Author William Gibson once described Singapore as “Disneyland with the death penalty,” and it’s not difficult to see why.

The tiny Southeast Asian city-state gives off an anything-goes, party town atmosphere in its chic clubs and bars. But don’t party too hard – the penalties are severe for law breakers. You can have fun, but controlled fun. There’s a certain sterile weirdness about the place, too. What other country in the world can lay claim to legalizing prostitution, but outlawing chewing gum? Gambling, once outlawed, is now permitted in two mega resorts: Resorts World Sentosa and Marina Bay Sands.

Lying at the southern foot of the Himalayas and in the heart of the Shangri-La eco cultural zone, Lijiang is a world away from Shanghai. This is northwestern Yunnan Province, a land of mountains, rivers, lakes, meadows and forests, clean air, blue skies, ancient ethnic cultures and the most diverse plant and animal life that China has to offer.

Lijiang Old Town is destination enough in itself. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997, its history stretches back more than 800 years, when it began to grow as a confluence for trade along the old Tea Horse Road, the unpaved and often rugged trail through which tea, salt and sugar flowed into Tibet, and horses, cows, furs and musk came out. Cars are not allowed in the Old Town, and you can spend happy hours getting lost in its labyrinth of shiny, stone-paved streets, intersected by an orderly system of streams, its old bridges carrying you over their crystalline waters, fish wimpling in their gentle flow. The Huangpu this ain’t.

A pristine bit of paradise in the Philippines.

About 2,400 km away, a verdant sliver of paradise spanning 650 km from the Mindoro Strait to the edge of Borneo straddles the sapphire Sulu and South China seas. A six-hour flight with a quick stopover in Manila will transport you from the smoggy metropolis of Shanghai to this Elysian buffet.

Beijing Capital Airport hotel opens this month with the ambitious goal of making an airport stay exciting. Difficult, yes, but the hotel manages to spice things up with their Fuel Bar and Grill, which dons a gold and pink entrance hall. The hotel has all the usual amenities – iPod docking stations, walk-in showers and, of course, free Wi-Fi. Guests have a choice of Chinese, Western or Japanese restaurants. // 1 Er Jing Lu, Terminal 3, Capital International Airport Beijing (6457 5555)

The Ascott–branded new residence opened three months ago in the most affluent part of Huaihai Lu, just a stone’s throw from Xintiandi, and we went along to see how they’ve settled in.