Whether one of Asia's behemoth city retreats or tiny islet bungalows, there will be impeccable service, picture-perfect views, and plenty of alone time.

Jump to:
Bali | Bhutan | Cambodia | China | India | Indonesia | Japan | Maldives | Thailand | Vietnam

BALI

Villa Semana
Where: Ubud
What's to Love: Private bungalows with their own plunge pools ensure maximum romance. Spa treatments overlooking Ayung River are pure bliss.
Good to Know: The food at the hotel restaurant is among the best in Bali. Jurg, the chatty owner, is always nearby to provide insight into the most worthwhile daytrips.

Four Seasons Resort Bali
Where: Jimbaran
What's to Love: The service is impeccable — from Javanese beauty rituals to cooking classes in a state-of-the-art kitchen.
Good to Know: Arrange for an evening sail on the 66-foot Catamaran, then have dinner under a canopy bed on the beach.

Alila Villas Uluwatu
Where: Bali, Indonesia
What's to Love: Incredible views, top notch spa, legendary surf break. Villas have their own pool and outdoor living room. A cabana bar juts out from the cliffs over the Indian Ocean.
Good to Know: Ask for the top floor room for a 180-degree sea view.

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BHUTAN

Amankora
Where: Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, Gangtey and Bumthang, Bhutan
What's to Love: It's hard not to fall in love with Bhutan, the last surviving Buddhist kingdom in the Himalayas. Amanresorts' circuit of five small lodges in the western and central valleys of Paro, Thimphu, Punakha, Gangtey and Bumthang will let you turn your trip into a pilgrimage, although no one will expect you to wear sackcloth.
Good to Know: The most romantic of the five lodges is Gangtey, where you can take a classic Bhutanese hot-stone bath in a candle-lit hut in the middle of a potato field, and then have a nine-course dinner at a formal table set up inside a potato shed, while a bonfire roars outside.

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CAMBODIA

Raffles Grand Hotel D'Angkor
Where: Siem Reap
What's to Love: It's the best example of formal and indulgent French colonial luxury in what is otherwise an uninteresting outpost on your way to visit Ankgkor Wat.
Good to Know: Part of a colonial commission to build hotels in French Indochina, the grand hotel opened in 1927. Charlie Chaplin, Jacqueline Kennedy, and Bill Clinton have all stayed here. Request a landmark room when you book.

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CHINA

The Peninsula Hong Kong
Where: Hong Kong
What's to Love: Custom Rolls-Royce Phantoms with wifi (including one from 1934) ferry you around town, or to and from the airport. Messages arrive to your room by silent fax. A glass-faced shoe box allows polished wingtips and morning newspapers to be delivered inside your room.
Good to Know: There's a huge ESPA spa. Adrenaline junkies can take a helicopter tour of the city from the hotel's rooftop. There's a Roman-style pool overlooking Victoria Harbor.

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INDIA

Hotel Cochrane Place
Where: Kurseong, Darjeeling District
What's to Love: Old World mountain retreat surrounded by tea estates and the Himalayas. Excellent restaurant and massages on site, and, of course, lots and lots of delicious tea.
Good to Know: It's cold at night, but the owners will give you a hot water bottle for your giant four-poster bed. Does it get any sweeter than that? Also, Kurseong is where you catch the charming toy train up the mountain to Darjeeling.

The Oberoi Udaivilas
Where: Udaipur
What's to Love: Overlooking a majestic lake and the area's grand palaces, this is luxury and romance at its finest. Each room is meticulously decorated, and most have private decks leading right into the surrounding swimming pool.
Good to Know: Tour its adjacent wildlife conservatory and take peaceful walks through the lush, manicured gardens. A private butler is not as costly one would think.

Devi Garh
Where: Udaipur
What's to Love: The refurbished castle overlooks a working village that it supports. A drawn bath sprinkled with rose petals awaits you each night. Each room is designed with a totally different spirit using local materials. A Talhi dinner for two in the top of the castle is the most romantic one you will ever have.
Good to Know: Bring a pashmina as the desert gets cold at night. Designate a pair of socks as your "temple" socks, you will not want to walk around barefoot.

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INDONESIA

Amanwana
Where: Moyo Island
What's to Love: Twenty luxury tents (with air conditioning, solid walls, hard-wood floors, and en-suite bathrooms), plus some of the best scuba diving and snorkeling in Indonesia. If you're feeling really flush, set sail on Aman's private liveaboard, Amanikan.
Good to Know: For a day trip, visit the island's hidden waterfall or its sanctuary for indigenous rusa deer. Or trek to the questionably romantic cave of several thousand bats and the lurking pythons that like to eat them.

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JAPAN

Ryokan Motonago
Where: Kyoto
What's to Love: Japanese hospitality. Elaborate breakfasts. Sinking into the fluffy futon bed at the end of each day.
Good to Know: While the traditional soaking baths are typically segregated for men or women only, they offer couples private soaking time together. Think ancient hot tubbing.

