Budget South East Asia

Bargain hideaways in South-East Asia
Guyan Mitra finds six of the best excellent, independently run hideaways that score high on style, individuality and affordability - all for under £75 for a double, before haggling

But now there's a third way to enjoy the area: just a little off the beaten track, you'll find some excellent, independently run hideaways that score high on style, individuality and affordability. And the boom in low-cost airlines such as Air Asia (easyJet's Eastern equivalent) has made travel across the region easier than ever - so secret corners are no longer a secret.

All it takes is a little independence: most of these hotels remain hidden - and cheap - because they don't work with international tour operators. Booking flights, board and transfers separately may be slightly more awkward, but hotels will happily assist, and it does mean you can enjoy the time-honoured local tradition of haggling over hotel rates (prices quoted here are highly negotiable, especially in the low season of April to October - apply the opposite months for Indonesia). Exploring, after all, is not just for the intrepid.

ANGKOR VILLAGE RESORT
Siem Reap, Cambodia

Built to traditional Khmer design, the villas - with their sloping rooftops and twisting spires - are a serene vision in cedar wood. Rooms have a country B&B feel: wood floors, high-beamed ceilings, four-poster beds and shutters. Outside, long balconies open up on to thick tropical gardens and a swimming pool. What could easily have fallen into the plastic Disney showboat category is, in fact, charmingly unique (although the after-dinner dance to traditional music is questionable).

Evening meals are eaten in a traditional hall, where excellent local food is served at knee-high tables on cushioned floors. Order the beef lok lak (beef in hot pepper sauce with tomato and lemon) or try the mild Khmer curry (chicken in turmericand ginger).

During the day, tackle the magnificent temples of Angkor (they're at their most beautiful by sunrise or sunset). And at night in Siem Reap, go for a spot of Pinot Noir or pastis. The French influence in the region is inescapable: be it the pâté served before your noodles for breakfast or the Calvados nightcap.

Details: Angkor Village (www.angkorvillage.com), doubles from £50.

VILA OMBAK, GILI TRAWANGAN
Gili Islands, Indonesia

From the minute you wade in from the hotel speedboat at midnight, you know you're in for something different. Each raised thatched wooden bungalow has a trap door and ladder that descends to an alfresco shower. Inside, the look is designer Tarzan, the simple wooden beds draped with ubiquitous, but actually rather chic mosquito nets. Balconies have comfy sun loungers and ocean views. Below are four-poster daybeds and hammocks. For the less fleet of foot, there are also grounded villas that still have outdoor bathrooms.

The beach by the hotel is pure coral, though fear not - lovely sandy beaches are a short stroll away on this 3km-long island. Naturally, the seafood is excellent. For dinner at the sea-front alfresco restaurant there's a choice of fresh-out-the-ocean barbecued snapper, mackerel and tuna, before you round off the evening on the stone chess tables near the pool.

Details: Vila Omak (www.hotelombak.com), doubles from £40.

LES 3 NAGAS
Luang Prabang, Laos

This collection of three colonial-era royal buildings was created at the turn of the 20th century - and, wonderfully, it shows. Accommodation is divided between the two largest dwellings, giving you a choice of roadside or riverfront housing.

And while the obvious choice is the riverfront house, with its peaceful garden sloping down to the river and traditional rooms built using lime screed and bamboo, the roadside building - a converted ice-cream shop - has its own merits.

For a start, the verandas allow the Provençal atmosphere of Luang Prabang to breeze gently into the room. And if you're up early enough, you'll catch a picture-book glimpse of the 500 or so saffron-robed monks who walk through the town at dawn for the purpose of collecting alms and appearing in photos.

Again, minimalism is central: torchis (clay and straw) walls, polished dark-wood ceilings and white-cushioned sofas mean the calm interiors are consistent with the serene exteriors. The town - a fascinating hybrid of Mekong and Gallic culture, where riverside cafés sell freshly baked pastries with potent Laotian coffee in thick tropical gardens - moves at a Mediterranean pace, and all you have to do is amble around and breathe it in.

