Aromatic marketplaces, pulsating cities and temple-tasselled beaches are just a pinch of what’s in store on Asia holidays.

Palm-brushed beaches, electric green countryside and simmering cities are a mainstay of holidays to the Far East. Thailand’s horseshoe-shaped gulf is freckled with Castaway-style islands, and both Bangkok and Phuket bring the party. In India, boats bob through Kerala’s backwaters and Goa’s home to sleepy beaches and colourful markets. Tea plantations, elephant sanctuaries and scenic train journeys set the tone in Sri Lanka. And across the Indian Ocean, away from civilisation, the Maldives’ over-water villas and aquarium-clear waters speak for themselves.