Category Archives: Luxury Travel
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: mesm Tokyo, Autograph Collection
by joostay
Daily life in Tokyo, Japan | IKIMASHO
Categories: Luxury Travel • Tags: asia, design, hotel, japan, japanese, luxury, photography, tokyo, travel
Fine Dining in Tokyo: Simplicité (1 Michelin Star)
by joostay
Daily life in Tokyo, Japan | IKIMASHO!
Categories: Luxury Travel • Tags: asia, blog, fine dining, food, ikimasho, japan, photography, tokyo, travel
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Hotel Indigo Hakone Gora
by joostay
Daily life in Tokyo, Japan | IKIMASHO!
Categories: Luxury Travel • Tags: asia, blog, design, hotels, ikimasho, japan, japanese, Luxury Travel, photography, travel
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Iizuka-tei, Tochigi
by joostay
Daily life in Tokyo, Japan | IKIMASHO!
Categories: Luxury Travel • Tags: asia, five star, japan, Luxury Travel, Tochigi, travel, Travel Photography, travel writing
Fine Dining in Tokyo: The Rooftop Bar at Andaz Tokyo
by joostay
Daily life in Tokyo, Japan | IKIMASHO!
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Luxury Travel
Fine Dining in Osaka: C:GRILL at Conrad Osaka
by joostay
Daily life in Tokyo, Japan | IKIMASHO!
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: asia, fine dining, japan, osaka, travel, travel writing
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Conrad Osaka
by joostay
Daily life in Tokyo, Japan | IKIMASHO!
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: 5star, architecture, asia, conrad, design, hotels, japan, luxury, osaka, travel writer
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Sowaka, Kyoto
by joostay
Daily life in Tokyo, Japan | IKIMASHO!
Categories: Luxury Travel • Tags: asia, design, hotels, ikimasho, luxury, photography, travel writer
Fine Dining in Tokyo: NARISAWA (2 Michelin Stars)
by joostay
Daily life in Tokyo, Japan | IKIMASHO!
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Luxury Travel • Tags: blogging, design, environment, food, japan, japanese, life, lifestyle, Luxury Travel, Michelin, travel, travel writer
Fine Dining in Tokyo: LA TABLE de Joël Robuchon (2 Michelin stars)
by joostay
Daily life in Tokyo, Japan | IKIMASHO!
Categories: Luxury Travel • Tags: asia, blogging, design, food, japan, japanese, luxury, Michelin, photography, travel, travel writer
Fine Dining in Tokyo: Nadaman at Shangri-La
by joostay
Daily life in Tokyo, Japan | IKIMASHO!
Categories: Luxury Travel • Tags: asia, design, five star, food, hotel, interior design, japan, japanese, luxury, Luxury Travel, photography, Shangri-La, travel, Travel blogger, travel writer, travel writing
Fine Dining in Tokyo: The Steakhouse, ANA InterContinental Tokyo
by joostay
Daily life in Tokyo, Japan | IKIMASHO!
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Luxury Travel • Tags: asia, design, fine dining, five star, hotel, japan, japanese, Luxury Travel, photography, tokyo, Travel blogger, travel writer
Eating our way through Kyoto / 京都での食べ巡り
by joostay
48 hours. Hundreds of flavours. A foodie adventure through the ancient capital.
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: asia, blogger, blogging, christmas, design, food, japan, japanese food, photography, travel, travel writer
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Hoi An River Town Hotel, Vietnam.
by joostay
A perfect base for exploring Hoi An’s Old Town – and the local villages beyond.
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, boutique, Hoi An, luxury, photography, se asia, Travel blogger, travel blogging, travel writer, travel writing, video, vietnam
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Xuan Spa at Park Hyatt Saigon, Vietnam
by joostay
On Cloud Nine in District 1. My first ever massage experience.
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: 5 star, asia, ho chi minh city, hyatt, ikimasho, luxury, Park Hyatt, photography, Saigon, se asia, travel, travel blogging, travel writer, vietnam, Zen
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Melia Danang, Vietnam
by joostay
Two days of gloriously doing nothing by the East Vietnam Sea / 南シナ海での贅沢な二日間
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, blog, blogger, blogging, Danang, luxury, Luxury Travel, photography, resort, se asia, travel blogging, travel writer, travel writing, travelling, video, vietnam
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Park Hyatt Saigon, Vietnam
by joostay
Pure colonial elegance in bustling Ho Chi Minh City | IKIMASHO!
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: 5 star, asia, blogging, design, food, ho chi minh city, hotels, interior design, lifestyle, luxury, photography, Saigon, se asia, space, travel, travel writer, travel writing, vietnam
Fine Dining in Tokyo: Quintessence (3 Michelin stars)
by joostay
IKIMASHO! | Daily life in Tokyo, Japan.
