Sidemen travel guide, Indonesia

Sideman (pronounced si de man — not side man) is one of those hidden-away Bali retreats that really is, well, just enchanting. Set a 45-minute drive inland from Padang Bai and an hour from Candi Dasa, Sideman straddles one of the many agricultural valleys that form the ramp up to the imposing peak of volcanic Gunung Agung. While it is primarily a rice growing area, there's all manner of other crops and nurseries in the area — including chillies (which we don't recommend eating whole). There's...

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Sanur travel guide, Indonesia

A popular escape from the hectic west coast beaches, Sanur provides a far more relaxed beach atmosphere, with an offshore reef providing calm waters that are ideal for children. Accompanying the pleasant seaside atmosphere are a wide range of good quality, well shaded restaurants and cafes and only a fraction of the hassles that one encounters from the pushier business owners in Kuta. The beach in Sanur stretches some 5km from the Nusa Lembongan departure point in the north to the beach to Mertasari...

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Gili Trawangan travel guide, Indonesia

Gili Trawangan, or Gili T to its friends, is the largest of three islands scattered off Lombok's northwest coast. While all three of these Gilis (Gili means island in the Sasak language of Lombok) are especially photogenic, each has a character of its own and attracts a certain crowd -- in the case of Gili T, it's the party set. It is a very pretty island. You'll have near endless opportunity to take photos to make the office back home suitably jealous. The beaches here really are white sand...

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Gili Air travel guide, Indonesia

Gili Air is the closest to Lombok of the three Gili islands. In size, it lies between Meno and Trawangan, and has the largest "normal" community. Unlike Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan, Gili Air actually does have its own water source and you'll notice immediately how much greener and overgrown it is compared to the other two far more arid islands. Much of the interior is given over to coconut cultivation, though tourists are proving themselves a more lucrative crop and slowly the palm plantations...

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Yogyakarta travel guide, Indonesia

Yogyakarta is nestled right in the heart of Java and is steeped in the rich culture and tradition that has been sidelined by modernity in some of the island's larger metropolises. That doesn't mean traffic jams, shopping malls and internet obsessions have left Yogyakarta unscathed, however concerted efforts by the local government, educators and the residents themselves have so far managed to spare Javanese tradition from falling under the bullet-train of progress. Before we dive into a history...

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Amed travel guide, Indonesia

The place commonly referred to as Amed isn't a single town but a string of quaint beachside fishing villages stretching about 10km along the dry and rugged northeastern coast of Bali. It's a world away from the busy tourist centres in South Bali such as Kuta, Seminyak and Legian. The common usage of Amed for the area started due to the same-named village being the first of the villages to be visited by tourism which subsequently spread east to the neighbouring villages further east. Although...

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Seminyak travel guide, Indonesia

Seminyak is the village immediately to the north of Legian with a reputation for all the pleasures in abundance to its south, but with a distinctly upmarket vibe. Here the sunglasses are bigger, the dresses designer and the drink of choice champagne. Seminyak stretches from Jalan Double Six in the south and morphs into the villages of Kerobokan and Umalas somewhere north of the Petitenget temple. Fashion designers flock to Seminyak in their hundreds and use this area to showcase their wares...

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Ubud travel guide, Indonesia

Ubud, the cultural heart of Bali, lures visitors from all around the world to its enchanting dances, art galleries, ceremonial procession, luxurious spas and divine restaurants. The pace of life in Ubud, set on the dramatic Ayung River, is a sharp contrast to the chaos in the south of the island. Many people spend their days here being pampered in spas, taking yoga classes, relaxing in the town's fantastic cafes and taking the occasional stroll through the surrounding ricefields. Ubud is a destination...

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Ochheuteal Beach travel guide, Sihanoukville, Cambodia

It may be difficult to pronounce, but the name certainly hasn't put people off the longest and most popular beach in Sihanoukville. Many actually know Ochheuteal beach as Serendipity, which actually refers to the western patch of sand. Much of Occheuteal is dedicated to food stalls and small bamboo bars, but the southern stretch is largely deserted, save for a development project, including a golf course, which has seemingly been under construction forever. While Serendipity has the bulk of...

