Travel
09 March 2010
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| Mandarin Oriental hotel in Bangkok, Thailand. |
UNLIKE Prague, Berlin and Paris, the Thai capital, Bangkok, hasn't yet made it into the city break hall of fame.
However, as airlines cut long-haul fares to beat the recession, more travellers are likely to stop off there, either as a curtain raiser to the rest of Thailand or breaking their journey to some winter sun destination.
Arriving in Bangkok for a four-night stop-over en route to Sydney, my boyfriend and I feared at first that we had made a bad decision.
As we sped towards the city, dirty-looking skyscrapers emerged from the polluted air.
Yet I also looked on in wonder. The sight of a south-east Asian city's urban sprawl takes your breath away.
We had wisely chosen a hotel that offered respite from the city's hub-bub, the new President Palace Hotel in the Sukhumvit business area.
Within easy reach of the main markets and centre, it still provides big rooms, free wi-fi and a swimming pool - all from 4,000 baht (£76) a night.
In the company of a girlfriend, we decided to start by paying our respects to one of Bangkok's great cultural landmarks - Chatuchak market.
Open every weekend, this open-air, 5,000-plus stall affair is well known among travellers as the only place to go for incredible bargains and a once-in-a-lifetime shopping experience.
Although prices have crept up to match the spending capacity of the more wealthy customers, Chatuchak is still perfect for cheap clothes, jewellery and obscure presents.
Heaving with shoppers by midday, it's best to arrive early (as it's a lot cooler), and accept that at some point you're sure to lose your companions.
Get a map and locate the clock tower in the centre early on, so that, when your partner disappears, you know he is safe. It's also wise to have a good sense of what you'd like to buy.
In Bangkok, high-rise luxury hotels soar up around you. Take a shower, brush your hair and head to the bar at the top of one of them. These are open to all and are the perfect setting for a cocktail. Try the Banyan Tree's Moon bar, on the 61st floor.
After a day in the heat and shopping until you drop, there's only one way to unwind - with a massage.
Whether you choose a roadside foot massage, a beauty salon or a top hotel, the standard will be high.
My girlfriend and I treated ourselves to a two-hour Ayurvedic treatment called Ayur Jeevan - costing 11,740 baht (£230) per person - at the Mandarin Oriental five-star hotel.
This establishment overlooks the river Chao Phraya River and has seen Joseph Conrad and Ernest Hemingway walk through the doors in its 130 years of history.
After two full body massages, a herbal steam and scrub, we put on our new dresses and boarded the hotel's boat to cross the river for dinner.
There are definitely worse ways to spend an evening.
TRAVEL TIPS
Thai Airways offers Bangkok return fares ex-Heathrow from £509 (two travelling), which include return flights within Thailand to one of 12 destinations. The offer applies to travel until June 30 if booked by March 31.
The airline's subsidiary, Royal Orchid Holidays, has four nights' B&B at a Bangkok four-star hotel from £234, including transfers.
Call 0844 561 0911 or see www.thaiairways.co.uk. For the President Palace Hotel see www.presidentpalacehotel.com.