Karen just got back from a superb trip to Thailand, taking in city, countryside and beach in a three-centre trip - Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Hua Hin. Today, back in the office, she's full of tales about riding elephants, learning Thai cookery, visiting floating markets and singing karaoke (there was quite a lot of Singha beer involved!) so we thought we'd bring you some of her highlights from her trip, plus details of how you can do the exact same trip too (the karaoke is optional!) Bangkok "My trip started in Bangkok, which is a place I've been to a few times before, but there's always so much to see and do - it would be hard for me to visit Thailand and not have at least a few days in Bangkok! I spent a full day exploring the city , travelling by skytrain, tuk tuk and boat to take in places that I hadn't been to before - the flower markets in Chinatown, the beautiful teak house of the famous silk entrepreneur Jim Thompson, and the fabulo...

Vietnam is one of our favourite destinations, with a great combination of incredible scenery and  a varied history with vibrant cities, great food and exceptionally friendly people - laze on the beach,  explore the cities, head to the hills or combine all of it! Escape Worldwide 's Mark visited most parts of the Country on a whirlwind visit recently, and brings you his take on this incredible destination . . . Vietnam is a country of contrasts, none more apparent than that of its two main cities, the elegant and charming capital Hanoi; and the vibrant southern powerhouse Saigon. Vietnam’s geography makes it easy to start your journey in one and finish in the other, and to my mind both are well worth a few days Meet Uncle Ho! Hanoi's  French influence is apparent in its buildings and avenues, while the Old Quarter dates back 1,000 years and is a fascinating place to wander - I got completely lost ...

At Number 1 . . . Aloha Beach Life The Hawaiian Islands combine stunning scenery, a relaxed atmosphere and some fantastic beers, and there’s nowhere better to sample the most famous local brew than at the Kona Brewing Company’s brewery and pub, in the relaxed town of Kailua-Kona , on Hawaii’s Big Island . The company’s range of beers are found throughout the islands (not yet available in the UK , unfortunately), and really do live up to their ‘liquid Aloha’ tag. Longboard Lager is perhaps the best known – a favourite with the characters of Hawaii Five-0 – but our choice is Fire Rock Pale Ale, named after the active volcanoes of Big Island , just a short distance from the brewery itself.   Kailua-Kona hosts the Ironman World Championship every year, the ultimate sporting test of endurance, when up to 2000 of the world’s toughest athletes undertake a 2.4 mile swim, a 112-mile bike ride and a full marathon, all one after the other – and all in the heat of Hawaii . The s...

At Number 2 . . . Getting Close to Nature The bar at the Sopa Lodge, in Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park , looks out over the vast plains of one of Africa ’s most renowned game reserves – that’s a bar with our name on it! After spending a few hours in the park on a game drive, getting up close with everything you could imagine from a safari holiday from big cats to elephants, hippo and more, there’s nothing better than a bottle of beer – Serengeti Beer, of course!   The Sopa Lodge has a superb setting, slightly elevated and located towards the southwest of the park, with fabulous views from the rooms, the pool and the bar – take your drinks outside on to the terrace by the pool for an uninterrupted view across the Serengeti plains . You’re likely to see a great deal of wildlife while enjoying your drinks, with smaller creatures such as gazelle and zebra coming close to the lodge while elephants, giraffe, wildebeest and a host of other game can be seen in the distanc...

At Number 3...... Sightseeing Beer We love a spot of sightseeing when we’re on holiday, but we also like a beer or two, and we’d hate for one to get in the way of the other. On a Nile cruise , you can enjoy a cold Stella or Sakara beer while gently cruising down the Nile and seeing the sights as you go – the best of both worlds! The beauty of a Nile cruise is that it’s packed with interest yet is very relaxing – OK, there are some early starts and you’ll take in an incredible amount of history, but there’s plenty of time to chill out and relax on board, and with most boats having a sundeck and swimming pool, you’ll come away as relaxed – and tanned – as you would on a beach holiday.   Over the years we’ve visited Egypt more times than we can remember, and we’ve narrowed our beer of choice down to two – Stella (nothing to do with the Belgian brand) and Sakara. Stella has been around for well over 100 years while Sakara is far newer - unlike the pyramids it’s named after! In th...

