Bangkok Phuket Singapore and Dubai - Easter 2015

MasterPoo

So tonight we finally managed to do touristy sights, and swoooooon, we did a walking TukTuk night tour through Expique. There were only 5 of us, a lovely retired American/Filipino couple who were lovely, so lovely we've exchanged emails!

We met at Krung Thonburi
Klong San Market
Wat Prayoon
Giant Swing
Loha Prasat & Democracy Monument
Wat Pho
Flower Market

My moody 14 year old who doesn't enjoy anything but the PS4, actually loved this Tour as it was informative, educational, and generally very interesting and our Guide was FAB!

Had THE BEST Pad Thai EVER for the grand ol' price of 80Baht at Thipsamai!!!! Let's just say I'm in Pad Thai Heaven!

lovesgshp

Try this recipe for Pad Thai when you get back to the UK.

http://www.thaitable.com/thai/recipe/pad-thai

lovesgshp

I don't know how squemish you are about food, Masterpoo, but this is a fantastic dish that you can get in Thailand. I really enjoy it, plus we make it here in Italy.

http://www.aflavorofthai.com/2010/11/goong-chae-nam-pla-raw-white-prawns.html

Doshwaster

MasterPoo wrote: »

Had THE BEST Pad Thai EVER for the grand ol' price of 80Baht at Thipsamai!!!! Let's just say I'm in Pad Thai Heaven!

To be really authentic Pad Thai has to be eaten on a small plastic stool next to the cart where it was made and with a very cold Singha beer in hand. There is no definitive recipe and everywhere will have its own variation but it's always good fun trying to find the very best.

MasterPoo

Doshwaster wrote: »

To be really authentic Pad Thai has to be eaten on a small plastic stool next to the cart where it was made and with a very cold Singha beer in hand. There is no definitive recipe and everywhere will have its own variation but it's always good fun trying to find the very best.

Does an over 80 year old establishment, with chefs cooking outside alongside other street vendors, with seating inside with the prerequisite plastic stool count?

Doshwaster

MasterPoo wrote: »

Does an over 80 year old establishment, with chefs cooking outside alongside other street vendors, with seating inside with the prerequisite plastic stool count?

Sounds good - as long as there is cold beer involved.

How's Koh Lanta going?

MasterPoo

Dosh it is BREATHTAKING! So so so stunning, quiet, not overrun with tourists, it's the perfect place to unwind. Our villa is HUGE, only "disappointment" with Pimalai is the quality of food, not upto 5 star standards, but I've only sampled their breakfast and room service dining, tomorrow night I've ordered a BBQ in our villa, so lets wait and see how they do on that.

On Monday night we ate in the local town at the popular restaurant for 540Baht, was OK, maybe Bangkok has ruined me??? Will be sampling food from other places in Koh Lanta.

Doshwaster

MasterPoo wrote: »

Dosh it is BREATHTAKING! So so so stunning, quiet, not overrun with tourists, it's the perfect place to unwind. Our villa is HUGE, only "disappointment" with Pimalai is the quality of food, not upto 5 star standards, but I've only sampled their breakfast and room service dining, tomorrow night I've ordered a BBQ in our villa, so lets wait and see how they do on that.

On Monday night we ate in the local town at the popular restaurant for 540Baht, was OK, maybe Bangkok has ruined me??? Will be sampling food from other places in Koh Lanta.

Good to hear. I was worried you'd end up blaming me if you didn't like it. Phew.

Be honest though - you are stopping in a 5* hotel for the quality of the accommodation not the food. The best eating will always be in local places. Yes, maybe Bankok has spoiled you as there is so much competition which keeps prices low. In the resorts prices are set more for the tourist market.

MasterPoo

hahahahaha at blaming you!

It's also just the taste, for example at Shangri La I ordered waffles, OMG, soft, fluffly, beautiful, Pimalai waffles are just meh! Am going to the other breakfast restaurant later this morning to compare as the checkin lady said the one I went to yesterday was the better of the two?!?!?

Yes you are right, it IS the quality of the accommodation, which Pimalai excels on. STUNNING STUNNING property.

The Thai are also such lovely, polite helpful people. Did I mention on the BTS, a chair became available, a Thai lady and myself both jumped at it, I was more than happy for her to take it, but her and another random Thai gent would have none of it, and both insisted I take it. My most used Thai phrase/s is Khob Khun Ka & Sawasdee Ka!

MasterPoo

So Pimalai was great, food not so great, we were all very disappointed with the food, really not on par with other 5 star hotels we've stayed at, but everything else they get 10/10!

We flew with a low cost airline (TigerAir) to Singapore, the flight was scheduled to take 1hr50, it took 1hr30, painless, straight forward experience.

Singapore, both my older son and I LOVE Singapore, really want to come back soon! You guys were right about the 2 night stay, way WAAAAY to short! Consoling myself that this is a taster trip for us, we will be back.

Stayed at Marina Bay, got a lovely suite, great views, we did a moonlight tour around the city, we actually like this hotel. I'm tempted to try out another hotel when we return like the Fullerton Bay or Mandarin Oriental, but so far Marina Bay ticks all our boxes!

Off to Dubai tomorrow for 4 nights, which is the final destination of our Eastern Adventure holiday.

I had decided to do a cruise next April (as Oz/Japan/China we need more than 2 weeks). But with so many great destinations to choose from I can honestly say I'm even more confused than ever!!!!!! I think we might end up coming back to Asia next Easter?!?!?!?!

(Easter 2016 is a ???)
(August 2016 is confirmed as East to West USA)