Advertisement
Published: January 3rd 2007
MBK
The Ultimate Shopping Experience!INTRODUCTION
Firstly, I need to describe the demographic of our group, as it is quite varied which poses some challenges in organising a trip which has appeal for everyone!!
My own family (A) comprises of myself and my wife; daughter (20); Son (18); and daughter2 (11).
Husband and wife B have daughter (20), son (16) and daughter2 (17).
Husband and wife C have daughter (21) and her boyfriend; daughter2 (20), son (18) and daughter3 (17).
I need to make a special mention of three sites that helped me make decision about where to go/stay and what to do/see. First was
Tripadvisor which has a wealth of forum members who collectively help you make an informed decision about your destination. It also has a great review section for hotels and remains my first reference when researching any travel destination.
One of the most significant contributors in the Southern Thailand section of the above was a chap called ‘Tedkarma’, who has since started up his own forum:
KhaoLakLovers . Ted has been an invaluable help with information regarding Khao Lak, ably abetted (unofficially) by ‘Alan’ from Poulton-Le-Fylde who has visited KL a number of times and gives his own personal take
Floating Market
The Floating Market was a sight (and smell!) to behold on the area.
Finally, there is a site,
MyKhaoLak which, although in German is a very useful reference for the area. Ably run by Heinrich, there are many useful contributions, helped by a significant number of photographs (just as well!).
ARRIVAL AND THE SHANGRI-LA HOTEL
Well, our trip started in comfortable fashion as we had managed to get a great deal on Business Class flights for Lufthansa. This meant flying to Bangkok from Heathrow via Frankfurt, but we thought it was worth the inconvenience! We recommend
DialAFlight as they always seem to have some great deals and, unlike other companies, do not charge you the full 100%!u(MISSING)p-front!
Lufthansa are by no means the best airline company in the world and their business class seats on flights from Frankfurt to Bangkok are not ‘flat beds’ unlike most other large airlines. A lot more comfortable than economy, though!
We arrived on time and without incident, although a few of family C’s suitcases did not arrive until the following day. Apparently though, this is not unusual for flights to Thailand as we spoke to a number of people who experienced similar difficulties.
The representative from the Shangri-La Hotel was
Andaman Princess
Andaman Princess - style but no substance there to greet us in Arrivals with our names on a board, and we were quickly on board our own bus which sped us to the hotel within about 40 minutes. Good service!
The
Shangri-La is a beautiful 5-star hotel centrally-located in Bangkok . The rooms are spacious and beautifully appointed and they had prepared the youngsters rooms very nicely (as we needed 3 rooms each with 3 beds for them). The views over the river are wonderful and the staff are attentive and polite.
Sure, the food and drink in the hotel is a lot more expensive than at local restaurants there, but compared to London prices, it’s still pretty fair. By the way, if you do book to stay here make sure breakfast is included. Their breakfasts are truly incredible….but expensive. I noticed that they usually have special offers available that include breakfast in the daily rate - make sure you take advantage of this.
BANGKOK
There is a hotel just a few doors away from the Shangri-La called the Bossotel and this was recommended by a few people as being a very good place to go for a massage. We found this out to be
Fishing Boat
The fishing boats looked like something from a cartoon! true and therefore I would add my own recommendation. Typically, a full-body 1-hour Thai massage will run between 350-600 baht. If you have it done in the Shangri-La then I imagine it is more expensive, but no-one in our group tried it. Anyway, do try the Bossotel.
The first night, we went to a fantastic local Thai restaurant (recommended by the Guest Services girl in the hotel) called the Ban Chiang. Walkable from the Shangri-La, this was the first of many Thai restaurants we visited. The food was absolutely delicious and the 15 of us tried something different and everyone got a taste of everyone else’s. There wasn’t a single item which was criticised and when you consider the diverse tastes of 15 people, that is no mean achievement!
I think the entire thing; including drinks (beers, sodas, juices, smoothies, etc) averaged about 350 baht per head and so represented great value also.
Heading off the next day on the Sky Train, we all headed to the
MBK Centre for some serious shopping therapy! There are three useful tips here:
#1: The MBK was the best place on our trip for T-shirts and handbags (copies, of course). We were able
Dining
The family-run Thai restaurants were the best! to haggle the prices down to way less than originally offered and much less than the equivalents we subsequently discovered elsewhere. Therefore, if you go to MBK, don’t waste time thinking that you will be able to get anything cheaper later on. Not only do they have the best prices, but also the best range of items.