Bourou Noguchi Noboribetsu
Where: Noboribetsu, on Northern Japanese island of Hokkaido
What's to Love: Massage, of course, and the most amazing kaiseki meals. The hotel rooms come with steam rooms and double-size bath tubs with natural water.
Good to Know: It is an onsen (traditional Japanese spa with outdoor pools), so emphasis is on healthy living and utter relaxation.

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MALDIVES

Soneva Fushi and Soneva Gili
Where: Lankanfushi and North Male Atoll
What's to Love: A far-flung, laid-back hideaway among 1,000 sand and coral islets. There's windsurfing, Hobie Cat sailing, and Tai Chi by day. Telescoping in a celestial observatory by night.
Good to Know: When you're tired of your beachfront property, hitch a seaplane ride to Soneva Gili's lagoon.

W Retreat & Spa Maldives
Where: Fesdu Island, North Ari Atoll
What's to Love: Couples can relax on their very private, spacious deck in the infinity pool, or grill an informal dinner on the BBQ. Think soft, white sand, crystal clear water, and all your creature comforts.
Good to Know: Villas on the beach and luxurious overwater bungalows are reachable only by boat.

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THAILAND

Rachamankha
Where: Chiang Mai
What's to Love: Feel like a Thai one-percenter with private cottage-like rooms decorated with ancient period details. The common areas are so tranquil and sublime you feel like you're floating, and the food and service at the restaurant are Thai classy but not overbearing. Hidden from the urban bustle, too.
Good to Know: Spend time in the library bulging with books and peruse the 19th-Century ceramics and lithographs.

Anantara Bangkok Riverside Resort & Spa
Where: Bangkok
What's to Love: Lush Bill Bensley-designed gardens, ten bars and restaurants to chose from, the Mandara Spa, and daily river sailings along the Chao Phraya.
Good to Know: It's contemporary living in the heart of the City of Angels.

Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok
Where: Bangkok
What's to Love: The lavish suites in the 19th-century Author's Wing are named after the literary greats who took residence over the years. Founded in 1876 and looking over the Chao Phraya river, the city's grande dame became the Mandarin Oriental in 2008, but was once owned by Louis Leonowens, son of Anna from The King and I.
Good to Know: A separate complex across the river houses the Sala Rim Naam Thai restaurant, where there's a dance performance each night, a massive fitness center with squash and tennis courts, the Oriental Thai Cooking School, and an Ayurvedic penthouse. Naturally, a private ferry connects it to the hotel.

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TAHITI

Le Taha'a Island Royal Beach Villa
Where: Taha'a, French Polynesia
What's to Love: Don't go here with anyone you wouldn't like because it's the most romantic place ever. There's nothing to do but spend time with the person you're with.
Good to Know: The five-star property is located on a little islet, accessible by boat, and is a quick, gorgeous helicopter ride to Bora Bora.

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VIETNAM

Six Senses Ninh Van Bay
Where: Ninh Van Bay
What's to Love: Hilltop bungalows are like tree houses for adults. Private villas have plunge pools, personal butlers arrange tours, dinner, massages, and airfare. You will probably extend your stay. Soak in large wooden baths filled with cinnamon bark and look out onto the South China Sea.
Good to Know: It's a schlep and requires small planes, small boats, and patience to get there. Be sure to take a tour of their garden, as they produce an astonishing array of native herbs.

Hotel Sofitel Metropole
Where: Hanoi
What's to Love: French colonial luxury in the center of town and in old Hanoi.
Good to Know: Opened in 1901, it has survived war-time air raids and is still incredibly charming, even if it has 364 rooms. Book a room or suite in the older section of the hotel for Old World romance.

Nam Hai
Where: Hoi An
What's to Love: Private beach, private pools, villas overlooking a waterlily pond. Breakfast is phenomenal — a delicious pork belly bahn mi for 17USD!
Good to Know: You need to get a visa on arrival, which is available at Vietnam's two major international airports (apply online through an agency, bring the letter and an extra passport photo). After that, you may never go home.

Contributors: Jeremy Abrams, Cassandra Barry, Daniel Boulud, Larry Burnett, Sonya De Castelbajac, Caryl Chinn, Scott Conant, Eric Demby, Melanie Dunea, Laura House, Devorah Klein Lev-Tov, Charyn Pfeuffer, Julie Jaoudi, Stephanie March, Claire Milonas, Kate Schwed, Helen Shu, James Sturz, Bridgette Thom.

Photos, from top: Courtesy of Four Seasons Resort Bali; courtesy of Devi Garh; courtesy of W Retreat & Spa Maldives; courtesy of Six Senses Ninh Van Bay.

February 24, 2012