Selasa, 26 Juni 2012

Holidays in Thailand: How to live the high life on a budget in Bangkok (and rub shoulders with Ryan Gosling)

Holidays in Thailand: How to live the high life on a budget in Bangkok (and rub shoulders with Ryan Gosling)

By Paul Oswell

PUBLISHED: 03:50 EST, 26 June 2012 | UPDATED: 08:06 EST, 26 June 2012

Thailand isn’t known as The Land of Smiles for nothing. Even in crazy, chaotic Bangkok, there’s an air of serenity and optimism that’s often conspicuous by its absence in many large capital cities.

The smiles that you’ll encounter in every hotel, restaurant and bar are genuine and infectious, but it’s not only the Thai spirit that visitors to ‘The Big Chilli’ will be happy about. In these days of being penny-wise and value-conscious, Thailand continues to offer outstanding experiences for a fraction of what you’d pay elsewhere, without skimping on the quality.

The impressive rooftop pool at the Amari Boulevard hotel

An oasis in the city: The impressive rooftop pool at the Amari Boulevard hotel

For starters, there are the hotels. Now, you’re welcome to remortgage and apply for a government bailout to afford those long weekends in London, Paris or New York. But look east, and it’s a very different kettle of lightly-spiced fish with a tangy lemongrass dip.

If you’re one for being in the thick of things, it’s hard to beat the Amari Boulevard. It’s a swish, modern property right in the heart of Sukhumvit, the social hub of the city. Try to think of what a room in Times Square or Covent Garden might cost you, and then think about staying in a similar hotel for around £45 per night.

An interior shot of Bed Supper Club in Bangkok

Old favourite: Bed Supper Club still astonishes with its mix of reclined gourmet dining and performance art

For just a couple of pounds more, you can stay in the city’s trendiest new hotel. The sparkling Aloft Bangkok faces the city’s hippest spot, Bed Supper Club, and is a more minimalist take on Starwood’s W brand. Colourful and sparky, rooms here go for around £60 a night, again way less than hipsters would have to fork out in similar neighbourhoods elsewhere.

For a more grand and refined stay, the new St Regis Bangkok is hard to beat. I knew I was in good company when I spotted Ryan Gosling checking in alongside me in the lobby.

It’s a huge, landmark property that has re-energised the city’s five-star hotel scene, and it screams immaculate, from the capacious lobby to the stunning rooftop pool. For the £400-500 a night you might pay in London, you can stay for a week. They’ll even throw in a butler.

The stunning rooftop pool at the St Regis Bangkok

Swim under the stars: The stunning rooftop pool at the St Regis Bangkok

The city luckily has a wealth of dining experiences with just the same cachet that won’t strain your purse strings too much. As well as old favourites such as Bed Supper Club (www.bedsupperclub.com), which still astonishes with its mix of reclined gourmet dining and performance art, new dining spots are showing that the ancient city can still innovate.

I dined at Issaya Siamese Club (www.issaya.com), a colonial 1920s house that sits in its own gardens off the busy Rama IV highway. It’s so tranquil and pleasant that you feel as if you’ve been transported to some bucolic haven.

Wunderkind chef Ian Kittichai has an outstanding modern Thai menu, and for only a smidge more than you’d pay for run-of-the-mill food downtown.

An aerial view of Vertigo restaurant at the Banyan Tree Hotel

Head for heights: Vertigo offers some of the best sky-high dining in Bangkok, 61 storeys up inside the iconic Banyan Tree Hotel

Bangkok’s skyline is, of course, far too good to waste just gawping upwards. Rooftop restaurants cost an arm and a leg, though, right? Well, not necessarily. Here they barely cost an elbow and a knee.

The best sky-high dining can be found at Vertigo (www.banyantree.com), 61 storeys up inside the iconic Banyan Tree Hotel, and Red Sky (www.centralhotelsresorts.com), which is a newer affair 55 floors up at the Centara Grand hotel.

The former is more traditional and serves Thai classics, whereas the latter promises urban innovation on its menu, which is dished up under spectacular glowing arches. Take that, McDonalds.

Thailand isn’t just about Bangkok, though you’d be foolish not to bask in its affordable luxury lifestyle for a few days. I, for instance, indulged in wet shaves at the barber, near daily Thai massages from trained monks and even a couple of bespoke suits â€" the life of the landed gentry for the price of a night out in the west.

Red Sky restaurant at the Centara Grand hotel

Urban innovation: Food at Red Sky restaurant is dished up under spectacular glowing arches at the top of the Centara Grand hotel

But exploration is a must. Thanks to Air Asia, you can take a jaunt to almost any corner of the country for prices to match Ryanair. I chose Krabi, having been seduced by its incredible limestone cliffs and laid-back atmosphere once before.

Specifically, I chose the Rayavadee Resort on Railay Beach, a property that I’ve heard tell about, usually in the hushed tones reserved for places so exclusive they can only be whispered of.

It’s an impressive property, with speedboat transfers from the airport via a private marina, beautifully lush, landscaped grounds and beaches in every direction. It has bothered the top ten lists of great worldwide beach resorts for years, and there’s no surprise as to why.

'Deluxe Pavilions' at the Rayavadee Resort on Railay Beach

Luxury for less: 'Deluxe Pavilions' at the Rayavadee Resort on Railay Beach

In the Bahamas, you’d have to blow your life savings to enjoy this level of palatial pampering. The good news in Thailand is that four nights cost just over £800 per person, and they’ll throw in meals at their gourmet restaurant, spa treatments, rock climbing and cookery classes, as well as the classiest transfer you’re ever likely to have.

If you want to book a room only, you can always eat and drink at the ridiculously cheap traveller’s village that has popped up round the corner where, for a couple of quid, you can sit back on blanket on one of the best beaches in the world and eat pad Thai watching burning lanterns drifting up into the ether. Or you can haemorrhage your life savings and risk lying next to Michael Winner on an overpriced Sandy Lane sun lounger in Barbados.

For me, Thailand perfectly caters for the ‘champagne taste and lemonade pockets’ philosophy. I can’t afford to stay on the same floor as Ryan Gosling in Los Angeles, but luckily the Thai capital lets me have that experience without wincing as I hand over my credit card. And that will always put a smile on my face.

Travel facts

Amari Boulevard: A deluxe room at the Amari Boulevard Bangkok starts at £43 per night. Visit www.amari.com/boulevard

 

St Regis Bangkok: Rooms start at around £140 per night. Visit www.starwoodhotels.com/stregis/bangkok

 

Aloft Bangkok: Rooms start at around £60 per night. Visit www.alofthotels.com/bangkoksukhumvit11

 

Rayavadee: The Rayavadee Experience, including four nights’ accommodation and a wealth of inclusions, starts at around £800 per person. Visit http://www.rayavadee.com/rayavadee_experience_factsheet.html

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