Luxury Holidays that South Africa Has to Offer

South Africa has long been established as a luxury honeymoon location with all of the stunning landscapes of beach and bush, but there is so much more to South Africa that many people do not realise.

Everything is possible in South Africa, safaris, horseriding treks, adventure trails, historical expeditions, scuba diving, wine tasting, bungee jumping, fishing or relaxing at the beach or spa. There's something for everyone.

The highlights of this versatile country include the Kruger National Park, game reserves and Eastern Cape where the 'big five' can be seen on safari. The Eastern Coast of the cape is known as the Garden Route which is a particularly beautiful stretch of coast with pristine beaches, dense woodland and rugged coastline.

Those looking for a city break would head straight for Cape Town with the stunning backdrop of the iconic Table Mountain. At Cape Town you will find the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront with its shops, the aquarium and other tourist attractions. Similarly, Johannesburg offers the cultural break that you may be looking for but also has easy access to the stunning natural world around it.

For ultimate luxury and relaxation, consider visiting one of the many lavish hotels on the coastline that offer you relentless pampering in the spa and stunning beaches to unwind on.

To find out more about planning a tailor made South Africa holiday, speak to The Ultimate Travel Company who can make a bespoke holiday itinerary for you.

Sustainable Luxury in Singapore

Singapore has recently shown a genuine interest in pushing its hotel to turn green, which on the first sight appeared difficult to combine with the luxury brands it has promoted in the past.
Here is a selection of the finest hotel you can expect to book in if you were to visit Singapore: the Naumi hotel, the Regent, The Siloso Beach Resort...
And it’s precisely aware of this vast amount of travellers passing through its territory, and of the economical and natural improvement one can expect from a ecological policy, for it encourages efficiency at every level, the Singapore Environment Council has understood the
great potential hotels could offer to influence behaviour of their customers as well as to showcase remarkable sustainable practices.
You will find here detailed the activity of the http://www.sec.org.sg/index.php Council, as well as a list of the best hotels to follow there : http://bit.ly/zKn4qq

Getting Around in Southeast Asia

Guest post by Sachin

Getting around in Southeast Asia can be quite a challenge for the uninitiated—check out our helpful hints on how to stay sane while getting from A to B!

If you are planning a trip around Southeast Asia, you are in for a treat. The culture, the food, the people and the scenery are all completely amazing, and whether you’re staying in luxury resorts, camping on the beach, or chilling out in laidback Vietnam hotels, you’re bound to have the experience of a lifetime. When it comes to getting from place to place in Southeast Asia, your options are somewhat different to what you may be used to. Crossing the road in many of its major cities is equivalent to taking your life into your hands, and it’s not uncommon to see entire families riding on one motorbike. Things are different here, so allow us to fill you in on a few facts about getting around in Southeast Asia.

Crossing the Road

If you’re in a small village or backwater rural community, crossing the road won’t be an issue. Hell, there may not even be any roads to cross! When it comes to Southeast Asia’s bigger cities, however, things are a lot less safe. Cars, mopeds and rickshaws speed past at alarming speeds, following what appears to be their own strange interpretation of the road rules. The way to do it (so the locals say) is to look straight ahead of you, pick a point on the other side of the road, and walk calmly and steadily towards it. If you wait for a ‘good time’ to cross you’ll end up waiting all day, and if you hesitate while crossing you’re more likely to get into an accident. Trust us, once you’ve done it a few times, it’ll become second nature!

Getting Around Town

A tuk-tuk (or rickshaw) is often the preferred method of getting around in towns in Southeast Asia. These are a kind of undercover bike which are either motorized or pedaled manually by a (very fit) driver. These are inexpensive and culturally interesting, so we’d recommend a ride at least once!

Boating

A lot of places in Southeast Asia---particularly some of the most popular tourist spots—are only accessible by boat or plane. Islands in Thailand are best reached by boat, as are places in Indonesia. Be wary of over-crowding, however, and choose a reputable ferry or speedboat company, as there have been several tragedies involving boating accidents of late.

Driving

In short—don’t do it. It’s possible of course, and in places like Singapore or Malaysia it’s possible to rent cars and drive yourself around without too much hassle (some hotels in Malaysia will actually provide cars with drivers). In other places, however, traffic borders on total anarchy, so unless you’re up for a very challenging trip, we’d recommend hiring a driver that comes with the car!

