Where Rafael Nadal vacationed and 25 reasons why Thailand is amazing

There are so many beautiful parts of the world... Thailand, Italy, the south of France.   — Robin Williams

On every visit to Thailand — especially this latest seven-day trip to attend the Thailand Travel Mart Plus 2011 — I realize it is world-famous not just because it is a beautiful and safe tourist destination. Thailand is an enchanting experience for all our five senses of sight, smell, taste, touch, hearing plus our sixth sense of the spiritual.

Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) governor Suraphon Svetasreni said: “According to Mastercard Worldwide Index of Global Destination Cities, Thailand currently ranks as the third most popular destination in the world and is first among Asian cities… Thailand is also a logical gateway to the Greater Mekong Sub-region or that region sharing the Mekong River such as China’s Yunnan province, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.”

Based on my latest trip with a group of six travel agents and another journalist arranged by Dave de Jesus of the TAT Philippine office and accompanied by Inthira Vuttisomboon of TAT Singapore Office, here are 25 reasons why I believe touring Thailand is simply amazing:   

1. Suvarnabhumi Airport. The first and last impressions tourists and foreign investors get of a country is its international airport. Thailand has a modern airport designed by top German-American architect Helmut Jahn, with the world’s third largest single-building airport terminal. It is so efficient, despite being Asia’s sixth busiest airport serving 42.7 million passengers in 2010. Airports of Thailand (AOT) senior executive vice-president Nitinai Sirismatthakarn said capacity will expand to 60 million passengers by July 2016.

The eight kings of the Chakri Dynasty, including the ancestors, father and late brother of the present king, at the Thai Human Imagery Museum. Photos by Liza Y. Licudine

2. Thai orchids and flowers. Beautiful flowers are everywhere and cheap. Pak Khlong Talad Market becomes the city’s biggest depot for wholesale flowers every night, with so many fragrant roses, lotuses, daisies, orchids and other blossoms. Visit, and bring cameras!

3. Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew. I was impressed with the 94.5-hectare royal complex of palaces and temples, in the center of which is Thailand’s most sacred Emerald Buddha. It was taken to Laos for over 200 years but retrieved in the reign of ethnic Chinese King Taksin in 1778 for his capital Thonburi. It was later moved by King Chakri to the new dynasty’s capital Bangkok. Shorts or sleeveless clothes not allowed!

4. Thai massage and spas. Don’t miss being blissfully pounded and stretched via Thai massage with herbal treatment in countless spas of varied prices. TAT arranged for a wonderful massage at high-end Rarinjinda Wellness Spa owned by Prasert Jiravanstit (also owner of the affordable Let’s Relax spas). Cebu travel agency owner Ricky Tio suggested Indara Spa where I paid 450 baht for two hours of relaxing rubbing by a senior masseuse (regular masseuse is 380 baht), while Ever Bilena’s Khristine Gabriel tweeted me to try the affordable massage at Lean On Tree Spa & Resto (across Rembrandt Hotel) owned by Thai Airways’ former Manila head Nivat Chantarachoti.

5. Rose Garden Riverside resort. Our group had a delicious Thai lunch buffet here beside a lake. This resort along Ta Chine River was created 49 years ago by an ethnic Chinese who was the first governor of Bangkok city named Chamnan Yuvaboon and it’s now run by grandson Arrut Navaraj with his brother. It’s 70 acres of lush tropical gardens with 10 acres devoted to organic farming. It has an 18-hole golf course, a hotel plus seven antique Thai teak houses beside a lake. The Thai general manager Krisada Promsarin told me he is a graduate of the former Gregorio Araneta University of Malabon in the Marcos era.

Traditional teak wood villas at Rose Garden Riverside Resort

6. Thai wines and vineyards. One delightful afternoon tour in Hua Hin brought us to the grape vineyards of Siam Winery established by the son of the Red Bull taipan. We tasted various delicious “Monsoon Valley” brand red and white wines in the elegant resto.

7. Conventions and exhibits. At the huge IMPACT Arena, Exhibition & Convention Center (with 14 hectares of indoor space!), we attended the successful Thailand Travel Mart Plus 2011. This is just one of many local and international events hosted by this country. Thailand Convention & Exhibition Bureau (TCEB) President Akapol Sorasuchart said his country will bid to host the World Expo, which was last hosted by Shanghai. He added a new high-speed train from China to Singapore will be finished in three years, passing through Thailand and expected to bring more tourists.

8. Thai hotels. There are so many kinds of Thai hotels and prices. We stayed at Siam City Hotel (founded by jazz singer Madame Kamala Sukosol who gifted us with her two CDs and her daughter-in-law Melanie Giles-Clapp told me they’re soon opening The Siam boutique hotel) and the prime location Amari Watergate Hotel.

