26 March 2018

This was my first visit to Thailand and I was travelling with a group of 20 Travel Counsellors on an educational trip hosted by Centara Hotels and Ex,o our destination management company in Thailand. I flew with Emirates from Manchester to Bangkok via Dubai. The flight was very comfortable with great legroom which I often struggle with being nearly 6ft tall. The entertainment system is first class - the best I have had on any major airline. The Wi-Fi fitted on all A380 and most Boeing 777 was fantastic and a great extra when flying on a long-haul flight. The food was fantastic, and you are provided with a menu to choose from. The cabin crew were all so happy with a constant smile on their faces. I can highly recommend Emirates over any other airline I have ever flown with. The connecting flight in Dubai. Couldn’t have been an easier transit. The airport is fabulous, so calming compared to most airports featuring palm trees and water features which gave it the calming feel. Fantastic duty free and all in all a great overall experience. The onward flight to Bangkok was, again, a very pleasant flight with very friendly crew. It was a slightly older aircraft than our first leg but still as comfortable. Again 10/10 Emirates. On arrival into Bangkok we were met by our tour guide Anon. It was very quick and prompt through security considering it was very busy. We were then transferred to our first stop for our first two nights staying at our first Centara hotel on the outskirts of the city. The next morning, we embarked on a longtail boat for a tour of the city taking in many sights including the Chao Phraya River, The Royal Barge Museum and also paid a visit to Wat Arun – a 79-metre-tall pagoda temple on the river banks which was spectacular to see. The detailing in the building of this temple was phenomenal. After some free time in the afternoon to explore the surrounding area of our hotel we visited Asiatique night bazaar on the waterfront with a great selection of stalls and boutiques as well as bars and restaurants to choose from. Asiatique is a great venue for all ages and a great chance to experience the local culture of Bangkok. Our evening was finished off with a performance of Muay Thai Boxing. Again, a unique experience I can highly recommend. The following day we had an early start to head south to the beach resort of Hua Hin located around 3.5 hours from Bangkok and on the gulf of Thailand. Our two night stay was at the Centara Grand Beach Resort which was out of this world. It has a real colonial feel about the property and could not be more central to the resort centre if they tried. Hua Hin has everything you could want from a beach stay and some great nightlife too. During our stay here in Hua Hin we participated in a local Thai cooking experience which was fantastic. This included a trip to the local farmers market to buy the ingredients required for us to cook. Again a truly memorable experience and I cannot wait to try out my new found culinary skills at home. Our next adventure took us on another 3.5-hour journey north of Hua Hin to the Kanchanburi region where we had an overnight stay at The Resotel Resort on the river Kwai. En route we visited the cemetery and war memorial site of the allied and Asian prisoners of war that had sadly passed away whilst constructing the railway line from Thailand to Burma during the World War II. Our guides’ knowledge was fantastic and gave us a great insight into the history and local knowledge of these harrowing times. On arrival at our hotel, which could only be reached by longtail boat, I was wowed by how stunning and peaceful this area was. The hotel was tucked away on the side of the river in a tropical forest giving a really relaxed feel. After lunch we visited a local Mon Village to see how they live. This was an unbelievable experience seeing them in their bamboo huts with no electricity or running water. Again, we visited their village temple and had the chance to buy some lovely handmade crafts from the community that originate from Myanmar. We also took a trip down the river on a bamboo raft back to the resort. Some of us decided to swim with the current which was a fantastic experience I will never forget. On our last full day in Thailand we stopped at The Bridge over the River Kwai to see the original structure and then continued to the Hell Fire Pass Memorial site and Museum. We also got to walk through where the prisoners of war cut through the cliff and rocks whilst erecting this part of the railway line. The Museum was so informative and interesting including artefacts and letters from many of the prisoners and taught me a lot about what had happened during the second world war. On arrival back into Bangkok we were greeted again at another Centara Hotel, The Grand @ Central World. First impressions – wow! The main lobby is on the 23rd floor of the hotel and is in a fantastic location to explore the city on foot or local TukTuk. They also have a sky bar 55 storeys up. This was breath-taking and gave you an amazing view across the whole city especially in the evening as the sun set. This evening we had a TukTuk city tour which again gave us a fantastic experience of the city at night. We were then taken to Chinatown for a street food dinner. A real popular choice with the local Thai community. After our tour we were dropped off at Patpong market where you can literally shop until you drop. There were hundreds of market stalls selling everything you can imagine. This area comes to life after dark and is not really for the faint hearted, however it is a must see. We followed this with a night cap on the 55th floor of our hotel with the sights of this buzzing city! Overall, I had a truly amazing trip and cannot wait to return to see some more of Thailand on my own holidays in the near future. If you have never thought of Thailand or this is on your bucket list, be sure to get in touch and I would be delighted to share the experience in more detail and make sure your experience is even better!