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Luxury Travel • Tags: design, food, japan, japanese, luxury, Michelin, tokyo, travel writer, travel writing
Fine Dining in Tokyo: The Strings by InterContinental Tokyo
by joostay
IKIMASHO! | Daily life in Tokyo, Japan
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Luxury Travel • Tags: architecture, asia, design, five star, food, food photography, Food Writing, hotel, Hotel Review, interior design, japan, japanese, luxury, photography, se asia, tokyo, travel
Fine Dining in Tokyo: yakumo saryo
by joostay
Entering a world of blissful simplicity…
Categories: Luxury Travel • Tags: architecture, asia, Dining, fine dining, food, interior design, japan, japanese, luxury, photography, tokyo, travel, travel writer
Fine Dining in Tokyo: China Blue at Conrad Tokyo
by joostay
First-class Chinese cuisine – with first-class views to match
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Luxury Travel • Tags: architecture, asia, city, design, five star, food, Hilton, hotels, interior design, japan, japanese, luxury, photography, review, tokyo, Travel blogger, travel writing
Fine Dining in Tokyo: The Restaurant by Aman
by joostay
A trip to Italy, via the Tokyo skyline
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Luxury Travel • Tags: 5 star, cuisine, five star, food, food photography, japan, japanese, luxury, photography, restaurant, tokyo, Travel blogger, travel writer
Fine Dining in Tokyo: Andaz Tavern, Toramonon Hills
by joostay
High-end cuisine, high up in the city.
Categories: Daily Life in Tokyo, Luxury Travel • Tags: 5 star, ANDAZ, asia, boutique, cuisine, five star, food, hyatt, ikimasho, japan, luxury, photography, tokyo, travel, travel writer
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Le Méridien Saigon, Vietnam
by joostay
Modern escapism in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: aesthetic, design, five star, food, Ho Chi MInh, hotel, japan, luxury, photography, Saigon, tokyo, travel writer
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Agora Fukuoka Hilltop Hotel & Spa, Fukuoka, Japan
by joostay
A peaceful retreat in one of Japan’s most vibrant, cosmopolitan cities
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Inside Japan • Tags: Agora Hotsel & Spa, architecture, asia, design, food, food photography, fukuoka, hotel, interior design, japan, photography, resort, travel, travel writer
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: The Grandis Hotel, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
by joostay
Touching down in the bustling state capital of Kota Kinabalu On my most recent trip to SE Asia I visited three countries: Taiwan, Brunei and Malaysia – specifically the Malaysian state of Sabah in Borneo. I had visited Sabah’s major hub Kota Kinabalu before, but that was seven years ago and so I was interested to see if the city had changed in any way. Fortunately, Kota Kinabalu has retained its character and has not changed dramatically simply in order […]
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, borneo, food, hotel, ikimasho, japan, japanese, kota kinabalu, photography, se asia, tokyo, travel
My base in Brunei: Badi’ah Hotel, Bandar Seri Begawan
by joostay
The sights and sounds of the city within walking distance – or water taxi. I first visited Borneo seven years ago, spending three weeks in the Malaysian state of Sabah with my ex from Northern Ireland. On that particular trip I always remember toying with the idea of going to Brunei, but for whatever reason it just never happened. Perhaps it was because to get to Borneo we had to fly from Belfast to London to Kuala Lumpur to Kota […]
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, bandar seri begawan, borneo, brunei, ikimasho, indonesia, japan, malaysia, photography, se asia, travel, where to sat yin brunei
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Hyatt Regency Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo.
by joostay
Five-star luxury in Sabah – with design that gets better at every turn.
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, borneo, five star, hotels, hyatt, ikimasho, islands, japan, japanese, luxury, malaysia, photography, sabah, se asia, tokyo, world travel
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, Taipei.
by joostay
Two days of VIP Treatment in Taipei’s most luxurious location Right now I’m back in my regular stomping ground of SE Asia for a couple of weeks. First stop: Taipei, capital of Taiwan. I’ve actually been to Taipei twice before, the last time being memorable for all the wrong reasons when I stupidly decided to break up with my ex-girlfriend in a hotel room on the last day or our trip here. Not something I recommend: an awkward bus back to […]
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, blog, design, far eastern plaza hotel, five star, ikimasho, japan, japanese, luxury, photography, se asia, Taipei, Taiwan, tokyo, travel
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Ascott Waterplace, Surabaya, Indonesia.
by joostay
A room with a view… Taking time to unwind after climbing Kawah Ijen volcano.