At Number 4...... Bargain Beer For a small town, Hoi An in Central Vietnam has an amazing array of beers available, and is quite possibly the cheapest place for a beer you’re likely to find – that’s ignoring the town’s incredible history and beautifully restored UNESCO-listed Old Town, of course – it’s not all about the beer, you know! Hoi An is one of our favourite parts of the Far East , rammed with historical interest but with great beaches, a relaxed atmosphere and some superb dining and drinking options. A few days here is highly recommended on any Vietnamitinerary . Throughout Vietnam it’s easy to get a beer for around 12,000 Dong - a mere 40p! In many local bars (and for local read tourist bars, but outside of the larger hotels), a bottle of local beer such as Saigon or Larue will cost 12,000 to 15,000 (40p - 50p), or up to a whopping 30,000 Dong (£1) in a pricier venue. That’s for a large 450ml bottle of very pleasant beer indeed! Central Vietnam also has a number of lo...

At Number 5..... A Beer With A View For a beer with a view, head to the 51st floor of the  Banyan Tree Bangkok , to the Latitude Bar, where a cool Singha beer (our tipple of choice in  Thailand !) comes with perhaps the most spectacular view of Bangkok available. The Latitude Bar isn’t quite at the top of the hotel - that honour goes to Vertigo Restaurant, on the roof a few floors higher up - but the open sided bar cuts right through the building from one side to the other, giving stunning views in both directions. If, like Mark in our office, you don’t have a head for heights then avoid the table close to the edge, as the sheer drop to the street below will make you wobbly.   The view to the north side of the bar takes in the bright lights of lively Patpong just beneath you, with Bangkok’s older Ratanakosin district in the distance – this area is home to some of Bangkok’s most interesting sites including the Grand Palace and Wat Po, home to the 43 metre long reclinin...

Mark's currently sitting in a bar in Vietnam, so it seems like there's no better time to ask him about the beverages he's been 'testing out' there... The cost of beer in Vietnam depends on what you drink and where you drink it, but overall the simple answer is - beer is very cheap in Vietnam! Hotels are obviously the most expensive place to drink beer in Vietnam, but even here things do vary dramatically. Business-orientated hotels in the main centres are the most expensive, with a bottle of Heineken or similar at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers in Saigon being 110,000 Dong (£3.65), although in their rooftop Bar add an extra £1 (worth it for the view!) At the other end of things, you can easily get a beer at 12,000 Dong - a mere 40p! In many local bars (and for local read tourist bars, but outside of the larger hotels), a bottle of local beer such as Saigon or Larue will cost 12,000 to 15,000 (40p - 50p), or up to a whopping 30,000 Dong (£1) in a pricier venue. That’...

Thailand ’s food is one of the highlights of any visit here, and after many years of travelling to the Country, the staff at Escape Worldwide have their own view of it! Karen used to be the biggest wimp in the office when it came to spicy food, but over the years she’s developed a real taste for Thai food. “I tend to stick to dishes that I know I like, so I don’t get any unexpected surprises. Everything is so fresh, and the seafood in particular tends to be superb – and so well priced, compared to the UK. In fact, I tend to go a bit overboard in Thailand as the food is really good value – crab cakes or spring rolls as a starter for £ 1, a main dish of a Thai curry for maybe £ 1.50, all washed down with copious quantities of Singha or Chang beer – and you still won’t have hit a fiver!” Natalie remembers one meal in particular. “I think the hottest meal I’ve ever had was in Bangkok, when I thought I’d try a Thai Green Curry. The restaurant our hotel, the Dusit Thani, su...