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Kratie travel guide, Cambodia

Say Kratie to any Khmer and they'll think dolphins -- in particular Mekong Irrawaddy dolphins. Around 20 kilometres north of Kratie, at the village of Kampi, the swirling waters of the Mekong are considered one of the best places in the world to see the critically endangered Mekong Irrawaddy dolphin. Dolphins aside, Kratie province is also known for its pleasing riverside scenery and pretty villages and paddy. Nearly all who choose to stay here do so in the same-named provincial capital of Kratie...

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Kep travel guide, Cambodia

Cambodia's Kep is a former playground of the French and Cambodian elite, with the King Father's crumbling mansions sitting atop the hill, a testament to the country's cultural zenith in the 1960s. It takes some imagination to conjure this heyday from the weekday peace and laidback ambiance, but the revival of a white sand beach and a throng of holidaying Khmers at weekends hark back to Kep's popular past. Kep is staging a slow but steady comeback. Over several years, many of the beachside plots,...

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Kampot travel guide, Cambodia

Sleepy Kampot sits on the east bank of the Kampot River and enjoys spectacular views across to Bokor and Elephant Mountains, which make up the sizeable Bokor National Park. The town was once a trading centre and until the establishment of a deep sea port at Sihanoukville in the 1950s, Kampot was Cambodia's primary port. A smattering of small fishing boats can still be seen unloading every morning a short walk south of the main town on the dirt road parallel to the river. Given Kampot's proximity...

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Koh Rong travel guide, Sihanoukville, Cambodia

Koh Rong is quite possibly that cliched island paradise you've been looking for, boasting pristine white beaches, turquoise water and limited development on most of the island. For years the island was almost completely undeveloped save for a diving outfit and a few bungalows, though that's changing, in particular on the southern patch Koh Touch. Serviced by the fast boat from Sihanoukville as the fourth stop, Koh Touch is a sandy guesthouse-packed stretch that has earned Koh Rong a reputation...

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Battambang travel guide, Cambodia

Battambang province lies in the far western region of Cambodia; bounded to the west by Thailand, the south by the Cardamom Mountains, the east by the Tonle Sap Lake and Pursat, and to the north by Banteay Meanchey province. The landscape, often picturesque and highly varied in this large province, morphs from vast marshes and wetlands around the lake's rim into extensive rice paddies dotted with limestone outcrops and then rolling orchard-blanketed hills around the Pailin enclave, before finishing...

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Sihanoukville travel guide, Cambodia

Sihanoukville is Cambodia's premier beach location, a peninsula ringed by pretty whiteish-sand beaches and surrounded by a smattering of tiny islands. Debate rages over whether its beaches will ever seriously rival those that lure the hordes to neighbouring Thailand, but given international tourism's insatiable appetite for new places, we think they will ... eventually ... one day ... maybe; at least, the international developers who have snapped up many of the islands on long-term leases are hoping...

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Phnom Penh travel guide, Cambodia

One of the better preserved French relics in Southeast Asia, the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh has a lot more to offer travellers than a quick, depressing swing through Tuol Sleng and a run out to the Killing Fields. Cambodia's history stretches far back beyond the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. As far as Phnom Penh goes, legend has it that its beginnings stretch back to the late 14th century, when an old woman named Penh found a tree with a handful of Buddha images lodged...

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Siem Reap travel guide, Cambodia

Set in northwest Cambodia, Siem Reap is best known for being home to the incredible Angkor ruins, a sprawling World Heritage-listed complex of ancient temples with the magnificent Angkor Wat as the focal point. While the Angkor park is surely one of the globe's most amazing historical sites, Siem Reap province is also home to an array of other ruins, such as Beng Mealea, Bantaey Srei, and the holy mountain Phnom Kulen. So if ancient temple ruins are your thing, this province -- an expansive piece...

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Chaung Tha Beach travel guide, Burma

Chaung Tha Beach, a quiet Bay of Bengal coastal beach town, is a long stretch of sand that's home to some of Burma’s most affordable beachfront accommodation. It's popular with weekend beach goers from Yangon with a slow but steady flow of Western travellers. The vast shoreline provides plenty of refuge, perfect both for couples seeking a peaceful romantic getaway as well as for solo travellers looking to unwind quietly. If it's a party beach that you're after then this isn't your place; however,...

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