Donloe's AMAZING THAILAND

 

          Sawasdee kaa!!! (hello in Thai)

          Just Imagine!

          Thailand! 

You’ve heard stories about its beauty and its mysteries. You’ve researched its culture. You’ve salivated over tasty authentic Thai cuisine. You’ve dreamed of getting an authentic Thai massage.

Thailand has a charm and allure that sets it apart from anywhere else in the world with its unique cultural identity and natural bounty.

It’s a must visit!!!!

You don’t have to merely imagine Thailand!  Experience Thailand and all its wonderment for yourself! 

Whether you want to spend your days lying on the beach, watching the sun kiss the ocean, or you want to explore the culture and history, you’ll find that Thailand’s slogan, ‘Amazing Thailand….Amazing Value,’ is, well, amazingly accurate!

Here’s why.

Even as you arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport in BANGKOK, you’ll feel something special is about to happen.

From there, make your way to the BAAN AMPHAWA RESORT & SPA  www.baanamphawa.com

The resort, located on the bank of the Maeklong river (only 65 kilometers south of Bangkok) has comfortable and relaxing privacy in its home-like traditional Thai and 12 contemporary Rattanakosin style houses. 

There are 42 guest rooms and suites.

The Suphannika Spa will leave you in a pool of joy. There is a range of mind and body treatments including Thai aromatherapy, massages and facials.

When you’re done, enjoy a great meal at Saba-Nga restaurant and Lotus bar.

Places To Stay

The SUKHOTHAI (A Beaufort Hotel), a luxury 5-star retreat in the center of Bangkok, is a stunningly beautiful hotel. 

This hotel is a maze of low pavilions, pools, and courtyards, deftly combining crisp, contemporary lines with Thai silks, and rich tones. Colonnaded corridors surround lotus pools adorned with close together brick chedis; the terra-cotta bands along the wall and the celadon ceramics are all motifs borrowed from its namesake city.

The large guest rooms are decked out with silk walls, teak furniture and rustic floor tiles; all have double bathrooms with oversize bathtubs, a separate shower, and toilet.

Suites have private balconies or sun terraces overlooking the lotus ponds, courtyard garden and pools. They range in size from 66 square metres to 198 square metres.

The executive suite is 76 sq. metres and has an open-plan bedroom and living room combination.

Most rooms have personal fax machines and Internet connections. 

       Business can take place in secluded Garden Villas with boardrooms overlooking tranquil gardens. There are venues to accommodate any meeting size. 

      The two-story Garden Villa includes four dedicated meeting spaces. The garden space is ideal for cocktail parties, weddings and other special events of up to 500 guests, as well as coffee and lunch breaks.

       The newest garden venue, The Lawn, provides outdoor space suitable for the needs of a diverse clientele. It’s ideal for events such as automobile launches, team-building activities, luxury product displays and promotions. It’s suitable for

open-air cocktail parties for up to 300 guests.

 

       Located on the 6th & 7th floor of the Terrace Wing, the Executive Floor meeting rooms are spacious, filled with natural light and command panoramic views of Bangkok’s city skyline. The facilities comprise Sila and Chulalux meeting rooms, each 119 sqm and able to accommodate up to 100 people; as well as The Mahamek, Kireemas and Nalinee meeting rooms, each able to accommodate up to 80, 80 and 48 persons, respectively. 

       The Bussabong Business Centre offers six fully furnished meeting rooms along with a full suite of business services that includes

printing, photocopying, internet access and secretarial services. Internet access is available.

       The Ballroom, adjacent to the Chedi pond, is the ideal venue for sit-down dinner banquets for up to 200 guests and cocktail parties, lectures or launch events for up to 400 guests. The space can also be separated into two smaller ballrooms.

            Ideal for special occasions, the Private Dining Room enjoys a relaxing garden view and has its own discreet entrance and bathroom facilities.

       The room is perfect for intimate banquets, cocktail parties and special product launches for A-list clients.

When it’s time to eat, just know the food is absolutely exquisite.