9. Hua Hin royal beach resort. One highlight of our tour was staying at the exquisite beachfront InterContinental Hua Hin Resort where the world’s top tennis player Rafael Nadal was among its first VIP guests when it opened last year, where every room has butler service, and the 119 rooms are impeccably serviced by 270 staff. The five-mile Hua Hin beach is a favorite of royalty and the Thai elite.

Boats with traders of fruits and vegetables at a floating market

10. Thai foods. Tangy, tongue-teasing and spicy Thai cuisine is one compelling reason to visit here. We ate sumptuous Thai buffets at the riverside Oriental Hotel, the Grand Hyatt Hotel Erawan and other gourmet restos. My friends, the young tycoons of the Thai Young Entrepreneurs Association (TYEA), also invited me to great lunch at posh Sukhothai Hotel’s La Scala resto. On my own, I savored exotic Thai street foods at midnight, such as one 79-year-old eatery in Pratuman Road with very delicious Hainanese chicken and sate barbecues but with no English name, just signs in Chinese and Thai.

11. Kanom Thai desserts. I couldn’t resist colorful and delectable Thai sweets at the end of each meal, or in street stalls. My secret to eating it all? I take only half portions of each dessert from the buffet but taste each one, whether made of sticky rice, pandan, coconut milk, boiled taro, mung-bean starch, tapioca, tropical fruits and others.

12. Thai beer. Singha beer is very good, and I also tried Chang and Leo.

13. Nightlife. For those who don’t wish to sleep early, there’s a dizzying array of pubs, bars, clubs, cabarets and other places. Nightclubs are (thankfully!) no-smoking areas.

14. Thai fruits. There are so many colorful, exotic-looking and delicious tropical fruits.

Thai fruits now in season

15. Siam Miramit. This elaborate show with hundreds of costumes and dazzling special effects — complete with flowing river waters and monsoon rains on stage! — retells seven centuries of Thai history. There is buffet Thai dinner before the show starts at 8 p.m.

16. Wax museums. Bangkok has a wax museum by the world-famous Madame Tussaud. Enjoy having your photos taken beside world leaders or Hollywood celebrities. Cagayan de Oro’s Sunbee Tours owner Liza Licudine said she was star-struck upon seeing her crush Brad Pitt. An older wax museum just outside the city called Thai Human Imagery Museum is different and no less impressive, with Traders Travel’s sale director August Ong impressed at how life-like the statues of the famous Buddhist monks were.

17. Thai malls. They have affordable malls all the way to the very high-end Siam Paragon, with luxury showrooms selling Lamborghinis, Maseratis, Ferraris and Porsches on the second floor and Bangkok’s biggest English-language bookstore Kinokuniya on the fifth floor.

18. Siam Ocean World. This Southeast Asia’s largest aquarium at the basement of Siam Paragon is awesome and educational for people of all ages. I enjoyed riding the glass-bottom boat to see big sharks and rays. It’s relaxing to even just sit and watch the aquatic life in the eight-meter-high aquariums or study the fishes in glass-tunnel walkways.

Woman with Thailand’s famous orchids in the Rose Garden Riverside Resort

19. Museum of Siam. When our group visited this fun museum, there were two groups of cute kindergarten kids that I had photos taken with. This museum on the history of Thailand is interactive and has games for kids and teens to enjoy while learning.

20. Chao Phraya River cruise. I now understand why Bangkok was once called “Venice of the East,” after taking a fun boat ride across this clean river. If you have time, go on a romantic dinner cruise.

21. Phra Nakhon Khiri. This simple mountain residence of a former king of the Chakri Dynasty has gardens, monkeys freely running around the grounds and panoramic views of the city. Visit here by riding the cable car up and prepare for lots of healthy walking.

22. Thai elephants. Marvel at these humongous and cute animals. Try to ride one, too!

23. Open-air market. Despite the glitz of air-conditioned malls, I still like the steamy, crowded yet fun markets where one can haggle for the best bargains. Go to Jatujak (Chatuchak) weekend market for a whole day; also Pratunam Market, which is Bangkok’s biggest wholesale clothing market, and other markets. 

Thai herbs for treatment during Thai massage

24. Floating markets. I enjoyed our visit to Amphawa to see and experience the traditional floating markets filled with lively multi-colored trading goods and delicious eateries on wooden canoes. If you have time, also visit Damnoen Saduak or Don Wai.

25. Thai people. Last but definitely not the least, one truly great reason tourists love to visit this country is the charming, hospitable, kind and cheerful nature of the Thai people. 

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For inquiries on traveling to amazing and enchanting Thailand, visit www.tourismthailand.org, e-mail mailto:tat_mnl@yahoo.com and mailto:dave.dejesus@gmail.com, or SMS 0922-8584370.

E-mail mailto:willsoonflourish@gmail.comor follow WilsonLeeFlores at Twitter or facebook page too.

US President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama with author at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum