[display_name id="2"]The magic Island that is not quite exploited, with white sands
unpolluted beaches, fresh fish, sea food galore & warm safe seas.
Slowly getting more and more tourists Koh Chang is now beginning to have a few building developments that are anything but good looking. Thai developers are building stock pens for tourists who no doubt will never stay in these concrete boxes with no thought to beauty, fauna or contrast. There are however other nice Resorts that abound. Such places as Cookie Bungalows are not what we call a tourist accommodation spot but we do recommend the following. Don't stay at White Sands Beach-- keeping going around the island as its much nicer.Want a better beach try Hua Hin -- not far from Bangkok & 3 hours by Bus from the Souther Bus Station.
HOW TO GET THERE: (315kms from Bangkok)
From Bangkok you can catch a bus right to Trat then a songteaw for 20 baht to the pier & a one way ticket to Koh Chang which takes 1/2 hour for 50 baht. Do not get a return ticket as each ferry is a different company. Ferries leave every hour in the peak season November through March & every 2 hours in the off season.
From Chiangmai take a Norchonchai Bus at Arcade Bus Station behind the bus station for 550 baht to Pattaya but try to catch a bus direct to Chantaburi. These are 32 seat buses and you receive 2 meals with your ticket, by-pass Bangkok and there are 6-8 buses per day. No buses from Rayong to Trat so don't go to Trat.
WHERE TO STAY:
Cheap Budget Accommodation:
Rock Sand Bungalows: overlooking the sea on the rocks but sand beaches either side. A short walk North once you stop at White Sands Beach. 200-300 baht per night with showers. Popular backpackers & has restaurant on the rocks. KC Bungalows: 26 Bungalows right on the beach, thatched huts Thai style. 80-100baht per night. Food Ok but the dearest banana shakes in Thailand at 35 baht.
KP Bungalows: 80 baht & 150 baht in the high season, quiet, has a shop and bungalows on the beaches set amongst the palms. Bamboo Bungalow: 19 bungalows Thai style these are the most popular bungalows along white sands done in the style that should be. Klaus is an excellent host and can help you & his thinking is definitely in line with keeping the natural look & environment. Has a bar on the beach, excellent German host Klaus & Janphen Schmidtpeter & we recommend backpackers to stay here. 8/4 Moo4 Trad 2300.
Tel: (66)01-8296721
Jinda Bungalows: On the right as you arrive at White sands beach. The Fisherman Restaurant is also here and they have nightly fish smorgasboard meals for 150 baht. Bungalows are 200 baht. Tel: 01-8620853
Jinda & Fisherman
Airlanee Resort: next to fisherman restaurant is run by a German who hires Honda Dreams at 50 baht per hour. Also you can make Overseas calls 100 baht minute, Collect calls, 30 baht minute, send faxes 100 baht & receive for 40 baht. There are phone boxes being installed on the island. Also bungalows for 150 baht a night.Tel/fax: 01-8295308. P.O.Box 70 White Sand beach, Koh Chang, Trat 23000. Wolfgang & Daret.
TOP ACCOMMODATION:
Koh Chang Lagoon Resort: Not far along White sands these bungalows are 1600 baht a night with a new Hotel being built. Right on the beach it is popular with European tourists.
Klong Phrao Resort: has an island lake right on the beach. Highly recommended by us with all sorts of facilities from boating to snorkelling. Large bungalows very tidy Resort
.
BANDU KOH CHANG HOTEL: Highly recommended by us. Built in traditional Thai style but beautiful with full facilities this Hotel has it all right on the beach. Has international dishes and seafood cruisine daily & is the only resort with Fishing boat, 2 speed boats for diving expeditions and has snorkelling lessons and in house beach swimming pool right on the beach. All rooms have a scenic view of the beach and the whole Hotel has a tropical lush garden setting. All buildings are crafted in beautiful wood and architectural design and they have everything from VIP rooms to Delux and superior rooms. Our choice of Hotel resort 10% discount with us.
WHAT TO SEE:
Klong Phlu Waterfall: 5 baht entry. Good eating stalls which don't rip you off. Take water with you as the walk is uphill. Lovely fresh water. You can rent a motorbike for 50 baht per hour.