Of course, catering is available, but there are also two main restaurants, Celadon and La Scala. In the Celadon Restaurant you can dine on prawn spring rolls, fried minced port wrapped with egg net, spicy live black garoupa soup, sautéed Phuket lobster with young pepper corns, onion and red chilies and/or dried red curry of slow duck, stuffed rambutan with pineapple. Yum!!!  (www.sukhothaihotel.com)

ANANTARA HUA HIN
 

The ANANTARA HUA HIN (http://huahin.anantara.com) has lots to offer. Besides the 187 rooms and suites, there is the Anantara Spa, tennis courts, Bill Bensley designed landscape gardens, private lagoon pool for Lagoon Room and Suite guests, cooking school, Baan Thalia (Italian cuisine), Sai Thong (fresh seafood, barbeque, Thai favorites), Rim Nam (traditional Thai and Thai fusion cuisine), golf at a choice of world-class courses, elephant trekking and mountain biking.

Luxury lives at Anantara Hua Hin Resort & Spa (www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/hhqmc-hua-hin-marriott-resort-and-spa)

As one of the leading Hua Hin resorts, Anantara Hua Hin Resort & Spa’s rooms come decorated with Thai silks combined with exotic views of the beach. The Thai inspired interiors are designed with both style and comfort in mind, equipped with terrazzo tubs in the bathrooms and large private terraces outdoors. Whether looking out on the garden or with stunning sea views, all imbue a sense of laid-back luxury.

Take your pick from any number of views including: deluxe garden view, premium garden  view, premium sea view, superior lagoon, deluxe lagoon and the Anantara Suites.

The resort boasts its commitment to protecting the environment and preserving local culture through education, innovation and empowerment in the resort’s adherence to the requirements of Green Globe standards.

Whether you are planning an executive meeting, beachside company retreat, gala dinner, or an inspiring themed event, the Anantara Hotels & Resorts can accommodate.

When it’s time to get down to business, the resort is only three hours from Bangkok’s central business district by car (or a 45-minute flight). Hua Hin meeting venues have easy access to the city’s commercial hub.

The Ruen Anantara is a spacious room large enough to host a small office retreat, conference, banquet, seminar or other event and can seat up to 90.

The Ruen Nok is the newest conference venue with projection and audio capabilities including a separate sound booth. It can seat up to 54 people classroom-style.

The stylish Ruen Thon seminar room can seat up to 50 people theatre-style or 36 classroom-style.

       The smallest meeting room with a capacity of 30, is the Ruen Thai.

LET'S SEA HUA HIN AL FRESCO RESORT

LET’S SEA HUA HIN AL FRESCO RESORT is a place unlike any other. It’s a hotel that literally goes beyond design. You can actually swim up to your home. It’s brilliant!

 All intuitively-designed rooms feature a  'laZzzzz' bed, mood lighting in the expansive terrazzo bathroom and an oversized tub and separate rain shower for two. In-room technology includes hi-speed broadband internet access, a DVD/ VCD player and a big screen LCD TV.

From the Moon Deck Suite guests can enjoy a private rooftop retreat, which includes easy access to the swimming lagoon.

From the Studio Pier guests can enjoy direct access to the swimming lagoon from their own personal piers.

Z-Luxe Club guests will enjoy:

    * gourmet breakfasts served in-room or at our beachfront restaurant.

    * 24-hour complimentary tea, coffee, soft drink refreshments at the Breeze Bar.

    * Complimentary cocktail hour daily from 5-7 p.m. at the lobby bar called Breeze.

    * Free hi-speed internet throughout the resort.

    * Free scheduled shuttle transfer to Hua Hin town centre (subject to availability)

    * 15% discount on all Gaia Spa treatments; all food and beverages at resort outlets and in-room dining; all laundry, dry cleaning, and pressing; and all al fresco activities including cooking classes, cocktail classes at the pool bar? and Thai massage lessons.

