PHAN GAN GUIDE

Bangkok City & Temple Tour with Grand Palace
Bangkok has hundreds of temples, each with thousands of reflective surfaces that dazzle. So what makes this temple-orientated tour the number one? Is it because it introduces you to three of Bangkok’s most dazzling, Wat Trimitr, Wat Po and Wat Benjabophit?

Well, only partly. It also takes you to Thailand’s foremost religious site, The Grand Palace; wowing at the Emerald Buddha at Wat Phra Kaew, a tiny green jade icon that, though only 18 inches tall, towers above all others in its holiness. Everyone should, no, MUST experience it.

Ayutthaya Tour by River Sun Cruise
Some tours are jam-packed full of facts, sights and history – so much, in fact, you barely have a moment to yourself. This day trip to Ayutthaya, Siam’s war-ravaged former capital, sails straight in at number two because it has plenty of substance but doesn’t test your staying power.

A morning spent exploring temple ruins is followed by an afternoon on board a luxury cruiser. The hard work well and truly over, all that’s left to do is laze happily on deck, only the memories, river breezes and Bangkok’s bristling skyline for company. Wonderful.

Manohra Dinner Cruise
Bangkok has plenty of dinner cruises. But only Manohra has the three ‘R’s: the river, the romance, and, most uniquely, a 50-year-old rice barge. Made of delicate restored teak wood, it’s easily one of the most distinctive boats plying the water, and hands-down the best for a one-of-a-kind supper.

Guests glide up-river, past seminal city sights like Wat Arun and the Grand Palace. No windows, no air-conditioning, just the cooling breeze and a candlelit table spread with an appetizing selection of classic Thai dishes, all beautifully arranged and presented.

Bangkok Floating Market
Ok, so the Floating Market is hardly authentic. It’s a cultural show, staged so tourists can see how Thais used to buy and sell fresh produce at river markets. However, for its colours and chaos alone it remains a sight no one should miss.

Small thin canals teem with longboats piled high with fresh produce, each one jockeying for position, and paddled by a lady ready to stop and bargain at a moment’s notice. This visual vibrancy, as well as its popularity and iconic status, helped it barge effortlessly into our number four spot.

River Kwai Tours
There’s more to the River Kwai than elegiac WWII sights. And this tour around Kanchanaburi, a lush unspoilt province bordering Burma, proves it. Visits to the Death Railway, the Bridge over the River Kwai and the memorial museum, are tastefully juxtaposed with thrilling doses of back-to-nature: undulating mountains, rugged landscapes, as well as activities like elephant rides and tiger temples.

Very few tours manage such a gratifying combo, both thought-provoking and adventurous - a well deserved winner of our number five spot.

Siam Niramit
Packing all the splendour of the Land of Smiles into an 80-minute stage show is no easy task. But Siam Niramit succeeds – and spectacularly. How so? Try the world’s biggest stage, a cast of hundreds, and bags of Thai finesse. For these joy-bringing efforts, we happily award it sixth place.

The first act describes how Siam became a cross-roads where civilizations met, the second how karma binds the Thai people, the last how religious ceremony earns Thais merit in this life. Spellbinding stuff.

Khlong Tour
Bangkok’s ‘khlongs’ (canals) aren’t mere remnants of the past. Many are still functioning transport arteries that play a significant role in city life. Rather than the noise and smell of central Bangkok’s famous Khlong Saen Saeb, this morning tour focuses on the more scenic waterways of Thonburi.

A long-tailed speedboat glides you past floating kitchens, mobile shops and all kinds of colourful river scenery, before stopping at the enchanting Temple of Dawn (Wat Arun). The trip ends with the Royal Barges Museum; for most, the impressions last a lot longer.

Bai Pai Cooking School
Ever wished you could cook your favourite authentic Thai dish at home? Our eighth favourite tour equips you with the know-how to do just that. At the Bai Pai Cooking School, qualified Thai chefs impart their culinary wisdom in an easily digestible fashion.

Classes are hands-on and never more than ten people. Instructors emphasise the importance of seasonality, fresh ingredients and presentation. Pad Thai? Your favourite curry? These are the dishes you perfect and get to devour. No wonder everyone leaves smiling.

Jim Thompson House
One for silk, antiques and culture lovers. Jim Thompson, an American ex-military officer, almost single-handedly revived the craft of Thai silk-weaving. But he disappeared mysteriously in 1967, leaving behind not only a flourishing industry, but also some lovingly restored teak houses.

This popular tour begins amidst his collection of rare Asian art and antiques, before you are then whisked to nearby Suan Pakkad Palace, a complex of impressive teak houses once belonging to Princess Chumbot. A tour guide explains the mysteries of what is an enriching excursion.

Floating Market Cycling Tour
A cycle tour is the best way to explore corners of Bangkok that most tourists never know exists, let alone discover. With little more than the clank of your bicycle gears, a cool breeze and the waves of locals for company, there’s nothing jaded or cynical about a two-wheeled adventure.