Trekking

Southeast Asia boasts some gorgeous jungles and rainforests, and is the perfect location to bust out those hiking boots and mosquito repellent and go on a trek in the jungle. If you want to combine an even more novel form of transport with this, why not ride on the back of an elephant as part of a tour?

Getting around Southeast Asia is certainly a little different to simply renting a car and driving yourself. Because of the cultural differences (as well as the differences in infrastructure) most places in the region require more creative solutions to getting around! This is all part of the experience, and we’re betting you’ll return with one or two transport tales that will form the best memories of your trip!

Ho Chi Minh Luxury City

A city where you can have real moment of ease despite the restlessness of the city, Ho Chi Minh is one of my favorite travel destination in Vietnam.

"Saigon", as some Vietnamese people called it, is a very important city of the country, the heart of the Vietnamese economy. The city has attracted a lot of luxury hotels, offering packages for tourists. The package includes spa and massage, as the country was influenced by his neighbor, Thailand, you can find very good massage, especially Thai Massage.

One of the most famous spa center is Lacochinchine on the center of the city - (141 (Lau 6), Nguyen Hue, P.Ben Nghé, Q.1) where you can have massage but also fitness and pool exercices.

After a time of relaxation, you can go to a French restaurant, specialized in dessert, called "Fanny Ice Cream" as the Vietnam was influenced by French culture, there are a lot of restaurants with French food. For example you can find easily bread like in Paris.

I succumbed for the Spring Rolls - a crepe with vanilla and blueberry ice cream - a real delight.

Need some more information? Visit OneLuxuryTravel

Well-being and relaxation time in Bangkok

Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, is an important city of the country, but also one of the most polluted city of Thailand, that's why places to relax after a day of shopping or sightseeing are very important.

Bangkok is the birthplace of the famous 'Thai Massage', it was created in one of the oldest temple of Bangkok, called Wat Pho. The temple hosts also a massage school and a traditional medicine school. The Thai massage help to improve the blood circulation and relieve all the body.

Spas are part of the Thai culture, the country is promoting itself as the Spa capital of Asia, indeed the thai massage is famous all aroudn the world that's why it is a good way to attract tourist into the country. There are plenty of spas all around the city with almost the same offer, meaning the traditional Thai massage, Medical Spa.

Massage costs around 30USD$ for the most basic one, and almost 90USD$ for the particular one in a luxury spa.

Check out on OneLuxuryTravel for more details.

Indonesian luxury cruise

Between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, there are Raja Amput Islands and its 1500 islands, also called "Four Kings" for the main islands of Raja Amput (Batanta, Misool, Salawati, Waigeo)

Comparing to the popular travel destination in Indonesia such as Borneo or Bali, Raja Amput remains one of the peaceful part of Indonesia where you can relax without being annoyed by a crowd of people.

Raja Amput Islands is one of the biggest island to visit, it takes at least 10 days to visit every important part of the 4 main islands. The solution is to book a liveabroad diving cruise. Itineraries are very precise and enable tourists to discover an important amount of species of fishes and coral.

The best time to book is around April until the end of July.

More details? Please check it out on OneLuxuryTravel.

Heaven of peace in Vietnam

Vietnam has progressively become an attractive place for tourists.

Early 2011, the Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism planned to enhance its efforts in one of the fast growing form of tourism : ecotourism.

In Ha Tay, a city close to Hanoi, a lot of luxury hotels enjoy the comfortable position of the National Park, one of the biggest park in Vietnam with almost 12 000ha.

There are more 40 mammal species, 114 bird species, 15 reptile species and nine amphibian species. Tourists can explore hidden lands, trekking, bird watching.

After a relaxing time in nature, you can enjoy visiting Perfume Pagoda, one of the favorite spot to visit in Ta Hay. One of the biggest complex of Buddhist temples.

Every year in February, the temple hosts the longest festival in Vietnam. One original fact about the Festival is that it's seen as a good opportunity for young people to find romance.

Need more information for luxury travel? Please visit http://www.oneluxurytravel.com.