Author Archive for Chinmoy Lad

Amansara - Car

Special feature: Amansara, Siem Reap, Cambodia

Siem Reap in Cambodia draws in more than four million tourists a year, which is four times more than a decade ago. And tourists and travelers alike are all there to see one thing: Angkor Wat. The ancient temples and complex of Angkor, set on the outskirts of Siem Reap, are by far the country’s
Special feature: Aman-i-Khas, Ranthambore, Rajasthan, India

Special feature: Aman-i-Khas, Ranthambore, Rajasthan, India

Once we had cleared the sprawling madness of the city of Gurgaon, which took an hour and a half, the remainder of the six-hour drive from our hotel to southern Rajasthan was surprisingly pleasant, albeit long, crossing through open expanses of agriculture and the rolling hills of the Aravali Range, along with the occasional quaint
Special feature: Amanbagh, Rajasthan, India

Special feature: Amanbagh, Rajasthan, India

Departing Aman-i-Khas in Ranthambore, we drove nearly four hours north to Aman‘s other Indian outpost, Amanbagh, set at the foothills of the Aravali Range, a lush, green landscape in otherwise arid Rajasthan. Recent improvements in Indian infrastructure have made this hotel slightly more accessible than before, now only a two-hour drive from the Rajasthani capital city of
Imperial Springs Villa C

Short stay: Imperial Springs, Conghua, China

Where do China’s elite go for a holiday within China? We previously covered a “new luxury resort in China that is bigger than Monaco”. The 2.8 million square metre estate of Imperial Springs actually opened privately years ago to friends of the owner and the political and business elite; it is only in late 2015
Special feature: Amanpulo, Palawan, Philippines

Special feature: Amanpulo, Palawan, Philippines

Palawan in the Philippines has recently rocketed to the top of many travellers’ wishlists after being consistently featured in several travel publications as “the best island in the world”. While it is only recently that this ecologically diverse region of Philippines has gained prominence, the world’s foremost luxury resort group Aman clearly recognised the beauty of Palawan
Trisara Beach

Special feature: Trisara, Phuket, Thailand

There are many faces to Phuket. What started off as a backpacker hippy heaven now offers much more. Trisara is one of the island’s best exponents of the very opposite end of this scale – ultimate luxury, where privacy and minimalist elegance are complemented by a spectacular location. The resorted was opened in 2006 by one
Amankila arrival

Special feature: Amankila, Bali, Indonesia

Bali is a curious destination. An island of nearly 6,000 square kilometres featuring incredible geographical contrasts, and culturally at odds with the larger nation in which it resides, Bali is known the world over as a spiritual getaway. But the island of Bali is disturbed; rampant commercialism, consumerism and development in the Bukit Peninsula, a
Short stay: Mandarin Oriental, San Francisco, California, USA

Short stay: Mandarin Oriental, San Francisco, California, USA

Housed in a decidedly commercial building, the Mandarin Oriental San Francisco might, at first glance, lack the character of some of the city’s other finer hotels, but, with a traditionally warm smile housed in the chain’s Asian roots, infused with the calmly unique nature of this fine American city, the hotel retains not only a very
Short stay: The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco, California, USA

Short stay: The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco, California, USA

There is something about grand finance buildings built in the late-19th and early-20th century, later reconverted into luxury hotels, that just brings out the best of architecture. The Ritz-Carlton, San Francisco, located in upscale Nob Hill and opened in 1991 following an extensive renovation, is no different. Perched atop one of the city’s most famous
Short stay: Taj Campton Place, San Francisco, USA

Short stay: Taj Campton Place, San Francisco, USA

San Francisco has many unique districts, but its beating heart is the small square-ish block of Union Square. Pitting luxe designer stores against boutique outfits, high-end restaurants against cafes, delis and brasseries, and art galleries against museums, the centre is abuzz with tourists and locals alike; and smack-bang in the middle of the Union Square
Special feature: Andara Resort & Villas, Phuket, Thailand

Special feature: Andara Resort & Villas, Phuket, Thailand

Commonly referred to as ‘Millionaire’s Mile’ in Phuket, Thailand, the Kamala headland that juts out westward comprising the areas of Surin and Kamala is justifiably nicknamed such for the slew of luxurious resorts and private villas that dot the coast. Andara Resort & Villas epitomises the best of upscale Kamala and Phuket, with a series
Special feature: Amanfayun, Hangzhou, China

Special feature: Amanfayun, Hangzhou, China

When Marco Polo visited the ancient Chinese city and former capital of the Song dynasty of Hangzhou in the late 13th century, he christened the city: “beyond dispute the finest and noblest in the world.” Part of an old Chinese saying transliterated reads: “there is paradise in heaven, on earth there is Hangzhou,” marking Hangzhou as
Special feature: Sheraton Macao Hotel, Macau

Special feature: Sheraton Macao Hotel, Macau

In Macau, the Las Vegas of the East, bigger is better. Going by that simple judgement, the 3,896 room Sheraton Macao Hotel on the Cotai Strip, the largest Sheraton in the world, is one of the city’s top hotels. But there is more to this sprawling behemoth than meets the eye. Underneath the overlapping layers
Special feature: W Retreat and Spa, Maldives

Special feature: W Retreat and Spa, Maldives

They tell you the Maldives is beautiful; they undersell it! In short, the W Retreat and Spa, Maldives is the ultimate Maldives experience: exactly how you imagined it – days, months, weeks, or even years before finally making your virgin trip over. As we were transferring from a sister Starwood resort, we were dropped off at Malé airport,
Special feature: Intercontinental Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Special feature: Intercontinental Hong Kong, Hong Kong

As you pass through its doors to the lobby and gaze upon the view through the ceiling-high windows at the distance, there is no doubt what the main attraction at the Intercontinental Hong Kong is. Sitting on a protruding promenade in Kowloon, the hotel is in a prime position to view Hong Kong Island as it