Travel Guide -Thailand.com

Locals have long benefited from traditional wellness sanctuaries hidden among the country’s serene locales, but Thailand’s recent spa popularity has meant that quality health retreats now exist the length and breadth of the nation. With so many tourists eager to experience the positive effects of such regenerating escapes, many of  Thailand’s popular holiday destinations have evolved into superb spa centres.

Bangkok

For those arriving in the thriving capital Bangkok, a spa trip is the perfect tonic to the big city bustle and a marvellous way to revive the muscles and liven the senses after an energy-zapping flight. Whether there for business, on a city stopover before heading off on vacation, or a permanent Bangkok resident, the metropolis is enamoured  with an abundance of body toning spas, housed in premium hotels within tourist enclaves, as well as a diverse gathering of independent spas just walking distance from the city’s elevated train route.

Bangkok’s spas are among the most stylish and evocative havens to health. Typically these intimate oases flow with natural light, creating a very calming Zen mood, with private treatment suites and a range of therapies that immediately ease away the urban strain. They harness the best of ancient and modern therapies from both the East and West, with experts on hand to help you seek inner peace.

After your trip to the spa, what better way to maintain that newly focused mind and revitalised body than by exploring some of Bangkok’s 400 temples. Known as the ‘village of plum olives’, the present capital of modern Bangkok took seat in 1782 and was originally settled on the banks of the mighty Chao Phraya River. The centrepiece of this new capital was the man-made island of Rattanakosin, which was home to the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Centred round the country’s most sacred image, the small jade Emerald Buddha, these magnificent royal sites are ornately crusted in gold, porcelain and glass - captivating tributes to continuing religious devotion.

Chiang Mai

Once the capital of the historic northern kingdom of Lanna, the old moat-contained town of Chiang Mai sits on the Ping River and is shadowed by the famous temple topped mountain of Doi Suthep. Surrounded by forested hills and lush river valleys, Chiang Mai and its environs are home to several day, hotel and resort spas. In a region famous for its pleasant climate, misty mountains, and culturally distinct people, spas set out to imbue the essence of the North with flair and creativity. Some of the spas are inspired by the area’s magnificent temple architecture, becoming chapels of serenity, and in the cooler months, certain spas warm up treatment rooms with old log fireplaces. As used in ancient ritual practice, the treatments on offer are sources of traditional nual herbs, spices and aromatic oils.

While Chiang Mai is a city brimming with old temples and cultural heritage, many tourists to the region come to participate in the wealth of outdoor activities. The cooler weather means that more energetic pursuits are less likely to exhaust the body. Ascend Thailand’s highest mountain peak of Doi Inthanon for stupendous panoramas, view dazzling scenery and wildlife from a kayak, raft, or mountain bike. Embarking on a trek to visit remote hilltribes is also a worthwhile activity, as you sleep in wooden stilted huts with smiling villagers feeling a sense of their traditional way of life.

Pattaya

Just 90-minutes from the Thai capital, the coastal playground of Pattaya is becoming recognised as an easily accessible spa retreat. While still retaining a provincial Thai character, the district also has the ambience of a cosmopolitan playground, with glitzy malls and hotels, a pedestrian shopping street, tree-lined beach paths, a wide variety of outdoor and indoor activities, as well as many cultural attractions to be visited. These are just a few of the pluses that have led to Pattaya being dubbed ‘The Riveria of the Eastern Seaboard’.

Resting on the coastline of the Gulf of Thailand, Pattaya is blessed with almost year round sunshine. The resort town has three main beaches: 6-km. long Jomtien, crescent shaped Pattaya Bay, and Nakluea with its fishing village. Those concerned over the harmful effects of bronzing want to set-up base camp under one of the battalion of deck chairs and umbrellas that line the beaches. Pattaya’s spas are the perfect tonic to sunburn, rejuvenating the body and soul.

Pattaya and Jomtien are good locations for water sports lovers, with equipment for windsurfing, sailing, snorkelling and diving available for rent, along with jet skis, water scooters and water-skiing equipment. Pattaya’s other outdoor action includes, numerous international I standard golf courses, paintball, go-karting, bungy jumps, sailing, deep-sea fishing, and scuba diving.

Hua Hin

Thailand’s narrowest province of Prachuap Khiri Khan boasts a stretch of coast fringed with mountains and lovely quiet beaches, the most popular of which is the 5-km. long white sandy beach at Hua Hin. Less than four hours south by road or rail from Bangkok, Hua Hin with its small fishing village has long had an air of exclusivity thanks to favouritism by Thai royalty, retaining more of a Thai family ambience than other touristy destinations. Perched on the Gulf of Thailand, the area became the country’s first holiday destination and is also home to numerous spas.

