ASK THE EXPERTS


Andrew Turner, head of trade sales, Intrepid Travel “My favourite way to experience Bangkok is to get away from the frenetic tourist spots and explore where the locals live. And I always try to visit Chinatown – the smells are amazing and it’s a chance to try delicious foods you’ve never heard of!”


Linh Farid, senior product manager for southeast Asia, Wendy Wu Tours “Bangkok is the perfect mix of old and new. Whenever I visit, I absolutely must stop by the Chatuchak weekend market, which is full of beautiful Thai goods, as well as amazing food from all over Thailand.”


Also reshaping Bangkok’s skyline – and riverside – is Iconsiam, a mixed-use complex that opened to the public last month. It has a huge promenade area, a Heritage Museum, The Residences at Mandarin Oriental Bangkok and Apple’s first flagship store in Thailand. Changes are afoot downtown,


too. Thai hospitality brand Dusit International has unveiled plans for its first millennial-friendly Asai Hotels brand, which will open at the famous Chatuchak Market early next year. Last year saw the opening of


Thailand’s first Park Hyatt (rooms from £240 per night), set above the Central Embassy mall in Phloen Chit, near the start of Sukhumvit Road. There are 222 rooms, a beautiful, three- storey Penthouse Bar and Grill, and a spectacular infinity pool. Southeast Asia’s first Waldorf


Astoria (rooms from £302 per night) opened in late August at the nearby Ratchaprasong intersection, and June saw the opening of the 50-room Akyra Tas Sukhumvit (rooms from £95 per


night), the world’s first hotel to avoid all single-use plastics. Guests receive steel water bottles to use during their stays, toiletries come in celadon pots and bin liners are biodegradable.


 EATING OUT Bangkok’s food scene has never looked more appealing, either. Its first Michelin Guide launched in late 2017, but the best restaurants aren’t always the ones with the most stars. Thonburi’s ChangChui market, which opened in June 2017 near the Wat Arun temple, is home to Insects in the Backyard, the world’s first insect- based fine-dining restaurant. Owner and chef Thitiwat Tantragarn spent years researching the benefits of an insect-based diet. “Four crickets contain as much calcium as a glass of milk,” he tells me before I tuck into my six-course tasting menu. It’s strangely delicious, although I’d recommend keeping a toothpick to hand. The giant water beetle ravioli with saffron sauce is delicious and I also love the decor, which includes


a giant Venus flytrap. Equally quirky is family-friendly


LEFT: Tropic City


60travelweekly.co.uk13 December 2018


May’s Garden House, which opened in June and is already a hit with younger visitors. The first restaurant to be licensed by Tokyo-based animation house Studio Ghibli, this beautiful city centre cafe’s inspiration is the forest-dwelling creatures from the studio’s biggest hit, My Neighbor Totoro. Expect main courses served on plates shaped like Totoro’s furry belly, spherical desserts resembling the lovable Susuwatari (sootball) creatures and stained-glass windows featuring the film’s other characters. And then there’s Gaggan, near Lumpini Park, the world-renowned restaurant famous for its tasting menu made up of 25 bite-sized courses, each represented on the menu by nothing but an emoji. I’d recommend booking early – despite the restaurant receiving around 500 requests for reservations every day, founder Gaggan Anand announced last year he’s shutting up shop in 2020. But what if you’re feeling guilty about the calories? Thanks to plans for more cycling lanes, growing numbers


PICTURE: AEY.ME; DAVID MITCHENER; SHUTTERSTOCK


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