5 Incredibly Lavish Ways to See Thailand from a Whole New Perspective
For your next trip around Thailand, make the journey as special as the destination with these swanky and beautiful ways to travel.
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7 years ago
SAILING
Credit: www.tourismthailand.org
Jabudays
Founded in 2008, Jabudays offers customized cruises in the Andaman Sea. Their fleat includes 14 boats including yachts with a capacity of 100 guests. Where the company excels is in tailoring one-of-a-kind experiences, under themes like meditation and yoga cruises, adventure cruises, and networking events. Programs can involve nights spent at luxury hotels where the fleet docks or stop-offs for scuba diving or even kite surfing—it’s down to your preference. The spacious yacht is also the site of much luxury, replete with sunbeds, while massages, live music and bartenders are all available on-board. Detailed sample programs are provided on the website and you’re invited to tweak them to your liking. Price: Day charters start from B5o,000, while overnight charters are from B120,000 with a minimum of eight people.
www.jabudays.com
CYCLING
Credit: www.facebook.com/SpiceRoads
Spice Roads
Local bike tour operator SpiceRoads recently launched an amazing 15-day Thailand to Singapore cycle trip. Starting from Krabi, the 1,339-kilometer tour, covering around 80-135km per day, takes you down the Andaman Coast, through national parks and beaches in Thailand and Malaysia, including stops at the UNESCO Heritage-listed Georgetown in Penang and Malacca before reaching Singapore. Included in the itinerary are plenty of stops at historical and cultural sites. For Singapore, they’ll stay in the hip Tiong Bahru neighborhood home to cool design cafes, bookshops and galleries. For now, the trip costs US$3,650 including accommodation and meals, but that price is set to increase for tours starting in the new year. The next confirmed trip leaves on Oct 16-Oct 30, but if you can get four people together who are keen then they’ll run an earlier one from Jul 24-Aug 7. Note that you’re on your own when it comes to making your way from Singapore back to Thailand.
HOT-AIR BALLOON
Credit: www.balloonadventurethailand.com
Balloon Adventure Thailand
See the incredible landscape of Northern Thailand from up high while open to the elements on one of Balloon Adventure Thailand’s Chiang Mai-based hot-air balloon tours. A 60-minute trip captained by an experienced hot-air balloon pilot costs B8,800 per person, and for that you also get transfers from your hotel. Trips set off at 6:30am to take you over the Northern scenery at the peak time of the day, touching back down on Earth in time for a complimentary breakfast and—best of all—a glass of Champagne to celebrate your flight.
TRAIN
Credit: Simon Pielow
The Eastern & Oriental Express from Singapore to Bangkok
One glimpse of the teakwood-paneled, open-air observation car at the back of the train and you’ll realize there’s still nothing else quite like this. When traveling with The Eastern & Oriental Express, the journey is as important as the destination, and this particular journey includes rich, three or four-course fine dining affairs that fill half the day (and that’s not counting breakfast in bed). The rest of the time is best spent in the observation car, drinking gin and channeling your best Somerset Maugham. At Butterworth, and again at the River Kwai, you disembark for a short tour of the sights, but frankly you’re all too conscious that this is time you’re not spending in the piano lounge with a glass in hand. And the scenery? That’s pretty good, too, especially once you cross the Thai border; if you’re lucky, the train slows down for a better view of the sunset. A three-day/two-night trip costs US$2,690 (B95,000) per person (based on sharing a cabin) and include all meals and tours. Doing the journey in reverse takes four days/three nights (same prices).
Log on to http://tiny.cc/4a7ag for scheduling info and more.
RIVER CRUISE
Credit: bangkok-cruises.anantara.com
Antantara Song
This 100-year-old rice barge has been rebuilt using solid teak and converted into a floating palace. Accompanied by the Anantara's five-star service, you'll be on a slow cruise up the Chao Praya towards Ayutthaya's historical park. On the way, you'll also stop at historic temples and a crafts center steeped in tradition. On board, the full bar and kitchen will keep you wine and dined from breakfast to dinner. It's often fully booked but there are a couple nights available in September, from B48,000 a night (2 nights minumum, tax not included).
Visit http://bangkok-cruises.anantara.com/ for bookings.
Seeing Thailand from a whole new perspective is at the core of the #notatourist campaign by VISA and the Tourism Authority of Thailand. Under the tagline "See Thailand Through Locals' Eyes," the global #notatourist campaign is about celebrating the new wave of independent globetrotters exploring the world in incredible new ways.
To participate, submit your photos through www.visa-promotions.com/notatourist/TH/. The 10 best photos will be printed on 100,000 postcards and placed on various tourist attractions both here and overseas. You can also join the campaign by sharing your travel stories on Instagram or Facebook with the hashtags #notatourist and #visathailand.
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