When Tune Hotels, Asia’s new budget hotel brand, says its Kuala Lumpur lodging option is a no-frills affair, the company means it - though not in the same way you might expect to find at a similarly-described U.S. hotel. Travelers can book rooms at the first Tune Hotel in Malaysia for about $3/night. The rooms are well-designed, clean and - we dare say - even hip looking, but they truly keep it simple (unless you’re talking about the exterior paint job). Want a towel with your bathroom? That’ll cost you extra. How about air-conditioning? Even that’s an optional amenity (in Malaysia, no less). While some joke at the inanity of charging for such basics, there is beauty in the brand’s straightforward approach. There’s no catch. You get what you pay for, plain and simple.

Travelers to Southeast Asia often take advantage of the (relative to Western countries’ prices) inexpensive tailors offering quick turnaround on custom-fit items like suits, pants, men’s dress shirts and silk dresses. But knowing where to go is key. Sure, there are tons of options to choose from in major cities like Bangkok and Saigon, but finding the right place will ensure you’re still wearing that new blazer a year down the road instead of tossing it into the giveaway pile.

Budget Travel’s Custom-Made in Saigon offers six surefire bets in this vibrant Vietnamese city.

The One Hotel Angkor in Siem Reap is quite the interesting take on hotel accommodations: it only has one room. What’s more, Travel + Leisure reports its nightly rate as $250. High for Cambodia, but not when you’re talking luxurious digs with personalized service. Read the mag’s take on the new property via the link below.

Cambodia Hotel: It’s the One

Travelers can find lots of meaty “best of” picks in Conde Nast Traveler’s 2007 Gold List, its definitive guide to the best hotels and cruise accommodations the world has to offer. Search by location or categories like rooms, service, design, food and activities. If, for example, you wanted to know which hotels have the most impressive rooms on each continent, you’d find these results:

United States

Four Seasons Resort Hualalai (Hawaii)

Inn at Palmetto Bluff (Bluffton, SC)

Rancho Valencia Resort (Rancho Santa Fe, CA)

Africa

Bateleur Camp (Kenya)

Chobe Chilwero (Botswana)

Singita Private Game Reserve (South Africa)

Asia

Amandari (Indonesia)

Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan (Indonesia)

JW Marriott Seoul (South Korea)

Australia and Pacific Nations

Rialto Hotel on Collins (Melbourne, Australia)

Park Hyatt Sydney (Australia)

Huka Lodge (Taupo, New Zealand)

Canada

Auberge du Vieux-Port (Montreal)

Pan Pacific WHistler Mountainside (Whistler)

Auberge Saint-Antoine (Quebec)

Caribbean and Atlantic Islands

Hotel St. Barth Isle de France (Guadeloupe)

Sandy Lane (St. James, Barbados)

Malliouhana Hotel & Spa (Anguilla)

Central America and South America

Four Seasons Peninsula Papagayo (Costa Rica)

Swisshotel Quito (Ecuador)

Ritz Carlton Santiago (Chile)

Europe

Buckland Manor (Gloucestershire, UK)

Chateau Les Crayeres (Reims, Frances)

Four Seasons Gresham Palace (Budapest, Hungary)

Mexico

Las Casa Que Canta (Zihuatanejo)

Four Seasons Resort (Punta Mita)

JW Marriott Mexico City

Middle East

Four Seasons Cairo Nile Plaza (Cairo, Egypt)

Four Seasons Cairo at the First Residence (Cairo, Egypt)

Burj Al Arab (Dubai)

The complete guide is too exhaustive to publish here, but this is definitely a good resource to browse if you’re planning a luxury getaway, honeymoon or world adventure for the coming year.

A Jarkata hotel hamburger that costs more than twice Indonesia’s monthly minimum wage? But of course. This luxury hamburger appears on the menu at the Jakarta Four Seasons Hotel. The Kobe beef burger comes topped with foie gras, Portobellow mushrooms and Korean pears. Oh yeah, it comes with fries. Naturally. Apparently, they’ve only served 20 since the item appeared on the menu earlier this year.

Jakarta Hotel Puts $110 Burger on Menu

Did Angkor Wat get a cute injection? Au contraire. You’re actually gazing at a whimsical structure gracing one Disney resort’s even more whimsical pool area - not one of the huge Bayon trees in Siem Reap, Cambodia. But which resort? The suspense! Click the pic to find out.

