From a Caribbean Cruise to an Amazing Trip to Thailand
The combination of being an adventure travel lover brings challenges in finding the right holiday to suit all. Being a Travel Counsellor carries additional pressures because if I got this one wrong, while I seem to get all my clients’ holidays right, my husband would not be happy!
The task for our holiday was to include a top hotel in exciting Bangkok to acclimatise to Thailand, beautiful beaches, villages and restaurants nearby and relaxation combined with adventure in the shape of snorkelling and island trips. My husband wanted to enjoy a hands-on elephant experience. My aim is to embrace different cultures, explore new horizons and get lost in the wilderness.
On a rainy Sunday evening we set off to Bangkok, after having enjoyed some dinner and a nice glass of wine in the relaxing Premium Plaza Lounge at Heathrow. We chose to fly Taiwanese airline Eva Air in Premium Economy. Having experienced most major airlines during my career in the travel industry, I must admit that Eva Air may not be so well known, but is definitely ‘up there’ with the likes of Thai Airways or Singapore Airlines. Very generous seat pitch (even in economy class), great friendly service and modern planes.
After a smooth 13-hour flight, we were greeted by a brief monsoon downpour. Our private taxi whisked us to the fantastic 5* hotel The Banyan Tree, in the middle of Bangkok – yet in the quiet embassy area and footsteps away from Skytrain, shopping and tourist sights. When in Bangkok, you must visit the ‘Vertigo’ Rooftop Bar on Banyan Tree’s 59th floor with fantastic views over Bangkok’s skyline. Afterwards we enjoyed a delicious Thai dinner at The Saffron restaurant to finish our first day in Bangkok.
The next morning a private tuk tuk driver showed us the famous flower market, China Town, the Golden Mount and many other tourist attractions. We enjoyed the breeze on the tuk tuk as the temperatures in the city picked up and reached a stifling 34 degrees. If you would like to visit the breath-taking Royal Palace, I would highly recommend pre-booking this trip.
Bangkok’s fashion scene has an interesting combination of high-end boutiques, local hand-made goods and fake designer products in the plethora of malls found there. Similar to some of Bangkok’s markets, malls like MBK Center are just an indoor, air-conditioned version of the city’s famous night bazaars. If you want to explore high-end fashion houses, a visit to Siam Paragon, Emporium or brand new Central Embassy are the malls to look out for.
To finish off our whistle-stop stay in Bangkok, we booked a romantic river cruise dinner on the hotel’s own ‘Apsara’ boat, a wonderful former rice barge, converted to a luxury floating restaurant with foods to dream for. We even had a photo opportunity when we floated past the most beautiful Wat Arun (the Temple of Dawn).
Early next morning, our private taxi picked us up for a short flight to Phuket with Bangkok Air. A little travel tip: if you are enrolling to the airline’s free ‘FlyerBonus’ reward programme, you are entitled to an additional free 10kgs of luggage.
We travelled north to the long white beaches of Khao Lak and stayed in the Merlin Hotel, a lovely, friendly family hotel spread over extensive tropical grounds, directly by the sea. As we celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary, we received at an upgrade to a villa with private pool access and rose petals and chocolates greeting us in our room.
After several relaxing days on lovely beaches, we visited nearby villages and the well-known Bang Niang market, which is an experience in itself. You can buy fresh meats, fish and tropical fruits as well as clothing and gift items. There are some small bars for a cool beer and a popular stall selling dried frogs and cricket. Bang Niang hosts the Tsunami Memorial and Museum, reminding you of the sad events of 26th Dec 2004.
Khao Lak is famous for its great diving and snorkelling on Similan and Surin islands. It is worth noting that these islands are only accessible between November and April (no diving visits are allowed the rest of the year).
We booked a long tail boat trip to the beautiful ‘James Bond Islands’ with stunning photo opportunities, a meal on a floating Muslim village and a visit to the Monkey Temple on our way back.
After a week, we eagerly anticipated our next part of our holiday. We stayed in unique ‘Elephant Hills’ in Khao Sok National Park, approx. two hours north of Khao Lak. This luxury tented elephant camp is located amidst the rainforest – an experience not to be missed. Excellent food, exciting bamboo raft trips down the river, trekking in the jungle and then the elephant experience. We met a group of five elephants who are looked after there. We watched them bathe and then had the opportunity to clean, interact with and feed these gorgeous, gentle creatures. My husband was fascinated by the closeness of the elephants and we found it to be a magical experience not to be missed. Back at the camp, we met many like-minded travellers over the camp dinner. During the night, from our luxurious, comfortable tent, we listened to crickets and monkeys calling.
The next day we travelled to Cheow Lan Lake, man-made and spanning over 60 km – covered by numerous limestone formations – perfect for a boat trip, some canoeing and swimming.
We travelled on to Cape Panwa, on the most south-eastern part of Phuket. 5* Cape Panwa Hotel is built into a steep hill with gorgeous views over the Andaman Sea with a cute funicular that ferries guests between the lobby and the beach. Its beach is one of the finest on Phuket Island.
Built on a former coconut plantation, Cape Panwa Hotel exudes colonial charm with Panwa Lodge, a magnificent white Sino-Portuguese bungalow tucked between jungle and coconut palms, famous for romantic dinners directly by the sea.
Having enjoyed this grand hotel with excellent service, sun, sand and sea for a week, we were relaxed and ready to return home.
Thailand really has got so much to offer, with extremely friendly people and fantastic hotels and activities! We will definitely be back to Bangkok and explore different regions and resorts next year.
Useful tips:
• Plenty of mosquito repellents • Take extra empty cabin suitcase • Spare phone • Battery phone charger • Torch & pocket knife • Drybag for water based activities • inflatable pillow for sunbed • Elephant Hills – flipflops/trekking shoes • Rain poncho / waterproof jacket / hat