
Category: Southeast Asia
Destination: Southeast Asia
Gay travel guides
What’s it like travelling as a gay couple in Asia
95 | 5 April, 2018 | Gay Stories, Global stories, India, Romance, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka
“Why should I spend my tourist dollars in a country that wants to throw me in jail?!”
This was our dilemma before setting off for our big travel adventures in Asia – as a gay couple.
If it isn’t illegal (like in Sri Lanka, Singapore, the Maldives, Malaysia, India, Myanmar…), then it’s certainly not truly welcomed (think Indonesia, ...
Read MoreGay Vietnam: discovering gay Saigon with local boy Quan
Vietnam is one of the most gay friendly countries we visited from our big 2 years trip across Asia. Overall we found the Vietnamese to be very welcoming, particularly to the LGBTQ community.
In terms of gay rights, Vietnam doesn’t have any gay marriage laws in place. However, by Asia standards it is very progressive: it has ...
Read MoreGay life in Indonesia: interview with Joko from Java island
“OMG careful you don’t get caned for being gay over there you two!”
We did of course point out to our concerned friends and family back home that Sharia Law is only in place in one small part of Indonesia in the Northern Aceh province.
If the rainbow flag gets out of control in Aceh, you risk ...
Read MoreGay friendly travel guide to the Gili islands
The Gili islands reminded us of Destiny’s Child: a trio of talented divas but ultimately upstaged by a superstar.
Gili Trawangan is the Beyonce of the trio.
She’s the most famous, the centre of attention where all the action happens. She has all the parties, bars, variety of restaurants, diving shops and of course people: holidaying couples, partying groups ...
Read MoreGay Bali: the ultimate LGBT travel guide to the island of the gods
Bali. Our guilty pleasure… Now HERE is a playground for the gay boys!
Our trekking in Mount Rinjani and scuba diving in the Komodo National Park left us feeling exhilarated, but quite frankly, knackered! We were ready to let our hair down. A visit to Bali was calling us.
Bali has a nice mix of luxury villas and spas in Seminyak, culture and ...
Read MoreRomance
Romance and luxury at The Four Seasons Langkawi
The Four Seasons Langkawi is one of the most beautiful places we’ve encountered during our travels.
Set amidst the luxurious jungle and bordering a beautiful white sandy beach, this Moroccan style inspired retreat is the ideal place for honeymooners or gay couples looking for a romantic getaway.
The magical scenery combined with the breathtaking architecture, transports you into a completely different world: ...
Read MoreVilla Awang Awang: gay friendly heaven in Ubud, Bali
Villa Awang Awang is a beautiful retreat located in the heart of the Balinese countryside, near Ubud.
The name Awang Awang means floating in the space between heaven and earth which aptly describes our experience here: villas perched dramatically on the edge of a deep ravine with breath-taking views of the sacred Petanu River and a ...
Read MoreA luxurious birthday treat at gay friendly Mandala Spa
We celebrated Sebastien’s (9th 25th) birthday being spoilt rotten at the exquisite gay friendly Mandala Spa and Resort Villas during our stay on Boracay island in the Philippines.
And oh boy what a treat this was.
Mandala Spa and Resort Villas is an oasis of relaxation heaven hidden away from the busy touristy area of Station 2. You ...
Read MoreFlower island resort: romantic getaway in Palawan
The Flower Island Resort is a paradise like getaway: your own tropical heaven away from everything.
It is located North East from Palawan island in the Philippines:
There are various ways to reach it as set out on Flower island Resort website, but the most popular is via a James Bond style speedboat from the nearby pier in ...
Read MoreCampbell House: a romantic stay in the heart of Georgetown
We remember very well that feeling of excitement when we booked our flights from Kuala Lumpur to the Malaysian foodie city: Penang.
Penang is well known as one of the famous food capitals in Southeast Asia so we were dead excited about wandering through the streets of Georgetown and literally stuffing ourselves silly!
Needless to say, we needed ...
Read MoreAdventure
Travel guide to Mount Rinjani and Senaru in North Lombok
Indonesia is a paradise for adventure seekers. The Komodo National Park has some of the best diving we’ve ever experienced. But venture above ground and you will find an incredible landscape just waiting to be discovered.
Indonesia is located at the meeting point of the Eurasian, Indo-Australian Philippine and Pacific Plates on the Western side of ...
Read MoreOur experience diving in the Komodo National Park, Indonesia
The Komodo National Park just off the Flores island in Indonesia was some of the best scuba diving we’ve ever experienced. After learning to dive Koh Tao in Thailand, fun diving in Thoddoo island in the Maldives, Okinawa in Japan and in Palawan in the Philippines, we had very high expectations.
WARNING: you will be spoilt rotten ...
Read MoreA visitor’s guide to Sandakan in Sabah, Malaysia
Sandakan is a coastal town in the Sabah region on the Malaysia side of Borneo Island.
