Thailand is one of the most popular destinations for Indians with its scenic beaches and easy accessibility. One of the essential parts of booking a holiday is booking hotels that make your stay quite worthwhile. This post is going to talk about the best places to visit in Thailand and what are the hotels to stay around them.
Montien Riverside Hotel, Bangkok
Offering a majestic view of the River of Kings which is one of the major places to visit in Thailand, the Montien Riverside is one of the best places to stay in Thailand. Approximately 40 minutes drive from the Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Montien Riverside offers quite a beautiful view of the city on one hand and harbourside with the river snaking right across its middle on the other. Its one of the oldest hotels in Bangkok with gracious Thai hospitality and impeccable service.
Your Humble Abode
Montien Riverside offers all modern and stylish amenities of international standards. Travellers seeking an affordable and comfortable stay amidst the busy Bangkok city, then Montein Riverside is the answer to all your queries.The rooms are decorated with wooden carvings showing traditional Thai craftsmanship. My room was on the 21st floor opening to a spectacular view of the River of Kings. It is equipped with a writing desk, a universal electrical outlet, a Led TV, modern shower and catering to all your essentials. The hotel also offers family suites and Executive suites catering to the needs of the families and business travellerr with its unique layout. The pool located on the 6th floor is perfect for couples on their first romantic vacation with fresh air coming in from all sides and sipping in some cocktails while watching the gorgeous sunset over the Chao Phraya River. Montien Riverside is suitable for all your needs whether you are away on a leisure trip with family or business trip.
Dining
Now, we at Salt and Sandals are big fans of Thai food and the multiple restaurants at the Montein Riverside Hotel offer a plethora of Thai and Asian food that makes it one of the best places to stay in Thailand. The Emperor restaurant offers a medley of Szechuan and Cantonese food from China, its speciality being the Dim Sums. Sai Chol, on the other hand, offers Thai food including a lovely Pad Thai. The Cafe Restaurant next to the garden offers a huge breakfast spread with Indian, Thai and Japanese to choose from.
Places to visit in Thailand in Bangkok
Asiatique Riverfront: Around 20 minutes drive from the hotel is the Asiatique Riverfront. It is an open-air shopping complex renovated from an abandoned port with a beautiful riverfront and is one of the most beautiful places to visit in Thailand. It has thousands of eateries to choose from: fine dining restaurants to cafes and bars to scrumptious street food. Not just food but it also has plenty of fashion stores and open fashion markets to buy or eye the latest trends in fashion world. It’s like a walk in wardrobe for all you ladies. Apart from food and shopping, there’s plenty of outdoor activities for kids and family to do especially the giant illuminated Ferris wheel. So eat, drink, shop or simply sit by the patio to watch the Bangkok city lights over the riverfront.
Art of Paradise: It is a fun and a fresh take on an art gallery. Located inside the Esplanade Mall, it is a fun place to spend some hilarious time with families and kids returning after a long day of shopping spree in the mall. Distributed in several large rooms the 3D artwork by the artists is awe-inspiring. Not just kids but adults too can find themselves kidding around making funniest and silliest poses against the 3D paintings. My favourite was the rickety bridge and the jungle scenes and is unlike any other places to visit in Thailand. It was indeed much fun kidding around with three-dimensional painting and laughing out loud.
Shopping Market: Every turn in Bangkok has shopping markets and malls in abundance. But my personal favourite shopping places to visit in Thailand are the open street shops and stores in the Indra Market. Although you can always have a choice to shop at swanky malls but when in Bangkok you cannot miss shopping at the street stores. Its a little bit of heaven in there. From trendy clothes to funky handbags and accessories, one can also have the best of Prada, Chanel and MK fake out there. It is also the best place for gadget shopping while offering good bargains and being very easy on the pockets.
Rayong Marriott Resort & Spa
Located about an hour and a half from Pattaya and three & a half hours from the Swarnabhoomi Airport, The Rayong Marriott Resort & Spa is located on the eastern coast of Thailand on the Mae Phim Beach. Not only does the hotel offers scenic views of the beaches and sunsets that Thailand is known for, you can also hire a boat to head to other Thai islands: Koh Samet and Koh Mun. These two islands are one of the most beautiful places to visit in Thailand. It is the ultimate escape from the bustling city life and so natural for its geographic location. I also fell in love with Thai spa that offers some lovely therapies to take away all the tiredness of travel. The hotel is one of the largest in area luxury hotels in Rayong offering a super luxurious experience.
Your Humble Abode
I was staying at the Premier Oceanview room on the 9th floor with a luxurious panoramic view of the Rayong beach and the Gulf of Thailand. Imagine the quietness that flows in the ambience of a place totally uninterrupted. Rayong Marriott and Spa offers you just that but with both traditional, and contemporary luxurious facilities. Rayong Marriot Resort And Spa feature 205 luxury ocean and mountain view rooms and suites in each with a private balcony designed in contemporary style. Overlooking the pristine ocean, my abode is equipped with quality furnishings and amenities. My rooms featured one queen size bed, a work desk, an inbuilt wall Plasma Television and a spacious bathroom with a bathtub overlooking the ocean. The most beguiling feature of the property are the 3 pools, the lagoon pool with water slides, the island view pool and the kid’s pool with an aquarium and a 4tg one overlooking the majestic blue waters of the Gulf of Thailand.
