1,000 Places to See Before You Die

by Patricia Schultz

  The beach casitas are just steps away from the footprint-free, talcum-powder beach, surely the most dazzling in the Philippines, while other accommodations are tucked into the hills overlooking the ocean. The hillside swimming pool commands spectacular views of the surrounding islands, all framed by the aquamarine, peacock, and turquoise blues of the Sulu Sea.

  WHERE: 223 miles/360 km southwest of Manila. Tel 63/2-976-5200; in the U.S., 800477-9180; www.amanresorts.com. Cost: casitas from $800 (off-peak), from $900 (peak). BEST TIME: Nov–May is the dry season.

  A Last Frontier of Extraordinary Natural Beauty

  PALAWAN

  Philippines

  At the heart of this 1,760-island archipelago is a 270-mile-long sliver of island known as Palawan. Stretching all the way to the tip of Borneo in the south, and bordered by the Sulu Sea to the east and the South China Sea to the west, it rightly promotes itself as the Philippines’ Last Frontier.

  The island’s prized west coast, clad in rain forest, is virtually untouched save for a smattering of small coastal communities. Off the northwest tip lies Palawan’s showpiece: the Bacuit Archipelago. Rivaling Guilin in China, and Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay (see pp. 486 and 632) for sheer dramatic seascape, these 40 islands feature deserted white sand beaches surrounding jagged limestone outcroppings that soar hundreds of feet into the air. Idyllic days are spent island-hopping in a bangka (a traditional outrigger canoe), swimming, snorkeling, sea kayaking, and sunbathing.

  The humble town of El Nido offers front-row access to Bacuit Bay’s offshore wonders, and its cluster of small hotels makes a convenient base. Alternatives include one of a handful of exclusive resorts built on private islands. At conservation-minded Miniloc Island Resort, you can kayak into hidden lagoons ringed by cliffs on which swiftlets build nests using their own saliva. (El Nido is named after these nests, which are considered an aphrodisiac and are an ingredient in a soup delicacy found in much of Asia.) Get there early in the morning and you’ll have the lagoons all to yourself. Nearby, the even more eco-chic sister property, the Lagen Island Resort, features romantic over-water bungalows.

  On the east coast of Palawan, the provincial capital of Puerto Princesa is the jumping-off point for tours of Subterranean River National Park, home to one of the world’s longest navigable underground rivers. Experienced divers can explore the uniquely rich Coral Triangle ecosystem in the Tubbataha Reefs, a protected marine reserve 12 hours southeast by boat. Live-aboard dive trips are the only way to experience these remote, world-class waters surrounding two atolls that teem with six varieties of sharks, as well as rays, endangered turtles, and iridescent schools of fish.

  The town of El Nido looks out onto the limestone cliffs of the Bacuit Archipelago.

  WHERE: El Nido is 148 miles/238 km northwest of Puerto Princesa, both serviced by ferries from Manila. EL NIDO RESORTS: Tel 63/2-894-5644; www.elnidoresorts.com. Cost: Miniloc from $350; Lagen from $550. HOW: ABC Diving offers live-aboard trips to the Tubbataha reefs. www.abcdive.com; info@ abcdive.com. Cost: 6-night trip $825, all-inclusive. Originates in Puerto Princesa. BEST TIME: Feb–May for driest weather.

  Heaven in a Former Backpacker Haven

  BORACAY

  Visayas, Philippines

  They say the powdery soft sand here is so white that it glows at night and turns pink when it reflects the sunset. Though Boracay Island is no longer the drowsy backwater it used to be, its White Beach remains the crown jewel of Philippine tourism and the country’s most famous image. The 4-square-mile-long island is also known for its kite surfing, windsurfing, and diving—there are over 20 dive sites all a short boat ride away. Today’s international visitors come for family fun as well as nightlife that lasts well into the small hours.

  Boracay’s subtle metamorphosis from backpacker haven in the 1970s to one of Southeast Asia’s trendy destinations was sealed with the arrival of resorts such as the Shangri-La Boracay Resort and Spa, set on 20 acres in a secluded cove. It’s just minutes from White Beach and its round-the-clock offerings, but feels a world away. Or choose the stylish cliff-top accommodations with turquoise-water views at the Nami Resort, set high above Diniwid Beach.

