To continue on from my last blog..............

Langkawi in Malaysia is a really gorgeous island and a great destination for couples or families. What I liked about it is the combination of great beaches mixed with enough else to do so you could easily spend 10 days or 2 weeks here and do absolutely nothing if you choose to or you could explore and do some activities. Its a reasonable size island and is very easy to get around - I would recommend hiring a car and exploring independently. Aswell as a great beach destination it also gives you a nice insight into Malaysian lifestyle as the centre of the island is rural with plenty of small traditional villages.

There are many hotels to choose from on the island but my father and I were lucky enough to stay at the Datai and I have to say it does come highly recommended. Its location is beautiful - set into the jungle just back from its own private beach and the hotel itself has been really sympathetically designed and built to blend in with its surroundings. It has 2 pools, various restaurants (not the cheapest places to eat on the island - probably comparable to a meal in the UK.....but the meals we ate there were delicious), a spa set into the rainforest, golf course. The rooms are spacious and stylish using lots of wood. Overall it is a beautiful spot to relax and pamper yourself.
Its sister hotel - The Andaman is located a short walk down the same beach (which they share) and is a slightly cheaper option and probably a better option for families.

After Langkawi my father flew home and I continued onto Borneo - my second trip to Sabah and this was just to visit Danum Valley. On arrival at the airport I was met and we continued our long journey into the jungles of Borneo. Not hugely easy to get to, this area is reached by a 2 1/2 hour journey overland from Sandakan to Lahad Datu - it is also possible to do this part of the trip by air. From Lahad Datu it is then approx 3 hours by car, pretty much all of which is on a dirt track so pretty bumpy. Danum Valley Lodge is the only accommodation in this conservation area and is simple but comfortable, made up of wooden chalets and a large open plan communal dining area. The location (albiet difficult to get to) is superb, right on the river beyond which is the rainforest. I spent only 1 night here and rose early to the sounds of the jungle for a couple of treks - there are various trails to walk aswell as a canopy walkway. We did a walk to one of the jungle viewpoints and saw some good insects and wildlife enroute including giant centipede, a beautiful red leaf monkey and some lovely lizards. On our return to the lodge we stopped at an idyllic waterfall for a swim - much needed in the heat or the jungle.
The previous day there had been a wild orang-utan just next to the lodge - aswell as the possible wildlife sightings its also a lovely spot to do some jungle trekking, river swimming and just generally to enjoy the sites and sounds of the rainforest.

In October 2006 I travelled to Malaysia for 2 weeks on a work trip. My father travelled with me for most of the trip, he had never visited Asia before and I felt this would be a great introduction for him, which it was.

The majority of the trip was spent exploring the Malaysian peninsular and the first port of call was the capital, Kuala Lumpur. KL as its often called is not as well known as some of Asia’s other capital cities and its not often used as a stopover due to its distance from the airport (approx 1 hours drive). Although it doesn’t boast that much in the way of historical interest it has an enjoyable atmosphere especially at night and its iconic building, the Petronas towers is really very impressive when lit. There are lots of shops to choose from although many are expensive boutiques in vast shopping malls, you can also have some fun haggling in Chinatown where there are also some more upmarket arts and crafts shops. A few of my dads friends were lucky enough to receive Rolex watches (originals of course) as gifts from Malaysia! Aswell as the hawker stalls where food it cheap and traditional there are also nice food halls in the Mall shopping centres – these are not at all like the food halls in the UK and are nicely done with lots of atmosphere at night and a whole host of cuisines on offer ranging from Japanese to Thai to Indian.

After KL we headed off for a jungle experience in the Taman Negara National Park. This park is the largest in Malaysia and covers over 43,000 square km’s and spans 3 states. To get into the park we drove 2 hours from KL to a simple little jetty where I enjoyed a delicious meal of nasi goreng for about 20 pence and my dad was not so impressed with his cup of tea made with condensed milk! The boat journey from here is 3 hours and passes through some very beautiful scenery. We travelled with about 8 other people in a traditional style dug out boat with padded cushions to sit on and you really are right on the water level. The scenery is great and my dads first comments were “ahh this is what I came to see” – the main river is about 200 metres wide and bordered by white sandy banks and rainforest. It was midday when we set off so the wildlife was fairly quiet but we did see monitor lizard, some birdlife and some of the tribal people going about their daily business of fishing etc.
We spent 2 nights at our accommodation in the park and enjoyed a variety of walks and treks into the jungle (both day and night) during which we saw a variety of very interesting plants and insects, aswell as some small mammals and reptiles. One of my dads highlights was a boat trip down one of the rivers many tributaries from where we walked to a waterpool for a swim – very idyllic but its important that your guide times this well to avoid other visitors to the pool so you get it to yourselves.
Although this park is home to a variety of endangered species including tiger, elephant and leopard it is very rare to see them, partly because there is too much human activity in this area of the park but also because the jungle is so dense. There are also recommended times to visit depending on your wildlife interests.

One of the reasons that Malaysia is such a great destination is its diversity meaning that aswell as spending time in the jungle you can also spend some time relaxing on the beach. During the trip I had the hardship of inspecting some of the luxury resorts on offer around the peninsular!