We spent a few nights in Sandakan as a base for exploring some of the gems of Sabah and discovered an exciting small city, with a plethora of great seafood!
WHERE IS SANDAKAN?
Sandakan is the second largest town (after Kota Kinabalu) ...
Read MoreThe day we learnt to swim like a mermaid on Boracay
Boracay is a unique place. Why?
You can take a mermaid swimming lesson of course! Where else in the world can you dress up and learn to swim like a mermaid…?
Well in fact you can, in mermaid schools in Gran Canaria, Florida and Copenhagen, where there’s even a bronze statue devoted to the Little Mermaid.
Daryl Hannah ...
Read MoreSnorkelling and kayaking in the crystal waters of El Nido, Palawan
Palawan island in the Philippines has some of the most stunning marine wildlife we’ve seen on our trip in Asia, which made snorkelling in El Nido a particular highlight.
The surrounding limestone karsts with hidden lagoons and coves also makes kayaking around El Nido a fun activity. We love both snorkelling and kayaking, so we were ...
Read MoreLuxury
St. Regis Bali: indulgence and luxury in Nusa Dua, Bali
Welcome to paradise!
The St. Regis Bali Resort is the pinnacle of style and the true expression of luxury.
Its motto is “Beyond Expectations” and by god that’s how you feel from the moment you arrive to the point of departure.
This is the perfect destination for honeymooners and couples looking for their dream romantic 5 star luxury ...
Read MoreThe Samata: gay friendly luxury liveaboard in Indonesia
Indonesia is famous for having some of the best diving in the world, particularly due to its location in the Coral Triangle area, voted as one of the New Seven Wonders of Nature in 2011.
As enthusiastic scuba divers, we just had to come visit and swim with the turtles, sharks, parrot fish, clown fish, manta rays, ...
Read MoreA luxurious birthday treat at gay friendly Mandala Spa
We celebrated Sebastien’s (9th 25th) birthday being spoilt rotten at the exquisite gay friendly Mandala Spa and Resort Villas during our stay on Boracay island in the Philippines.
And oh boy what a treat this was.
Mandala Spa and Resort Villas is an oasis of relaxation heaven hidden away from the busy touristy area of Station 2. You ...
Read MoreThe Dusun Villas Bali: an oasis in the heart of Seminyak
The Dusun Villas Bali is your own little private oasis in the heart of Seminyak, an up and coming trendy area of Bali. We stayed here during our travels in Indonesia in September 2015 and loved it.
The Dusun is a boutique village-style hotel with 15 stunning Balinese style villas, each with a private swimming pool and large garden ...
Read MoreFlower island resort: romantic getaway in Palawan
The Flower Island Resort is a paradise like getaway: your own tropical heaven away from everything.
It is located North East from Palawan island in the Philippines:
There are various ways to reach it as set out on Flower island Resort website, but the most popular is via a James Bond style speedboat from the nearby pier in ...
Read MoreHow to
How to get a Vietnam visa in Luang Prabang
While visiting Laos in March 2015, we discovered that we would need a visa for our future travels in Vietnam as we would be staying there more than 15 days.
As of July 2015, the Vietnamese government announced that visitors from UK, Germany, France, Italy and Spain will be exempt from a visa on arrival if ...
Read MoreWhere to get dollars for Myanmar in Bangkok
We stayed a month in Bangkok over Christmas 2014 and New Years to take a break from travelling and plan for our first stop in 2015: Myanmar.
We stayed at HQ Hostel for some of this time, which we found on Tripadvisor and recommend for its location to the gay life in Silom.
We had to first ...
Read MoreHow to get a visa for Myanmar in Bangkok
We took a break from travelling for a month in Bangkok as a base to spend Christmas and plan travels for 2015. We stayed for a few nights at the excellent Lub’D Hostel and then rented a condo (with gym and swimming pool) in the suburbs via Air BnB.
Our first destination in 2015 was Myanmar, ...
Read MoreHow to get from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap
Most visitors to Cambodia will focus their stay in the capital city of Phnom Penh and in Siem Reap as a base to visit the famous Angkor Wat.
We visited Cambodia in early April during the Khmer New Year when all Cambodians were rushing to leave the capital and return to their home towns.
Here are the ...
Read MoreTravel videos
Our Philippines travel video
The Philippines was a dream!
We spent a month in this beautiful country in May/June 2015 and absolutely fell in love with it. The Philippines has some of the most incredible underwater life we’ve experienced, which makes scuba diving and snorkelling a dream. We particularly enjoyed snorkelling and kayaking around El Nido on Palawan Island.
Flower Island near El Nido ...
Read MoreOUR MALAYSIA TRAVEL VIDEO
What’s it like travelling in Malaysia?
It’s all about the rasa sayang or Feel the Love!
And boy did we have plenty of rasa sayang moments in this awesome country. If you cannot view it on YouTube, check it out on check it out on Vimeo by clicking here.