#2: I bought a mobile phone sim card (pay as you go) for 300 baht and then 500 baht of credit. This lasted me the whole 2 weeks, which included making many local calls in Thailand (mostly mobile numbers) and also a significant number of texts to the UK. Great value, and enormously cheaper than using my UK Vodafone sim. Note that if you have a dedicated (Orange, O2, etc) phone, then they will ‘unlock’ it to allow you to use a Thai sim card (without affecting your use of your old card). I think they charge an extra 300 baht for this, but bear in mind it costs you £25 to have this done in the UK!!
#3: The Food Court on the fifth floor is amazing… and cheap, of course! There is a huge diversity of food on offer, and all
Dancer
Great costumes in the New Years extravaganza! of it prepared freshly. Delicious!!
In the evening we headed to Patpong to walk about and discover the famous visual ‘delights’ of the area. The whole sex-show thing was fascinating (from the outside, of course) and there were many girls plying their trade outside the numerous bars and clubs, in addition to the touts soliciting us to enjoy the various shows that were on offer. To be honest, a few of us (and most of the older youngsters) were keen to take in one of these shows, but it was a little difficult due to the difference in our group. Next time, though!!!
The next day, I took a few of the others on a longtail boat directly from the pier at the Shangri-La to a ‘Snake Farm’ 30 minutes down the river. The journey itself was fantastic and allowed us to see a side of Bangkok which would have remained unseen had we not done it. We also passed through a set of river Locks, which was an experience in itself!
The Snake Farm was really a tatty zoo, housing monkeys tiger, bears, etc in very small cages. If I had known this then there is no
Monty
Being fitted for suits by the wonderful Monty The Tailor in Khao Lak way I would have gone as the environment was a cruel one to keep these wild animals. For this reason alone, I would urge anyone to stay away.
The snake-farm bit was interesting and they had pythons, cobras and vipers which they included in a show. This was fascinating to all of us as we had never been in such close proximity to these creatures before. I’m a little conflicted about this whole experience as, although I want to discourage it due to the cruelty inflicted on the warm-blooded animals there, the reptile element is fascinating and would be of interest to all people. Shame they can’t just focus on that one section.
In the evening we went for a drink to the
Banyan Tree Hotel . This is a restaurant notable for its amazing views of Bangkok as it is one of the tallest buildings in the city. There is also the world-famous Sirocco, but that was much more expensive (!). Highly recommended as a one-off experience to see Bangkok at night.
GUIDED TOUR OF BANGKOK
The following day we were met in the lobby by our guide, Tan. I discovered her through a forum and this was to become
Kayak
Canoeing down the river in Khao Sok our best day in Bangkok! Tan is not just a fantastic guide and ambassador for Bangkok, but also a warm, funny, intelligent and charming person. Pretty too! Her website is
HERE and I would urge you to hire her for a day at least. As there was 15 of us, then she arranged a bus for our exclusive use also.
We first went to the Coconut Plantation and Orchid Farm. Fascinating place where we discovered every conceivable use for the coconut tree and it’s components. The wood, bark, leaves, oil, etc were all used for something constructive, apart from the fruit itself (obviously).
Next was the Floating market, which is an amazing site and something every visitor should experience. Indescribable in words, but I hope the photos can convey a small impression of what it is all about.
After that we visited the Teakwood factory which was the biggest surprise of the day. I mean, what could sound more boring? However, watching the carvers at work gave us all a great appreciation of true craftsmen and women… and all of the work was available for sale at very reasonable prices (a fraction of what they would cost at
Elephant
Elephant trekking! home).
To round off the day, we visited the Grand Palace and Emerald Buddah Temple. A beautiful place, again beyond description, but an absolute ‘must see’ for any first-time visitor to Bangkok.
We ended the day with Tan taking us to the ‘secret shops’ of some places she knew that specialised in watches and handbags. My son bought a lovely copy Armani watch and I got a Bvlgari.
Once again, I would not hesitate to recommend Tan as a fantastic guide. She is only just starting out as an ‘Independent’ and so I would urge you to book her before she becomes too popular (which is inevitable).
KOH KHO KHAO ISLAND
And so off to Koh Kho Khao for the second (3-night) part of our trip:
The flight to Phuket was pleasant (and short!) and we were met as arranged by the driver for the
Andaman Princess Resort.
