Travellers' checks

The newly opened Pulau Joyo, just off the Indonesian island of Bintan, near Singapore, offers a small cluster of driftwood palaces, java houses and treehouses in an exclusive setting. Pulau Joyo belongs to the Marden shipping family, and owners Antony and Elaine Marden have furnished each of the accommodations with antiques and objets d'art collected on their travels, giving the place lashes of upmarket character. To get there, you need to fly to Singapore, where you'll be met by a representative and taken by boat to Bintan, transferred by car to the southern coast, then taken by speedboat to the resort. A luxurious 140- foot yacht is also available for excursions around the surrounding Riau Archipelago. Rates start from S$800 (HK$5,040) plus 15 per cent tax and service charge, per night, per couple, full board. For a virtual tour and reservations, visit www.pulau-joyo.com.

Shanghai's commercial stroll down memory lane has taken another small step with the reopening of Jimmy's Kitchen in the city's old French Concession. A favourite source of comfort-food in Hong Kong since opening here in 1928, Jimmy's has its roots in Shanghai, where American owner Joseph James Skalicky set up The Broadway Lunch restaurant in 1924. He changed the name to Jimmy's Kitchen the following year, opened a second Shanghai outlet in 1927 and all was well until the Japanese invaded. After the war, Jimmy cut his losses when the communists took power and returned to America, leaving the Hong Kong business in the hands of his partner, Aaron Landau. The new Jimmy's Kitchen is in the old Jin Jiang Hotel (www.jinjianghotels.com), at 59 Mao Ming South Road, Shanghai. Call 86 21 6466 6869 for reservations.

Taking exclusivity in travel to new - some might say over-the-top - heights is British company CV Travel's Private Collection. The fully staffed private properties it offers are so exclusive that it'll only show them to you after you've submitted your requirements for inspection by 'an experienced member of the CV Travel team'. Send your details and price range (starting at GBP10,000 [HK$128,000] per week and rising much higher) and they will then get back with detailed information, photographs and a code number, but won't actually tell you the name of the place until you have a confirmed booking (probably to avoid customers contacting the place directly to avoid commission). Properties are available in Greece, France, Italy, Spain, South Africa and the Caribbean. See www.cvprivatecollection.com for a look at some of the mortgage-friendly holidays on offer.