Asia's finest hotels

Asia’s Finest Hotels

In the market for a taste of luxury, then we recommend a few hotels which are top of the list.

An eclectic mélange of cultures, colors and flavors make up the beautiful fabric of Asia, illustriously woven together by the Silk Road. Four of our favorites in the heart of Asia’s most enviable destinations and in the spirit of historical trade routes provide you with a few shopping tips to help you return home with the perfect memento.

The St. Regis, Singapore

Broad sidewalks lined with futuristic skyscrapers lead to the St. Regis Singapore, the ageless districts of Chinatown and Little India only blocks away. Head directly to your suite on the 20^th floor where you become an immediate member of the St. Regis Suite Society, entitling you to a daily massage and a private dinner served on your terrace overlooking the Singapore Botanic Gardens. Situated on Singapore’s most famous shopping street, the famed Orchard Road, 22 malls and designer boutiques are just outside the door. A personal shopper arranged by the concierge can provide an insider perspective keying you into local designers such as handbag designer Ling Wu or runway phenomenon Ong Shunmugam. Afterward, the Astor Bar at the St. Regis summons with its signature cocktail, Chilli Padi Mary, a local interpretation of the Bloody Mary, imbued Asian flavors but you can always decide to have the butler deliver one to your suite instead.

Raffles, Grand Hotel d’Angkor Siem Reap, Cambodia

Venture back in time within a setting once home to royalty in Siem Reap’s historic Old French Quarter, Heritage property Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor steeps you in luxury within its 199 rooms and suites where interiors are awash with commissioned Khmer artwork, Cambodian silks and French Colonial furnishings. Take a morning swim in Cambodia’s longest lap pool stretching nearly 40 yards and replicating the ancient bathing pools of Khmer kings before a day immersed in culture. Nearby explore the ancient ruins of Angkor Wat as well as Phsar Chas, “the Old Market” one of the city’s largest covered traditional markets, providing an extraordinary window into local culture. Personalize your Cambodian shopping experience even further with a visit to fashion house Samatoa, where you can have a silk dress custom made and delivered to your hotel within 24 hours. Your evening culminates with a classical Cambodian dance and Khmer martial art performance on the hotel’s Aspara Terrace dramatically heightening your regal reverie.

Island Shangri-La, Hong Kong, China

From your opulent perch, 56 stories high, feel instilled with a sense of omnipotence as you watch ferries crossing Victoria Harbor and revel over green shrouded mountains skirted by pencil thin skyscrapers. At the Island Shangri La, Hong Kong, spend your days lingering in cloud ensconced luxury and your evenings dining at one of the eight bars and restaurants, including Michelin starred Restaurant Petrus, vaunting one of the most extensive wine lists in Asia. Even your ride on the glass encased elevator serves as a grand spectacle, allowing for you to admire the largest Chinese landscape silk painting in the world as you pass through the hotel’s atrium. A few floors below discover some of the city’s finest designer shopping at Pacific Place a mall within the tower housing 140 shops and restaurants. Don’t miss the Beauty Gallery, modelled after the Burlington Arcade in London, it comprises the world’s first standalone boutiques of Natura Blisse and Yves Saint Laurent.

COMO Shambhala Estate, Bali, Indonesia

The holistic retreat of COMO Shambhala Estate personifies tranquility suspended on a clearing over a jungle clad gorge carpeting the banks of Bali’s Ayung River. Greet the sun rising over three majestic mountaintops from the country’s highest temple ore trek through terraced rice paddy fields during your adventures with experiences guides. Then, soak in the resort’s Vitality Pool fed by waters of The Source, a spring long believed to hold sacred healing powers. Your personal sanctuary of rejuvenation a 2,500 square foot Retreat Villa, is bedecked with Indonesian antiquities, a private pool and ample indoor space for lounging. You are a mere ten minute drive from Bali’s town of Ubub, revered for its art largely influenced by celebrated Dutch painters in the 1930’s. Wonderful handicrafts, paintings and carvings reflecting Ubub’s artisan lifestyle and view a collection of artists at Agung Rai Gallery.

I always have some clothes made, amazing selection, reasonable pricing, and delivery with 24 hours. Great tailors in all four locations.

Maureen Jones

All Horizons Travel/Frosch

825 Santa Cruz Avenue

Menlo Park, CA 94025

650-961-2340 Direct