Asian Travel Blog

It is said that Emirates Palace was and still is the most expensive hotel ever built, and here are a few more interesting facts about Abu Dhabi’s wonderful iconic landmark, which will make you want to stay there for a few days, and enjoy some time in the United Arab Emirates:

The building has over 114 impressive domes that rise up to 60m in the air and glisten in the sun, resembling pure gold. Additionally, 35,000 square metres of thirteen different types of marble have been used from all over the world.

Talking of gold, 5kg of 24 carat edible gold is used every month on decorating Palace pastries and chocolates. This includes Delice du Palace, and 400 slices of this famous chocolate cake are consumed on average every day!

The Emirates Palace has a magnificent 1,002 Swarovski glittering crystal chandeliers, and 20,000 roses are used everyday to decorate the hotel to perfection.

Sayad is the first restaurant in Abu Dhabi to introduce Pacific Rim cuisine, that unique combination of food inspired by the techniques and flavours of the countries that make up Asia, and the other countries that border the Pacific Ocean.

“Gateway to Arabia” is the most popular spa treatment at the Anantara spa within The Emirates Palace. It is an indulgent celebration of the Moroccan hammam, and costs around £175, lasting 3 hours and 15 minutes.

Emirates Palace employs around 2,600 members of staff who are members of approximately 50 different nationalities. This means that there are around 3 members of staff per guest!

The hotel pampers its guests with a vast array of little luxuries such as ‘bath caviar’ and Prada beauty products in all suites.

See you in Abu Dhabi!

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When considering travelling in India by rail, it is worth bearing in mind that even long distances such as Bombay to Delhi, or Delhi to Varanasi, can be covered more time-effectively than flying, using the overnight sleeper trains. The trains are comfortable too, provided you don’t pick the cheapest class of all – and even that can be fun. In terms of comfort, on its main lines the Indian railways now have carriages with air conditioning and tinted windows, instead of the old compartment carriages with open windows. If you still want to travel with the good views, open windows and heat, then you need to go second class - then you can still enjoy sitting on the steps with the door open, watching the world go by.

If you are planning on using the railways in India as part of your trip, it is well worth doing some research beforehand, which is pretty straightforward as there is an absolute mine of information available on the web. In this respect, once again it’s hats off to Mark Smith, aka known as The Man in Seat Sixty-One. His website has loads of information on trains and railways worldwide, not just India. Next up, take a look at the travel forum India Mike, which has info on all aspects of travel in India.

One recommended journey to take is a route that crosses the southern part of the Indian peninsula, from coast to coast, from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal, a journey of less than 500 kilometres. You can journey either way, starting in Chennai or in Kerala.

If you feel that independent travel is not for you, and you fancy going with an established tour operator, then you could try Explore who offer a delightful two week guided railway journey across northern India from Kolkata to Amritsar, taking in the Taj Mahal and the Red Fort at Agra on the way.

Either way, the Indian railways offer a great experience, and a safe and inexpensive way to get about this vast and varied subcontinent.

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You only have to see the BBC’s excellent programme “Monsoon Railway” to realise something of the intricacy, human background, impressiveness and efficiency of India’s railways. Monsoon Railway tells the stories of some of the ordinary people who travel and work on these railways, that for the last 150 years have driven social and economic development in the country, providing an essential service to the billion-strong population who depend on it.

If you really want to see something of the true India, the railways are a fantastic way to get around the country, providing an insight into aspects of Indian life that you will not get from planes and tourbuses. With 63,000 kilometres of rail routes and 6,800 stations, the railway network in India is the third biggest in the world after Russia and China, and certainly the biggest in the world in terms of passenger kilometres. Indian Railways are also the world’s biggest employer, with over 1.5 million staff. In Britain, half a century or more ago, they used to say that if you got a job on the railways, you had a job for life, and this probably remains true today in India.

The Indian railways are a safe, inexpensive and friendly way to get about. In fact many inveterate travellers to India believe that no visit to this vast and diverse country is complete without the experience of travelling on the trains, negotiating the bustling urban Indian railway stations, and seeing the small country stations, where the hawkers have baskets of guavas, bananas and and other good things to sell.

In my next post we will take a look at Indian railways in more detail.

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Lying off the southern tip of India, the romantic chain of coral islands known as the Maldives, offer aquamarine waters, with gentle waves lapping at soft white sand, and the ultimate in relaxing get-away-from-it-all holidays.

So if you are in need of exactly such a retreat, this month saw the opening of The Beach House on the small holiday island of Manafaru, a beautiful five-star Maldivian resort, which offers privacy, luxury and service.

The lush, green island of Manafaru is at the most northerly tip of the Maldives, in the lagoon-ringed clear waters of the Haa Alifu Atoll.

The Beach House is composed of sixty-eight beautifully designed contemporary thatched villas, offering style, elegance and simplicity, as well as up-to-the-minute technology, such as iPod hookups, high speed internet, LCD TV’s, espresso bars, and luxury in the form of king-size beds, private pools and rather magnificent open air bathrooms. Each villa also has an outdoor dining area, and there are even water villas with glass-panelled floors, and beach villas where you get your own heavenly private beach.

And as well as swimming and relaxing, there is a club house where you can enjoy a 32 inch LCD TV, games consoles, a golf simulator, and even an amazing bungee trampoline where you can jump to incredible heights. Naturally, being on an island in the middle of the Indian Ocean you will probably want to try out some of the watersports available, so take your pick of wind surfing, catamarans, canoes and pedal boats – all non-motorised to maintain the island as a peaceful retreat. But if something a bit more motorised is you thing, then fear not, you can be whisked across to another island for a spot of jet skiing, water skiing, wake boarding and banana boat riding. Really, you can’t fail to have fun here.

The Beach House also has its own spa where you can ease the stresses and strains away with caviar and pearl facials, and host of other healthful and invigorating treatments.

On top of all this, let’s not forget food - The Beach House has three gourmet restaurants, and its very own wine cellar.

Tempted? If you are in the UK, Abercrombie & Kent offer 7 nights at The Beach House at Manafaru from £1,779 per person, based on B&B in a Beach Villa with Plunge Pool, and that includes economy flights with Sri Lankan Airlines, return airport transfers and all taxes.

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