Posts tagged with ‘Thailand’
Thailand’s last unspoilt islands
Monday, March 15th, 2010, by Tom Armstrong
Experience Travel were pleased to organise trips for two senior Guardian travel journalists who were looking for something a little special and off the beaten track to cover in Thailand. The double page feature, which went to press on Saturday March 13th, was entitled ‘Thailand’s last unspoilt islands’ and featured ideal places to go for the off the beaten track beach experiences in Thailand.
Laura Barton wrote a piece about the stunning island of Koh Kood, where she stayed at Away Koh Kood, Shantaa and the new Six Senses Soneva Kiri - 3 unique properties where you can really get away from it all. We will be featuring the island and its accommodation options in a separate blog entry in the coming weeks.
Meanwhile, Gemma Bowes visited Koh Yao Noi and enjoyed a retreat at the fabulous Koyao Island Resort.
The best 5 luxury hotels in Phuket, Thailand
Friday, March 12th, 2010, by Tom Armstrong
Phuket can now seriously claim to host some of the most luxurious properties in Asia. However, I personally find many of the so-called ‘top’ properties fall way short of the mark and do not offer relative value for money or anything particularly spectacular beyond flash brochures & websites and prices to match! Having a private swimming pool or lavish facilities is not enough to give a room character or romance. A property needs a blend of factors and thought to truly be elevated into the list of those actually worth spending top-dollar prices for. Luckily though, a number of properties have found the perfect mix and carved out a real niche for themselves in the sea of seemingly luxurious hotels.
So, for those seeking a luxury holiday in Thailand, I have decided to compile my strictly subjective list of the 5 best luxury hotels in Phuket. In no particular order, they are: (more…)
Thailand Wins ‘Best Tourist Country Award’ from Swedish magazine
Wednesday, February 17th, 2010, by Tom ArmstrongThailand has been named the world’s Best Tourist Country by a leading Swedish travel magazine. Thai Airways also won a second place award for the Best International Flight in 2010.
The magazine, ‘Travel News’, presented the prize at its annual awards ceremony in Stockholm last week. Thailand fought off competition from Australia, Egypt, South Africa, Spain, Turkey, USA and Italy to win the award for the 8th time.
Thailand’s mix of culture, food and stunning environments has long delighted international travellers. We are fans of both the mainstream attractions in Thailand and more ‘off-the-beaten’ track locations and will be adding many more unique properties and destinations to our Thailand portfolio throughout 2010.
Best restaurants in asia
Tuesday, November 24th, 2009, by Sam ClarkWe constantly get asked to reccommend our favourite restaurants to clients and this worries us as it seems to change so quickly. What suits Peter, seems to annoy Paul, in much more pronounced a way than hotels or more general hotel experiences. I am often tempted to let people chose for themselves by reading the numerous blogs and reviews out there. However, we can always make the table booking for you too…. As usual speak to us directly here.
For Vietnam in particular there are some brilliant blogs on the subject - the writer of Noodlepie has long since left but the info is still there and it is fantastic. I really like a Girl In Asia too. There are many more.
For us here is a quick list to get you started of places we have experienced… This is by no means definitive though - there are simply thousands of incredible options, from street food to high end dining… These are just places we like - I wouldn’t even remotely claim to be expert enough to pronounce on what is best…
Hanoi - Quan An Ngon. Great idea - brought some of the best street chef’s together under one roof - paid them a regualr wage, added a decent markup and made this a brilliant introduction and must visit if time is short.
Hoi An - The Cargo Club is great for Vietnamese food and a relaxed and stylish introduction to the country….
Siagon - personally i’m huge Pho fan… but for high end eating Nam Kha is fun.
Bangkok - where to start - it’s ridiculous and I usually end up with street food but Suan Kularb - has a great variety of Thai and Chinese dishes as well as Dim Sum to die for at lunchtime and the best steamed fish around in the evening.
Cambodia - anywhere on the south coast where delectable fresh seafood, Cambodian spice pastes, French cunning and Kampot pepper collide to extraordinary affec but the fish amok at The Jasmine in Kampot is particularly blinding….
Suggestions from the floor?
Northern Thailand - Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai
Monday, July 27th, 2009, by Harriet Clark
Whoa!
Our visit to northern Thailand was rather short and fleeting. We arrived in Chiang Rai from Laos and were pretty knackered after the Gibbon Experience and so did not do anything too energetic. Chiang Rai is a fairly size-able Thai city and although a fair amount of tourists pass through, it retains its ‘Thainess’ more than Chiang Mai. (more…)
Bangkok sights and sounds
Friday, May 22nd, 2009, by Harriet ClarkWe have enjoyed our second time in Bangkok perhaps a little more than when we first arrived. We had only spent a day here when we first arrived and I think it takes a little time to become adjusted. We have used the river boat a lot to get around this time as we are staying in the Banglumphu area and it is convenient. As with the skytrain, it is a great way to see the city. Yesterday we went down to the Oriental Hotel, which was impressive and seemed like it would be a great place to have a pleasant evening drink. The whole area has an array of what seem like very smart suit shops and lovely jewellery stores. We plan to return if there is any money left in the pot at the end of our trip!
Bangkok Temples
Diving with Whale Sharks!!
Friday, May 22nd, 2009, by Harriet Clark
Diving with Whale Sharks in Koh Tao
Well, after all the anticipation and concern that we would somehow be the only ones on Koh Tao who did not manage it, on our final dive we saw a whale shark. It was an awesome experience to be under water with such an impressive and elegant creature.
Low cost - long haul?
Monday, May 18th, 2009, by Melissa NicholasAlthough it’s become something shameful to admit to recently I confess to having flown many times over the last ten years. It began in 1997 when I was just 21 with a £300 Garuda Indonesia flight to Australia. Since then my standards have gone up some what as have airfares and Garuda have long since been banished from my thoughts. In truth, I’ve become a bit an airline snob and have worked out ways to get the most benefits and the most comfortable seats for the least price, get upgrades for less, ensure I’ve always got at least 200 films to watch and a nice selection of wine to quaff.
Low cost - long haul with Air Asia?
Ko Phagnan and Ko Tao
Sunday, May 17th, 2009, by Harriet ClarkLife has truly been a beach for well over a week now…
Life's a beach...
Bottle Beach in the north of Ko Phagnan was the ultimate chill out. You could laze your days away in a hammock listening to the gentle sounds of the waves, whilst reading. In the evenings we would watch a film in one of the restaurants and then retire to bed after a couple of Changs. (more…)
End of week one…
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009, by Harriet ClarkIt’s amazing how quickly you adjust to the laid back, slow pace of south east asian life! Only a week away and already we can while away several hours doing nothing in particular.
Our journey began in Bangkok, where we immediately made our first error. Despite being told to only use the meter taxis, we found ourselves heading…
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