Keong Saik Road in Chinatown is among the top 10 travel destinations in Asia, according to travel guide Lonely Planet's 2017 Best in Asia list, which was revealed yesterday.

The former red-light district was a hotbed for crime, but has "reinvented itself to become the poster child for hip 'New Singapore'", Lonely Planet said in its release. Keong Saik Road was lauded for its "beautiful colonial and art-deco buildings", where visitors can experience the city state's "famed dining scene". Lonely Planet cited restaurants which provide inventive Asian fusion, such as Meta restaurant, and trendy cocktail bars with fabulous rooftop views, such as Potato Head Singapore.

It also highlighted boutique hotels, such as Naumi Liora's "heritage chic" style. The "cool" factor has also spread to Neil Road and Teck Lim Road, according to Lonely Planet, making this pocket of Singapore a delightful destination.

The 2017 Best in Asia list was topped by China's Gansu province, for being "blissfully well-connected" yet "underrated and relatively crowd-free". In second place was the urban scene in the south of Tokyo, while India's northern Kerala took third place.