A twin-centre trip to Thailand’s capital and its largest island ticks every box
By Richard Jones
The views of Bangkok’s neon-drenched skyscrapers were a distant memory amidst the swaying tropical palm trees. And instead of roaring motorcycle engines and car horns ringing in our ears, our senses were soothed by the Andaman Sea’s gently lapping waves.
“It’s just more relaxed here,” explained tour guide Teddy, as we travelled along the crescent-shaped Patong Beach in Phuket. “We call it the island life.”
The serene tropical paradise felt like a world away from the bustling Bangkok where my friend Joe and I had spent the last three days. That’s not to say we hadn’t had a blast in the Thai capital, but by combining the two very different destinations, we ended up with a memorable twin-centre holiday.
After arriving on an EVA Air flight direct from London Heathrow to Suvarnabhumi Airport, we discovered a city-centre haven. From the moment you walk into Amari Bangkok, you feel like you’re being pampered, and although the hotel in the upcoming Ratchaprasong/Watergate area is undoubtably five-star, a stay there comes with a surprisingly affordable price tag. I checked in at their exclusive Voyager Lounge and made my way up to a Club Premier Room, with its king-sized bed, work space, marble bathroom with Panpuri toiletries and floor-to-ceiling windows framing spectacular views of the sprawling metropolis.
The Club Siraa lounge provides guests with a selection of complimentary small bites and drinks throughout the day, and Joe and I kicked off our first evening with a couple of dark and stormys and sangrias from its cocktail menu. Amari Bangkok’s restaurants are seriously impressive, and we devoured a delicious Thai meal of crispy fried calamari with Chaiya sauce and stir-fried noodles with minced duck and fried duck egg at ChomSindh.
Across the lobby on the fourth floor, the acclaimed NILA has a reputation for serving the best Indian food in the city. The restaurant manager Vicky took us on a mouthwatering culinary journey through coastal India, with a seven-course taster menu, including peri-peri jheenga and Goan fish curry. Each course was paired with a signature cocktail, including samba agave and Malabar old fashioned.
Amari Bangkok is also home to a popular curbside Italian restaurant – Prego Bangkok – and we arrived there for lunch, sampling delicious prosciutto pizza, lobster linguine and Chef Marco’s signature Risotto alla Montanara.
For breakfast, there were two options at Amari – the refined à la carte offerings at Club Siraa or the huge selection at Amaya Food Gallery’s live cooking stations. During our stay, Joe and I were also treated to signature massages at Breeze Spa, down from the pool deck on the eight floor. Following a consultation, the masseuse tailored our treatments, using aromatherapy oils, herbal teas, music selections and mood-setting colours to leave us feeling rejuvenated and invigorated.
While Amari is somewhat of a R&R refuge in Bangkok, Joe and I hadn’t travelled thousands of miles to not explore the fascinating and exciting Asian city.
We were taken on a temple tour by Steve from the Tourism Authority of Thailand, and visited one of the city’s most recognisable landmarks, Wat Arun, with its Khmer-style pagoda decorated with colourful Chinese porcelain. Steve talked us through the history of the area and Thai culture, before we boarded a short ferry to the Wat Pho Buddhist temple complex, joining hundreds of pilgrims paying homage to the world-famous Reclining Buddha.
In between, we had time to cool down with a temple-shaped butterfly pea ice cream and even a tasted a variety of leaf that Steve claimed keeps illness at bay. The Grab app is a cheap and convenient way to get around Bangkok and you can generally reach most places in the city centre by booking a cab from Amari for around 200 baht (£4.50).
We visited the notorious Soi Cowboy, Patpong, Nana Plaza and Khao San Road entertainment districts, all of which were huge fun and real eye-openers.
Our final excursion of the week was a Bangkok Best Eats Food Tour by Tuk Tuk in which enthusiastic host Premi took us on a trip around the city. We ate delicious Khao-soi, crispy pancakes, papaya salad and sticky rice prepared in the family-run open-air kitchens around Samyan Market and China Town.
The tour ended at Eagle Nest, a rooftop bar with stunning views of Wat Arun, Chao Phraya River and Wat Po. It was the perfect bookend to what had been a captivating few days in the Thai capital.
The following morning, Joe and I boarded a Bangkok Airways flight to Phuket, and in just over an hour, we were immersed in what Teddy called the ‘island life’.
Although our second base of the week was another high-end property, it was noticeably different to its sister hotel in Bangkok. Amari Phuket is cut into the mountainside at the southern end of Patong Beach, with golf buggies taking guests up the paths from their rooms to the resort’s bars, restaurants, swimming pools and spa.
Joe and I each had a Coral one-bedroom suite with magnificent views of the bay, a separate dining and living area and mini-balcony. On our first night, we enjoyed a street market-style meal at Amari’s southern Thai eatery Rim Talay, with traditionally dressed dancers providing the entertainment. Meanwhile, La Gritta has to be Phuket’s best Italian ristorante.
As we enjoyed Caprese salad, spaghetti arrabbiata and ribeye steak with a bottle of wine by the ocean, we could have easily been in a trattoria on the Amalfi Coast or Lake Como.
The following day, Joe and I were again treated to signature massages courtesy of Breeze Spa, but this time in the open-air forest salas, with the heavy rains falling on the decking actually making the experience even more soothing.
During one of the mornings, we left the Amari behind and embarked on a half-day tour of Phuket Old Town with Teddy, courtesy of Phuket Tourist Association. After a look around Baan Chinpracha museum and learning about the history of the house, we walked to Dibuk Road and cooled down with a bowl of banana and bean-based sorbet dessert o-aew. We also wandered around the temple grounds at Wat Phutthamongkon and explored the Sino-Portuguese architecture of Soi Rommanee and the colourful shophouses on Thalang Road.
From there, the minivan took us up to the picturesque Tung Ka Café on Khao Rang Hill where we sampled a selection of Thai dishes with jaw-dropping views of Phuket, before meeting the area’s resident macaques. During the evenings, Joe and I walked along the Patong coastline, cutting in down Rat Uthit Song Roi Pi Road, before calling in at the bars for a few Changs and Singhas.
The town’s epicentre is Bangla Road – a pedestrianised walking street which is just as electrifying and wild as anything we’d seen Bangkok.
On our final day, Joe and I were booked in for a catamaran trip to the Coral Beach Club. Although it was rainy season, we still made it over from Nonthasak pier at Rawai beach to Koh Hey and spent a relaxing afternoon swimming in the sea, taking photos and sitting down for a buffet lunch.
As we sailed away from the island and watched the sunset over Mun island and Ya Nui and Nai harn beaches, the discussion turned to what had been our favourite part of our trip. We explained to our fellow travellers that while we’d revelled in the hustle and bustle of Bangkok, we’d also appreciated Phuket’s relaxing and adventurous island life.
So which half of the twin-centre holiday did we enjoy the most? Shall we just call it a Thai?
FACTBOX
Richard Jones was a guest of five-star hotels Amari Bangkok in Ratchaprasong and Amari Phuket in Patong. For more details on each property, go to amari.com.
To find out more about the variety of holidays in Thailand, head to Tourism Thailand’s website fanclubthailand.co.uk
EVA Air (evaair.com) offers return direct flights from London Heathrow to Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport from £729pp, while Bangkok Airways (bangkokair.com) provides flights from Bangkok to Phuket and other Thai islands.
Holiday Extras (holidayextras.com) has a huge range of car parking and hotel options at all major UK airports, including London Heathrow.
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