Take our tenth top tour, for example. After the floating market, you peddle past fruit orchards, old temples and ancient army garrisons, heading further back in history and culture with each forward turn of the wheel. Where most tours our somewhat limiting, this one is a true revelation.

Renowned for services ranging from eyelash extensions and laser hair removal to chakra balancing and chi revitalizing, Bangkok is host to an exotic and bizarre array of treatments and therapies. A quintessential component to this multi-faceted jamboree, traditional Thai massage is perhaps the most well-known and celebrated of Bangkok’s pampering services. As the Japanese delicately knead flesh in accordance with Shiatsu and the Chinese offer rubs following principles of Tui-Na, Thailand presents a signature massage technique involving traditional systems of holistic beliefs.

Thai massage draws significant influence from India’s ancient Ayurvedic traditions of medical practice. Ayurvedic medicine, also a holistic form of healing, plays an integral role in the practice of both Hinduism and Therevada Buddhism. Monks and similar practitioners of healing transmitted Ayurvedic techniques to Thailand some 2,500 years ago, thus giving birth to the wonderful phenomenon that is Thai massage.

Aromatherapy & Oil Massage

Though the standard technique varies little, there are a few sub-styles within the traditional Thai massage context. Some practices include the external application of water, lubricants, salt scrubs and other topical preparations and devices that mimic or improve the actions of hands. Essential oils are a common supplement to Thai massage, and incorporating aspects of aromatherapy in conjunction may provide further benefits.

Many establishments in Bangkok offer aromatherapy separately or as an addition intended to enhance another style of massage. An aromatherapy massage is a treatment involving oils that are naturally extracted from plants to balance, harmonize, and promote the health of body and mind. Distinct fragrances are thought to trigger memory and enhance an individual’s responses to the aroma; perhaps calming, inducing relaxation, or restoring energy. The oils used in each session are usually determined with input from both the masseur and client, seeking to remedy specific needs. Several oils are decided upon after a consultation and blended into a massage oil to be used during the treatment.

Thailand is a haven for relaxation, rejuvenation and regeneration. Ancient healing knowledge passed down over generations, exotic and tropical surroundings, lots of sunshine and legendary hospitality provide the ideal setting for the continuous pursuit of inner and outer beauty.

Nowadays, many high-end hotels and luxury serviced apartment residences in Bangkok take pride in their own lavish in-house spas, often celebrated brands like Mandara or Aspara. Private spas are just as abundant and luxurious. Set in plush and tastefully designed environments, spas offer anything from a choice of different style massages, to body scrubs and wraps, facial and cosmetic treatments, herbal baths and aromatherapy.

Thailand’s spas not only give magnificent pampering sessions, they offer a perfect way of recreating the balance of body, mind and spirit that is often lost in our frantic, modern-day lifestyles. Blending Western and ancient Asian techniques, a session at a spa will help you release stress, regain inner balance and rejuvenate your spirit.

Make sure you complete your perfect holiday, or business trip, with an exotic and indulgent experience at one of Bangkok’s heavenly spas, a blissful and pleasurable experience that promises to give you a new lease on life. Retreat from the city’s hustle and bustle and seek the tranquillity in any of the following hotel or private spa retreats:

Shangri-La Hotel Bangkok (Chi Spa)
Bangkok Marriott Resort & Spa (Mandara Spa)
President Solitaire (Ananda Spa)
Plaza Athenee Bangkok (Spa Athene)
Banyan Tree Hotel (Banayn Tree Spa)
Dusit Thani Hotel (Devarana Spa)
Swissotel Nai Lert Park (Amrita Fitness & Spa)
The Westin Grande Sukhumvit (The Vareena Spa)
Pathumwan Princess Hotel (Tantara Health Spa)

Upmarket and aspirational, Chidlom and Ploenchit’s drinking holes revolve mainly around snazzy hotel bars and wine bars catering to the city’s well heeled. These include 87+, Ad Makers, Bar@ 494, Diplomat Bar and Syn Bar.

Bangkok began as a small trading centre and port community on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River some 200 years ago. Today, while the city is up to speed with modern times, the grandeur and glory of its illustrious past still prevails. Be it dazzling temples, spectacular palaces, a world-famous floating market or colourful Chinatown, each of these famous places has an intriguing story to tell. Here are our TOP 10 recommended places to visit.

1: The Grand Palace
If there is one must-see sight that no visit to Bangkok would be complete without, it’s the dazzling, spectacular Grand Palace. Built in 1782, and for 150 years the home of the Thai King, the Royal court and the administrative seat of government, the Grand Palace of Bangkok is a grand old dame indeed, that continues to have visitors in awe with its beautiful architecture and intricate detail, all of which is a proud salute to the creativity and craftsmanship of Thai people.

