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One Night in Bangkok
Massage your worries away on the golf course of life
By STAN STALNAKER
March 18, 2000
Web posted at 6 p.m. Hong Kong time, 5 a.m. EST
Every once in awhile it's fun to get down to Bangkok for a bit of rest and relaxation--a veritable respite from the travails of work and industry. So what's a perfect day in a city that's famous for traffic frustrations and lilies?
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It all starts with a good foundation--in this case, The Peninsula hotel, which is still offering unbelievably low rates as an opening promotion until the end of the year. We're talking as low as $85 on some special packages, which mere mortals like us will probably find difficult to get. But even at twice the price, The Peninsula isn't a bad deal.
Situated right on the Chao Praya river across from many of the longer established hotels like the Shangri-La, The Peninsula exudes an atmosphere of elegance that is unmatched anywhere up or down the river. And the only nicer staff we've seen is (as mentioned a few months ago) at the Grand Hyatt in Shanghai.
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Awesome views dominate the rooms and the spa and other R&R facilities are famous for their ability to pamper. However, for the real deals on spas, we suggest the Banyan Tree Spa at the Westin hotel. Start with a loofah rub. The seaweed body masque may come recommended by individuals who like that sort of stuff, but the massage is a must-have.
Before you rejuvenate it helps to have a good excuse, so skip the morning conference call and site visit to play hooky on the golf course. The new Thanes course just outside of the city is mildly challenging and will work up enough frustration to make your afternoon spa therapy session seem less like a luxury than a necessity. There's a lot of water on the course, so be warned.
By the time your spa session is over you'll be ready for dinner at the Supatra River House, a fun place with a delicious selection of local specialities punctuated by a unique and spirited contemporary theater performance. Wimps can sit inside the air-conditioned area, but the adventurous can park under trees that jut up to the theater for a relaxing and intimate look at modern and historic Thai dance.
For the new Bangkok, don't dally over dinner. A short float back across the river and a 10-minute taxi ride will leave you rolling into Q Bar, the "it" bar of the moment for Bangkok residents and the swish set from cities far afield. They spent a bit of cash on this place, which one would expect to see in London or New York, not Bangkok.
Very groovy indeed. Once you're suitably situated, try a Ketel One and tonic-- this popular and smooth potato-based vodka is finally making inroads into Asia at long last! Q Bar doesn't pick up until at least 11 p.m. but is packed on the weekends and is fairly decent mid-week.
Just remember that the point here is relaxation not destruction--which means no trips to Sukhumvit's popular discos, which will invariably keep you up and dancing well past your bedtime. Not that we would ever do that ourselves. After a full 24 hours, if you don't have at least 24 stories we'd be surprised. Bangkok is back and buzzing.
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