Just because you want a Thai beach holiday, doesn’t mean that you can’t get your fix of ballet while topping up your tan and sipping cocktails watching the sunset.
We travelled to Thailand to visit the Bangkok City Ballet in their studios in the heart of buzzing Bangkok. After our city break, we jumped on a 1 hour Bangkok Airways flight to the vibrant island of Koh Samui for a deluxe beach break. Here are our hot tips for city, beach & ballet:
Koh Samui – Our favourite places
Villa M
For luxury on the beachfront with private pool, spa and maid you must stay at the incredibly beautiful Villa M. With 5 bedrooms over 4 floors, it’s a divine white-washed beachfront villa filled with traditional Thai furniture. Villa M is the perfect private oasis that opens right out onto the cute Fisherman’s Village, where you can get the best massage, dine over the water and shop til you drop!
Get your own funky and glamorous private pool villa set in the luscious green grounds of the W Retreat for complete and utter bliss. Open your glass doors and drive straight into the pool. There’s sumptuous restaurants, the uber cool W Bar with views to die for over the neighbouring island of Koh Phangan. This is the most incredible resort on Koh Samui, and trust us, you’ll never want to leave! Book here.
Where to eat & shop
Koh Samui’s Fisherman’s Village is a special little spot in the north of the island. Not only is it the best place to stay with an amazing beach, it has the best restaurants, independent shops and traditional Thai massage spas. You can eat and shop til you drop – on Friday nights they have the ‘Walking Street’ with street stalls lining selling handmade goods, street food, drinks and the obligatory copy goods! It’s got a great vibe and you’ll definitely pick up a bargain.
Bangkok – Where to stay
We had a great stay at the new Novotel Sukhumvit 20, it’s definitely a perfect city break hotel right in the heart of the bustling shopping district. The Novotel Sukhumvit 20 has great compact rooms with floor to ceiling windows, a perfect outdoor pool, an incredible breakfast and an open-air bar on the 20th floor overlooking sparkling skyscrapers. You can book here.
If you have an early morning or late night flight from Bangkok Airport, there’s also a Novotel perfectly located at the airport. The rooms are large with huge beds, there’s a outdoor pool where you can swim up to the bar and a spa for a pre-flight massage. For dinner indulge in traditional Thai dishes – our favourite is the King Prawn Curry and Roast Duck Curry. You’ll love the personalised service, the gym, restaurants from around the world and breakfast that’s served from 3am! You can book here.
What to see – Ballet & Dance
Bangkok City Ballet is the only professional ballet company in Bangkok. Definitely try to catch a show with their wonderful principal dancer, Anurak Ngamta, who we interviewed while in Bangkok. He has a lovely story from country boy to ballet star! Read here.
Where to Shop
It takes a day to fall in love with Bangkok, so leave your comfy hotel and walk the streets, do some damage to your credit card and hit the shops where you’ll find an amazing array of fashion and beauty. Here’s our top 3 shopping spots:
1. Siam Paragon
Where to eat
If you’re feeling brave, we recommend eating at the food stalls along Sukhumvit Soi 18. There’s soup, noodles, fish cooked on an open bbq. It may look a little adventurous, but it’s some of the best food we enjoyed in Bangkok. We also recommend trying a fresh coconut from the street vendors!
And if you love Japanese, we found a fabulous sushi bar Isao on Sukhumvit 31. There’s always a queue, so get in early and make sure you order a ‘Jackie’, a fabulously cute Sushi bug!
Enjoy your travels!
Look out for more Dance Travel Guides coming soon….