2: Floating Market
Even though transactions are more concerned with tourists rather than locals these days, the floating market boats are still piled high with tropical fruit and vegetables, fresh, ready-to-drink coconut juice and local food cooked from floating kitchenettes located right on the boat. Totally chaotic, small ‘klongs’ or canals are filled with small flat boats jockeying for position, expertly paddled by mature ladies ready to stop and bargain at a moment’s notice. It’s colourful, noisy and totally touristy — but great fun!

3: Wat Arun (The Temple of Dawn)
Wat Arun (the Temple of the Dawn) is situated on the west (Thonburi) bank of the Chao Phraya River. It is believed that after fighting his way out of Ayutthaya, which was under siege by a Burmese army at the time, King Taksin arrived at this temple just as dawn was breaking. He later had the temple renovated and renamed it Wat Chaeng, the Temple of the Dawn. During his reign, Wat Chaeng was the chief temple, and it once enshrined the Emerald Buddha and another important Buddha image.

4: Chinatown (Yaowarat)
Chinatown is a colourful, exotic and busy area, packed with market stalls and probably the greatest concentration of gold shops in the city. The Chinese community, relocated here from Rattanakosin (Old City) in the 1700’s, still continue their own traditions and religious practices, and the area is quite unlike the rest of Bangkok. Relatively untouched by modern development — and despite being always crowded, hot and exhausting — it’s an experience not to miss.

5: Wat Pho
Wat Pho (the Temple of the Reclining Buddha), or Wat Phra Chetuphon, is located behind the magnificent Temple of the Emerald Buddha. It’s the largest temple in Bangkok and famed for its huge and majestic reclining Buddha measuring 46 metres long and covered in gold leaf. The Buddha’s feet are three metres long and exquisitely decorated in mother-of-pearl inlays of auspicious ‘laksanas’ (characteristics) of the Buddha. The temple is also famous for its traditional Thai massage.

6: Wat Phra Kaeo (Temple of Emerald Buddha)
Regarded as the most important Buddhist temple in Thailand, Wat Pra Kaeo enshrines Phra Kaew Morakot (the Emerald Buddha), the highly revered Buddha image meticulously carved from a single block of emerald. The Emerald Buddha (Phra Putta Maha Mani Ratana Patimakorn) is a Buddha image in the meditating position in the style of the Lanna school of the north, dating from the 15th century AD.

7: Chao Phraya River & Waterways
The Chao Phraya River and ‘klongs’ (canals) are where Bangkok’s historic roots lie; the traditional heartland of this magical city with origins that read like an epic novel — complete with fallen and rising Kingdoms, heroes and traitors. One of the most fascinating and scenic areas of Bangkok, the riverside reflects a constantly changing scene day and night; water-taxis ferrying commuters and heavily laden rice barges chugging upstream, set against a backdrop of glittering temples and palaces, historical landmarks and luxury, five-star hotels.

8: The National Museum
The National Museum is dedicated to preserving the national cultural heritage through extensive collections of art, archaeological and cultural objects in the Palace of Wang Na compound near the Grand Palace. The Gallery of Thai History, the Weapon Room, Gold Treasures, Royal Cremation Chariots, and Ceremonial Objects are some of the highlights displayed at the museum. Also located on the premises is a series of spectacular ‘salas’ (pavilions), which are considered to be the most outstanding examples of traditional Thai architecture.

9: Vimanmek Palace
Vimanmek Royal Mansion is the world’s largest building made entirely of golden teak. Moved from Ko Sichang in Chonburi province, it was rebuilt on the grounds of Dusit Palace in 1900 by the command of King Rama V. It was recently renovated by H.M. Queen Sirikit, and made into a museum paying homage to the late King. As well as antique furniture, there’s glassware, porcelain, old photographs and memorabilia from the late King’s reign (1868 - 1910).

10: Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall
Constructed in lavish Italian Renaissance and Neo Classic style, Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall is often used as a venue for important royal and state ceremonies such as the celebration of the Constitution Day (December 10), and for the opening ceremony of the first annual ordinary session of the National Assembly. On June 9, 2006. H.M. King Bhumibol appeared on the balcony of Anata Samakhom Throne Hall to receive statements of well wishes during his Diamond Jubilee Celebrations.

Bangkok’s many museums exhibit some of the most sublime, and strangest, collections of relics you can imagine, giving visitors a wonderful insight into Thailand’s colourful culture and unique heritage. Some are housed in buildings just as interesting as their contents, like Kamthieng House, a 19th Century teak house and former abode of a rice farmer, the Bangkok Folk Museum and Jim Thompson’s House. The best place to start has to be the National Museum, in Rattanakosin. Its collections spanning all periods of Thai history offer an unsurpassed introduction to the country’s art and architecture. Be sure to allow enough time for your visit, as it is very easy to get lost in a time that is long gone…