Wellness Southeast Asia: Timeless Rituals of Indochina

Arrive in Bangkok, and transfer to your luxury hotel on the Chao Phraya River. Discover this city of contrasts the next day, first with a visit to the exotically perfumed Pak Klong Talat, Bangkok’s largest and most colorful flower market. Next, make the pilgrimage — as many devout Buddhists do — to the eclectic Grand Palace, a sprawling complex of glittering halls and pavilions. Explore its spire-topped Throne Room and stunning Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles. Ride a tuk-tuk to a local restaurant for lunch. Later, cruise the Chao Phraya on a local boat to a neighborhood temple, where you receive a blessing from a monk and discuss the importance of Buddhism in Thai culture. Continue to peaceful Kudi Jeen, one of Bangkok’s most diverse communities. Walk to a family bakery, where you taste a local specialty cake, and then stop at the community’s church.

Fly to Luang Prabang, and transfer to your stunning new hotel in a hilltop forest. Settle into your riverside villa, enjoying the soothing sound of the river as it gently bubbles by, or lounging on the oversized day bed on the balcony with the soothing sounds of nature ever near. This evening, partake in a baci ceremony, a Laotian welcoming ritual performed to bestow the protective power of the spirits on the visitor. Join locals for a game of pétanque (the French version of bocce) followed by refreshing cocktails served during a Scenic Sundowner experience. Tonight, partake in an al fresco dinner featuring produce from your hotel’s on-site organic garden.

Enjoy immersing in the tranquility of Luang Prabang. Rise before dawn to participate in tak bat, a silent ceremony offering food to local monks who walk in meditation with their alms bowls. Then, visit a local market followed by breakfast at your hotel. Later, explore the Royal Palace Museum and Wat Xieng Thong with its impressive tree of life mosaic and richly decorated wooden columns. After lunch, return to your hotel for a relaxing afternoon at your leisure, during which you may choose from one of the hotel’s Laotian-inspired spa treatments, including a detoxifying cleanse delivered by a healer from the local Hmong tribe.

Lush rice fields define the landscape of Laos. This morning, experience a closer look during an enriching farm-to-village tour. Transfer out of town and meet Lautlee, a friendly local farmer who personally takes you around his family’s farm for an authentic “crop to bowl” experience in Laos. Stroll through verdant fields to learn about the types of crops grown here and how they are traditionally harvested and used, exploring every stage of the rice harvest. Help tend to the produce in the organic vegetable garden. Then, head indoors for a hands-on cooking experience, learning how to transform grains of glutinous rice from the field into long strands of Lao noodles used in a spicy Lao soup called khao poon. The best part of this experience is tasting the delicious fruits of your labor in the form of local snacks made from this regional staple. Enjoy lunch on your own, followed by a relaxing afternoon at your hotel, perhaps by the pool or natural waterfall. An exciting evening awaits with dinner at a local restaurant and an optional visit to the lively, handicraft night market.

Start the day early this morning, and travel to stunning Kuang Si Falls for a guided meditation led by a local expert. Enjoy a picnic breakfast along the cascading waters, then explore a path running along a wide multi-tiered fall. Cool off with a refreshing swim, or walk the forest trails. This afternoon, fly to Siem Reap and transfer to your hotel on eight acres of gardens and rice paddies. Enjoy dinner at your hotel.

This morning, set out for the incredible temples of Angkor. Ride a tuk-tuk or choose to cycle to Angkor Thom, visiting the richly decorated Bayon Temple. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure at your hotel before setting out by tuk-tuk for a progressive dining tour of Siem Reap, sampling specialties from three local restaurants.

Wake early this morning to witness sunrise at Angkor Wat and a moving view of its sacred temple. Continue to Ta Prohm, its crumbling towers and walls draped in a riotous jungle. Return to your hotel for breakfast and a relaxing morning at leisure. Later this afternoon, visit Banteay Srei, known as “Citadel of the Women.” Continue to a rural village partnering with A&K Philanthropy to install filtered wells as part of the Cambodia Clean Water Project, making this a meaningful opportunity to talk with residents of the community firsthand.

Fly to Sihanoukville, continuing by speedboat to private Krabey Island, a less-frequented oasis off Cambodia’s coast. Enjoy the amenities of your luxury resort, relaxed pace of the island, meals taken at your leisure and breezy time at your private pool.

After breakfast on Day 12, fly to Ho Chi Minh City and transfer to your hotel. Depart the next day on your international flight home.