Your questions: What destination in Asia will keep our marriage intact?

We have two to three weeks in June or July 2025 to travel in Asia. One of us is the energiser bunny and needs a week of fun, food and action and one of us needs some downtime with a swim, lovely food and cocktails. What do you recommend in Asia to keep us happily married? R. and T. Cayres, Coogee, NSW

North of Hanoi, the rippling hills are the home of Vietnam’s minority hill tribes.Credit: iStock

For an Asian holiday with charm, serenity, scenery, shopping, great food, cultural splendours and astonishing value, Vietnam is a star performer. In mid-year, focus on central and northern Vietnam, the south will be sticky.

Start with Hanoi to take in the colonial architecture in the French quarter, the pagodas, the tree-lined lakes, the museums and don’t miss the city’s unique take on coffee and croissants. Shop for silks, porcelain and lacquerware at unbelievable prices and take an overnight cruise on Ha Long Bay.

North of Hanoi, the rippling hills are the home of Vietnam’s minority hill tribes. The former French hill station of Sapa, accessible from Hanoi via an overnight train ride and short but steep bus ride, is the main base for accommodation and tours. Market day brings to Sapa a colourful brigade of Red Zhao women and Black Hmong in indigo dresses with matching turbans. The scenery – rice paddies that step down the hillsides from mist-covered mountains – throws down a challenge to the legs. Almost anything is possible, from a two-hour stroll to a three-day expedition, overnighting in hilln-tribe longhouses.

For the resort chapter of your holiday, Hoi An is one of Vietnam’s favourite beach resorts, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed town with a beautifully preserved old town and a blend of cultural influences from Chinese, Japanese, and European traders. Highlights include the Japanese covered bridge, Hoi An Ancient Town, the Night Market, the boat ride among the floating lanterns on the Thu Bon River and the local tailor shops – take along whatever you want copied and they’ll have it made in a flash.

With that much time in hand you might also take a side trip to Cambodia’s Siem Reap, the base for visits to Angkor, with frequent flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

My wife and I have seven days after our cruise finishes in Venice before we need to be in Vienna for the return flight home. Do we use Verona as a base for exploring Lake Garda and the Italian Alps or head towards Ljubljana and Zagreb? We prefer one base.
L. Di Petta, South Yarra, Vic

Verona at sunset.Credit: iStock

Verona is a good choice. It’s a lively city with the usual northern Italian cocktail of medieval and renaissance artistic treasures, fine food and fashionable good taste. Piazza del Erbe, once the site of the city’s forum, is the perfect Italian piazza packed into a compact space. In 2025 the Verona Opera Festival takes place from June 13 to September 5, held in the open-air Arena, the third-largest Roman amphitheatre in existence. Verona is also centrally located with easy connections to the lakeside towns of Garda and Desenzano from where you can take ferries around Lake Garda.

Bolzano, in the Sudtirol region and well worth a day trip, is about 90 minutes away by train, with frequent departures. Vicenza, also close, is known for its elegant buildings designed by architect Andrea Palladio. The fastest trains from Verona to Vienna take just over eight hours.

Can you help with recommendations for accommodation in Warsaw for two days?
L. Jones, Newcastle, NSW

Warsaw doesn’t get huge numbers of tourists and even five-star hotel prices are moderate. If you want old-style glamour you can’t go past the Hotel Bristol, an art nouveau wonder in a prime position beside the Presidential Palace and within easy strolling distance of the Old Town. Slightly lower down the price list, the Pura Warszawa Centrum is a sleek, stylish property with crisp rooms, home to one of the city’s top-rated Italian restaurants. Another great choice, H15 Boutique Hotel is a smart, five-star hotel with spacious rooms and apartments in a beautiful 19th-century property at the heart of Warsaw. Two days is rather short, if you possibly can, squeeze in another day at least.

My husband and I, aged 81 and 71, are travelling overseas for the first time. Staying for to five days in London then my English husband wants to visit Weston-Super-Mare, the Lake District, Prestatyn, Birmingham and the Cotswolds over five weeks. Would you advise going north or south? We will hire a car at some point.
A. Browning, St Kilda, Vic

Bravo! Whether you start in the north or the south depends on the season. If it’s warm, but likely to become cooler, start in the north with the Lake District, followed by Prestatyn, Birmingham, the Cotswolds and Weston-Super-Mare. If it’s cool but warming up, you could do it in reverse. For accommodation you might check the Sawdays website, they list lots of B&Bs, self-catering cottages and pubs with rooms and prices are moderate.

If you’re travelling between July and September you should book accommodation in advance, outside of those months it’s not so essential, except in popular areas such as the Lake District and the Cotswolds. If you have problems finding accommodation, local tourist offices are a great source of advice.

If your husband is the main driver and he’s 81, car hire can be problematic, however there are some companies that specialise in car hire for seniors such as Indigo. Travelling overseas for the first time and not in the full flush of youth is brave and intrepid. Any tips from our well-informed Traveller readers I will pass on to you.

Travel advice is general; readers should consider their personal circumstances