Condé Nast Traveller's pick of the best new hotels in the world
July-August 2016
This megawatt, all-American powerhouse is shaking up the way we experience one of Europe's greatest and most overcrowded cities. It's all about dipping in and out: overdose on gelato then retreat to the peaceful private island Isola delle Rose, 20 minutes from St Mark's Square by motorboat. [...]

Soneva Kiri, Thailand
April 2016
Way out on the eastern side of the Gulf of Thailand is the wild island of Koh Kood, with rainforest, waterfalls and mangrove tangles. And in the middle of this jungly spot is the extraordinary Soneva Kiri. Spread over 150 acres, it has 35 enormous villas with free-form infinity pools, round-the-clock butler service and electric buggies buzzing between the beach [...]

Slow boat to Thailand’s temple cities
February 14, 2015
My guide Ling told me that when Thais come to Ayutthaya and Sukhothai , they aim to visit nine temples in one day. “The word nine sounds like the word for progress,” she said, “and they think a quick tour of nine temples might bring them more money.” [...]

Thoroughly Modern Hansar, Bangkok
July 2012
You might imagine that this cool boutique hotel, squeezed between behemoths the Four Seasons and the recently opened St Regis, would be daunted by its big-name neighbours. Not so. [...]

Koh Samui grows up
Spring 2012
Swapping hostels for swish villas and public beaches for private pontoons, Michelle Jana Chan discovers that Thailand’s party island is attracting flashpackers as well as backpackers. [...]

Travel Guide 2012
January 2012
A family of warthogs trot through the pretty gardens. Beyond the fence are rare Rothschild giraffes. The sun dips over the Ngong Hills. [...]

The best (and worst) of 2011
Winter 2011-2012
After months of trying to get a visa into Myanmar, I finally found myself walking through the airport in Rangoon. It was raining outside but I was euphoric. I had long tried to visit Myanmar -- but even when applying for a tourist visa this is tough for a journalist. [...]

Stylish retreat in Thailand's backpacker paradise
October 15, 2011
It was raining as I landed on the island of Koh Samui, but in spite of the unseasonal weather the driver who fetched me was so enthusiastic about the new hotel and the island where he lived I barely noticed the thunderous clouds looming on the horizon. On arriving at Banyan Tree, Chutima, my "personal villa host", fast-tracked my check-in [...]

Asian elegance delivered on a silver platter
October 1, 2011
Guests sweep up the driveway into a grand ground-level hall before taking the lift up to the 12th-floor lobby; the transition might dilute some urban buzz but it does build on the sense of exclusivity. Upstairs it is all about the outstanding views with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the 110-year-old Royal Bangkok Sports Club [...]

Koh Samui's coolest party zone
September 10, 2011
A shimmering, oversized "W" greets guests in the forecourt, followed by interactive digital floor projections that follow your feet as you walk towards the lobby. And what a lobby. A striking open space with circular seating sunk into the infinity pool and a library of fashion and design coffee-table books. [...]

Strange but true
June 2011
One of the world's best therapies but not for the faint-hearted: chi nei tsang is a deep abdominal massage embedded in Taoist philosophy. Lots of people find it too hard on the soft organs and overpowering emotionally. [...]

Hot List Hotels 2011
May 2011
The city's former prison is now a pleasurable place to be locked up. Transformed into 23 smartly designed suites, this hotel has a central pillared courtyard and an elegant colonial feel—whitewashed walls, wilting eaves, shuttered windows in gunmetal gray. Only the two corner watchtowers suggest a penitentiary, though there is a whiff of institutional austerity [...]

Thailand floods: stranded tourists criticise lack of information
March 31, 2011
Instead of golden beaches and romantic sunsets, stranded visitors were sharing photographs of flooded hotel lobbies and landslides. As rescue efforts get underway in flood-hit Thailand, Michelle Jana Chan speaks to tourists caught up in the chaos... [...]

Bangkok in the Slow Lane
September 22, 2010
I still have memories of old Bangkok from my first trip here 25 years ago. Temples as places of worship rather than tourist attractions. Floating markets where traders bartered fresh produce they had grown... [...]

Hot List Hotels 2010
May 2010
Not since the last sultan's palace has there been anything so stylish on this fabled east African isle... Amantaka, Luang Prabang, Laos : a clever conversion of Luang Prabang's old provincial hospital has created the most luxurious property in the country. [...]

After The Beach: swimming with Leo
March 16, 2010
We like our paradises with pest control and pampering. But what has changed in the past decade is that fewer of us want to holiday at the expense of the environment or local culture... Ten years after the release of the film The Beach, Michelle Jana Chan heads to Thailand... [...]

Thailand: The Beach revisited
February 19, 2010
We like our paradises with pest control and pampering. But what has changed in the past decade is that fewer of us want to holiday at the expense of the environment or local culture... Ten years after the release of the film The Beach, Michelle Jana Chan heads to Thailand... [...]

Capturing The Niche
May 14, 2007
Travelers are seeking focused, meaningful trips—and tour operators are happy to comply. Claire Hurren is not interested in spending her vacation lying on a beach, shopping or museum hopping. She doesn't even want to go on safari. [...]