  Visitors rarely venture beyond Boracay to see the sprawling central chain of islands known as the Visayas (or to other parts of the country, for that matter). Southeast of here is the island of Panay, a microcosm of what is most alluring about the Philippines. Colonial-era churches with Baroque flourishes are dilapidated but still in use, dominating many of the small plazas along the rugged coastline. In vibrant Iloilo City, the Spanish empire’s last capital in Asia, local families line up for dinner at the all-you-can-eat, open-air beachside buffet restaurants of Arevelo, just west of the city center. To the north is the rocky Bulabog Puti-An National Park, with plenty of routes for climbers and trekkers, and rough roads that lead to Panay’s rural areas, where life still follows traditional rhythms.

  WHERE: 215 miles/345 km south of Manila. SHANGRI-LA RESORT AND SPA: Tel 63/36-288-4988; www.shangri-la.com. Cost: from $400. NAMI RESORT: Tel 63/36-2886753; www.namiresorts.com. Cost: from $175. BEST TIMES: Oct–Jun for nicest weather and best diving conditions; Jan for carnival-like Ati-Atihan Festival in Kalibo, on the north coast of Panay.

  A City-State’s Extreme Makeover

  THE NEW FACE OF SINGAPORE

  Singapore

  The nation of Singapore, the second smallest in Asia, has seen more than its fair share of makeovers. Having evolved from an obscure, sparsely populated island crawling with tigers to a scruffy port city in the 19th century, it transformed itself again after declaring independence from Malaysia in 1965 into what it is today: the squeaky-clean economic heavyweight of Southeast Asia. Its recent bold plan: to create an equatorial Las Vegas, where glamorous casinos, trendy bars, late-night discos, and outdoor restaurants aim to appeal to both residents (the country boasts the world’s highest percentage of millionaires) and visitors, who will hopefully feel enticed to linger longer.

  Two new glamorous resorts, combining hotels, entertainment, and casinos, lure both families and high rollers looking to risk a few colorful Singapore dollars. Designed by U.S.-based Moshe Safdie, the spectacular Marina Bay Sands stands right on the edge of the city and within easy walking distance of the financial center. It was an instant landmark when it opened in 2010, sweeping into the air with three futuristic 57-story hotel towers joined at the top by the Sands Sky Park, a cantilevered platform as big as three football fields. The aerial perch is home to some of the city’s trendiest restaurants, highlighted by Sky on 57, where native chef Justin Quek puts a modern twist on classic Singaporean dishes. You’ll find breathtaking 360-degree vistas at floating nightclubs, an observation deck, and an infinity swimming pool that is three times Olympic length and the longest elevated swimming pool in the world.

  Resorts World Sentosa sits closer to earth, blissfully isolated on a small, picturesque, and formerly sleepy island off southern Singapore, 10 minutes from downtown. With its massive aquarium, the region’s only Universal Studios and a maritime museum in the works, it prides itself on being the more family friendly of the two resorts. Both have a raft of celebrity chefs from across the world (from Mario Batali and Guy Savoy to Tetsuya Wakuda and Joël Robuchon) and more than 1,800 hotel rooms each. Pint-size as it may be, this city-state is out to make a splash.

  Survey the city from the infinity pool atop the Marina Bay Sands.

  MARINA BAY SANDS: Tel 65/6688-8868; www.marinabaysands.com. Cost: from $275; dinner at Sky on 57 $75. RESORTS WORLD SENTOSA: Tel 65/6577-8899; www.rwsentosa.com. Cost: from $275. BEST TIMES: Mar–Oct for nicest weather; May–Jun for Singapore Arts Festival; Aug 9 for National Day; Sep for Grand Prix; New Year’s Eve.

  Colonial Time Travel

  RAFFLES HOTEL AND THE E&O EXPRESS

  Singapore

  Despite Singapore’s full-throttle thrust toward the future and determination to be the epitome of cool, visitors who have their fill of modernity can still glimpse prized vesti
ges of its colonial past amid the malls and cutting-edge hotels. Its dignified Singapore Cricket Club lies smack in the middle of the city. And Raffles, arguably the world’s best-known hotel, is one of Singapore’s most iconic sites. With its landscaped palm and frangipani trees, magnificent white façade, and antiques-filled rooms with 14-foot ceilings, the place “stands for all the fables of the exotic East,” or so wrote Somerset Maugham. The impeccably renovated hotel was founded in 1887 and has only gotten better with age. Still a magnet for well-heeled travelers and the merely curious, it’s become as much a tourist attraction as it is a place to stay.

