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20 Seaside Lodgings For Less
From New Zealand to Srilanka we've scoured the region for 20 affordable beach resorts where style and value meet just steps from the sand. All are priced at less than $250 a night in the low season, guaranteeing that you'll stay out of the red when going into the blue
Wild at Heart
A short ferry ride from the South Australian mainland, Kangaroo Island is a world unto itself: windswept beaches, rugged bushland, wide-open vistas, and a veritable menagerie of marsupials. Add to that luxury lodges and a bounty of gourmet produce, and it’s no wonder more andmore travelers are making landfall here
Plotting a New Course
With its go-go bars and katoey cabarets, Pattaya is as brazen as beach towns come in Thailand. But can an upsurge in holidaying families and luxury-hotel development bring some good clean fun to this notorious Sodom-by-the-Sea?
Kowloon Calling
Often overshadowed by the island across the harbor, Kowloon is fast shedding its “dark side” image as new businesses and cultural projects transform the peninsula into one of Hong Kong’s most vibrant districts
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In the heart of Siem Reap, only 15 minutes’ drive from Angkor, the all-suite Sothea (85-56/396-6788; thesothea.com; doubles from US$320) pays tribute to the region’s Khmer heritage in architecture and art. The 39 rooms are appointed with rich fabrics and antiques, and all feature balconies overlooking a pool in the landscaped central courtyard. Alongside a spa, two restaurants, and a cigar-and-wine bar, the hotel offers guests a complimentary minibar and Internet access.
Traveler's Check
Tour operators Unreal Asia (unrealasia.com) have launched cycling trips around China’s Hainan Island. The new tours range from one-day island explorations to 12-day adventure excursions, taking in beaches, rain forests, villages, and more.
Exhibition
Costume Drama
From the catwalk to the stage, French fashion icon Christian Lacroix never fails to ruffle feathers with his brazen designs.
Shopping
Finders Keepers
It used to be a struggle to find stylish souvenirs in Beijing, but the bigger problem now is making room in your case for all the delightfully quirky items on offer.
Design
Musical Chairs
With all the eye-popping art on offer at museums and galleries throughout the South Korean capital, opening a facility devoted wholly to everyday objects sounds like a risky venture.
Game
Tony Tiles
Mahjong has gone from proletarian to posh thanks to the new LV Mahjong Set (louisvuitton.com): 148 bone- and-bamboo tiles, each hand-painted with Chinese characters and emblems interwoven with the Louis Vuitton logo.
Train
Making Tracks
India’s latest luxury rail journey gives you plenty of reasons to get on board.
Arts
Drama Down Under
The architecture is suitably dramatic at Melbourne’s newest arts enclave, where two eye-catching buildings—the Melbourne Recital Centre (melbournerecital.com.au) and the MTC Theatre (mtc.com.au)—have opened side by side on Southbank Boulevard.
Hotels
When it comes to lodgings, Delhi is a world of extremes: there are expensive city hotels and backpacker haunts, but little in between.
Spa
The Sweetest Thing
Dessert-themed treatments offer spa-goers a sugary indulgence, without the guilt. In the Seychelles, Fregate Island Private’s Rock Spa (fregate.com) dishes up the decadence with its 60-minute Chocolate Lovers Bliss.
Resort
Ah, Capella
Occupying hillside grounds on Sentosa Island’s southern tip, the Capella Singapore (capella singapore.com; 65/6377-8888 ; doubles from US$363) has all the trimmings of an ultra-luxury resort with a grand, colonial twist.
Flightgeist
Karma in the Clouds
If you thought squeezing yourself into an Economy Class seat when flying was challenge enough, wait until you try Qatar Airways’ (qatarairways.com) onboard yoga program.
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