Great Escapes Asia

Among the gems waiting for you in Great Escapes Asia:
- In Kerala, India, choose between luxurious tree houses suspended 25 meters off the ground or futuristic-looking, Star Wars-style houseboats made of bamboo poles, palm leaves, and coconut fibers
- Are you more the resplendent-resort or budget-bungalow type? Find the best of both in Bali
- The best place for a delectable cup of joe: a luxury lodge and spa on a java plantation in (you guessed it) Java
- In the Philippines, an organic resort composed of superimposed huts whose every room affords instant access to the beach via rope ladder
- Tadao Ando's sprawling minimalist concrete-and-steel hotel attached to the contemporary art museum in Naoshima, Japan—the perfect place to contemplate on the relationship between humans and nature
- An exclusive hotel on a private island in Sri Lanka, once owned by Paul Bowles and frequented by Arthur C. Clarke and Peggy Guggenheim
- Thatched-roof cottages in India whose gardens overflow with mangos, nutmeg, and cardamom
- An Ayurvedic spa in the Himalayas where nothing matters but peace and relaxation
- In Myanmar, an elegant river cruise boat and a hotel on a breathtaking archeological site
- Chairman Mao's former getaway in Beijing, where you can rent his lavish, traditionally-decorated suite complete with adjoining concubine rooms

More than a travel or holiday guide, "Great Escapes Asia" is first and foremost a photo album featuring the opulent, exotic hotels that highlight the mysterious charms of this region.

Christiane Reiter, a freelance author based in Berlin and Switzerland, studied journalism at the University of Eichstatt and worked as a travel editor for Ringier Publishing in Munich and Zurich. She then established the travel section of the newly founded Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung.

Angelika Taschen studied art history and German literature in Heidelberg, gaining her doctorate in 1986. Working for Taschen since 1987, she has published numerous titles on the themes of architecture, photography, design, contemporary art, interiors, and travel.