If after my last post about Thailand you still need some tips, these are for you!

Bangkok:

This trip we stayed at The Eugenia. It’s charming, and a little bit quirky, and we loved it.  Only 12 rooms, all with their own unique mix of antiques and artworks, so its always fairly quiet (a good thing in this bustling city), and the pool is surrounded by palm trees and feels like your own private oasis. We ate at the hotel restaurant the first night and the food was fantastic. I highly recommend it.

One of the charming suites at The Eugenia Hotel, Bangkok

We ate at Gaggan the second night. We were recommended the tasting menu, being first timers, and were not disappointed. We had a 12 course tasting menu and loved every single course…honestly, it may well be in the top 10 of the best meals of my life. I have to say I think the fact the chef is Indian, and the fact they call their food “progressive indian”, may be slightly misleading…I think even non-curry lovers will love this place. Oh, and did I mention the building and interior? Super cute.

On the third night we ate at Issaya. Also located in a charming building, this place is much more colourful, which happens to be a great back drop to wonderful Thai food, a mix of traditional and more modern style dishes. Everything we had was amazing…especially the Passionfruit and caramel cocktails. Who knew those two flavours would work so well together!?

And I finally managed to get my husband to Agalico…a seriously cute tea house just off Sukhumvit Road. My second visit, but I think it may become a regular when we go back. Great selection of tea and cake, and the view of the garden outside is to die for.

Agalico, Bangkok

We checked out Mr Kukrit’s House, which is the home of an ex-priminister that has been maintained for visitors. Each of the pavilions serves a different purpose and all are still as Mr Kukrit left them. The gardens are alsoo quite amazing, and the feeling of standing amongst lush tropical greenery in the middle of a concrete jungle is quite surreal.  Still mostly untouched by the crowded bus tours, this is a nice way to spend a morning…and there’s a Dean & Deluca naerby for lunch afterwards…which is exactly what we did.

Mr Kukrit’s House, Bangkok

Phuket:

We were in Phuket for a friend’s wedding, and while the actual ceremony was held elsewhere, most of the guests stayed at the Sala.  We shared a 2 bedroom pool villa with friends, and it was heavenly. This was our first resort holiday as we tend to be city people and my husband gets bored quickly, but I think this place has converted us.  There are lots of things to do if you want, otherwise they make it very easy for you to relax. We ate at the hotel almost every night and the food was great. I would definitely come back and stay here again.

Sunset on our first night over the pool at Sala, Phuket

Sunset on the beach, Phuket

…what do you get after 7 nights??

We stayed at The Asadang, a charming boutique hotel with only 9 rooms. The sister property of nearby The Buthorn (which only has 3 rooms!) Both are lovely restored buildings in the heart of old Bangkok, owned and renovated by a local couple who are both architects. Each room is different, full of antique and vintage pieces and the overall feeling is more like staying with friends than at a sterile, characterless large chain hotel. Situated in a great area for sight-seeing – the Royal Palace and many Wats and Temples are within walking distance. This was the view from the balcony off our bathroom…you can see the top of the Ratchabopit Temple which is literally next door, and neighbourhood homes line the canal or klong.

Overall I would give the hotel the thumbs up, do keep in mind though that if you plan to do a bit of shopping this place is not particularly close to Sukumvit or Chatuchak and was sometimes difficult getting taxis to venture over to this side of town. It always worked out eventually, and I think despite this I would stay here again.

Did someone say shopping?? Obviously the Sukhumvit area is great, and there are many huge malls in this area, depending on what you’re looking for. I would say in terms of home furnishings by far the best are Siam Paragon (Barbara Barry concept store, Armani Casa, Ralph Lauren, other huge American brands not available in Hong Kong, plus an amazing variety of very high quality locally produced goods), Decor Promenade (Christian Liaigre store, Baker, Visual Comfort lighting and Promemoria, plus local designers) and the Emporium (the Emporium department store range was fantastic, and Jaspal Home which has lovely bed and bath linens – also in Siam Paragon). As for clothing, if you want something other than all the typical big luxury brands that can be bought anywhere I’d say Gaysorn Plaza would be best with lots of stores by local fashion designers at reasonable prices. BUT, if its a bargain you want, or you love the thrill of the hunt, then definitely Chatuchak market is a must see. This was my first time there this trip, and I have to say it is absolutely the best market I’ve ever been to. And apparently the largest in the world. Many markets in Asia repeat the same products and you’ve pretty much seen it all after a few rows, but Chatuchak is full of great stuff, unique things from clothing to home stuff. You’d need a full day to even think about seeing it all.

For lunch, my favorite has to be Cafe Claire. Recently opened (in fact the GM told me there soft open was just the day before, and I was one of their first customers), the food was fantastic, and the service impeccable. Set within the new Oriental Residences (condos for sale or serviced apartments for slightly longer stays) which has been decorated with Barbara Barry furniture in a very light and airy manner. Here are a few of the sneaky pics I took…

I have to say I also highly enjoyed eating at the new Dean & Deluca within the new MahaNakhon complex. I discovered D&D when I lived in Tokyo and have been a big fan ever since. Why oh why are there 2 in Bangkok and none in Hong Kong? Anyway, I also managed a sneaky tour of the David Collins designed show flats within the complex, which are of course drop dead beautiful. I wish I could move right in.

And you can’t really talk about food in Bangkok without mentioning Greyhound. These guys recently opened their first cafe outside of Thailand in the IFC mall right here in Hong Kong. Well designed spaces, great menus, and locations all over the city. Good for lunch or dinner, really.

That’s all folks. I should be back in BKK in a month to follow up on some meetings I had there, and then hopefully not too long after that I’ll be able to fill you in on some exciting news…so stay tuned!

I’m off to Bangkok over the Chinese New Year weekend, for part work, part pleasure. I hope everyone in Hong Kong enjoys the long weekend, and Happy Year of the Dragon everyone!

A couple of pics of where I’ll be staying…will share more with you when I get back!