The UK has long fascinated with its culture, history and beautiful landscapes - and this book showcases its many attractions in full colour. Taking readers on a journey around the country, offering five fantastic hotels in which to stay, it is a must-read for international travellers. After a comprehensive introduction, each hotel is described in depth, with comments on interiors, staffing, food and beverage, rooms and more. This is followed by a chapter on the location in which the hotel is sited: history, geography, arts and crafts, countryside walks, shopping and more is explained and listed, so visitors can make the most of their stay.

With Singapore poised at its 200th year, this book contains a unique combination of historical commentary and present-day analysis: what was Singapore in the past and what is it today? Luscious all-colour photography showcases this dramatic and varied country, while my 20+ years' experience of living in Singapore informs the texts. Subjects range from history, culture and geography to people, design, art, architecture and innovation.

Thai Style is known the world over for its graceful pavilion-style architecture, its elegant interior design styles, and its ability to combine cultural traditions with craftsmanship. What is not so well known is how these approaches have been updated in the last decade or so to produce a thoroughly contemporary Thai Style - one that merges ancient practices with modern fashions, graphics and technologies. In New Thai Style photographer Michael Freeman and myself (as author) showcase a selection of forward-looking designs -
be they in architecture, furniture design, art, interiors or landscaping. We are confident that the book is a cornucopia of all that is new and exciting in Thailand's design scene.

This 40-page softback publication honours the Malaysian company YTL and its sensitive (and costly) restoration of three Classical-style buildings in the UNESCO World Heritage site of Bath Spa in England. I worked with the hotel's architects and interior designers, local architectural historians, photographer Jacob Termansen and staff at Wessex Water to produce an accurate and beautiful portrayal of both city and renovated hotel. The crème de la crème of the book must be the section on the hotel's spa: Wessex Water's engineers positioned a borehole two miles down beneath the city to bring up pristine mineral waters into the hotel's basement spa. Its Romanesque feel mirrors the ancient bathing facilities located a stone's throw up the road.

The Classic Collection: Heritage Hotels & Luxury Lodgings from East and West is exactly as its name suggests - a comprehensive showcase of six heritage dwellings that exemplify the very best of bespoke hospitality from Europe to Southeast Asia and China. With full-colour photography by Jacob Termansen, architectural drawings by heritage experts, texts by myself, and input from hotel group, YTL, the book entices travellers from near and far. An introduction to the connection between Tourism and Heritage is slightly academic, while individual coverage of the various hostelries seeks to launch a thousand itineraries from East to West.

Published by Editions Didier Millet at the end of 2014, this book pays homage to the world-famous Thai wellness resort Chiva-Som on the occasion of its 20th anniversary. Even though the book is primarily a recipe book of spa cuisine, I was tasked with writing the texts. As such, I worked with the chef to explain the benefits of the dishes, I wrote an introduction outlining the concept of healthy eating with light ingredients, and provided a 24-page section on the resort itself. Naturally, a few days eating and enjoying Chiva-Som was one of the project's perks!

In just a few decades, the tiny island of Singapore has transformed itself from an Asian backwater into a global superpower. The fascinating story of how this small city-state with no hinterland, no natural resources and a small population, has achieved this is the subject of this book. Writing SINGAPORE: WORLD CITY (Tuttle, 2014) allowed me to renew my acquaintance with my home of close to 20 years, all the while helping me to discover new neighbourhoods and sights. Two sections - "Introducing Singapore" and "Exploring Singapore" - lead the reader on a series of explorations through this fascinating World City. Three hundred and seventy full-colour photos illustrate it.

After I wrote RAW!, the directors of The Farm at San Benito approached photographer Luca Invernizzi Tettoni and myself to produce a book about the therapies and programmes offered at The Farm. Covering wellness, rejuvenation, detoxification, relaxation and more, the book describes all the medical, spa, alternative medicinal, and other offerings guests experience at The Farm. European inspired medical services, natural spa healing, and organic live/raw cuisine form the basis for every guest’s journey — and these are explained and photographed in full detail. There is also a final chapter on what guests can or should do to continue their health work after they return home.

A recipe book with a difference, RAW! stands out from the competition because it only features recipes that utilize raw or “living” foodstuffs. Designed to celebrate good health and happy eating, each and every recipe includes no meat, fish, fowl, dairy, eggs, butter, cholesterol or saturated fats from animals or animal by-products. Rather, they focus on natural whole foods that have not been cooked, thereby retaining all their photo-nutrients and health-giving properties. Shared with us courtesy of The Farm at San Benito, a health farm in the Philippines, there are also introductory chapters to both The Farm and the concept of raw cuisine. Book design by Lucrezia Tettoni and photography by Luca Invernizzi Tettoni reflect the wholesome nature of both dishes and locale.

Both a recipe book and a showcase of food and restaurants at YTL Hotels & Resorts, this book is more than a PR exercise for YTL. Delving into the culture of a number of different cuisines from Southeast Asia to China, Japan and Europe, I take readers on a gastronomy tour of markets, chefs, food courts, grocery suppliers and local eating houses. If you want to know about Provencale ingredients, Shanghai street food, or Hokkaido’s famous seafood, for example, this is the book for you. Sensitively photographed by Jacob Termansen and including plenty of easy-to-follow recipes, it’s a pictorial and informative culinary adventure.

Focusing on interior design, architecture, hospitality, spa and lifestyle, the books I've written are guides to gorgeous places to stay and experience things Asian as well as showcases of Asian art, architecture and design. Focusing on a region so rich in talent and tradition has been immensely rewarding. Click on the titles above to find out more about each book.

A collaboration between architect Gianni Francione, photographer Masano Kawana and myself, this book showcases a fascinating selection of post-millennium contemporary tropical residences and buildings in Bali. Individually handpicked by Gianni, all the structures represent to some degree Bali's continuing new tropical international trend that has become a benchmark for tropical living. The texts include interviews and views of/with owners, architects and interior designers, so BALI LIVING (Periplus Editions, 2008) is a great resource for tropical dream seekers everywhere.

In recent years Asian design in architecture, interiors and product design has catapulted on to the global stage. MODERN ASIAN LIVING (Periplus Editions, 2005) showcases a number of brand new properties - be they shops, homes, holiday houses, restaurants, bars or offices that represent this new wave of Asian talent. Two Bangkok-based designers selected and styled each interior, and I was commissioned to write accompanying texts.

Cool Hotels

The first book that I authored in its entirety, COOL HOTELS (Periplus Editions, 2003) was a labour of love. I spent the first 17 years of my life in the Indian subcontinent, so reconnecting with past friends and making new ones while researching this book was a wonderfully rewarding experience. As was choosing, visiting and writing about nearly 40 stunning properties, and working with great friends photographer Jacob Termansen and stylist Pia Marie Molbech. Texts are anecdotal, descriptive and (I hope) do justice to the stunning hotels, resorts and retreats featured here.