Other resort highlights include: airport transfers, Broadband internet access throughout the hotel, car rental, fitness garden, foreign currency exchange, laundry/ valet service, sightseeing tours on request, spa, steam room, swimming pool (L.W.D: 120 x 10.2 x 1.2m), Thai cooking classes on request.  www.letussea.com.

The 193 room HUA HIM MARRIOTT RESORT & SPA is located on the beach side of Hua Hin. It is within easy access on foot or by car to the local market, shops and restaurants and is only about a four-hour drive from Bangkok.

Rooms are large and have private balconies facing the ocean, pool or gardens.

There are four several types of restaurants in the resort, including Italian delicacies, coffee shops and The Grill Room.

Resort offers a giant swimming pool, children's pool with plenty of chairs and sundecks. It is voted as one of the resorts with the most beautiful white sand beach area and magnificent garden. 

EVASON HUA HIN

Another hotel to consider in Bangkok is the  EVASON HUA HIN. 

Evason Hua Hin is located in the quiet area of Pranburi to the south of Hua Hin and provides calming views of the Gulf of Siam. It is set amongst 20-acres of landscaped lush tropical gardens with lotus ponds. King Rama VII built a palace in Hua Hin in 1926 and it remains the Thai Royal family Summer Palace to this day.  CONVENTION BANGKOK CONVENTION CENTRE         The Bangkok Convention Centre and the Centara Grand, both state of the art facilities, are integrated with a Five Star Hotel and world-class shopping and entertainment facilities.  There are a number of attractions within walking distance, as well as the BTS (Skytrain).        The Convention Hall has 6,000 seats (theatre style), the World Ballroom has 800 seats (banquet style), the Boardroom has 19 seats (boardroom style), while the Lotus Suites have 10-400 seats (theatre style).      There are any number of rooms and configurations available. For more information: www.centarahotelsresorts.com.

BANGKOK HIGHLIGHTS

FLOATING MARKET

          The Floating Market - “Talat Nam Yam Yen” is an afternoon floating market where vendors gather every Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Boats are packed with food and drinks, fried sea mussels, noodles, coffee, Thai sweets and more.  Here you can experience true “Thainess” while enjoying a cruising tour on a long-tail boat.

Another must see is the Royal Initiative Project at Maruekhathaiyawan Palace in Cha Am (Phetchaburi).  Built by King Rama VI as his summer palace by the seaside resort of Cha-Am, this wooden palace with a panoramic view of the Gulf of Thailand was recently restored and opened to the public as a museum and more.

You can explore and do some sightseeing at Khoa Chong Krachok / Ao Manao /

Sam Roi Yot National Park, or “the mountain of 300 peaks”, a coastal national park of limestone mountains, mangrove swamps and beaches which stands as a landmark for seaman. 

HAT BAN KRUT

Take it E-Z at Hat Ban Krut – a quiet beach area situated mid-way between Amphoe Thap Sakae and Bang Saphan. A good view of the beach can be seen from the top of Thong Chai Mountain where a huge sitting Buddha image is situated. Accommodations are available along the beach.

CHIANG MAI 

WAT PHRA SING

What an enchanting city! There is lots to see and do in Chiang Mai. Visit Wat Phra Sing famous for its Lanna-style, or Northern Thai style, architecture, beautiful wood carvings and superb murals.  Also call on Wat Chedi Luang, which lost the top of its massive Chedi, or pagoda, to an earthquake, reportedly, more than 400 years ago. Don’t forget Doi Suthep, considered one of the most important and famous Chiang Mai landmarks. Built in 1383, this mountaintop temple has a Chedi that houses holy Buddha relics.

If you’re into arts and crafts, make your way to the handicraft village at San Kampeng District.

You can stay anywhere in Chiang Mai, called the Rose of the North, but why not stay at the best? For an exceptional place to stay, make reservations at SHANGRI-LA HOTEL CHIANG MAI (www.shangri-la.com). It’s first class all the way.

SHANGRI-LA HOTEL CHIANG MAI  

This is, without exception, one of the best hotels on the planet.  First and foremost is because of the staff. It’s as if they know what I want before I do.  They were professional, attentive, accommodating and friendly.

