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In this month’s issue of A&K Southeast Asia Insider, join us on our best 72 hours in Ubud, the cultural heart of Bali, Indonesia, and discover why we love the Slow Travel concept in Vietnam. We also put the spotlight on our favorite private villa experience in northern Thailand and a brief travel update around Southeast Asia.
From our Travel Advisors:
“Working with your team has been a pleasure and very easy!” - Paul C., New Wave Travel, Toronto, Canada
“Thank you all for your excellent work. You are amazing partners.” - Shelly B., Protravel International, Beverly Hills, USA
Three Perfect Days in Ubud, Bali
Go beyond Bali’s trendy beaches and tropical seascapes to find the island’s true beauty in its iconic rice terraces, rich traditions and timeless spirituality. Where art, history and wellness meet, this is our best 72 hours in Ubud.
Day 1: Traditional Arts and Culture
Discover Balinese Batik: This morning, create your own batik fashion at a botanical garden and natural dye studio that supports over 1,000 weavers across Indonesia’s 12 islands. Learn all about the art of batik, ikat and shibori during a private session with the studio’s founder.
Explore a Forest Garden: Walk in a garden of rosemary, dragon fruit, basil, kale and dill with a grower who cultivates more than 60 edible plants using permaculture and forest regeneration techniques. Admire the fruits of the garden and enjoy a healthy, organic lunch at the restaurant.
Art of Indonesia: Spend the afternoon exploring Ubud’s boutique shops and art galleries. Get an insight into the island’s long history of painting and wood carving at the Puri Lukisan Museum with the option to meet the gallery director or have coffee with a local artist.
Engage in Balinese Food Traditions: Savor Indonesian flavors with the option to dine with “Gungaji,” a third-generation dancer and musician. Try Indo-vedic cuisine at Dapur Usada, where local Balinese food culture is combined with Ayurvedic philosophy to create modern, plant-based cuisine that is both healthy and delicious while learning about the life of a traditional Balinese performer.
Unwind at an Award-winning Wellness Retreat: Embrace wellness with a stay at COMO Shambhala Estate, surrounded by lush forests and green rice fields. Enjoy a personalized program of traditional massages and fitness therapies by the resident yoga instructor, Ayurvedic doctor and Chakra advisor.
Hike or Bike through UNESCO World Heritage Rice Fields:Spend the morning exploring the rice terraces of Tegalalang - the very definition of an Instagram moment! Meet local farmers and villagers while learning about Balinese agricultural wisdom which has helped shaped the land over hundreds of years.
Experience Traditional Health and Healing:Reward yourself with an afternoon of pampering and deep relaxation at the hotel. This is the time to indulge in Aqua Flow therapy or a traditional Balinese body wrap with hand-crushed rice with warming spices designed to soothe the muscles and improve circulation.
Enjoy Field-to-Table Dining:Enjoy a night in, with COMO Shambhala cuisine and private dining in your residence or at an intimate tea house. The kitchens focus on fresh ingredients to promote a healthy mental, physical and spiritual balance. Try Indonesian classics like rendang sapi (spiced stewed beef) or ayam taliwang (chicken with soy and red chili and coconut relish).
Morning Meeting with a Shaman:Drawing from the island’s deep spiritual connection, the high priest uses his traditional wisdom to uncover the possibilities of your life and see what the future holds for you. Ask the shaman for clarity about your career, relationships or anything that may happen in your future.
Receive a Blessing:In the afternoon, experience a private purification and blessing ritual. Used to wash away negative energy, the Melukat ritual is a cleansing of the mind, body and soul. The priest performs a sacred chant and you can bathe in holy water at a waterfall.
Dine in Style: Don’t miss the chance to dine at Indonesia’s only entry in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants list. Standing out with a contemporary eco-friendly concept, Locavore celebrates local ingredients with a produce-driven menu that presents the island’s indigenous food traditions with a modern European flair.
Experience Ubud the A&K way and plan a personalized, tailor-made journey in Bali, Indonesia for your future travels. Consider an Indonesia Land & Sea combination with a private yacht charter to the nearby Komodo Islands.
Typically, travelers look at Southeast Asia as a multi-country destination, including one, two, three, sometimes four countries in one trip. But with so much moving around, there are so many wonderful places and experiences that are missed. To truly understand a country, the people and the culture, we love the idea of Slow Travel – taking time to discover, immerse in the local life, and go more in-depth into one country. This month our A&K Vietnam team shows us how to go beyond the popular H-H-H-H-H itinerary (Hanoi/Halong/Hue/Hoi An/Ho Chi Minh City) with their favorite Slow Travel experiences in Vietnam.
