built structure (its walls are embedded with rose quartz and fossilized coral) amplifies the resonance of artisan gongs, crystal singing bowls, and indigenous instruments. Alongside daily sound baths and other immersive experiences, the Sunday Sound Healing sees up to 200 people congregate under the dome for a powerful shared journey of elevated energy (udara-bali.com). SANCTUARY AT POTATO HEAD Located at Potato Head Suites in Seminyak, this private sound room invites guests to recline on custom-built sonic water beds for its signature Light Sound Vibration sessions. This is sound healing with a deeper edge: an immersive journey where sounds and vibrations…

1 SMALLER SHIPS, BIGGER CONNECTION River cruise ships are significantly smaller than their ocean-going counterparts, typically accommodating between 100 and 190 passengers on major waterways like the Danube, Rhine, and Nile. This creates a more intimate and personalized environment free from the bustle of big-ship cruising. Yes, there’s less in the way of onboard entertainment and amenities, but disembarkation is easier at the stops along the way, and the relaxed, social atmosphere is ideal for travelers who prefer meaningful interactions. 2 SCENIC CRUISING EVERY DAY Unlike ocean voyages, where passengers often spend long stretches surrounded by nothing but open sea, river cruises keep you close to the landscape. Whether it’s gliding past terraced vineyards along Portugal’s Douro River or drifting by medieval castles on Germany’s Rhine, there’s always something to see. Many…

ELECTRIC SHEEP A sustainable lab with Mediterranean DNA and all-local produce CHEFS AMERIGO TITO SESTI and Yoan Martin worked at Michelin-starred J’aime by Jean-Michel Lorain before the pandemic prompted a shift in their careers. They saw how the air and seas cleared. “It showed the world could heal,” Martin says. At the duo’s sustainability-focused venture—whose name comes from Philip Dick’s sci-fi novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?—they source produce locally and tend to a rooftop garden while relentlessly minimizing waste, with leftover ingredients fermented in glass jars and artist-made tabletops of recycled plastic. The inventive tapas-style dishes (ostrich carbonara, anyone?) look and taste otherworldly, matching the retro-futuristic setting. —electricsheepbangkok.squarespace.com GAGGAN AT LOUIS VUITTON Revolutionary and irreverent fine dining meets haute couture THIS PARTNERSHIP between legendary French fashion house LV and Bangkok’s…

Planes fly in and out of Jeju like the waves that break nonstop against the island’s basalt shoreline. Most arrive from Seoul on what is offcially the busiest airline route on the planet — a one-hour hop between South Korea’s pulsating capital and its most popular holiday destination. Tens of thousands of travelers touch down on Jeju every day. They come for the resorts, the amusement parks, the geological splendor, and the food: apart from its famed black pork and mandarin oranges, the island is a magnet for seafood lovers. Historically, though, the “three abundances” (samda) Jeju was known for were wind, stone, and women, all of which still come together along the 258-kilometer-long coastline of this remarkable volcanic island south of the Korean Peninsula. For as much as the…