Singapore, Malaysia & Thailand: The Southeast Asia Trio

Private transfer from Changi Airport — consistently rated the world's best — to your hotel near the Marina Bay waterfront. The rest of the day is yours to settle in and recover from the flight. This evening your Singapore guide joins you for a relaxed welcome dinner at a riverside restaurant along the Singapore River, with the illuminated skyline as a backdrop.

A morning at Gardens by the Bay — the 100-hectare horticultural marvel beside Marina Bay. The two glass conservatories, the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest, are blissfully air-conditioned sanctuaries, and the Cloud Forest's 35-metre indoor waterfall is unlike anything else in Asia. Your guide takes you through at a gentle pace. The afternoon is free; this evening, stay for the Supertree Grove light show, when the 50-metre steel trees illuminate against the night sky.

A morning through Singapore's living Chinatown — the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple, traditional medicine halls and goldsmiths — followed by an included hawker centre lunch, where your guide steers you to the best stalls: Hainanese chicken rice, char kway teow, and a proper kopi to finish. The afternoon offers a gentle taste of Sentosa Island via the Mount Faber cable car, with sweeping views over the harbour, or a free afternoon at the hotel pool if you prefer to rest before tomorrow's flight.

A leisurely morning before a private transfer to Changi for the included one-hour flight to Kuala Lumpur. Your KL guide meets you at the airport and transfers you to your hotel near the Petronas Towers. This evening, a gentle orientation walk through KLCC Park beneath the glittering towers, followed by dinner at a relaxed local restaurant your guide favours.

An early visit to the Petronas Towers Skybridge — the highest two-storey bridge in the world, connecting the twin towers — before the crowds build. Then to Merdeka Square, where Malaysia declared independence in 1957, surrounded by the Tudor-Revival Royal Selangor Club, the Jamek Mosque and the magnificent Sultan Abdul Samad Building. The afternoon is free for the hotel pool, a spa treatment, or browsing the Central Market's craft stalls.

A morning visit to Batu Caves, 13km north of the city — a series of caverns inside a 400-million-year-old limestone massif, guarded by a 43-metre golden statue of Lord Murugan. Those who wish can climb the 272 steps to the dramatic Cathedral Cave; others enjoy the step-free temples at the base. An afternoon transfer to the airport for the short included flight to Penang, where your Georgetown guide meets you and transfers you to your heritage hotel in the UNESCO zone.

A full day exploring Georgetown — arguably the most complete colonial streetscape in Southeast Asia. Within a few hundred metres stand Hokkien clan houses, the Kapitan Keling Mosque, Sri Mahamariamman Temple and St George's Church — the physical record of the Straits Settlements' remarkable multicultural society. The famous street-art murals are scattered through the lanes, and your guide threads a route that finds them in their best light. Lunch is an included food trail through Penang's celebrated hawker scene — assam laksa, char kway teow and cendol.

A relaxed morning in Georgetown — perhaps a final coffee in a restored shophouse café — before a private transfer to Penang Airport for the included flight to Bangkok. Your Thailand guide meets you at Suvarnabhumi Airport and transfers you to your riverside hotel on the Chao Phraya. The evening is free; the hotel's riverfront terrace is a lovely place to watch the longtail boats and rice barges pass beneath the lit-up skyline.

A morning at the Grand Palace and the adjoining Wat Phra Kaew, home of the revered Emerald Buddha — the spiritual heart of Thailand and one of the most dazzling complexes in Asia. Nearby, Wat Pho houses the colossal 46-metre Reclining Buddha. Your guide navigates the crowds and the etiquette so you can simply absorb it all. The afternoon is free; a sunset longtail-boat cruise along the river and its quiet canals can be arranged.

A free morning in Bangkok — perhaps the flower market, a riverside spa, or simply a slow breakfast watching the river. After lunch, a private transfer to the airport for the short included flight to your chosen finish: a relaxing Thai beach (Phuket or Krabi) or the cool, cultured calm of Chiang Mai in the north. Your resort guide meets you on arrival and transfers you to your hotel. The evening is yours to begin unwinding.

A full free day to relax. On the beach, this means the sea, the pool, a massage and a long lunch with your toes near the sand. In Chiang Mai, it might mean a gentle morning temple visit — the gilded Wat Phra Singh or the hillside Doi Suthep — and an afternoon at leisure. Either way, the day is entirely yours, with your guide on hand should you wish to arrange anything.

Another free day, with an optional gentle excursion if you wish. On the beach, a relaxed half-day boat trip to a nearby island and quiet bay; in Chiang Mai, a morning at an ethical elephant sanctuary or the handicraft villages of San Kamphaeng. Equally, doing nothing at all is a perfectly good plan — the whole point of these final days is to decompress before the long flight home.

Your last full day, entirely unstructured. Many guests simply repeat whatever they enjoyed most — another long lunch by the sea, a final wander through Chiang Mai's old city and its night bazaar, a last massage. Your guide can arrange a special farewell dinner if you wish, somewhere quietly memorable to mark the end of the journey.

A final breakfast and, depending on your flight, perhaps a last swim or a quiet morning before a private transfer to the airport for your onward journey home. Your guide sees you off and ensures the airport process is smooth and unhurried.