Last fall we had the pleasure of visiting Indonesia with my sister and decided to spend the last part of our trip in Lombok and the Gili Islands. Tragically, Indonesia was struck by a serious of earthquakes and subsequent tsunami just prior to our arrival, leading us to cancel our reservation in the Gili’s due to damage to our hotel and travel advisories. However, we kept our reservation at Jeeva Klui on Lombok, and looking back are so grateful we did as we had an amazing stay at what is surely one of the loveliest hotels in Lombok. Apparently other people agree because Jeeva Klui has been awarded as one of the top 25 hotels in Indonesia almost every year since 2012.
Read more10 Reasons to Have a Long Layover in Seoul
PC: Imagine Your Korea
I don't usually mind long layovers if I have someone to hang out with, but knowing I'd be alone in Seoul/Incheon (ICN) for 12 hours on my way back from Thailand was making me dread my time there. That is, until I did some research and discovered that I'd hit the jackpot having my longest layover be at ICN. It's an amazing airport, and if you have to have a long layover somewhere in Asia, ICN would be an excellent pick.
Read moreArt in Paradise: Chiang Mai
This summer my sister Bri and I decided to meet in Thailand for our annual visit (she lives in Australia) and since I'd never been to the northern part of the country, we decided to visit Chiang Mai. As we learned more about the area and the city, we stumbled across a museum called Art in Paradise in which visitors can immerse themselves in illusion art by taking photos with large 3D murals. Having never been to anything similar, we were immediately sold and hiked to the museum from our hotel a couple days after our arrival.
Read moreThe Renaissance: Luxury Living on Koh Samui
When Bri and I planned our trip to Thailand, we decided to spend the first part of the trip in hostels and budget hotels and end with something splurgy. Well, two somethings splurgy as it turned out (see Glamping in Thailand post). However, since every fiber of my body rebels against paying exorbitant prices for lodging, we scoured the internet for something that would give us a taste of luxury without the usual painful price tag. Fortunately, most of Asia is a great place to do just that, and when we stumbled upon the Renaissance and saw that it was a great price split two ways, we decided to give it a go and ended up having an incredible experience.
Read moreAdventures in Chiang Mai: Smile Organic Farm Cooking School
My sister and I arrived in Chiang Mai without any concrete plans, so when a staff member at our hotel suggested attending a cooking class, we didn't need much convincing. Who wouldn't want to learn to cook Thai food in Thailand? The next day we were on a bus headed out of the city to Smile Organic Farm Cooking School for a half day class that quickly became one of the highlights of our trip. If you're headed to Chiang Mai and haven't considered taking a cooking class, give me a chance to convince you...
Read moreGlamping in Thailand: A Review of Khwan Beach Resort
As some of you know, my sister, Bri, lives in Australia, and this year we decided to have our annual get together in Asia. After a lot of research and indecision, we settled on Thailand and decided to spend some time up north in Chiang Mai, followed by a couple of weeks on the island of Koh Samui. While researching where to stay on Koh Samui, we stumbled across a place called Khwan Beach Resort and were immediately obsessed with the fact that they offer glamping, which is basically super posh camping.
Read moreA Review of Redang & Wisana Village
I don't think there are enough descriptors to adequately tell you how incredible the island of Redang is. White sand, clear water - so picture perfect everywhere you look that you get overwhelmed trying to decide what to photograph next. Even better? Getting to stay in a bungalow at Wisana Village steps from the water on one of the most pristine beaches I've ever seen. If you're traveling to Malaysia and looking to experience the islands, we couldn't recommend Redang and Wisana Village more!
Read more10 Reasons to Visit Singapore
We were totally intrigued by Singapore. Yes, we're usually into remote places and outdoorsy adventures, but Singapore won us over. Sadly, our stay there was cut short due to our decision to give up our seats on the Japan leg of our flight to Singapore (but yay for earning a ton of mileage points!), so this is definitely not a comprehensive overview of Singapore! Regardless, we want to share ten reasons to visit Singapore, based on what we experienced.
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