As Asian countries go, Thailand is not an easy one in which to be a vegetarian or vegan. Yet for nine days each year during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar (typically late September/October), a large portion of the country’s population eat exclusively vegan foods in observation of the Chinese cleansing festival known … read the full post

Are you a little bit hipster? Do you want to show off to your friends that you know somewhere to drink in Bangkok that’s off the beaten track? Can’t afford a 300 baht cocktail but fancy a bit of al fresco drinking? Then Sky Train Jazz Club is for you. Contrary to its name, Sky … read the full post

Fantastic green spaces are found in many Southeast Asian cities. Hanoi has West Lake, Singapore boasts Bukit Timah and Chiang Mai is graced by Doi Suthep to name a few. Yet only Bangkok’s Lumpini Park rubs shoulders with London’s St James Park and New York’s Central Park among the world’s best centrally located urban parks. … read the full post

If you’ve got less than 1,000 baht to spend and are looking for a centrally located, spacious air-con room near a BTS station in Bangkok with a solid array of in-room amenities plus a swimming pool and fitness centre — well, your options are very limited. Yet King Royal Garden Inn offers all of that, … read the full post

Set in a leafy locale out in Thonburi‘s western reaches, Khlong Lat Mayom boasts a colourful atmosphere and some outstanding food in a market that’s popular among locals but little known to tourists. Like the markets at Bang Nam Phueng and Bang Khla, just to name a couple, Khlong Lat Mayom sprang up only in … read the full post

Typically, the purpose of a rooftop bar is to experience the cool breeze of the heady heights of the 66th (or another ridiculously high) floor and enjoy incredible cityscapes. Bangkok’s Nest, the rooftop lounge at Le Fenix Hotel on Sukhumvit Soi 11, doesn’t really offer much fresh breeze, nor views. Okay, so there is definitely … read the full post

Over the past couple of weeks I stayed at eight hotels and guesthouses on Phuket in Thailand — at Nai Yang and Surin beaches in the north and Phuket Town to the south. For seven of the eight, I booked at least one night through Agoda with an average night costing 838 baht net. Did … read the full post

In Chinatown’s maze of alleyways, overloaded vespas and tuk tuks vie for space with street food vendors, shoppers from around the world and old school human-powered pushcarts. Shopping here is a grittier and more crowded experience than, for example, Terminal 21, Asiatique or even Chatuchak, but there’s nothing like getting lost in Chinatown‘s colourful markets … read the full post

Right up there with ornate temples and spicy food, Muay Thai (Thai kickboxing) is one of the first things that comes to mind when most think of Thailand. Catching a fight in the world’s Muay Thai capital — Bangkok — is considered a must-do for many visitors, and a good number of them head to … read the full post

We’ve written before on Bangkok‘s riverside Asiatique shopping extravaganza, but on a recent visit to the city we had the opportunity to spend a late afternoon and evening wandering the alleys, sampling the snackies and soaking up the Chao Phraya scenery. All in all, it’s a bit of a gentrified Chatuchak market. The laneways are … read the full post