And the grandparents came too
August 2016
For a proper take-to-the-high-seas-me-hearties adventure, opt for Tiger Blue, a traditional jaw-dropper of an Indonesian phones that sleeps 10. Inside, it’s all cool Balinese style (including child-friendly cabins), while outside are sprawling decks, billowing sails and outdoor beds for those who wish to sleep beneath the stars. [...]

The ultimate guide to Indonesia's best islands
March 27, 2016
We all know of Bali, of course. From backpackers on a budget to well-heeled honeymooners, solitary spa junkies and family holidaymakers, tourists come here in their millions. But there are 17,000 other islands in Indonesia, an archipelago that straddles the Equator and spans 3,000 miles from east to west – a distance greater than that from London to Moscow. [...]

Underwater Love
July 2015
The fish around here know how special they are. They shimmer and glow and sparkle like stars in their own biopic, performing in the spotlight of crepuscular sunrays. There’s the arresting electric-blue giti damselfish with its flash yellow tail, the alluring doe-eyed, deep reef cardinalfish, and the jamal’s dottyback with aqua-rimmed eyes as startling as Daniel Craig’s. [...]

The Gold Standard 2015
February 2015
Amanwana, Indonesia. It’s simple, yes, but don’t be fooled. The restaurant may not have a Michelin star and there isn’t even a fancy spa, but this retreat east of Bali is everything a perfectly-formed island escape should be. Twenty tents furnished in hardwoods, canvas, coconut and coral are pitched next to a beach lapped by the best water in the world to explore [...]

Neighbourhood on the Up: Jalan Benda, Jakarta
December 2014
Like the exotic fruit that it’s nicknamed after, the city known as the Big Durian has a bad rep, but abandon the car, beat the crazy traffic and you’ll discover this peach of a thriving boho hub. [...]

Infinite charms: why we keep going back to Bali
Onctober 15, 2012
Natural riches and a robust, timeless culture have given Bali the strength to rebuild a thriving tourist scene since a bomb struck Kuta in 2002, writes Michelle Jana Chan. [...]

Bali: ten years after the terror
September 12, 2012
Bali's natural riches and robust, timeless culture have given it the strength to rebuild a thriving tourist scene since a bomb struck Kuta in 2002. [...]

Sexy fish
July 2012
There is a very special spot off remote north-west Bali where petite schools of delightful mandarin fish, about the size of a Nemo, congregate at sunset to do a glorious flirty courtship dance. The lady plays it coy, hiding between the coral branches. [...]

Sunrise at the summit
March 10, 2012
The Indonesian archipelago, a region susceptible to tectonic activity, is part of the so-called "Pacific Ring of Fire", a chain of beautiful and dramatic islands with cone-shaped peaks and fertile green fields enriched by mineral deposits and interspersed by stretches of solidified lava flows. [...]

The quiet achiever
March 10, 2012
"Crowds came to watch when this airport first opened," a local businessman tells me. "Families brought picnics and spent the day here. Some had not even seen a plane before. They cheered every time one landed." [...]

Bali without the crowds
February 13, 2011
It does not have the fabled image of Indonesia's more popular island Bali but, as Michelle Jana Chan points out, neighbouring Lombok has better beaches and far fewer tourists. [...]

Only The Boldest
May 23, 2003
Stretching the idea of off-season travel to extreme new levels, they're defying the geopolitical elements in places like Syria, Zimbabwe and Bali. Suzana Iorga has a secret vacation hideaway. It's called Syria. She and her husband, a French diplomat based in Cairo, fell in love with the country last summer on their first holiday trip there. [...]