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, ...

Gay Vietnam: discovering gay Saigon with local boy Quan

92 | 6 March, 2018 | gay interviews, Vietnam

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 ...

Gay life in Indonesia: interview with Joko from Java island

68 | 20 February, 2018 | gay interviews, Indonesia

“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 ...

Gay friendly travel guide to the Gili islands

59 | 2 April, 2018 | Indonesia, Travel Guides

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 ...

Gay Bali: the ultimate LGBT travel guide to the island of the gods

59 | 20 February, 2018 | Indonesia, Travel Guides

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 ...

Romance

Romance and luxury at The Four Seasons Langkawi

22 | 11 June, 2017 | hotel reviews, Malaysia

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: ...

Villa Awang Awang: gay friendly heaven in Ubud, Bali

17 | 2 June, 2017 | hotel reviews, Indonesia

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 ...

A luxurious birthday treat at gay friendly Mandala Spa

5 | 11 June, 2017 | hotel reviews, The Philippines

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 ...

Flower island resort: romantic getaway in Palawan

2 | 11 June, 2017 | hotel reviews, The Philippines

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 ...

Campbell House: a romantic stay in the heart of Georgetown

0 | 11 June, 2017 | hotel reviews, Malaysia

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 ...

Adventure

Travel guide to Mount Rinjani and Senaru in North Lombok

32 | 12 June, 2017 | Indonesia, Travel Guides

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 ...

Our experience diving in the Komodo National Park, Indonesia

24 | 12 June, 2017 | 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 ...

A visitor’s guide to Sandakan in Sabah, Malaysia

22 | 11 June, 2017 | 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) ...

The day we learnt to swim like a mermaid on Boracay

15 | 11 June, 2017 | The Philippines

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 ...

Snorkelling and kayaking in the crystal waters of El Nido, Palawan

15 | 11 June, 2017 | The Philippines

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 ...

Luxury

St. Regis Bali: indulgence and luxury in Nusa Dua, Bali

23 | 2 June, 2017 | 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 “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 ...

The Samata: gay friendly luxury liveaboard in Indonesia

17 | 11 June, 2017 | cruise reviews, 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, ...

A luxurious birthday treat at gay friendly Mandala Spa

5 | 11 June, 2017 | hotel reviews, The Philippines

The Dusun Villas Bali: an oasis in the heart of Seminyak

2 | 2 June, 2017 | hotel reviews, Indonesia

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 ...

Flower island resort: romantic getaway in Palawan

2 | 11 June, 2017 | hotel reviews, The Philippines

How to

How to get a Vietnam visa in Luang Prabang

19 | 11 June, 2017 | Laos, Tips and Planning, Vietnam

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 ...

Where to get dollars for Myanmar in Bangkok

16 | 11 June, 2017 | Myanmar, Thailand, Tips and Planning

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 ...

How to get a visa for Myanmar in Bangkok

13 | 11 June, 2017 | Myanmar, Thailand, Tips and Planning

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, ...

How to get from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap

4 | 11 June, 2017 | Cambodia

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 ...

Our Philippines travel video

20 | 11 June, 2017 | The Philippines, Travel videos

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 ...

OUR MALAYSIA TRAVEL VIDEO

10 | 12 June, 2017 | Malaysia, Travel videos

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 ...

Our Thailand gay travel video

8 | 20 February, 2018 | Thailand, Travel videos

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 ...

OUR INDONESIA TRAVEL VIDEO

6 | 12 June, 2017 | Indonesia, Travel videos

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 ...

Our Laos travel video

4 | 11 June, 2017 | Laos, Travel videos

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 ...