Puglia is home to some of Italy's loveliest towns and villages,Credit: Getty images
MY PARTNER AND I ARE PLANNING A CRUISE OF ABOUT 14 DAYS IN THE ADRIATIC AND MEDITERRANEAN IN MAY OR JUNE 2016. WE ARE LOOKING FOR A CRUISE TO VISIT SOME OF THE SMALLER ISLANDS SUCH AS SENJ, HVAR, KORCULA ETC. FROM HERE IS IT POSSIBLE TO TAKE ANOTHER CRUISE TO CORFU, PATRAS AND SOME OF THE OTHER GREEK ISLANDS? WHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF ENCOUNTERING THE BORA WIND AND TOO MANY OTHER HOLIDAYMAKERS?
J. DRAZENOVIC, LAUNCESTON
Plenty of small vessels do island-hopping cruises of the Dalmatian islands from the town of Trogir, in Croatia, about an hour's drive north of Split, and closer still to the city's international airport. Most of these operate on a one-week itinerary, and you'll be taking in the sights, swimming, lapping up the sunshine and drinking rajika, the local firewater, late at night in village squares in Vis, Korcula, Hvar, Brac, Pag and other islands off the Croatian coast. The cruisers are mostly gulet, small, traditional timber sailing vessels that carry between 12 and 20 passengers, and facilities vary quite a bit with price. Check the Visit Croatia website (visit-croatia.co.uk) and you'll find plenty of choice, but view your selection on Tripadvisor (tripadvisor.com.au), some of the cheaper cruises are aimed at young travellers looking to party long and loud.
Luxury resorts such as Tanjong Jara Resort are few and far between on Malaysias south-east coast.
No ferries operate between Croatia and Greece, and hopping aboard a cruise vessel for this journey is not a practical proposition. Your best bet would be to fly from Split to Athens and catch ferries to the islands.
While the Bora can send temperatures plummeting along the Adriatic coast at any time of the year, it is most common between November and March. In May or June, you'd be unlikely to feel its effects. Although these are popular islands and they attract big crowds, you should be well ahead of the pack.
MY HUSBAND AND I WILL BE VISITING SOUTHERN PUGLIA IN LATE SEPTEMBER FOR ABOUT A WEEK. WHICH TOWN DO YOU SUGGEST WOULD BE BEST AS A BASE? WOULD WE BE ABLE TO VISIT SURROUNDING AREAS BY TRAIN OR BUS OR WOULD IT BE BEST TO HIRE A CAR?
S. RAVENSCROFT, AVALON
Salento is a sub-region of Puglia at the heel of the Italian boot, and it's home to some of Italy's loveliest towns and villages, a dazzling coastline amply furnished with beaches on both the Ionian and Adriatic coasts and an architectural treasury that dates back to Greek days. As well as rustic villages you have easy access to Lecce, which has a wonderful collection of baroque churches that wins it the title "Florence of the south". This is also the place to sample the fish, offal, vegetables, burrata cheese and the excellent bread that are the foundations of the distinctive local cuisine. To the north, is the town of Alberobello, famous for its conical trulli houses, and the glistening white towns of the Valle d'Itria.
Trogir is a great place to depart on an island-hopping cruise around the Adriatic.
Rather than a town you might look for accommodation in the masseria, substantial houses that were once surrounded by substantial estates, now converted to offer accommodation with charm and character.
Hire a car, definitely. Public transport serves only the major towns and a car will multiply your sightseeing opportunities many times over. Leave nothing of value in your vehicle, and leave the glovebox open to prove it, smash and grab raids are an unfortunate fact in this part of Italy.
WE ARE PLANNING A HOLIDAY TO MALAYSIA AND WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE THAN KUALA LUMPUR. TIME IS NOT A PROBLEM, WHAT ARE YOUR SUGGESTIONS OF WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO SEE? WE HAVE ALWAYS HIRED CARS AND HAVE BEEN INDEPENDENT ON OUR TRAVELS, IS THIS ADVISABLE FOR MALAYSIA OR SHOULD WE CONSIDER A TOUR? WHAT'S THE BEST TIME TO GO?
B. PIERCE, BIRCHGROVE
Malaysia is perfect for a self-drive holiday, in fact, one of the very best places in all of Asia to get behind the wheel. Road conditions are good, traffic is well mannered and costs are reasonable.
From Kuala Lumpur you could drive east to Kuantan, an easy half-day drive, and spend a couple of nights at Teluk Chempedak, a sweep of sand cradled between rocky headlands and a lively resort area. To the north, the coast road follows the beach, curving inland around the kampongs or where a river trickles down from the hills.
High-quality beach resorts are rare in this part of the world but Tanjong Jara Resort (tanjongjararesort.com) just south of Kuala Terengganu is a silky exception, a complex of timber bungalows wrapped around a lagoon and overlooking a long crescent of bleached sand.
Further north at Jerteh, turn west to take Highway 4 across the top of Peninsular Malaysia to Penang. This is one of the most likeable of all Asian cities. At its heart, George Town is practically an open-air museum, a sleepy World Heritage zone with a fragrant Little India and a time-warped Chinatown where the shopfronts are being transformed into boutique hotels and smart cafe/restaurants. Thanks to its multi-cultural heritage, George Town dishes up a feast of flavours, with street-food dining that leaves Singapore's famed hawker markets looking pale. Spend a few days here at least.
If time allows, on the way south to Kuala Lumpur to complete the circle, you could make a detour to stay a couple of nights in the Cameron Highlands, a cool, misty world of tea plantations and golf courses, with strong links to its colonial heritage. Best time for this journey would be between March and August, certainly before the wet season strikes the west coast, which usually happens in September.
CONVERSATION OVER TO YOU…
The question was "Several airports around the world now offer sleeping pods, small, quiet, private rooms where you can catch a few winks between flights. Would you try one, or better still, have you? "
A. Gibbins writes "I have used a pod in Dubai for five hours and it was great to stretch out in a quiet room. It felt secure with a concierge at a reception desk, and an assured wake-up call. It was in a different terminal to flight arrival, but the airport customer-service person walked with me to a door and put me into a mini-van which dropped me at another terminal just around the corner from the pod. The toilet and shower block was next door. It was much cheaper than an airport hotel for a single traveller. I was told by the airline that there were plenty of relaxing chairs for the stopover in the airport, but I think I had a much more refreshing experience."
From K. Cline, "I had seven hours between flights at Delhi so I booked into one of their airport pods and I was able to sleep for around five hours. It was quiet, well located and at around $65 pretty decent."
P. Jenkins writes "My husband and I tried a sleeping pod at London Heathrow for four hours and it was tight but it had a comfy bed and even a bathroom and free WiFi, I think it cost around $100 so not exactly cheap but reasonable value."
Next question: I'm writing this from Bhutan, which seems to rank high on a lot of bucket lists. What's top of yours?
Send response to tripologist@fairfaxmedia.com.au. The best response will win a Lonely Planet guidebook.
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Include your name and your suburb or town and send it to tripologist@fairfaxmedia.com.au All published questions will win a Lonely Planet guidebook.
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