After a morning spent wandering among the various temples and markets, join a hotel-arranged bike trip to the local waterfalls where you can splash about in mint green waters with the junior monks who venture up there after classes.
When it's time for dinner, tuck in to a plate of laarp (minced beef with fresh mint and chilli) on the lush green hotel balcony, where you'll be thankful for the large colonial-style rotating fans to cool you down.

Details: Les 3 Nagas (www.3nagas.com), doubles from £40.

THE PILGRIMAGE VILLAGE
Hue, Vietnam

Hidden deep in the central Vietnamese countryside, a few kilometres beyond the small cultural town of Hue, The Pilgrimage Village has 50 French colonial rooms in
well-kept floral gardens. The size of the hotel can seem impersonal to some (even the 400-seat restaurant, for instance, sometimes gets crowded).

So for maximum tranquillity, be sure to get a room on the outskirts of the complex, where mountain-lined paddy-fields spread beyond your mimosa-shaded balcony. The individual bungalows are modern, in their bare brick and pale blue design, and ever-so-Asian in their uncluttered style.

Being out of town, and therefore slightly isolated, the resort offers plenty of onsite activities. As well as a swimming pool, there's a lake and afternoon handicraft classes, where you can learn to make traditional Vietnamese embroideries, ceramics and woodcrafts.

The hotel arranges tours to Hue, as well as 4WD jaunts to the nearby ancient citadel and Imperial City. The day trips by boat up the Perfume River to see the ancient tombs of past emperors are worth it - if only to witness the interesting quirks of rural South-East Asian river life. Beach it on a day trip south to the blindingly white Lang Co Beach and the many azure lagoons nearby.

Details: Pilgrimage (www.pilgrimagevillage.com); doubles from £35.

Page 3: Thailand

PANVIMAN
Koh Pha Ngan, Thailand

This tiny island is famed for out-of- control full-moon parties bursting with backpackers spinning fire and dancing maniacally to monotonous euro-trance. But when people talk of it in this way, they really mean Haad Rin Beach on the south-east coast. The rest of Koh Pha Ngan is
blessed with cove after cove of empty beaches and, thanks to the poor road infrastructure (and the herd mentality among backpackers), they tend to stay that way year-round.

Isolated from the rest of the island by one such dodgy road, the Panviman (on the island's north-east coast) is best accessed by one of its own boat transfers direct to its secluded bay from the nearby island of Koh Samui - to which you can fly from Bangkok or Phuket.

The hotel, placed elegantly on the side of a cliff that divides a double bay, is a scattering of very private individual whitewashed cottages on either side of the rock face. The raised location allows for views of the Gulf of Thailand from almost every corner.

Wooden walkways intertwine through the rocks and coconut trees to link the cottages, and a few
stone steps lead down to the quiet beach. Bedrooms are light wood with elegantly hand-crafted Thai designs. Splash out on a deluxe suite for panoramic views through glass shutters, and huge outdoor stone baths you could scuba dive in.

Details: Panviman (www.panviman.com), doubles from £40.

COSTA LANTA
Ko Lanta, Thailand

Like many of the Thai islands, Ko Lanta was whispered about among those in the know idling away in the corners of Khao San Road backpacker cafés. But someone was eavesdropping and, by the turn of the millennium, 7 Eleven and co had arrived in force.

Then, the Boxing day tsunami washed away much of the construction, perversely returning the island to its original, natural state - at the tragic cost of many lives.
But with typical Thai resilience - and hard work - a whole guidebookful of places have opened and reopened on the island, and Costa Lanta is one of the best.

The wood and concrete bungalows are box-shaped and stand-alone, which may sound uninviting, but effectively means tasteful minimalist luxury with no impact on the surroundings. The success of the design is simplicity. The 22 dark-wood and bare-concrete bungalows display an innovative use of material and design, without being overbearing in an area of such natural beauty.

The southern Thai menu served in the beachfront restaurant makes a mockery of UK pub Thai fare: start the day with a tum yum kung (hot and sour prawn soup), then later catch the sunset on the west-facing beach with a mussaman curry (potato and cinnamon curry) before rolling onto your super-large futon to rest up for the gruelling day to follow.

Details: Costa Lanta (www.costalanta.com), doubles from £74.