Move over backpackers; southeast Asia now boasts enough luxury hotels offering charm, character and a wealth of home comforts to satisfy even our Bon Vivant

I t seems that we’re called ‘flashpackers’. That’s you and me: those of us who travel around the world and like a little luxury at the end of a hard day in the heat. Not for us a communal shower block and a sticky café for dinner.

Flashpackers are the new generation of travellers. Southeast Asia, long the home of the world’s ‘backpackers’ – those unkempt and sometimes unwashed characters, responsible for opening up to tourists like us some of the great sights of the world – is now after our money. The marketing men in this part of the world have decided that many travellers – aside from those on a budget – now want that essential touch of luxury and are prepared to pay for it. Boutique hotels, chic shops and wonderful restaurants, where you would be forgiven for thinking you were dining in the heart of Paris, abound, for example, in the small French colonial hill town of Luang Prabang in northern Laos.

Of course, there are still plenty of services for backpackers. The locals will do your laundry for the equivalent of a few euros, a good hearty breakfast will set you back about the same and your local transport is a tuk-tuk: a dollar to almost anywhere. Make mine an airconditioned car anytime.

Forget slumming it; the divine luxury of the Maison Souvannaphoum in the centre of the town is for me. A few steps away from the longest night market I have ever visited – it runs the length of the town – the hotel has five-star comfort and good local food; buffalo, rice dishes and fresh local vegetables are on the daily menu in this former prince’s palace. Actually it’s more like a very smart detached house in a suburb of almost any European city, complete with a gorgeous garden pool to fall into as you return from an arduous day’s sightseeing. A room will cost you about €100 a night.

A feeling of warm contentment and tranquillity seems to pervade this town which is surrounded by spectacular mountain scenery. Combine this with its French inheritance of fresh coffee and croissants, its World Heritage listing and the locals’ natural gentleness and cleanliness, and you do have a certain kind of paradise.

I was in Laos and Cambodia for 10 days and I can’t wait to go back. Now that I know I can enjoy a wealth of home comforts at the Maison Souvannaphoum, I don’t mind roughing it (a little) during the day with an elephant ride or a hike in the hills. Best of all was a leisurely sail up the muddy Mekong towards Thailand on a Sunday afternoon, passing local fishermen, sundry swimmers, water buffalo and the occasional Buddha. We stopped for lunch at a family-run restaurant. It was a fairly primitive affair, but the chef cooked up a selection of mouthwatering rice dishes. That little boat journey cost us the equivalent of €20.

Down in vibrant Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital city, it seemed that we had arrived as yet another revolution was underway. This time a non-violent one; the city, which has had its fair share of tragedy, is now trying to forget the past and move on. It’s all rather hip in Phnom Penh these days. Here again, beautiful French colonial mansions are re-emerging as quirky small hotels and bars, and great artisan shops are opening up selling superb local products in silk and wood, all designed to make the city attractive to the high-end tourist/flashpacker.

Even the property market is taking off. Fancy a sleek apartment on the Mekong? This region of the world now has a host of cities that have become destinations in their own right, including Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and Shanghai. Why not Phnom Penh? With its turbulent past behind it and its colourful new look, the city is in the perfect position for attracting new customers and investors.

I shall write more on Angkor Wat another time but suffice it to say that when in Cambodia a visit to these 12th-century ruins – there are around 400 to choose from – is a must. It really is a most impressive sight, even if it is overrun with tourists. For peace and quiet away from the hordes take an hour’s helicopter ride to view the ruins and lush surrounding area in comfort.

In Cambodia I stayed at the charming Raffles Hotel Le Royal. Once again, old French colonial buildings greet you with their high ceilings, large rooms, excellent spas and mammoth pools. This Raffles served as the centre of military and ex-pat life during the Khmer Rouge insurgence in the 1970s; to learn more about this terrifying period, Jon Swain’s book, River of Time, is a must. You can also visit the notorious Killing Fields just outside the city and the local prisons of torture; with mass graves and thousands of skulls primitively on display, it’s a grisly yet fascinating site.

Cambodia has been a top destination for backpackers in recent years. Now it’s our turn.

JIM DUNN’s second book, Very Private and Public Relations, is published in April, and his first book, Successful Public Relations, initially published in 1992, is still in print. Both are published by Thorogood, www.thorogoodpublishing.co.uk