  Maugham liked his Million Dollar Cocktail in the hotel’s Writers Bar (Joseph Conrad and Rudyard Kipling frequented this watering hole too), though most visitors today head for the Long Bar, where the Singapore Sling was invented in 1915; more than 2,000 of the sweet pink concoctions are made here daily and cost what you’d pay for a full meal at any of the city’s hawker centers (see below).

  Another remnant of more opulent times is the Eastern & Oriental Express train, evoking Asia’s colonial age with its small but elegant compartments, stewarded tea service, formal meals, and evening cocktails in the piano bar. The luxurious hotel-on-wheels travels from Singapore up the Malay Peninsula through rubber and palm plantations to Bangkok (see p. 621), with stops along the way—to take a trishaw ride through old Penang (see p. 609) or a visit to the bridge over the River Kwai. Golden pagodas roll by your window as you travel through the dense, damp jungle. From the observation car, you’ll catch glimpses of country life: rice paddies dotted with toiling farmers, plows drawn by water buffalo, waving children from thatch-roofed villages. After making the 1,200-mile, 2-night journey, you’ll want to spend time in Bangkok, Thailand’s City of Angels. Then hop back onboard to experience a journey along one of the Eastern & Oriental Express’s other routes, such as the 7-day Epic Thailand run, which takes you from Bangkok through Thailand’s rural northeast region then up to Chiang Mai (see p. 624) for temple touring and elephant rides.

  RAFFLES HOTEL: Tel 65/6337-1886; in the U.S., 800-768-9009; www.raffles.com. Cost: from $475 (off-peak), from $695 (peak). EASTERN & ORIENTAL EXPRESS: Tel 65/63923500; in the U.S., 800-524-2420; www.orient-express.com. Cost: 3-day journeys from Singapore to Bangkok or reverse from $2,440, all-inclusive. BEST TIME: Mar–Oct for coolest and driest weather.

  Where Dining Is King

  SINGAPORE’S STREET FOOD

  Singapore

  It’s no wonder that eating (even more than shopping) is Singapore’s favorite pastime—the city may well be the best place on earth for sampling the astonishing variety of Asia’s many cuisines, which you can do with pleasure at a plethora of food stalls. In fact, the wealth of street food isn’t sold on the street at all these days. This being tidy and well-organized Singapore, sidewalk vendors have been relocated to government-regulated “hawker centers”; by some accounts, there are over 100 of these open-air food courts. Day and night, locals and visitors, dignitaries and cabdrivers gather at stalls (all subject to stringent health inspection) that offer a staggering array of dishes.

  Here in the tropical heat, amid the din of clanging trays and the shouted orders and the smells of fermented fish paste, ginger, and curry is a gastronomic and cultural experience that can be had only in Singapore. Malay, Indonesian, Indian, and Chinese dishes—and the unique local Peranakan, a blend of Chinese and Malaysian traditions—bump up against each other. Enjoy Sri Lankan chili crab or simple, flavorful Hainanese chicken rice alongside your nasi goring (fried rice) or roti martabak (thin, crepelike flatbread stuffed with meat and rice and served with curry). If you’re feeling adventurous, top it off with some notoriously smelly but delicious durian fruit for dessert.

  Every Singaporean has his or her own favorite hawker center, many of which are located out of town in large housing developments. Reliably good, the centrally located Newton Circus is the most famous, most touristy, and most expensive; the Maxwell Road cluster is just as conveniently located but still attracts a fair share of loyal locals who consider it the best in the city. The renovated multistoried Chinatown Complex Food Center offers the chance to sample dozens of different (mostly southern Chinese) dishes, all ideally accompanied by a cold Tiger beer.

  INFO: www.myhawkers.sg. NEWTON CIRCUS: Newton Circus at Clemenceau Rd., near the Newton MRT. MAXWELL ROAD HAWKER CENTER: Maxwell Rd. at South Bridge Rd., near the Outram Park MRT. CHINATOWN COMPLEX FOOD CENTER: near the Outram Park MRT. HOW: Makansutra offers a variety of 4-hour food tours. Tel 65/6438-4038; www.makansutra.com. Cost:$135. BEST TIMES: Mar–Oct for nicest weather; Jul for Singapore Food Festival.