I must preface this part by stating that this hotel is by far the most breathtakingly beautiful place we have ever stayed at (and we have stayed at some pretty good places!). The rooms were palatial, spacious and sumptuous. The whole architecture, structure and design of this place was (on the
Monkey
The macaques weren't terribly friendly, but loved the bananas! face of it) simply awesome.
However. Yes, there is a big ‘however’. Prior to us arriving, there had only been about half-a-dozen guests staying there. As a result, most of the facilities weren’t operating, or (at best) only operating a small part of the day. Fountains, bars, towel room, spa were seldom - if ever - working or open. We went to the restaurant the first night and the service was appalling. They were not geared up to serve 15 people simultaneously and so as a result, half of us were finishing our main course before many had even been served their started. On the other hand, the food was excellent, it just wasn’t handled right. To cap it all off, it took over 2 hours from the time we said we wanted to check out to finally receiving our bill. The organisation and management was pretty bad. They were all pleasant enough people and the staff generally were amenable and polite… it’s just the organisation needs work (a lot of it).
I imagine in a couple of years this will be one of the top resorts in Southern Thailand. It has that potential… they just need to work out
Snorkel
Snorkelling in the Similans the service-side of things. At one point, we went to the hotel next door just to see it - Kho Khao Island Resort. They thought we were coming to book in, as a number of guests from the Princess had already done so! Well, at least they were able to offer a spa massage service!
Putting all that aside, the foibles of the hotel forced us to seek outside alternatives and this was a blessing in disguise. Koh Kho Khao island is a lovely small place in the Andaman Sea that is reached by boat a few miles north of Khao Lak.
Previously devastated by the tsunami in 2004, they are still rebuilding the infrastructure there and so there are a few hotels and small, family-run restaurants.
We hired some scooters one day and did the circuit of the island - great fun and everyone enjoyed themselves enormously. The beaches here are glorious… and completely deserted! We believe this is going to become a very ‘in’ destination in the near future and so suggest you pay it a visit soon while it still retains much of its charm and simplicity. It really is a beautiful little island. However, at the
Clownfish
The Similan water was crystal-clear moment, it would not be advisable to spend more than a few days there as there is so little to do. I’m sure this will change over the coming months, though…
Two restaurants stood out for us: one was Maan Fah Restaurant - this was located next door to the Tailors shop and run by a wonderful family who make the greatest Phad Thai dish!!
The other is Taco Time (awful name), which also does wonderful traditional Thai food, in addition to Mexican and Italian (pasta) dishes. We happily lived in both of those restaurants for the latter two days and found it difficult to spend more than 300 baht per head each meal!!
KHAO LAK- MERLIN HOTEL
Our final 8 days were to be spent in Khao Lak, at the
Merlin Resort.
Three vehicles arrived from the Merlin at 11am (an hour early) - 2 minibuses for the 15 of us and 1 truck to take the luggage! It’s a shame they had to wait so long for us to check out due to the incompetence of the management.
After a 10-minute ferry hop and a further 20 minute drive, we arrived at the Merlin - one of the southernmost resorts of Khao Lak. A lovely four-star resort that survived most of the tsunami and so is one of the oldest hotels still standing in the area.
We had a pool-access room which was lovely, although we had been a little spoiled by the splendour of the previous place and so were mildly disappointed at the time. This is no reflection on the Merlin, but more down to having been spoiled by the spaciousness of the Princess. The youngsters particularly were initially grumpy about the three of them being ‘squeezed’ into one of the rooms but this soon passed as, in reality, they spent very little time in them.
The outstanding feature of the Merlin is the fantastic staff. Headed by the exceptional General Manager, Krisda, the staff is super-efficient, polite, gracious and charming. Krisda was always around, keen to solicit comments from guests and always available for advise and help. I have rarely known such a ‘hands-on’ management style, but it is certainly what makes the Merlin so wonderful.
The breakfasts there were very good, as were the meals taken in the beachside restaurant, although I would say that the menus were a little limited.
However, we experienced two gastronomic treats that were wonderful surprises:
The first was Christmas Eve, which was a poolside/beachside buffet and show. The food was wonderful and ranged from Thai to barbecue to pasta to seafood and everything in between.
The second was New Years Eve which we all agreed was the most splendid feast we had ever seen (or eaten!). There was everything you could possibly imagine, exceeding even the range of the week previous. Sushi, dumplings, soups of incredible varieties, crepes, pancakes, skewers, Italian, Spanish.. you just couldn’t possibly try even a fraction without bursting.