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: ascott waterplace, asia, blog, boutique, five star, hotel, indonesia, japan, java, luxury, photography, review, surabaya, tokyo, travel, urban
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Villa Sabandari, Ubud, Bali
by joostay
Two days of blissfully doing nothing in Bali’s cultural capital
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, bali, boutique, CREATIVE, design, holiday, hotel, ikimasho, inaka, indonesia, interior design, japan, luxury, nature, photography, review, rice fields, se asia, tokyo, travel, ubud, video, wildlife
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Landesi by Jetwing, Galle, Sri Lanka
by joostay
Exploring Galle with classic colonial style, cricket and Jungle music. Apart from a quick stopover in Negombo in order to make an early-morning flight, the historic fort city of Galle was my last stop on my three-week Sri Lankan itinerary. The trip from Mirissa was painless, my local bus taking under an hour as it belted along the palm-fringed coast. After having already stayed in three impressive Jetwing properties, this was to be my fourth, and once again it didn’t […]
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: architecture, asia, blog, CREATIVE, design, drum and bass, galle, hotel, ikimasho, interior design, japan, mirissa, photography, review, se asia, sri lanka, tokyo, travel, video
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Villa Atulya at Ocean’s Edge, Mirissa, Sri Lanka
by joostay
Sun. Sea. Sand. And a jaw-dropping villa to take it all in. With just one week left of my three-week Sri Lankan adventure, I decided to leave Central Province and head for the south. On this trip there were so many places I didn’t get a chance to see; there just wasn’t enough time. In the end though, I’m glad I took things slow as it meant I got a better appreciation of local life and Sri Lankan hospitality. I didn’t see Ella, and I […]
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, hotel, mirissa, review, se asia, sri lanka, travel
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Heritance Kandalama, Dambulla, Sri Lanka
by joostay
Have you ever wanted to stay in a five-star luxury tree house? Now you can. Did anyone actually have a tree house as a kid? The older I get, the more I think they were purely between the pages of Enid Blyton novels and the intros of coming-of-age 80s movies on TV. Deep down, I think everyone secretly wishes they had one though – a place to escape, looking down at the world below. So when I saw a picture […]
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, CREATIVE, dambulla, hotel, japan, monkeys, nature, photography, review, sri lanka, tokyo, travel, wildlife, writing
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Jetwing Vil Uyana, Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
by joostay
Eco Retreat? Nature Reserve? Luxury Resort? Jetwing Vil Uyana is all of these, and more… Truth be told, after being caught up in the earthquake in Nepal in April I was a little apprehensive about coming back to Asia. But I’ve been drawn to the region for the past ten years, and so it was only a matter of time before I jumped on a plane back East. Coming to Sri Lanka was the best decision I ever could have […]
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: 5 star, animals, asia, backpacking, dambulla, design, endangered, five star, hotel, lizards, luxury, photography, resort, sirigiya, snakes, sri lanka, travel, video
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Jetwing Sea & Jetwing Beach, Negombo, Sri Lanka
by joostay
Sea. Check. Beach. Check. Boutique bliss at two of Negombo’s finest hotels. There’s never really been an easy way to get to Asia from Belfast in Northern Ireland. Skyscanner lured me in with a very good price to Sri Lanka (£270) but it was quite the hellride: a two-hour bus journey to Dublin; a three-hour wait; an hour-long flight to Heathrow (+ pick up my bag and re-checkin); another four-hour wait; then a turbulence-belting eleven-hour flight to Colombo. It was […]
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, blog, boutique, food, ikimasho, japan, jetwing beach, jetwing hotels, jetwing sea, luxury, negombo, se asia, sri lanka, tokyo, travel
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Dwarika’s Hotel, Kathmandu, Nepal
by joostay
My stay at the Dwarika’s Hotel is something I will never forget. I was a guest there when the earthquake hit 80km west of Kathmandu, and so for me the hotel holds special significance. The staff were incredible during the disaster; I simply cannot stress this enough. In fact, incredible isn’t a strong enough adjective to describe what they did. They put us above all else, even their own families. I will write about their kindness and humanitarianism in a separate […]
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Riad Star, Marrakech, Morocco)
by joostay
For the past two nights I’ve been staying in the Riad Star – the former home of 1930s vaudeville star Josephine Baker in Marrakech. Baker dropped out of school at the age of 13 and lived as a street child in the slums of St. Louis, sleeping in cardboard shelters and scavenging for food in garbage cans. By 1934 she was the first black woman to star in a major motion picture and the most famous woman in the world. […]
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: africa, best riad in marrakech, blog, hotel, ikimasho, japan, japanese, josephine baker, marrakech, medina, morocco, photography, tokyo
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: The Dalai-La Boutique Hotel, Kathmandu, Nepal
by joostay
This review was written two days before the earthquake in Kathmandu. I have contacted the hotel and am pleased to report none of the staff were injured, nor was the hotel damaged. Quite often the worst thing about travelling is the actual travelling itself. Struck down with food poisoning in Bangkok, I had to somehow pull myself together and take two flights in one day when all I wanted to do was crawl under the covers and think of anything […]
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, boutique, hotel, kathmandu, luxury, nepal, review, thamel, travel
IKIMASHO Luxury Stays: Maduzi Hotel, Bangkok
by joostay
After ten days of trying to avoid the wrath of spiders and other insects in rural Isaan, I find myself thrown back into Bangkok – a city unashamedly made up of international brands and in-your-face consumerism. My chosen stay is at the boutique Maduzi Hotel, yet despite its central location in the heart of the busy Sukhumvit area, it seemingly goes out of its way to avoid being noticed. Pass by its white-washed walls and green hedges, and you may […]
Categories: Luxury Travel, Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: asia, hotels, thailand, travel
IKIMASHO! 