  The Ancient Capital of Siam

  AYUTHAYA

  Thailand

  Once called the “Pearl of the East,” Ayuthaya—the artistic, spiritual, and military center of Southeast Asia—was the capital of Thailand from 1350 until its destruction by marauding Burmese 4 centuries later. Thirty-three kings of various dynasties built hundreds of temples and created thousands of images of Buddha in a city-state that archives claim was one of the richest in the entire region. The city’s destruction in 1767 was so complete that rather than rebuild, the heartbroken king chose to relocate his court to Bangkok, 50 miles downriver, where he would soon build the Grand Palace (see p. 622). Today Ayuthaya’s ruins hint at the city’s former splendor, and visitors with a healthy imagination (and a good guide) will easily grasp its onetime grandeur and importance. While you’re there, check out the former kraal (stockade), where wild elephants were once kept and which is now used to rehabilitate ones that are elderly, injured, or orphaned.

  Ayuthaya is easily and inexpensively reached by road or rail from Bangkok, but a popular day-trip option is to travel on the Chao Phraya River, then return by road. The river has been a vital trade and transport thoroughfare for centuries. Today it provides a fascinating journey between Thailand’s current and former capitals. Various boats take from 1 to 3 days to complete the 100-mile round-trip, and overnight departures usually also include a visit to Bangkok’s Royal Barges Museum. The ornately decorated vessels on display are used in infrequent river processions, such as the one in 2006 for the 60th anniversary of King Bhumibol’s ascension to the Thai throne. The Manohra Song, a lovingly restored 100-year-old teak rice barge, captures a bit of the royal treatment with four beautiful staterooms, and is one of the most luxurious live-aboard boats on the river. Its sister boat, the Manohra Dream, is even more opulent, with just two spacious guest rooms accented with Thai silk pillows and bed coverings.

  A row of silk-draped Buddhas surrounds Wat Yai Chai Mongkol, a meditation site that dates back to 1357.

  WHERE: 50 miles/80 km north of Bangkok. MANOHRA SONG: Tel 66/2-477-0770; www.manohracruises.com. Cost: Manohra Song’s 3-day “Voyage of Kings” from $1,985 (off-peak), from $2,320 (peak), all-inclusive. BEST TIME: Nov–Feb for the cooler dry season.

  Food, Flowers, and a Shopping Frenzy

  BANGKOK’S MARKETS

  Bangkok, Thailand

  You’ll be able to explore only a small part of Chatuchak’s 30 jam-packed, awning-covered acres before your head starts to swim from cultural and visual overload. One of the world’s largest outdoor markets, with an estimated 5,000 merchants ready for business every Saturday and Sunday at 6 A.M., Chatuchak is the ultimate Bangkok shopping experience. It’s a sprawling extravaganza where the rare, the costly, and the unusual are sold side by side with authentic street food, tribal crafts, and counterfeit everything. Heady spices, delicate orchids, and creatures ranging from Siamese kittens to Siamese fighting fish all reinforce being in one of southeast Asia’s most vibrant and compelling cities.

  Stop at one of Chatuchak’s food stalls and you’ll understand why Bangkok is considered one of the world’s great destinations for street food. Sample a plate of pad thai (fried noodles) studded with fresh herbs and peanuts, or brave the zingier chile flavors of som tam, a traditional Northern Thai dish made with shredded green papaya. Those with a sweet toot
h line up for the khao tom ka thi: coconut-infused sticky rice wrapped in a banana leaf.

  If you’re on the hunt for gifts to haul back home, this is your one-stop shopping destination. Traditional silk garments and hand-painted china sell alongside modern housewares, video games, and even computers. It’s a crowded, sense-numbing carnival, teeming with old ladies with sharp elbows, saffron-robed monks, mothers shopping for toys with their children, and suited businessmen buying provisions for dinner.

  Bangkok has another essential market experience: Pak Khlong Talat. Every night of the week around dusk, Pak Khlong’s daytime role as a vegetable market is transformed, and the city’s biggest flower market takes over. Flowers are very important in Thai culture, used to decorate homes and as offerings at neighborhood temples, which explains why growers from around the Thai kingdom converge nightly here to sell mounds of orchids, roses, lotuses, chrysanthemums, and several blooms you’ve probably never seen before. Getting to this riverside market is half the fun if you take one of Bangkok’s buzzing water taxis along the Chao Phraya River. Exit at the Tha Saphan Phuts boat stop, and follow the fragrance of jasmine and crowds of locals through a floating teak pavilion to Pak Khlong’s multi-hued blur. Negotiation and bartering continue until well after midnight.