All tagged Thailand
Kanchanaburi is a province in Thailand that is best known for its World War 2 memorial sites and national parks. But it also has many hot springs along the valley of the River Kwai which may help you to ease any aches and pains that you may acquire on your travels. This comprehensive guide to all of the hot springs in the valley and their mineral water pools recommends the best ones for international travellers to visit and which ones to avoid.
If you are one of those travellers who likes to get away from the tourist crowds and enjoys a tropical beach holiday where you can have a golden sandy beach all to yourself, then Koh Phra Thong on Thailand’s Andaman Sea coast might just be the destination you are looking for. Not only is it quiet, but there are some unusual sights of nature in its interior to see as well.
If you like getting off the beaten track and exploring hidden corners of cities that have an interesting history, then you’ll enjoy visiting the Talad Noi district of Bangkok. This riverside neighbourhood is an ancient area of unique gritty streets, and multicultural heritage, and is distinctly different from other parts of Thailand’s capital.
Asia has many destinations that often exceed our expectations, and when we leave, we lament that we did not spend more time there. Here are seven of those special places that draw travellers back and to which the xyzAsia travel writers believe are worth the time and money to go back in preference to travelling to somewhere new. They are all destinations worth revisiting.
If the theme parks, shopping malls and noisy bars of Phuket don’t appeal, but you want a tropical beach holiday in a quiet location that’s easy to reach with a good selection of accommodation options and restaurants, then you don’t have to travel far from Phuket to find it. Khao Lak fits the bill and offers the bonus of being a great base for a wide range of nature activities.
For those who enjoy ‘slow travel’ by train, a day trip to the iconic Bridge over the River Kwai is easy to accomplish when staying in Bangkok. It’s only a two-and-a-half hour journey each way from the Thai capital, costs only a couple of dollars, and will provide you with an enjoyable and relaxing day seeing the countryside and an opportunity to learn more about the infamous Burma to Thailand ‘Death Railway’.
The Thailand tourism authorities have come in for a lot of criticism in recent months for not being able to handle the volume of Thailand Pass applications that were made once destinations were opened to international tourists under their ‘Test & Go’ and ‘Sandbox’ schemes for vaccinated travellers. But now there’s evidence that the backlog has been cleared and travellers are receiving their Thailand Passes within the seven days promised.
Southeast Asia has many colonial hotels with rich and varied histories. There are some that once hosted well known literary figures, stars of stage and screen, and were instrumental in the lives of foreign correspondents whilst covering wars in Southeast Asia. Those travellers who love literature and reminiscences of bygone eras will find these hotels worth a visit.
In a recent awards list of the top 100 sustainable tourist destinations in the world, 22 in Asia were recognised for their efforts in providing tourism experiences that had a positive impact on the local environment or culture. Many of these will appeal to older travellers seeking destinations that are off-the-beaten-track and travel experiences that are supporting local communities.
Asia offers some of the best luxury train experiences in the world with Japan and India leading the field. Travelling by train provides the opportunity to enjoy scenery and sights at a leisurely pace with onboard fine dining and entertainment. Many multi-day journeys offer tours at stopovers to interact with locals and visit places of historic and cultural interest.
One of Bangkok’s oldest urban canals has undergone a massive rehabilitation to transform it into a trendy walking street and night market. Khlong Ong Ang is near many of the Thai capital’s major sights. It is rich with entertainment, street art, history and tasty street food. Stalls selling local crafts and other items are interspersed with the food stalls along the walkways making the canal banks a pleasant place for an evening stroll.
As many are starting to plan post-Covid travel and look for destinations where contact can be minimised with others, the appeal of remote retreats is greater than it has ever been. Asia has many such escapes along its thousands of kilometres of remote coasts and jungle interiors, especially for those looking to combine luxury with a little adventure.
Travelling solo in Asia may not be for everyone – especially for older females – but for those who enjoy time on their own, it can be liberating and rewarding. It enables you to travel at your own pace, do what you want to do, when you want, and change your schedule whenever you feel like it. With a few sensible safety precautions, solo travel in Asia can be a safe and enjoyable experience for anyone.
ICONSIAM is a new shopping complex in Bangkok that is a day-trip destination in itself. Aside from high-end stores and luxury retail outlets, it features a large market in which small businesses from all over Thailand sell their wares including street foods and handicrafts. There is also a spectacular sound and light show that is staged on the riverfront each evening.
Asia has a surprisingly good number of locations where it is possible to take hot air balloon flights. Drifting over a scenic landscape as the sun rises is both exciting and relaxing, and many travellers who are nervous about flying or suffer vertigo in tall buildings have said that flying in a hot air balloon was one of their most exhilarating experiences ever. It’s a wonderful way to see places from a new perspective.
If you are looking for a hotel in Bangkok that combines art deco with the opulence of a bygone era, then the Shanghai Mansion in Chinatown might fit the bill. And if you are lucky enough to be there during Chinese New Year, you’ll have a front row seat to an extravagant street party that is one of the best to experience in Bangkok during that auspicious festival.