We flew from KL to Kuala Terrenganu, a tiny airport on the east coast of the peninsular from where we drove south for 1 ¼ hrs to Tanjong Jara Hotel. I was really amazed how undeveloped this coastline was as we drove from the airport to the hotel. The road literally runs alongside the South China sea and is still only dotted with traditional Malay houses with no high rise or hotels to be seen! The hotel itself is luxurious but charming and has been sympathetically designed to fit in and compliment the surroundings. The Malay style rooms are located a mere 50metres from the beach and sea making an early morning dip in the south china sea very easy. This coastline is also the best for diving. I chatted to the resident dive instructor who takes guests out to an island called Pulau Tenggol, which is located about 30km’s offshore from the hotel. The island is little known and offers great diving at various depths with really good visibility. Turtle sightings are common aswell as Manta ray and whale shark sightings at certain times of the year. This coast is seasonal and the best time (although not only time) to visit is from May through to September.

Certain areas of the peninsula, I did feel had sadly been victims of over development and our next stop was one of them - the Cameron Highlands. Reached by a lovely but windy drive into the mountains, I could see that these hill stations had once been covered in beautiful, lush vegetation but are now sadly overshadowed by unsympathetically designed hotels and apartment blocks. I would say that a trip here is still worth it to see the tea plantations and do some trekking during which you can visit one of the Orang Asli village settlements – these tribal people are known as the ‘original people’ and although some of the settlements are now set up for tourist visits there are some who live off the beaten track and still live in a largely traditional way and hunt using blowpipes. We did stay at 2 lovely properties in this area, one of which is the newly opened Cameron Highlands resort which is extremely comfortable with excellent facilities including a lovely spa. The other was very different, The Lakehouse which is a small and informal hotel in a colonial style, run by a charming and charismatic gentleman called Krishna – we had a very fun evening here spent drinking, eating and chatting with Krishna, his staff and some other guests at the hotel – these are the sorts of people who can make a trip really special.

From the Cameron Highlands we drove west towards the coast stopping off near Ipoh to visit the Perak Tong Buddhist cave temple. Although not ancient Buddhist caves these were none the less very interesting. There are various caves to visit in this area and these were found and converted into a temple in 1926 by a Chinese Buddhist. They now consist of large caverns with various large scale buddahs and lots of cave paintings. There are around 300 steps leading up into the roof of the cave which take you up to a viewpoint although the view is not that attractive - over the city which is mainly factories now! From here we headed onto the west coast of the peninsula to Lumut from where we were to catch our ferry across to the exclusive island and resort of Pangkor Laut.

Pangkor Laut is an idyllic private island located an hours boat ride from Lumut in the straits of melaka. You can choose from a mixture of traditional stilted accommodation over the water or garden, beach and mountain villas. This resort has been the choice for various famous people including Pavarotti who now has a suite named after him which is decorated using some of his own private art collection. This is a great choice if you want to completely escape, relax and enjoy the fantastic spa facilities, although not for you if you want to see the ‘real’ Malaysia. I stayed in a mountain villa which having seen the other choices I think I would probably choose as my preference. The stilted villas have a very romantic feel to them so if you enjoy the calmness of the sea lapping beneath you this would be perfect. I however loved the fact that the mountain villas are set into the hillside behind the main resort so you have a great view over everything and you can sit on your terrace and watch the hornbills and sea eagles circling aswell as the movement and noises of the rainforest at the back of you.

From here we continued onto the island of Langkawi after which my father flew home and I continued onto Borneo for a few days. I will write some more about this in due course!

I am also off to Jordan and Syria in January so very much looking forward to what will be my second trip to the middle east.

There are not many small, intimate yet luxury hotels in China so the two Banyan Tree spa hotels in Lijiang and Ringha in the Yunnan province of China are a welcome addition.

Banyan Tree Lijiang opened this year and has had some excellent feedback from some of my clients who stayed there in July:

"the Banyan Tree in Lijiang was extraordinary. Its one of the most immediately striking, architecturally pleasing and service-oriented hotels I've ever seen or stayed at"

I am off to Malaysia in October so will hopefully return with lots of exciting news to add to my blog!

From The Great Wall of China undulating across the North of the country to the 2000 year old Army of Terracotta Warriors, there are many "must see attractions" in this vast and amazing country. My personal highlights would include: my day trip to the city of Suzhou, my early morning walk round the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, the magical scenery of Guilin and the people of China.

Known as the city of gardens, Suzhou has a slower pace than Shanghai and is only an hour away by train. It boasts over 200 traditional Chinese gardens & offers a fascinating insight into China's Silk industry.

The Temple of Heaven, the symbol of modern day Beijing, is a perfect example of Ming Dynasty architecture and its design focuses hugely on the fascinating use of symbolism. It is here that the emperor would come to pray for a good harvest. The Temple is set in a large park and the ritual morning activities of the locals are a delight to watch. I would highly recommend an early morning visit - from tai chi to aerobics, from singing to fan dances, from mahjong to calligraphy with giant brushes, the list is endless.

Guilin's magical scenery was just what I needed after the fast pace of China's cities: verdant limestone peaks, meandering rivers and herds of water buffalo. I have never known a nation of people who are so influenced by symbols, beliefs and superstitions - from lucky numbers and colours to feng shui - it is all taken very seriously. There is a reason and story behind everything which normally involves a dragon or the number nine. I was even shown a building, built with a hole in the middle so as not to trap the dragon who reputedly lived on the hillside behind it!

China is quite simply unique, a fascinating land which is storming into the 21st century. With the Olympics in Beijing only 2 years away make sure it's on your list of countries to visit.

For more information on China, please click through here.