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Tokyo's Sézanne is the newly crowned winner of "Asia's 50 Best Restaurants 2024" list. The two Michelin-starred neo-classical French restaurant, located on the 7th floor of the Four Seasons Hotel Tokyo at Marunouchi, climbed from No. Japan had nine restaurants make this year's list, as did the small city-state of Singapore. Odette, which has been in the top 10 list since 2017, is still the highest-ranking restaurant in Singapore (No. Restaurants on the top 50 list are dispersed among 19 cities in Asia.

Persons: Singapore —, Seroja, Les Amis, Gaggan Anand, Le Du Organizations: Michelin Locations: Marunouchi, Japan, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Macao, Asia, Bangkok

☆ 'Quiet luxury' was once all about fashion — but now it describes how the top 1% travel too
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Helen Iatrou | Rob Goss | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Big-ticket travel experiences like those are indicative of the "quiet luxury" trend which began in the world of fashion, with timeless lines trumping brand-blaring outfits. Less limelight, more connectionJaclyn Sienna India, the founder of the ultra-luxury travel company Sienna Charles, said she considers herself a longtime quiet luxury disciple. Monaco has long been a playground for the elite, but wealthy travelers are increasingly opting for more remote locations, say luxury travel advisors. But another important aspect of the quiet luxury movement concerns security. For them, quiet luxury travel is about exclusivity and privacy, she said.

Persons: Jaclyn Sienna India, Sienna Charles, Vietnam's, Alexander Spatari, It's, Sean De Burca, George W, Bush, Erica, Erica Jackowitz, Jackowitz, Sienna India, Thomas Barwick, Roger Federer, Erica's Erica Jackowitz, Anastasiia Organizations: Monaco, Bank, Getty, Digitalvision, Henley, Partners Locations: Antarctica, Svalbard, Paris, Monaco, Chi Minh City, India, Brazil, Ethiopia, New York City, Africa

Singapore made global headlines last year when the government announced that biometric processing will replace travel document verifications at Changi Airport in the first half of 2024. But the city-state is going "passport-free" in another area: its land border with Malaysia. From Tuesday, people traveling by car between Singapore and Malaysia can show self-generated QR codes rather than handing over their passports at two checkpoints. The new rule, which applies to those traveling via the country's Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints, will expedite immigration clearance "without compromising on security," according to Singapore's Immigration & Checkpoints Authority.

Organizations: Changi Airport Locations: Singapore, Malaysia, Woodlands

☆ Japan launches bullet train service to a region that 'guidebooks rarely mention'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Rob Goss | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Japan is launching a new high-speed bullet train, or shinkansen, extension on Saturday that will make an under-the-radar prefecture far more accessible to travelers. The new train will pass through the city of Fukui, the town of Awara and other places guidebooks rarely mention, before reaching the port town of Tsuruga, adding some 78 miles to the Hokuriku Shinkansen's existing Tokyo-to-Kanazawa service. A Geisha walks through a performance hall in Awara, Japan. The end of the lineThe new shinkansen service ends in the town of Tsuruga. Kehi-no-Matsubara in Tsuruga, Japan.

Persons: dino, Juratic, Dogen, it's, Buddhika Weerasinghe, Arief, Sugihara Chiune, Sugihara, Matsuo Basho Organizations: Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum, Zen, Getty, Humanity Museum, Mixa Locations: Japan, Fukui Prefecture, Tokyo, Fukui, Awara, Tsuruga, Kanazawa, Katsuyama, Kanaz, Suishouhama, Poland, Lithuania, Nazi

If the idea of drinking civet cat coffee, which is made from feces from the Asian palm civet, is a turn-off, there may be yet another reason to rethink the drink. This week, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) issued a warning aimed at tourists in Bali after an investigator showed undercover footage of how the civet cat excrement, containing partially digested coffee beans, is obtained. Tourists be warned: stay away from civet coffee." Plus, "there's a misconception that civet coffee ... has a unique taste, and this is often perpetuated by businesses to attract consumers and justify higher prices for their products," Baker said. A young civet cat in a cage in Bali.

Persons: Jason Baker, Baker Organizations: Animals, PETA, Bali ., Getty Locations: Bali, Catur, Bahasa Indonesia, Indonesia

☆ Royal castles to luxury getaways: How to spend King Charles III's coronation weekend
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | Rob Goss | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The king has pledged a more scaled-back affair than that celebrated by his mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, in 1953. Here's CNBC Travel's top picks for how to spend the coronation weekend. Watch the ceremonial processionThe coronation will take place at Westminster Abbey on May 6 in a service conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury. Buckingham Palace, London residence of the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom, is open for tours outside of the coronation weekend. Picnic in the Royal ParksLondon's Royal Parks offer a more low-key way to absorb the royal atmosphere over the coronation weekend.

☆ New reports say business travel isn’t going back to normal — ever
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | Rob Goss | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The days of high-flying, big-spending business travel may be over for good. As a new report by research company Morning Consult declared: Business travel will never return to normal. Tighter corporate budgets and new ways of virtual working have permanently changed business travel, according to the report, titled "Business, but Not as Usual." A different business travel model is slowly but surely becoming entrenched, crystallizing a "new normal" for the industry, according to the report. Bright spots for business travelBut there are several bright spots for those cheering the robust return of business travel, according to the reports.

☆ The priciest tickets for Singapore's Formula One night race are gone — and others are going fast
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Monica Pitrelli | Rob Goss | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

So much for cheap tickets selling out first. The priciest tickets to attend Singapore's Formula One race this year are gone, despite being priced at an all-time high of 11,016 Singapore dollars ($8,260) for a three-day pass. Tickets for the "Paddock Club" entitle ticketholders to air-conditioned suites, unlimited Champagne, food and live performances, plus "exclusive access to the coveted daily Pit Lane Walk which gives an up-close view of the F1 cars, garages, and crew," according to the race website. Sunday night tickets for the Paddock Club, which overlooks the pit garage, are gone, though tickets for Friday or Saturday, which sell for $2,808 and $4,104 respectively, are still available, according to the website.

☆ Beyond Kyoto: Japan recommends 11 lesser-known spots to visit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Rob Goss | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Japan wants travelers to go beyond the country's iconic tourist sites — and consider spending their yen in lesser-known locations. CNBC Travel takes a look at what each of the 11 spots has to offer travelers — whether or not they're wealthy. Koichi Kamoshida | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesIse-shima is arguably the "model destination" most ready to welcome the JTA's wealthy targets. Kagoshima, Aso and UnzenThe island of Kyushu in western Japan feature everything from active volcanoes to glimpses of samurai culture. Okinawa and AmamiIn 2021, Amami-Oshima Island, Tokunoshima Island, the northern part of Okinawa's main island, and Iriomote Island were given joint UNESCO Natural World Heritage status for their biodiversity and endemic wildlife.

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