TRAVEL THAILAND

ALL IN GOOD THAIThought Thailand was all buckets, beach parties and backpackers? CATHY ADAMS explores the country’s more sophisticated side

I’M OFF TO get a tattoo. At least, the chances are I will, if I fall off the motorbike I’ve hired from some Phuket street hut where

the petrol comes from a litre bottle of Sailor Jerry. The so-called ‘Phuket tattoo’ is what you receive when your (hungover, ill-advised, virgin) trip on a bike results in a deep gash to your flesh. So, resigned to the fate of this initiation, I hand over some crumpled baht and bracket my knees around a blue Suzuki.

After a few wobbles working out how to turn a corner without upending myself over the handlebars, I’m razzing it around the roads of Phuket, passing palm trees and hefting it up green hills with an extra tug on the gas to get panoramic views over the sparkling Andaman Sea. I should count myself lucky, really – I’m down on Cape Panwa, the southernmost tip of the bulging Thai island, which is serene and separate from the pulse of Phuket Town and surrounding gap-yearing beaches, where traffic would most likely flatten me into the tarmac of the busy two-lane highway.

Thanks to some rapid urbanisation, on first glance Phuket is overwhelming, unrealistic and hardly the promise of idyllic Thai beaches and landscapes. That is, until you drive as far south as you can get without tipping into the sea, and you hit the lush boutique retreat of Sri Panwa, hidden high up in the jungly hills. Here, there’s not a Phuket tattoo in sight – that will have to wait until I leave.*

The Sri Panwa estate is so expansive, there’s a fleet of tuk-tuks to ferry you about the different parts of the resort. Hell, even the rooms need their own tuk-tuk to navigate. The

one-bedroom villas come with wrap-around infinity pools, plus an elegant lounge and a whole lot of glass for views out over the sea.

But the reason to come to Sri Panwa isn’t its private villas nor its super-relaxing spa (again, with undisturbed views). The resort’s signature attraction is its sexy rooftop bar and deck Baba Nest, which offers by far the best view on the whole of Phuket. If you can face waking up for sunrise at 6.15am, come for that. If not, come for sundowners and watch the oranges and pinks mix in the sky from the panoramic deck, before retreating to the hotel’s excellent Baba Soul Food Thai restaurant – think classic Thai dishes served up with ocean views. Then call a tuk-tuk home again. I’m sure there are better places on Earth, but I’m yet to find them.

After two days my blood pressure has returned to normal and my skin has lost that pallid look that betrays days spent in office air-con, but my time relaxing in sun-slammed Phuket has me gasping for some action. More specifically, Bangkok action.

Commonly thought of as one of Dante’s rings of hell, Thailand’s capital is the sort of place you are likely to leave with an actual tattoo. A “giant slather of a city”, says a friend. But really, how bad can it be?

In reality, Bangkok somehow manages to simultaneously be the dirtiest and glitziest city I’ve ever visited. My introduction is pretty high-rolling – a signature Rolls-Royce from the buzzing airport to the vertiginous Peninsula hotel, after which I’m installed in a lounge chair overlooking Bangkok’s heaving Chao Phraya river. There’s a jazz band playing softly and the buildings across the water are twitching their lights on and off.

Squint hard enough and it actually feels quite European. But drain the water out of the river – it has the colour of cold pea soup and with a similar consistency – and I imagine you would see everything from shopping trolleys and beer bottles to sunken boats and dead lizards. It’s a fitting introduction to a city that is as grubby as it is glamorous.

Sure, Bangkok is one of those places that

TAKE A SEAT: Baba Nest rooftop bar at Sri Panwa is a seriously stunning spot from which to gaze out at Phuket’s glorious sunrise and sunsets But what to do in-between? Order some cocktails and Thai dishes from the resort’s Baba Soul Food restaurant of course...

The Sri Panwa estate is so expansive, there’s a fleet of tuk-tuks to ferry you about the different parts of the resort ➤

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➤ will never top any ‘liveable cities’ lists. It is a fast-moving, heavy-breathing smear. Its arteries are as pumping as they are clogged. The only bona fide tourist must-do to be ticked off the ‘list’ is a tuk-tuk journey to Wat Pho temple, accompanied by an obligatory Instagram snap of the giant, golden reclining Buddha. The other 47 hours are for battering your senses to a pulp. They’re for discovering the city proper and exploring its high-octane sights, smells and sounds. Or, as I’m going to do, seeking out a more laid-back side to Bangkok without a Sangsom bucket permanently nailed to my fist. Yeah, right. Let’s just see how that one goes.

First, I want to see the city’s more sensitive side. For a place still under the thumb of military rule, I’m pleased to find that Bangkok is home to a burgeoning art community. From the tall, light Museum of Contemporary Art to the riverside artists’ studios along the waterways in the Thon Buri district, it’s hardly surprising that creatives have come to call Bangkok home: there are few places in Southeast Asia that rival the Thai capital for atmosphere. I make a stop in my narrow boat at the Artists’ House, found in an old Thai wooden home down one of the khlong (slim waterways), and stick around to watch a puppet show. So far, so very un-Hangover 2.

My next stop is the Bridge Café, which cements Bangkok’s position on the contemporary art map. The four-storey art space is home to some of Bangkok’s best street artists, and also hosts an array of regular performances and talks. Some artists here are so boundary-pushing with their street graffiti that they’ll quickly duck out of the way or cover their faces if you want to snap a selfie. (Some advice if you fancy joining the grassroots arts movement: don’t resort to picking up a paint can and daubing the city walls. Bangkok’s Paintbar serves drinks and dinner in front of an easel and a colour palette so you can paint your own rubbish masterpiece without defiling the city.)

Then there’s The Peninsula. In a city devoid of rules, this five-star luxury riverside hotel is a welcome haven of ordered calm. The hotel has also realised that guests will more often than not probably be suffering from the world’s most painful hangover, so has installed an incredibly effective cure in the form of the recently relaunched wellness centre. The innovative treatments include the unique ESPA Sleep Ceremony, which is designed to ease jet lag, and was so relaxing I fell asleep halfway

through (the whole point apparently). There’s also a specially-developed traditional Thai massage, created in conjunction with Wat Pho Temple Massage School. Even dishes in The Peninsula’s Cantonese restaurant, Mei Jiang, are meticulously cooked in strict accordance with the rules of Chinese medicine.

*I never did get that tattoo in the end. Thailand, until next time… ■ For more information, see: sripanwa.com; peninsula.com

It’s hardly surprising that creatives have come to call Bangkok home: there are few places in Southeast Asia that rival its atmosphere

SPIRITUAL AWAKENING: (clockwise from main) Explore Bangkok’s spiritual side at Wat Arun; enjoy a panoramic view of the city from the privileged vantage point of the Peninsula’s lawn; take it all in from your private Jacuzzi terrace

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