Why a cruise is the best way to visit Asia

Island fling

Island nations such as the Philippines and Indonesia are hard work if you get the urge to venture from one atoll to another to see what treasures you might be missing there. Mostly it’ll mean taking a ferry; even if there are flights, that’s good holiday time wasted getting to and from airports.

Travel on a cruise and you’ll visit a different island every day. Indonesia has beaches, excellent scuba diving and great snorkelling. On Komodo Island, rangers armed with sticks take visitors in search of the eponymous ‘dragons’.

Philippines cruises pair the traffic-laden streets of Manila with blissful islands ringed with beaches, rainforest, limestone karsts and granite cliffs. Palawan is a favourite for snorkelling. Coron has the peaceful Kayangan Lake. Borocan promises white sands now it has reopened after a six-month clean-up.

Star Clippers’ seven-night Eastbound Indonesia cruise round-trip from Benoa in Bali visits Gili Kondo, Komodo National Park and Pink Beach on Komodo Island, Santonda Island, Gili Meno and Gili Trawangan and Gili Nanggu. From £1,565pp (excluding flights) departing July 4, 2020 (starclippers.co.uk).