The 281 room hotel with 35,000 meeting space, is located within the bustling center of the city and is close to numerous temples, shops and art galleries.

The rooms reflect contemporary Northern Thai design and décor. The bedrooms have plenty of throw pillows, comfortable Shangri-La beds and mood lighting. Premier guestrooms also feature daybeds. Special touches include local celadon tea sets with Thai silk pillows, bed runners and artwork.

Meeting at the Shangri-La Chiang Mai is no problem. The hotel offers a wide range of venues suitable for an event.

Venues include: 

• The Grand Lanna Ballroom (Chiang Mai’s largest at 1,515 sqm, max 2,000 guests)
• Sukothai Room (425 sqm)
• Phayao Room (155 sqm)
• 99-seat state-of the art auditorium with a stage and audiovisual equipment for seminars, lectures, theatrical and musical performances.

The Group Check-in Lounge and VIP Lounges are all conveniently located near the function rooms.

Dhala is a halal certified dining venue, the only one of its kind within a five-star hotel in Chiang Mai. It offers certified halal meals for meetings and special occasions.

All of the conference and function rooms feature state-of-the-art audiovisual equipment including:

• Complimentary wireless broadband Internet access
• Direct projector
• LCD, overhead and slide projectors
• Satellite and teleconferencing available upon request
• Simultaneous translation system available upon request

After a long day of meetings, guests can rejuvenate their senses at CHI, the Spa at Shangri-La. Indulge in a traditional Thai massage. The combination of gentle rocking, deep stretching movements and compression of the spine energizes yet relaxes you.

Another hotel to consider in Chiang Mai is the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi and the Rarinjinda Wellness Spa Resort (www.rarinjinda.com)

RARINJINDA WELLNESS SPA RESORT

 

About 20 minutes east of central Chiang Mai, the RARINJINDA WELLNESS SPA RESORT is designed like an enclosed Lanna city, complete with a small moat, grand city gate, lush gardens and flowering trees. Horse-drawn carts or modern golf carts bring guests to a palatial lobby. The resort comprises immaculate suites and a bevy of rustic, free-standing villas, all sumptuously decorated. Standard perks in the villas include a sauna, piano, sun deck, and Jacuzzi. Around a working rice paddy lie delightful pool villas with outdoor pavilions, and even hill-tribe-style stilt cottages next to a working vegetable patch. All units have large balconies, but the rice barns offer two stories of teak-lined luxury. Colonial suites are nearer the main lobby and have Persian rugs, pretty fretwork, high ceilings, and delightful pastel hues.

Lets Eat

Time for dinner? Enjoy international cuisine at Kad Kafe named after the local word for “market”. There you find a delicious international spread that includes Thai, Indian, Chinese, Japanese, European and Mediterranean specialties.

     Highlights of the hotel include the pool bar, where you can have a quiet drink. Start the day by taking a rickshaw ride down the small quiet lanes within the old town to explore the many curio and antique shops nestled in teakwood houses. Wander around shady tree-lined lanes that lead to numerous Thai Buddhist temples.

What a way to start the day.

If you’re an early riser, experience “Thainess” by visiting the fresh market. Also visit Wat Phra Sing famous for its Lanna-style, or Northern Thai style, architecture, beautiful wood carvings and superb murals. Go to Wat Chedi Luang, which lost the top of its massive Chedi, or pagoda, to an earthquake more than 400 years ago.  Doi Suthep, the most important and famous Chiang Mai landmark should also be on the itinerary. Built in 1383, this mountaintop temple has a chedi that houses holy Buddha relics.

       There is a handicraft village in the San Kampeng District. 

A true highlight is visiting the Elephant Camp and enjoying Elephant Trekking. 

Words can’t really begin to communicate such an awesome place. You can’t read about the many things Thailand has to offer. It’s an experience like no other.

Sawatdee!

For more information on Thailand: www.tourismthailand.org/la