The show they put on was also wonderful, starting with a Polynesian-themed luaua and culminating in a traditional Thai play. At midnight there was a spectacular firework display which rounded off the evening perfectly. Would I recommend the Merlin? You betcha!! Well done, Krisda!
KHAO LAK- THE TOWN
Khao Lak itself was an extraordinary place. Living in the shadow of the tsunami which had devastated the town two years ago, it is now rebuilding itself back to its former glory. I was informed that KL is much like Phuket was before it became overrun by tourists and hopefully that is a good frame of reference for you. It is quiet, yet very well served by a plethora of fantastic restaurants, were you can gorge and drink yourself silly for 300 baht per head (with no compromise on quality). There are many family-run establishments and we never had a bad meal in one of them. Bars are generally few and far between at the moment, but the standout must be the Happy Snapper which plays excellent live music every night and is run by a Thai ‘superstar’ who often plays there himself.
There are also plenty of shops to buy souvenirs, clothes and handbags. A little more expensive than MBK, but still very cheap by western standards. The people are universally pleasant and happy, whether you buy from them or not. There is also a great range of massage places were you can get everything from a foot massage to a traditional Thai one. There didn’t seem to be any ‘dodgy’ parlours either, and so I would say that the area is very, very family-friendly.
If you want a suit made, there is only one place you should visit -
Monty the Tailor.
Run and operated by Monty and his brother, Tony I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this establishment for all of your made-to-measure requirements. The care, craftsmanship and service provided by Monty and Tony are beyond compare and the results themselves are truly excellent.
I ended up with a wool/cashmere suit + extra pair of trousers, a tie and 5 shirts. My son had the same. The cost is variable depending on what fabric you want and how much detail in the cut/design. Needless to say that the whole lot as described above (for both me and my son) came to around £300 total… this would be the price of 2 made-to-measure shirts from Jermyn Street, London!!
We had 3 fittings and so the final garments fitted like a glove. Also note that every male member of our party had a suit (and several shirts) made and there was universal delight and praise at the end. Monty and Tony provide exceptional service at a very fair price. None of us would hesitate to return to them next time we want a suit made and that is the highest praise I can extend (as there are some very fussy members in our group - myself included!).
KHAO LAK- THE LEGACY
One of the most profound days of the vacation (and probably of my life) was a day arranged via the German website mentioned above by a chap named Mikel. Mikel had supported a number of causes which looked after some of the children of Khao Lak who had lost one or more family members in the tsunami.
Discovering that I would be travelling to KL at the same time as him, Mikel asked if I would like to visit one of the ‘projects’ that had been initiated to help some of the victims. We arranged to visit the
Beluga School For Life one sunny afternoon in late December and this place had such a moving effect on both myself and my wife. At the time, we did bring along some other member of our group who were unfortunately summoned back to the hotel after an hour as one of the children had been taken very poorly with some sort of food poisoning. As a result there was just myself, my wife and our 11 year old daughter left, together with the German families who had arranged the visit.
This project is amazing! It is a charitable project set up by the German Beluga Shipping company and comprises of an enormous ‘campus-style’ suite of buildings and houses which form a school, hotel and residences for children to learn not just the regular 3 Rs, but also life-skills that they can use as a trade when they are old enough. It is far too vast to explain in a short paragraph or two, but needless to say this is a very ambitious project, but one that is taking extraordinary shape right now.
We were given a tour by the manager of the project - Jörg -and we were all stunned at the magnitude and scope of what was being done. This was followed by a meeting with about 50 of the children, aged between 5 and 12. This was what moved me the most as we realised that these beautiful, smiling kids had little or no family to care for them and that many would never remember their parents.
We had brought along some gifts to give them and the sheer delight as they eyed the packages was a joy to behold.
However, the most moving thing of all was when one of the German visitors handed out his gifts to the children and watched with tears in his eyes as they opened them. He had himself lost a young son on that day in December 2004 whilst on vacation in Khao Lak and he was making a pilgrimage back to the town to help others who had been similarly affected. To me, this was one of the noblest things I had ever witnessed and the memory of that day will I’m sure, remain with me forever.
I am enormously grateful to Mikel for providing me with this experience and although we have only now met for a brief time, I would consider him a true friend and look forward to staying in contact with him and his lovely family.