The Quan Spa offers quite a few therapies including the signature Ocean Breeze. One of the essential reasons I fall in love with the spa here is the use of sweetened almond oil, jojoba oil and shea butter which leaves your skin silky soft without leaving a trace of stickiness. The massage consists of the therapist using her fingertips, hands and even her elbows to loosen out all the knots. There are quite a few body scrubs including the Fresh Coconut, Fresh Coffee, Green Tea and Sesame Yoghurt that leaves your skin soft and supple.
DINING
C Salt Café: This bright and airy all day dining restaurant offers spectacular views of the Gulf of Thailand, providing both indoor and al fresco dining. The breakfast buffet is very elaborate and is the best I’ve had in the recent times.The A La Carte menu kicks in at lunch and dinner, centred around the wooden oven that bakes fresh pizzas. The ambience is radiant and lively during the day with natural light flooding in through the doors to ocean view windows. At sundown, the wine and the sun going down paints the mood for a classy dinner.
Places of Interest Around
Ku Krung Museum: Just half an hour from the hotel is the Ku Krung Museum which showcases a large collection of vintage products and is attractively set in an old teak house, divided into different spaces and rooms that mimic a traditional Thai town and shoots to the top of the list of the most interesting places to visit in Thailand. One can check out the vintage classroom, convenience store, barbershop, tailor store, and even an old cinema. This cute little house museum is a fun place to spend an afternoon while reminiscing about the good old days. There’s also a small café offering drinks and nibbles.
Suan Lamai Rayong: Also known as the “Kingdom of Fruit on the Mountain”. This place is more of like a huge garden uphill surrounded by mountains, natural forests and fruit orchards. This fruit farm grows varieties of exotic fruits and trees. I thoroughly enjoyed plucking and tasting some exotic Thai fruits.
The Town of Chantaburi: Take a short spiritual tour down at Chantaburi. It is a century old quaint little old village and home to a large number of Chinese and Thai communities. It was quite interesting to see the diverse yet eclectic mix of culture. The mixed heritage amalgamation of Thai and Chinese is evident not only in its temple architecture but also the little shops & cafés stationed on either side of the narrowed lanes of the village. The resemblance to the Chinese style can be seen here with red coloured rooftops and dragon pillars & Chinese writings on the walls of the shrine and the Thai methods of worship was in true sense depicting the cultural diversity of Chanthaburi. It is one of the offbeat places to visit in Thailand that you must head to.
Avani Resort and Spa, Pattaya
Conveniently set in the heart of islands thriving Pattaya neighbourhood Avani Resort & Spa offers a full family holiday style and business style experience in full urbanness. The resort is adjacent to the shopping street, Pattaya Beach, The Royal Garden Plaza and the Grand Central Shopping Mall which is considered as the finest mall on the island. It is considered as the perfect place for the holidaymakers. Guests are able to make a selection from 299 key rooms and suites with great sea views and garden views in their personal balcony. I was staying on the 4th floor with a beautiful view of the garden and the pool. The rooms are done with modern furniture and make for quite a cosy experience that you will not forget easily. The abundance of greenery at the hotel almost makes you feel like a little jungle amidst the property. Offering you the most mesmerizing and extravagant experience, Avani Resort & Spa is an ideal choice during your stay in Pattaya.
Dining
The Garden cafe restaurant serves Thai along with other international cuisines like Indian, Chinese but I essentially fell in love with their Japanese cuisine. It has both outdoor and an organic and natural set indoors sitting. It offers a tranquil respite for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Lunch and dinner favourites include the
seabass with masala sauce, pumpkin risotto and local tiger prawns.Whether you opt for an evening of fine dining or a relaxed meal, you can be sure of being treated to impeccable service.
Places of Interest Around
Cartoon Network Waterpark Pattaya: I’m a water baby and the Cartoon Network water park is more than fabulous than any other waterpark I’ve seen in the world. It has a whopping 30 “state of the art water rides and slides. It also includes Disney World style mascots, a huge swim pool with artificial waves and screen showing various cartoon episodes all day long along with various other entertainment shows, aquatic fun activities for kids and family which makes it the top family places to visit in Thailand.
Ramayana Waterpark: It is one of the biggest theme parks in the whole of South East Asia. Built on an ancient forgotten city, this park is named after the Hindu epic Ramayan, glimpses of which can be seen in the form of Water rides and the Hanuman Cafe. With a whopping 21 water rides, it promises the most exhilarating Waterworld experience. The park offers a fun day out with thrills and excitement as well as relaxation for both young and old souls. Ramayana Park offers a large number of breathtaking views of the natural surroundings including some of the longest water slides in the world and several other unique rides and activities.
Singha D’Luck Cinematic Theatre: This new age theatre takes you to the world of fantasy and imagination. It is the highlight attraction of the town and is currently showcasing the Kaan’s Show. This is Thailand’s first levitating theatre where the live theatre is combined with new hybrid live-action characters giving performances using world class technology. This modern 3D cinematic experience is must watch.
Underwater World Pattaya: This place brought a slice of the underwater oceanic world in a series of exhibits on land and took me on an exhilarating ride. From the sandy beaches to shallow rock pool teeming with colourful reefs to the open ocean, it features a 100-
This is our list of places when you’re planning to stay in Thailand. Do let us know about any hotels in Thailand that you would like us to explore and other places to visit in Thailand