1. Ride the Rails in Central Vietnam
Journey through Central Vietnam’s lush landscapes and spectacular coastlines aboard The Vietage, a new luxury railway experience that takes you from the traditional shophouses and meandering streets of Hoi An to the secluded coves and picturesque seaside of Quy Nhon. Savor a curated three-course menu of Vietnamese and French flavors on board while watching the central Vietnamese landscape unfold before your eyes. Seating just 12 passengers in a custom-designed luxury carriage, this six-hour train journey passes rural villages, mountains and rice paddies offering a truly unique and intimate experience of Vietnam’s countryside.
Think scenic drives and #unfiltered Instagram moments with limestone peaks and granite outcrops rising above the clouds. This naturally picturesque corner of northern Vietnam is also one of the country’s most ethnically diverse, where villages of several tribes, including the Hmong, Tay and Nung, lie hidden among forest-covered hills. Enjoy off-road wanderings in the terraced rice fields and uncover fossils dating back 400 to 600 million years in the Dong Van Karst Plateau, a UNESCO Global Geopark.
Nestled in a small archipelago of 16 islets off the southern coast of Vietnam, Con Dao Island is the perfect place to unwind and enjoy days of bliss along tropical white sand beaches. Spend time swimming with green turtles and manta rays, exploring coastal roads and mangrove forests or canoeing to neighboring islands. Or simply relax by the pool of your private villa at the Six Senses Con Dao. The resort is renowned for its integrated wellness programs that help you re-connect with your best self through mind, body and spirit.
When it comes to the slow life, it’s hard to beat the misty mountains, waterfalls and pine forest valleys of Vietnam’s Central Highland. With views reminiscent of the European alps, this captivating region near Kontum takes you away from the typical tourist trail and offers a glimpse into the life of the Ede, Jolong and Sodra ethnic communities. Visit the village longhouses, where a family’s wealth can be determined by the length of their traditional wood and bamboo home, and explore local coffee farms, rubber plantations and historical battlefields of the Vietnam War.
The perfect starting point for cross-border adventures to rural Cambodia and speedboat journeys to Phnom Penh, Chau Doc is a sleepy border town surrounded by the Mekong Delta’s fruit farms and rice fields. Explore the sleepy canals and mangrove forests by rowboat and meet local families who make rice paper and coconut candy. Don’t miss the floating market in the early morning, when local growers take to the river with their boats piled high with oranges, dragon fruit, bananas and sweet potatoes.
Imagine staying at a private estate where it’s just you and your loved ones surrounded by endless rice fields and quiet walking trails that lead to villages and temples hidden in the countryside near Chiang Rai and the Golden Triangle of northern Thailand.
This is Pa Sak Tong Estate, an exclusive retreat featuring two villas and three cottages, nestled among well-tended gardens with streams, lotus flowers, koi fish ponds, working rice fields and resident water buffalo. A team of private butlers takes care of your every need, while the chef prepares meals using organic produce from the garden and neighboring farms, serving you in the villa, garden pavilion or other unique settings around the estate.
“Beyond the incredible service and stunning setting, the beauty of Pa Sak Tong Estate is the opportunity to explore the surrounding villages and countryside where there are no other tourists around. This is the real Thailand,” say Nia Donovan, A&K Sales Manager in Bangkok. “From having a personal blessing by the abbot at a small mountain top temple, to a walk through nearby tea and pineapple plantations, to visiting a family who cares for a rescued elephant, every experience we arrange is exclusive and personalized to the guests’ interests.”
Last year Pa Sak Tong collaborated with Chef Kong, a renowned Thai culinary master who opened his new Locus Native Food Lab, an intimate 12-seat dining venue focusing on locally sourced tasting menus, next to the estate. Typically booked out months in advance, A&K guests at Pa Sak Tong can enjoy priority seating during their stay.
Pa Sak Tong Estate accommodates 2-18 guests. Contact us to find out how you can make the most of your stay and combine your experience with private A&K touring.
Myanmar: On 1 February 2021, Myanmar experienced a military coup d’etat. Control of the elected civilian-led government was handed to a Senior General and a State of Emergency was declared for one year. Our Abercrombie & Kent Myanmar team members are all safe and we want to thank everyone for the many messages of support. We continue to monitor the situation closely.
Thailand and Vietnam: First shipments of vaccine were received this week.
Indonesia: Vaccine rollout has started with a priority given to the popular tourist island of Bali with the hopes to re-start tourism soon.
Singapore: The city-state has announced policy providers for COVID insurance coverage, though no re-opening date yet announced. Singapore is the most progressive with vaccine rollout in the region having secured enough for 100% of their population (6M). Vaccinations are under way with hotel and airline industry workers considered frontline workers.
Regional: Read more on Southeast Asia’s vaccine purchase and plans.
Follow our new A&K Southeast Asia Linkedin page for regular updates.
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For more information about anything you have seen in this newsletter, contact us:
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