The Hotel Book : Great Escapes Asia

Among the gems waiting for you in Great Escapes Asia:

– In Kerala, India, choose between luxurious tree houses suspended 25 meters off the ground or futuristic-looking, Star Wars-style houseboats made of bamboo poles, palm leaves, and coconut fibers

– Are you more the resplendent-resort or budget-bungalow type? Find the best of both in Bali

– The best place for a delectable cup of joe: a luxury lodge and spa on a java plantation in (you guessed it) Java

– In the Philippines, an organic resort composed of superimposed huts whose every room affords instant access to the beach via rope ladder

– Tadao Ando’s sprawling minimalist concrete-and-steel hotel attached to the contemporary art museum in Naoshima, Japan–the perfect place to contemplate on the relationship between humans and nature

– An exclusive hotel on a private island in Sri Lanka, once owned by Paul Bowles and frequented by Arthur C. Clarke and Peggy Guggenheim

– Thatched-roof cottages in India whose gardens overflow with mangos, nutmeg, and cardamom

– An Ayurvedic spa in the Himalayas where nothing matters but peace and relaxation

– In Myanmar, an elegant river cruise boat and a hotel on a breathtaking archeological site

– Chairman Mao’s former getaway in Beijing, where you can rent his lavish, traditionally-decorated suite complete with adjoining concubine rooms