Our video highlights start with the wildlife of Borneo, especially the orang ...
Read MoreOur Thailand gay travel video
In February 2015 we returned to Thailand’s islands after our first visit there 3 years ago.
We started in Koh Tao where we did our advanced scuba diving course then spent over a week soaking up the beautiful beach of Koh Lipe.
Snorkelling was another underwater activity we loved and Koh Lipe and Koh Adang were particularly ...
Read MoreOUR INDONESIA TRAVEL VIDEO
We spent a month travelling from Bali to Flores via Lombok and the Gili islands in September 2015. This is the place to come if you want to experience world class diving and some stunning secluded beaches.
Watch our Indonesia travel video diary of our favourite moments from our trip: If you cannot watch it on Youtube, check it out ...
Read MoreOur Laos travel video
In March 2015 we discovered Laos.
We started in the capital city, Vientiane then went North to Vang Vieng. Vang Vieng is popular for tubing with some beautiful surrounding landscapes.
In Luang Prabang, we learnt to harvest rice, took a cooking class at the Tamarind Cooking School and went diving with the monks at the stunning Kuang Si ...
Read Moreinterview
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hotel reviews
St. Regis Bali: indulgence and luxury in Nusa Dua, Bali
2 June, 2017 | 23 | hotel reviews, Indonesia
Welcome to paradise!
The St. Regis Bali Resort is the pinnacle of style and the true expression of luxury.
Its motto is ...
Villa Awang Awang: gay friendly heaven in Ubud, Bali
2 June, 2017 | 17 | hotel reviews, Indonesia
Martas Hotel: your love nest on Gili Trawangan in Indonesia
2 June, 2017 | 0 | hotel reviews, Indonesia
Hyatt Regency: elegance and style in the heart of Kota Kinabalu
11 June, 2017 | 0 | hotel reviews, Malaysia
- Thai recipes
- Malaysian recipes
- Vietnamese recipes
- Cambodian recipes
- Laotian recipes
- Burmese recipes
- Filipino recipes
- Indonesian Recipes
Simple recipe for vegetarian Pad Thai fried noodles
Jun 2, 2017 | Thai recipes | 4 |
Pad Thai is the national dish of Thailand and you will never get bored of it. It’s so simple...
Recipe for Thai tom yam soup
Jun 2, 2017 | Thai recipes | 0 |
Som Tam (Thai papaya salad) recipe
Jun 2, 2017 | Thai recipes | 7 |
Thai Green chicken curry for beginners
Jun 2, 2017 | Thai recipes | 0 |
Malaysian beef rendang recipe
Jun 12, 2017 | Malaysian recipes | 4
Malaysian beef rendang is similar to the chicken rendang recipe we learnt in Langkawi, but beef...
Recipe for Malaysian curry Kapitan
Jun 12, 2017 | Malaysian recipes | 0
Malaysian chicken rendang recipe
Jun 12, 2017 | Malaysian recipes | 0
Malaysian sweet pandan pancakes recipe
Jun 12, 2017 | Malaysian recipes | 0
Recipe for Vietnamese Cao Lau
Aug 29, 2017 | Vietnamese recipes | 6
Cao Lau was our favourite Vietnamese dish. It is a noodles based dish with slowly cooked sliced...
Recipe for Vietnamese savoury pancakes: Banh Xeo
Jun 2, 2017 | Vietnamese recipes | 2 |
Cambodian beef lok lak recipe
Jun 2, 2017 | Cambodian recipes | 2 |
Lok lak is a Cambodian beef stir fry served with onions, cucumbers and tomatoes, and dipped in a...
Cambodian fish amok recipe
Jun 2, 2017 | Cambodian recipes | 0 |
Laotian coconut sticky rice desert recipe
Jun 12, 2017 | Laotian recipes | 0
Laotian coconut sticky rice is a delicious desert usually made from purple sticky rice and coconut...
Laotian sticky rice recipe
Jun 2, 2017 | Laotian recipes | 0 |
Recipe for Laotian buffalo laap
Jun 2, 2017 | Laotian recipes | 4 |
Recipe for Laotian aubergine jeow spicy dip
Jun 2, 2017 | Laotian recipes | 3 |
Burmese chicken curry recipe
Jun 2, 2017 | Burmese recipes | 0 |
Rice is a staple in the Burmese cuisine and usually eaten with a curry, soup or salad. A...
Filipino pork sinigang recipe
Jun 2, 2017 | Filipino recipes | 2 |
In Manila we tried and loved the yummy sour pork sinigang soup. Sinigang (‘stew’) is a...
Quick and easy Filipino chicken adobo recipe
Jun 2, 2017 | Filipino recipes | 4 |
Vegetarian recipe for Indonesian sayur urap salad
Nov 21, 2017 | Indonesian Recipes | 2 |
Indonesian sayur urap is a blanched vegetable based salad with shredded coconut dressing. It...