Vietnam, Thailand & Bali Grand Adventure

Local rowers take you by bamboo boat into the Dark and Bright Caves this morning, sea caves you can only reach from the water. Brunch is served as the Capella sails back to port, and a car returns you to Hanoi for one more night at the Peridot Grand.

Fly south to Da Nang and drive on to Hoi An, the old trading port on the Thu Bon River whose centre is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. River Town Hoi An is home for three nights, in a room looking over the pool and the river. As night falls, walk into the old town while its silk lanterns are lit.

Cycle through the paddies to Tra Que, a village of herb gardens that feeds Hoi An's kitchens. Work the beds for a while with a farming family, then cook a Vietnamese lunch together from what you have gathered, followed by a foot massage and the easy ride back.

A free day in Hoi An. Order something made to measure from one of the town's tailors, wander the merchant houses and the Japanese Covered Bridge, take a boat out at dusk, or spend the day by the pool. Tonight, float a paper lantern on the river together.

Today you cross into Thailand. A driver takes you to Da Nang Airport for the short flight to Bangkok, where you are met and taken to Praya Palazzo, a restored riverside mansion reached by the hotel's own boat across the Chao Phraya. A Thai welcome dinner is served at the hotel this evening.

A tuk-tuk collects you after breakfast for Bangkok's great temples. Your guide leads you past the reclining Buddha at Wat Pho, then a ferry takes you across the river to the porcelain-covered spire of Wat Arun. The rest of the day is for the pool, a massage or the city's rooftop bars.

Take the short flight north to Chiang Mai, the mountain-ringed capital of the old Lanna kingdom. Na Nirand Romantic Boutique Resort, a quiet hideaway of teak buildings and gardens on Charoenprathet Road, is your base for three nights, a short walk from the Night Bazaar.

Your guide drives you up Doi Suthep to the golden temple of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, looking out over the whole city, then on to Doi Pui, a Hmong village of wooden houses and flower gardens high on the mountain. The afternoon at the resort is yours.

Spend the morning at an ethical elephant sanctuary in the hills, where the elephants are cared for and never ridden. Prepare their food, walk with them through the forest and join them in the river at bath time, then share lunch at the camp before heading back to the city.

Fly south to Phuket and transfer to Bandara Villas on Cape Panwa. For three nights your villa has its own pool, separate living space and floor-to-ceiling windows over Ao Yon Bay.

Snorkel and laze on the sand at Coral Island this afternoon, then board a catamaran for a sunset cruise across the Andaman Sea, with a Thai dinner served on deck as the sky turns gold.

Breakfast floats to you this morning on a tray in your private pool. After that the day is unplanned: the beach below the villas, a spa treatment for two, or simply the view.

The last country of your journey. Fly direct from Phuket to Bali, a little under four hours, and drive up into the green hills to The Kayon Jungle Resort outside Ubud. Your villa has its own pool above the rainforest, and the resort's infinity pools look across the valley.

Spend the morning in Ubud: browse the art market for woodcarvings and sarongs, then walk through the Sacred Monkey Forest, where long-tailed macaques play among moss-covered temples and ancient trees. Back at the resort, the afternoon is for your pool.

A slow, indulgent day at The Kayon Jungle. Breakfast floats in your pool, afternoon tea is served with a view of the jungle, and after dark your villa becomes a private open-air cinema, with dinner brought to you and a film under the stars.

A car takes you down to the coast for the fast boat across to Nusa Penida, a wild island of cliffs and coves off Bali's south-east coast. Swim and snorkel in the clear water of Crystal Bay, then settle into Pramana Natura, where your villa has its own pool and a view of the sea.

Explore the island's famous viewpoints today: the tree house above the Thousand Islands, the great headland at Kelingking Beach, and Angel's Billabong, a natural rock pool on the edge of the ocean. Return to your villa for the sunset.

Cross back to Bali this morning and head to Seminyak, where Nyuh Bali Villas gives you a honeymoon villa with its own pool for your last two nights. This evening a three-course candlelit dinner is set up for the two of you, with a glass of wine to toast the journey.

One last floating breakfast in your pool, then a free day before a drive south to Uluwatu Temple, perched on a cliff high above the Indian Ocean. Stay for the sunset over the water, the perfect close to three countries and twenty-four days together.

After breakfast, check out and transfer to Denpasar Airport for your flight home, with Ha Long Bay, the temples of Thailand and the villas of Bali behind you.