The original article was published by TheTimes.com. Read HERE.

Writer: Lee Cobaj

 

From heritage hotels in Thailand to unique beach retreats in Indonesia, Lee Cobaj picks her favourite hideaways — from £41 a night

Istay at a lot of luxury hotels, reviewing between 30 and 40 a year, mostly around Asia as I live in Hong Kong. This isn’t something that I would ever complain about (I realise how fortunate I am to have a job I love) but if I did have a niggle, it’s that a lot of the big luxury brands aren’t terribly creative or original. They often have a formula that works — starchitect designers, inoffensive decor, a curated art collection, a restaurant run by a celebrity chef and an opulent spa — but it’s a modus operandi that inevitably becomes familiar. And what is familiar inevitably becomes, well, sometimes a bit dull.

There are exceptions, of course, but when I look back it tends to be the stays in boutique properties that I remember most vividly. The far-flung resort surrounded by rice fields on Sumba, Indonesia, built entirely from bamboo. That little place in Luang Prabang, Laos, which monks would stroll past unhindered by five-star security. The slick Kuala Lumpur boutique brought to life by a collective of like-minded creatives. The beach resort on the south central coast of Vietnam with way more verve than the £1,000-a-night joint down the road. The remote beachside yoga retreat in Bali that had a resident ghost (a benevolent policeman who would sing in the night). The stylish river retreat in rural Thailand with its own long tail boat and just the local village for neighbours, or Bangkok’s most flamboyant hotel with its spicy opium den interiors.

Without big brand budgets, independently owned properties often spread by word of mouth making it tricker for most people to find those wonderful small hotels that sing with authenticity. To help you find the best, here’s our pick of the best 25 boutique hotels in the region — covering Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Indonesia.

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Hotel Tugu, Lombok

The owner of this dreamy beach resort on the northwest coast of Lombok is one of the most prolific collectors of Indonesian art and antiquities in the country. Much of the collection has gone into Hotel Tugu, which is part hotel, part living museum: winged serpents soar along rooftops, Javanese puppets dance through the lobby and fantastical doorways lead to secret gardens. Each of its 35 rooms and villas is uniquely decorated but they all have reclaimed teak floors, carved wooden beds and a fabulous array of arts and crafts. Elsewhere there’s a perfect white beach, a 200-year-old temple and a huge swimming pool, plus two rather romantic restaurants and a bar perfect for sunset drinks.

Details Seven nights’ B&B from £1,949pp, including flights, transfers and a massage (kuoni.com).