Thanks to TravelPoster robespo for posting this one.

On their recent visit to Vietnam, Brad and Angie surprised hotel staff at the Park Hyatt Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City by leaving generous tips and specifically asking for no special treatment.

Incidentally, tipping is not required or even expected at most Vietnamese establishments. In the major cities, many restaurants catering to tourists have, in recent years, started adding a 5 to 10 percent service charge onto bills. But this is certainly not the case everywhere. If you’re concerned about how to tip in Vietnam and other countries around the world, consult a travel guidebook or other trusted resource (Googling the country and the word “tipping” will deliver a ton of useful information) before you travel.

When I visited Krabi, Thailand way back when, I bunked in a tiny guesthouse owned by a German and his Thai family, and walked along the main road late at night to the only open store nearby to procure dinner, which ended up being canned tuna and a cold Singha.

Clearly, the Krabi of today offers a far different experience. Case in point: the opening of the luxe 276-room Sofitel Phokreethra Krabi Resort. Situated on the Adaman Sea’s Klong Muang Beach, the resort is one more property to appear and raise the area’s profile from a common transit stop en route to other destinations like Ao Nang to full-on tourist destination (which may make it appeal more to some, less to others). Upscale amenities like wi-fi, 24-hour room service, three restaurants, five bars, tennis courts, fitness center, swimming pools, a sauna and additional perks like onsite dry cleaning and spa services deliver the high-end resort experience in spades.

As you’d expect, room rates are comparable to what you’d pay at a Sofitel anywhere. I plugged in a few nights in February 2007, and rooms were going for $181-337 USD depending on the room and restrictions (it’s cheaper if you forfeit your cancellation option).

Sofitel Phokreethra Krabi

Just when you thought we couldn’t get any cooler, we come out with our brand-new, super fabulous Guide to Wireless Access at 80 International Airports. See, we’re thinkin’ about ya and your tech addictions wherever it is that you roam, not just within the US of A.

Where can you find free wi-fi? These airports offer it:

Vienna International Airport

Moscow-Sheremetyevo Airport

Madrid Barajas International Airport

Montreal - Trudeau International Airport

Vancouver International Airport

Toronto - Pearson International Airport

Nassau International Airport

Grantley Adams International Airport (Barbados)

Antigua - VC Bird International Airport

San Jose - Juan Santamaria Airport (Costa Rica)

Sao Paulo - Guarulhos International Airport (Brazil)

Beijing - Capital International Airport

Hong Kong International Airport

Osaka - Kansai International Airport

Tokyo - Narita International Airport

Taipei - Chiang Kai Shek International Airport

Each of the above airports offers free wi-fi somewhere - not necessarily throughout the airport. Clearly, Canada and the Caribbean are kicking all our international butts with the free access, though many Asian countries also offer free wi-fi. Check out the chart for more juicy wi-fi info from around the world.

November’s issue of Conde Nast Traveler features the results of its annual Readers Choice Awards. The issue goes on sale Oct. 24th. In the mean time, you can check out the top three winners in each category. Real travel junkies can compare this list to last year’s Readers Choice Awards:

Top Cities - United States:

1. San Francisco, CA

2. Santa Fe, NM

3. New York, NY

Top Cities - Asia:

1. Bangkok, Thailand

2. Hong Kong

3. Chiang Mai, Thailand

Top Cities - Europe:

1. Florence, Italy

2. Rome, Italy

3. Venice, Italy

Top Cities - Africa/Middle East:

1. Cape Town, South Africa

2. Marrakech, Morocco

Top Cities - Pacific Rim:

1. Sydney, Australia

2. Melbourne, Australia

3. Queenstown, New Zealand

Top Cities - The Americas:

1. Vancouver, British Columbia

2. Buenos Aires, Argentina

3. San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Top Islands - Europe:

1. Mykonos & the Cyclades, Greece

2. Madeira, Portugal

3. Capri, Italy

Top Islands - Pacific Rim:

1. Maui, Hawaii

2. Kauai, Hawaii

3. Moorea, French Polynesia

Top Islands - Caribbean/Atlantic:

1. Bermuda

2. St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands

3. British Virgin Islands

Top Islands - North America:

