Colonial Chic - Swishful Thinking
Like a living museum, Asia’s grand colonial hotels are the lavish legacy of the region’s colonial past. A stay in one of these properties provides a glamorous window into a time when the expanding empires of France and Britain cut mighty swathes across the globe. Wealthy traders and entrepreneurs, like the famous Sarkies brothers, flocked to exotic new outposts in the Far East and were quick to leave their imprint on the occupied territory. They imported familiar customs from their homelands and, above all, the familiar architecture to the native landscape.
Mostly built in the early 1900s, plush properties like The Oriental in Bangkok, Hanoi’s Sofitel Metropole, Vientiane’s Settha Palace and The Strand in Yangon provided a decadent refuge for the rich and privileged in these foreign lands. Lofty ballrooms, exquisite dining halls, sweeping stair-cases, and luxurious suites all supplied the lush backdrop to an endless round of parties and intrigues.
More than just a grandiose tribute to imperial decadence, these institutions set high standards in luxury and architecture that their current owners take pains to preserve. Most are now in the hands of luxury hotel chains, which have the funds necessary to maintain them. Thus, many of their historical traditions, such as high tea, Tiffin and classical French cuisine, happily live on. 
From the rattan furniture and potted plants, to the marble floors and brass fittings, these great colonial hotels still evoke the opulence of their golden days in the 1920s and ’30s. They all offer welcome respite from sterile, modern and often charmless hotels by giving you the chance to experience the glamour of a bygone era.
To see the list of our preferred luxury hotels & resorts, click here.
