Club Sanook Newsletter - May 2004

August 2004

Scattered Thoughts From Paradise

No visit to the Big Mango is now complete without a long ride on Bangkok's new subway. The recent launch of the subway system was surprisingly smooth and the Thais have taken enthusiastically to this new way of getting around. It certainly offers great opportunities for people-watching and for that legendary Thai skill at eye contact.  If you join up with one of our Utopia guides, he can help you get from Chatuchak (weekend market) to Silom in a matter of minutes. 

Our mail bag is full of questions about the dates for Tet, the lunar new year holiday in Vietnam next year. In 2005 the Tet holiday will begin on 9 February. The week leading up to Tet is very interesting for visitors as the Vietnamese people shop for new clothes, party nightly, ritually clean their homes and businesses, buy lots of flowers, and decorate "Tet Trees" with money. Visits to Vietnam for the week beginning February 9th, however, are likely to be pretty boring. Shops, restaurants and practically everything else for tourists shut down as most urban Vietnamese return to their home towns. Working during this period is considered unlucky.

Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) rolls up its sidewalks at around 9 p.m. We are not allowed to leak any details yet, but Siem Reap is about to have it's first real gay bar/restaurant, with a grand opening some time in October. At last, visitors will have something more interesting to do at night than watching the boob tube.

With great fanfare, one of London's most prestigious department stores opened its Christmas department in August, complete with decorated trees and Father Christmas. Southeast Asia's favorite holiday destinations are not far behind. If your holiday plans during October through February include a visit to our corner of Paradise, the time to firm up your plans is now. We visited Phuket hotels last week and found most of them running completely full--something remarkable for August. Most are heavily booked through February 2005. In most cases we can secure future reservations with a nominal deposit, so advance planning is now more affordable than ever.

Where to Eat (our brand new regular feature!)

Many of our guests ask for advice about dining close to the nightlife areas on Silom and Sathorn Roads in Bangkok.  Here are a few suggestions:
 

Anna's Cafe has some of Bangkok's best looking waiters. The Thai food is great and the  atmosphere fun. This is a favorite place to celebrate birthdays. The waiters sing and you get free cake. Soi Saladaeng. Phone 02-632-0619.

Eat Me! is an attractive, contemporary place with Imaginative fusion food and a perpetual art show. Soi Pipat 2 off Convent Road. Phone 02-238-0931.

Il Cielo is a brand new five-star Italian spot in the Dusit Thani Hotel. Faaabulous. Phone 02-236-9999.

  Le Bouchon seems oddly located amid the girlie bars on Patpong 2. However, it's a snug, comfortable little place with great French cooking. Phone 02-234-9109.

Papa Alfredo's dishes up huge portions of Italian food at moderate prices on the ground floor U-Chu-Liang Building behind HSBC Bank, Rama IV Road. Phone 02-632-4043.

Sphinx could not be more ideally located beyond the busy drinking spots at the end of Soi 4 beyond The Balcony, Telephone and Roxy, which also have kitchens. The menu includes both Thai and Western specialties.

Next time: Chickens dancing in a railroad shack, the dust of a thousand feet, and an album of orgasmic dumplings, plus great restaurants in Vientiane and Hanoi.

Getting There is Not Necessarily Half the Fun

Bangkok Airways, Thailand's "boutique airline," specializes in flights to the 'Exotic Gems of Asia'.  The airline flies to a total of thirteen destinations in five countries. (You can see their route map at www.bangkokair.com/images/profile/Route-Map.gif) You may book your flights online at www.bangkokair.com and then let Purple Dragon take care of your ground arrangements. However, we are happy to book flights for our guess in conjunction with our packages. Typically, fares are lower when tickets are issued and paid for in Asia. However, some promotional fares are available only outside of Thailand.

No Frills Airlines. Our guests should be aware that several no frills airlines have started business in the region over the past few months.  E-tickets can be booked and paid for on their respective websites.  The two most prominent are Air Asia, based in Kuala Lumpur, as well as Nok Air and One2Go, based in Bangkok.  You can read customer comments about Air Asia at www.airlinequality.com/Forum/air_asia.htm.  Our own guests are telling us that the only downside so far has been the unreliability of the flight times. Twice in the last week we have seen incredibly long lines of confused people trying for flights at Bangkok's Don Muang Airport. Plan on arriving a couple of hours early and packing your own sandwich.

Cathay Pacific. You should also check out Cathay Pacific's new All-Asia Pass, with savings on travel between the airline's many Asian destinations including those where Purple Dragon offers great introductory packages, including Bangkok, Beijing, Bali, Hanoi, Hong Kong and Saigon. While other regional airlines are adding fuel surcharges, Cathay has slashed fares from North America for tickets purchased during August.

Pack Your Pajamas. A new generation of aircraft means that flights are getting loooonger. Singapore Airlines has recently launched nonstop service between Singapore and New York, with quick connections to Bangkok. Gulf Air has recently launched non-stop service between New York and Dubai with connections to Bangkok. At long last, United Airlines is set to begin service between San Francisco and Saigon (via Hong Kong) on on December 10.

Cavalcade of Hotels

Plenty of wonderful new hotels are on offer for our guests through 2005, including those below. For your convenience we are adding individual descriptive pages to our website for each of the hotels we use.
 

Described as both "sleek" and "chic," The Metropolitan in Bangkok is considered by many to be Bangkok's trendiest new hotel. The South Sathorn Road location is close to nightlife and  Babylon is practically around the corner. We will be using it as the Deluxe option on our Bangkok packages. Read more

Baan Yin Dee overlooks Phuket's town of Patong. Magnificent architecture, stunning views and superlative service set a new standard for Patong. The location is fresh and peaceful, yet Patong's legendary shopping and nightlife are only moments away. This photo shows some of the six tiered swimming pools. The poolside restaurant has a million-baht view. Read more


   Bangkok's newest boutique hotel, the Siam Heritage, is smartly located on Surawong Road, near nightlife, shopping, Skytrain and the new subway system. From the beautiful polished wood floors to the Thai art and hand-crafted decorations in each room to the rooftop pool, you will appreciate the tremendous attention to detail that has gone into creating this little gem. Read more

Chiang Mai's luscious new Rajamankha is built in classic Lana style with garden courtyards and graceful porticos. The hotel's spacious rooms are decorated with Chinese antiques and Thai silk. While the hotel has only 24 rooms and suites, Rajamankha employs an attractive staff of 40, thus insuring the kind of service you expect from a hotel of this quality. Read more

Look for more new hotels in Phuket, Krabi, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai and other popular destinations on our website soon.

Current Club Sanook Goodies

If you can visit our part of the world before the end of September, plenty of bargains and special offers await Club Sanook Members. Hotels in Angkor Wat, Hanoi, Phuket, Pattaya and Luangprabang offer free nights for Members. If you are also have a Utopia Lifetime Member card or you are a Thailand resident you can get a special discount on any Purple Dragon package. Or how about a $50 to $100 discount on selected China and Vietnam programs? Bali specials coming soon. Members can find these goodies on the Club Sanook website: www.clubsanook.com. Not a Member yet? Why not join right now? It is fast, fun and free!

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