Thailand Wins Six Travel Awards

Res Magazine, the second most popular travel magazine in Sweden, organized its annual readers’ survey on outbound travel for the fourth consecutive time in Autumn 2007. Readers voted online on www.res.se and the results were announced in December 2007. Awards were presented in fourteen categories.

Thailand received a total of six awards. The Kingdom of Thailand was voted the Best Long-Haul Destination and ranks the third ‘Best Country to Live’, after Sweden and the United States. The tropical paradise of Phuket led the Top-10 Best Charter Destinations with Krabi in third place. Thai food ranks second in the 2007 Best Food award category.

2007 Best Long-Haul Destination: Thailand
2007 Best Charter Destination: Phuket #1 and Krabi #3
2007 Best Big Cities: Bangkok ranks #8
2007 Best Food: Thai food ranks second behind Italian
2007 Best Country to Live: Thailand ranks third in the Top-5
2007 Best International Airline Company: Thai Airways International ranks second out of five airlines

What do you think?  Where would Bangkok rank in your list of top cities in the world?  For me I think it would definitely be in the top 3 with New York and Moscow making up the other two (based on my limited experience)

Do you think Thailand is one of the best places in the world to live?  I certainly do, but I’d love to hear what all of you think.  What are the benefits of living in Thailand vs other countries in your opinion?

You can find lots of Thai recipes right here on Thailand Musings.  Is Italian food better than Thai food?

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Traveling From the U.S. to Thailand

More questions and answers today that were generated  by the post What Do YOU Want to Know About Thailand?  Keep the questions coming and I will be answering as fast as possible.

My travel abroad has been limited to European destinations, so I have never traveled to Asia.  I understand that the flight time is quite long.  I’d be interested in learning the best way to get there. I assume that you depart from New York westbound, but I really don’t know.

Answer:  Yes, the flight is long.  Thai Airways runs a 17 hour flight non-stop leaving from JFK airport.  They fly east (well actually north as they go over the north pole).  As you can imagine the flight is not fun, but Thai Airways makes it as bearable as possible.  The cost is around $1600 round trip last time I looked.

Alternatively you can look for cheaper flights with connections, but that usually pushes the flight over 20 hours and you typically don’t save that much, maybe a couple hundred dollars.  I remember I once took a flight on Gulf Airlines that connected in Paris (CDG) and then again in Dubai (no idea what the airport is).  The total flight was 24 hours, but the cost was just $850.  At the time I could have flown non-stop with Thai at $1200.

Thinking back on the experience I would have been better off paying more for the convenience of a non-stop flight.  Of course if you don’t want to be cooped up for 17 hours straight then connecting flights might be the better way to go.  Needless to say, my last 4 flights have been non-stop on Thai Airways.

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The World Sand Sculpture Festival in Samui Thailand

If you want something for the kids in Samui (or even for you) then head over to Srisothorn Road, Chachoengsao Provincial Center for the World Sand Sculpture Festival which is being held in Thailand for the first time ever.

The World Sand Sculpture Festival is the largest indoor sand sculpting event in the world and has previously been held in several European countries including France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom and Denmark. It was started 14 years ago and has become quite popular since then, but has never been held in Asia. This years stop in Samui Thailand marks the first time the event has been outside Europe.

The event covers almost 5 acres and will feature over 80 sand sculptures by 70 artists from around the world. An amazing 40,000 tons of sand is being used to create the sand sculptures.

Three zones have been created for the sculptures as follows:

The Royal Projects Zone
The sand sculptures in this zone depict themes related to Royal Projects initiated by His Majesty the King of Thailand and reflect the extraordinary achievements of His Majesty the King of Thailand during the 60 years of his glorious reign.

The Thai History and Thai Literature Zone
The collection of 11 sand sculptures on display in the tent draw their inspiration from Thai history and characters depicted in Thai literature.

The International Sand Sculpture Zone
These masterpieces by sculptors representing 13 participating countries capture the magnificence of a selection of famous landmarks from around the world including the Great Wall of China, the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty.

The World Sand Sculpture Festival in Samui will last for 4 months from November 28, 2007 – March 28, 2008.

Opening Hours:
Monday to Friday: 10.00 – 19.00
Saturday and Sunday: 09.00 – 20.00
Public holidays: 08.00 – 22.00

Admission Fee
80 baht for adults; 40 baht for children

Don’t miss this chance to see some incredible sand sculptures. I know if I was in or near Samui I would be going for sure. It’s the only way for me to enjoy sand sculpture since I can’t even make a simple sand castle on the beach, but even adults can dream.

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Merry Christmas from Remark Cottage - Koh Chang

It is often said that the level of customer service at Thailand’s hotels is sub-par compared to the rest of the world.  Well, judging by the email I got yesterday it seems that some hotels are out to change that perception.

I received the above email from Remark Cottage even though the last time Golf and I stayed there was April 2006, over 1 1/2 years ago.  I can assure you that I did not receive any Christmas cards or emails from any of the other hotels I have stayed at over the past 2 years, Thai, European or American.  Here’s a small bit I wrote in October about Remark Cottage - I should really do a whole post reviewing the resort.

What a wonderful personal touch from a small boutique resort.  It’s now virtually guaranteed that not only will Remark Cottage stay in my mind, but will be my first choice for a hotel next time I go to Koh Chang.

Kudo’s to Remark Cottage!

Popularity: 11% [?]

Just Chillin on Koh Samet

Many first time visitors (or even second and third visitors) to Thailand want to know which is the best island or the best beaches. Thailand has hundreds of islands so choosing the best one is at best a subjective practice. :>)

Certainly the islands on the Andaman Sea have the clearest water and some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Think of Phuket, Koh Samui, Koh Phi Phi and the Similan Islands and you’ll certainly have images of crystal clear water and limitless white sand beaches.

However, the islands in the Gulf of Thailand are quite nice as well. In addition, they are closer to Bangkok and less touristy. I’ve already written some posts about Koh Chang which is near Trat. Today I want to let you know about the little gem known as Koh Samet (or Samed).

Koh Samed is a small island just 30 minutes boat ride from Ban Phe which itself can be reached by bus from Bangkok in just 3 hours. Not bad that you can go from the congestion and pollution of Bangkok to this wonderful little natural hideaway in just 3 1/2 hours.

Compared to other Thai islands it is a bit quiet on Koh Samet thanks to the fact that it was declared a National Park in 1981. Khao Lam Ya - Samet Archipelago Maritime National Park to be excat. While it is popular with locals and expats it doesn’t get nearly the tourist traffic of other Thai islands like Koh Chang and the islands near Krabi, Phuket and Surat Thani - which is just fine by me.

What is there to do on Koh Samet? Obviously there is swimming and sunbathing. You can charter fishing boats, take a snorkelling or scuba trip or even parasail. Beach massages and pedicures/manicures are cheap as well. All of the restaurants we tried were great, if a bit expensive for Thailand. A good alternative is to get the food from the streeet vendors or from the restaurants outside the park. I had some of the best bar-b-que chicken EVER from them. The island is fairly small, so walking the beach can be fun and it doesn’t take long to get to most of the popular places. And at night there is a decent selection of bars, some quiet and some a bit more party oriented to pick from. One thing I definitely recommend is the fire twirling guys at Ploy Talay. They were great and one of them is only 13 years old!

We had a great time on Koh Samet and plan on going back many times in the future. The closeness to Bangkok and the laid back beach atmosphere combined with good food and just enough partying makes this a top pick for a weekend away from Bangkok. I’ll post more in the future including some of our own pictures.

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