The royal connection can be seen at the seafront teak wood summer residency of Klai Kangwon Palace. Built in 1926 under the command of King Rama VII, the  Spanish-style villa is still occasionally used by the Royal Family. Just across from the quaint Hua Hin Railway Station is another historic landmark, the colonial style Railway Hotel. Constructed in 1922, the Hotel masqueraded as the Phnom Penh Hotel in the 1984 movie the ‘Killing Fields’ before being restored to its wood panelled glory as the now Hotel Sofitel Central.

Hua Hin is home to Asia’s fust internationally acclaimed health resort, and has quickly established itself as a retreat where privacy is paramount, attracting both tourists and international VIPs alike. Harnessing the best of traditional Thai style, the spas make for a relaxing scene beside Hua Hin’s stretching sandy beach. The resort town is also home to unconventional, contemporary spas that are Zen in feel with simple, minimalist space where the accent is on the self. Ambient settings include lily ponds with outdoor sala (pavilion) that blends perfectly with the surrounding countryside. Inspired by their stay, guests feel that a visit to a Hua Hin spa is a life defining  experience, and many leave saying they have been “reborn”.

Krabi

A phenomenal prehistoric landscape with craggy limestone stacks teetering skyward from the water; Krabi and Phang-nga Bay are lands ;b that time forgot. Truly the stuff of dreams, the crystal blue waters are L home to an abundance of fantastic marine life and thriving coral reefs. Emerging on the spa landscape, Krabi’s remote eco friendly escape is a stunning landscape of powdery white beaches with a growing number of splendid day and resort spas.

Located on the west coast, Krabi is one of Thailand’s most visually impressive regions with over 130 idyllic islands. Stretching out from the mellow fishing port of Krabi town, the terrain is geographically diverse with mangrove swamps, tropical forests and awesome karst formations, that rock-climbers relish scaling.

Hat Noppharat Thara is a relatively quiet sweep of beach that forms part of the Hat Noppharat Thara-Mu KO Phi Phi National Park. Lined with pine trees and coconut groves, this spot is popular with local picnickers. Just 6 km. away south, the large bay of Ao Nang with its calm waters and limestone scenery, is a great base to explore the area and has a number of resorts, guesthouses as well as dive shops. A little further on from Ao Nang are several small picturesque bays hidden by tall overhanging cliffs, and are only accessible by long-tail boat. These include the pretty Ao Phra Nang and Hat Rai Le, where activities like diving, snorkelling, kayaking and climbing are all on the agenda.

Ko Samui

South of Bangkok in the Gulf of Thailand is the beautiful palm fringed island of KO Samui. Rapidly becoming Thailand’s busiest spa destination, this popular island has a whole host of hotel-based luxurious pampering spots, tastefully presented individual day spas, as well as long established retreats to spiritual awareness.

The biggest of the 80 islands that make up the Samui Archipelago, an island-hopping trip to Samui can be combined with visits to nearby neighbours KO Pha-ngan and KO Tao. Until the 1970s Samui was known only for its coconut plantations, but gradually tourists discovered the fantastic sandy bays that fringe the whole island. The most popular stretch of sand is the gorgeous 5-km. long Chaweng Beach, which is also home to many of the island’s best restaurants, bars, and shops.

The palm-abundant hills of Samui’s interior are a true escape for those in search of tranquillity. Keeping in tune with nature and the surrounds, massage and body pampering treatments are given under breezy open sided wooden pavilions. After all the unwinding and relaxation, a rush of energy can be had by hiring a four-wheel drive jeep and embarking on your own island safari exploring the remote dirt trails that lead up into the mountainous hills. There are cooling waterfalls to stop off for a swim.

Phuket

Jutting out into the Andaman Sea along the country’s west coast, Thailand’s largest island of Phuket is the premier island holiday spot, earning it the title of ‘Pearl of the Andaman’. Fringed by numerous sandy bays, it is Thailand’s most glamorous island destination and home to a gathering of Asia’s most ambient and exquisite spa 
resorts.

With some of Thailand’s best infrastructure as well as several of the world’s most luxurious hotels, Phuket has everything the international traveller would ever  desire.
This romantic beach hideaway is home to the World’s best spa, and the island’s other spas are constantly picking up top honours from leisure industry pundits for their sublime ambience and service. The island is also home to one of Asia’s few Spa Academies, and is a supreme location to learn the art of holistic health.

Not surprisingly for such a large island, Phuket has plenty of sights and attractions to suit all visitors. Apart from the wealth of splendid beaches and small outlying islands, Phuket has charismatic small fishing villages, fragile mangrove swamps, as well as the conservation-minded Gibbon Rehabilitation Centre, and the Marine Research Centre right at the bottom of the island. If you and your family want to know more about Thai culture, marvel at the magical mix of classical myths and state-of-the-art special effects at the carnival extravaganza of Phuket FantaSea.