Malaysia

Malaysia packs three distinct holidays into one trip. Kuala Lumpur is a cosmopolitan capital where the 452-metre Petronas Twin Towers (the world's tallest twin buildings until 2004) anchor a skyline of glass and steel — Sky Bridge views, Suria KLCC shopping, and Jalan Alor street-food nights are the must-do trio. Batu Caves and the Genting Highlands cable car make for great day trips from KL. Penang's Georgetown — a UNESCO World Heritage city — is the cultural and culinary heart. Trishaw rides past Chinese clan jetties, century-old Peranakan mansions, Cheong Fatt Tze (the Blue Mansion), Khoo Kongsi temple, and a street-art trail that turned Penang into Asia's coolest art city. Penang's hawker food — char kway teow, asam laksa, hokkien mee — is widely regarded as the best in Southeast Asia. Langkawi is the beach finale: 99 jewel-green islands off Malaysia's northwest coast, dominated by Pulau Langkawi where Cenang Beach's water sports and the SkyCab — the world's steepest cable-car at 42 degrees — to the Sky Bridge are headline attractions. Mangrove tours, Eagle Square, the night market, and a duty-free shopping scene round out the experience.