1. Vancouver Island, Canada

2. Kiawah, South Carolina

3. Nantucket, Massachusetts

Top Islands - Asia:

1. Maldives

2. Bali, Indonesia

3. Phuket, Thailand

Top International Route Airlines:

1. Singapore Airlines

2. Emirates

3. Cathay Pacific

Top Domestic Route Airlines:

1. JetBlue

2. Midwest

3. Hawaiian

Top Car Rental Agencies:

1. Hertz

2. Renault Eurodrive

3. Avis

Top Large Ship Cruise Lines:

1. Regent Seven Seas

2. Crystal Cruises

3. Disney

Top Small Ship Cruise Lines:

1. SeaDream Yacht Club

2. Grand Circle Cruise Line

3. Regent Seven Seas

Top Resorts - Africa:

1. Singita - Ebony & Boulders Lodges

2. Chief’s Camp, Botswana

3. Chobe Chilwero, Botswana

Top Resorts - Canada:

1. Pan Pacific Mountainside, Whistler

2. Four Seasons, Whistler

3. Westin Resort, Whistler

Top Resorts - Atlantic:

1. One&Only Ocean Club, Bahamas

2. The Reefs, Bermuda

3. Parrot Cay, Turks and Caicos

Top Resorts - Central/South America:

1. Four Seasons Peninsula Papagayo

2. Explora en Patagonia, Chile

3. Llao Llao Hotel & Resort, Argentina

Top Resorts - Asia:

1. Four Seasons Bali at Sayan

2. Four Seasons, Chiang Mai, Thailand

3. Banyan Tree, Phuket, Thailand

Top Resorts - Mexico:

1. La Casa Que Canta, Zihuatanejo

2. Royal Hideaway Playacar, Riviera Maya

3. JW Marriott, Cancun

Top Resorts - Pacific Rim:

1. Four Seasons Lodge at Koele, Lanai

2. Four Seasons Hualalai, Big Island

3. Voyages Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef

Top Resorts - Europe:

1. Gleneagles Hotel, Scotland

2. Westin Turnberry Resort, Scotland

3. Mount Juliet Conrad, Co. Kilkenny

Top Resorts - Caribbean:

1. Malliouhana Hotel, Anguilla

2. Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman

3. Sandy Lane, Barbados

Top Resorts - United States:

1. Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain, AZ

2. Inn at Palmetto Bluff, SC

3. Inn at Spanish Bay, CA

Top Hotels - Asia:

1. Fullerton Hotel, Singapore

2. Amandari, Bali

3. The Peninsula, Bangkok

Top Hotels - Caribbean/Atlantic:

1. Hotel Saint-Barth Isle de France

2. Ladera, St. Lucia

3. Waterloo House, Bermuda

Top Hotels - Pacific Rim:

1. Rialto Hotel on Collins, Melbourne

2. Park Hyatt, Sydney

3. Lilianfels Blue Mountains, Australia

Top Hotels - Africa:

1. Four Seasons Cairo at Nile Plaza

2. Cape Grace, Cape Town

3. Sofitel Palais Jamai, Fez

Top Hotels - Europe:

1. Four Seasons Gresham Palace

2. Chateau Les Crayeres, Reims

3. Four Seasons George V, Paris

Top Hotels - South America:

1. Hotel Monasterio, Cuzco, Peru

2. Four Seasons, Buenos Aires

3. Swissotel, Quito, Ecuador

Top Hotels - United States:

1. The Peninsula, Chicago, IL

2. Watermark Hotel, San Antonio, TX

3. St. Regis, New York, NY

Top Hotels - Canada:

1. Auberge du Vieux-Port, Montreal

2. Hotel Dominion 1912, Quebec City

3. Auberge Saint-Antoine, Quebec City

Top Hotels - British Isles:

1. Buckland Manor, The Cotswolds

2. Gidleigh Park, Devon

3. Mandarin Oriental Hyde Park, London

Top Hotels - Central America/Mexico:

1. JW Marriott, Mexico City

2. Esperanza, Cabo San Lucas

3. Casa Santo Domingo, Guatemala

Top Hotels - Middle East:

1. Grand Hyatt, Amman

2. King David, Jerusalem

3. David Citadel, Jerusalem

Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers Choice Awards