Ais kepal, bike rentals and barber shop – everything you need on a holiday can be found at Sekeping Kong Heng in Ipoh, Perak. Photo: The Star/Ronnie Chin
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Global travel authority Lonely Planet has chosen Perak as one of the world’s Top 10 Regions for next year in Lonely Planet’s Best In Travel 2017, released last week.
Best In Travel 2017 (US$14.99/RM62) is Lonely Planet’s 12th annual agenda-setting collection of the world’s hottest trends, destinations and experiences for the year ahead. The best-selling, inspirational travel yearbook highlights the top 10 countries, cities, regions and best value destinations that Lonely Planet’s experts recommend travellers experience in 2017.
Perak is ranked ninth on the book’s list of Top 10 Regions 2017.
“Perak’s capital, Ipoh, is nurturing a bloom of vintage-style cafés and boutiques,” Lonely Planet writes. “The nucleus of this old-meets-new makeover is Kong Heng Block, surrounding the imaginative Sekeping Kong Heng hotel. Here, cheerful joints like Roquette Café, Burps & Giggles, and Bits & Bobs pull a vibrant crowd to shop, dawdle and slurp ais kepal (ice balls) in this historic neighbourhood.”
“Meanwhile,” Lonely Planet continues, “guesthouse owners and tour guides on Pangkor Island are starting to lead sustainable nature walks and village tours, thanks to a mentoring scheme by NGO EcoMy. In this sunbather’s paradise, an emerging focus on wildlife is a breath of fresh, sea air.”
A hotel at Kong Heng Block. Photo: The Star/Saiful Bahri
Lonely Planet’s Top 10 Regions 2017 are:
1. Choquequirao, Peru
2. Taranaki, New Zealand
3. The Azores, Portugal
4. North Wales, UK
5. South Australia
6. Aysén, Chile
7. The Tuamotus, French Polynesia
8. Coastal Georgia, the United States
9. Perak, Malaysia
10. The Skellig Ring, Ireland