As a footnote, I would urge anyone who is undecided about where to give their charitable donations to please consider the tsunami victims of Khao Lak. In truth, a lot of the money donated has been unaccounted for, but I was reassured to see that every single penny given to the Beluga School for life is earmarked precisely for that cause. The Beluga Company is picking up the tab for the creation and building of the project but any donations will be used to subsequently keep it running until, as intended, it becomes self-sufficient. It really is a very humbling endeavour.
KHAO LAK- THE TOURS
Through the hotel, we had arranged several trips. These were operated by
Khao Lak Land Discovery and we were accompanied on each one by their Managing Director, Num.
The first of these trips was a boat tour around Phang Nga bay. We first went by longtail boat, followed by a kayak tour. Great fun as we visited James Bond Island and a Moslem Floating Village. Interesting, but not outstanding. Num was a great guide though, and stopped on the way to the boat to show us how rubber is extracted from the countless rubber trees we saw in and around Thailand.
The next trip was the Khao Sok National Park which allowed members of our group to have a ride on an elephant. We also went down a river by canoe and finally visited a hidden temple in a cave guarded by a hoard of macaque monkeys. Great fun!!
Our third trip was a tour around the Similan Islands, which entailed a 90-minute speedboat ride (each way) which culminated in a large number of our group feeling very queasy indeed! However, it was worth the discomfort as the beaches were beautiful and the sea was crystal clear, providing a snorkelling experience that was unparalleled.
Another tour we took, organised by
Richard and Megumi in Phuket.
This took place at the southernmost tip of Phuket, which was a 2½ hour (each way) coach ride for us. On reflection, this was probably a little too ambitious for our group as, by the time we arrived in the heat, everyone was already a little tired.
We went to what was termed an animal ‘rehab centre’, where we got to ride up to a beautiful scenic point on elephant-back for 900 baht per person. In the centre were 2 beautiful gibbons, Charlie and Lum-Yai. Although they had the complete freedom to come and go as they pleased, they were very friendly and seemed to enjoy the company of us humans. The youngsters in our group fell in love with the monkeys and spent a lot of time grooming and petting them.
We followed this by a visit to a local spa which Richard had thoughtfully arranged for us to freshen up at, before departing for a fantastic ‘all you can eat’ barbecue, organised by Richard and attended by and large, by members of the Tripadvisor forums. It was great fun and delicious food.
This was to be followed by the ‘Friday Night Social’ which, sadly, we had to pass on due to one of our party feeling a little unwell and the prospect of that long return journey dampening much of the enthusiasm of the rest of the group. If you are staying in Phuket, then it would be an absolute ‘must-do’, but when you have a 5-hour round-trip then it’s probably impractical. Anyway, thanks to Richard and Megumi for his kind help organising the coach and the day. Just sorry we were unable to take full advantage.
POSTSCRIPT
Well, that just about covers the unforgettable two weeks we spent in Thailand. Was it worth it? Absolutely. Would we return? Well, I can’t speak for the rest of the folks in our group, but my wife and I would certainly like to revisit Bangkok and Khao Lak sometime in the future. Our fear however, would be that KL might quickly become over commercialised and in the process, lose much of its undeniable charm.
Khao Lak is a wonderful place, full of smiling people who have been brought together in tragic circumstances and who are rebuilding their lives philosophically and with genuine hope. I am pleased that 17 of us chose to spend our money in that region and that perhaps some of that will help rebuild the economy and contribute to reconstructing a beautiful town which will shine once again as a little gem of Thailand.
I was speaking to Krisda, general Manager of the Merlin in Khao Lak, and he was delighted that his hotel had full occupancy for the first time since December 2004. This is a strong sign that KL is recovering well. However, it seems that there is a shortage of experienced hotel staff and that may take some time to address. In the meantime, I guess it is up to the visitors to practise patience and tolerance as they may need to wait just a little while longer for their food (as we discovered). However, it is certainly worth the wait!!
Lovely place. Excellent food. Amazing people. What more do you want?
Advertisement
Tot: 0.22s; Tpl: 0.03s; cc: 9; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0263s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb
Alan
non-member comment
withdrawal for you = anticipation for us
Hi Gary, Great Blog. Has certainly whet our appetite for our revisit to Khao Lak. I think a day trip to KKK is now confirmed as well as to the Beluga School for Life. Speak to you "elsewhere" about recommendations for type of goodies to take for the children.