HIRE A BIKE:
Or motorcycle and leisurely drive 20 kms on the island. Lots of stops this quiet area is unique for a south seas adventure.
EATING:
There's plenty of eating places on Koh Chang and prices are reasonably. A whole fish is around 120 baht and meals are around 25 baht upwards with Thai meals and foreign foods available. A set breakfast is around 75 baht and most restaurants have fish meals and seafood which is commonly squid, prawns, fish, mussels, shrimps. Drings are likewise reasonable with sprite and coke around 15 baht unlike any other islands in Thailand.
Muk Hut: New restaurant run by Englishman Tony Sayers right on the beach beside Cookie. Tel: 01-841-4801.
DRIVING:
Koh Chang also has a car ferry. Costs one way is 400 baht. Motorcycles are 50 baht per crossing. Pickup taxis also abound on the island and each trip to the ferry is 30 baht.
[display_name id="2"]Spas are very cheap in Thailand when compared to just about anywhere else in the world. The level of professionalism and training of the staff generally surpass even the most expensive spas in Western nations.
They are a much more relaxed environment too. There is not pressure to buy more treatments and other products like in Western countries, but if you want too they are a lot cheaper, generally better quality and always packaged better.
Travel virtually anywhere in Thailand and you’ll find a Spa offering exotic treatments from hot herbal compresses to delightful facials, Aloe Vera body wraps, and traditional Thai Massage. Simply choose your destination!
Thailand’s gorgeous long eastern coastline provides a home for some of the best Spa resorts in Asia. Facing the Gulf of Siam lie Hua Hin and Cha Am – favourites with the Thai Royal family and “hi so” (high society) members.
Hua Hin is also where you’ll find Chiva Som, Thailand’s original Health and Wellness Centre. Favoured by celebrities from all over the world, Chiva Som has a loyal following and offers a complete range of eastern and western spa and medical treatments. Their holistic approach includes acupuncture and Ayurvedic therapies, a hydrotherapy suite, flotation tanks and relaxation rooms. Tai Chi and Pilates are also included in their activities. If want the top alternative health practitioners in every conceivable wellness treatment – head for Chiva Som.
Easy access from Bangkok is increasing Hua Hin’s popularity and with more deluxe brand name resorts like the 220-room Hua Hin Marriott Resort & Spa setting up here.Formerly the Royal Garden Resort and situated in 14 acres of landscaped garden, The Marriott features a Mandara Spa. Originally from Bali, Mandara Spa Brand offers “unique and exotic spa treatments that reflect the beauty, spirit and traditions of ancient times and the soul and ritual of Asian culture.”
Koh Samui, discovered by backpackers in the 1970’s was probably Thailand’s first destination to offer alternative new age health treatments, well before Spas became fashionable. Colonic irrigation and other scary sounding remedies can still be found at various local Spas, but most visitors prefer more indulgent massage and aromatherapy treatments available in the teak pavilions of hotels among the coconut plantations overlooking the Gulf of Siam.
If you want a total meltdown the pleasant Tongsai Bay, with cottages scattered over a hillside and private beach offers The Prana Spa. Couples can book a Spa cottage with a private herbal steam room and alfresco floral bath. Gorgeous body scrubs include a loofah exfoliation, algae body scrub and tamarind rubdown.
Phuket, Thailand’s largest island, has matured quickly over the last few years. A fully fledged international resort with five top class golf courses, marina development and super deluxe hotels, adding to its natural assets, Phuket is Thailand’s superstar destination. Here you’ll find all the deluxe hotels and some of the best Spas in Asia like the Banyan Tree Phuket.
Voted the 'World's Best Spa Resort' by readers of Conde Nast Traveler magazine, and a 'Top 10 Hotel Spa' by Travel & Leisure magazine, Banyan Tree Phuket provides the sublime spa environment.
Looking further afield in Asia:
Ancient Asian treatments -- from India's Ayurvedic rituals to Japanese shiatsu to Thai massage -- are increasingly on the menu at U.S. Spas.
Americans who've sampled these mind/body soothers at home are flocking to the East to experience them at the source.
"There's so much interest in Asian spas, and so much happening there," says Bernard Burt, co-author of 100 Best Spas of the World. "Asian spas are truly amazing -- the design, the experience." The latest edition of 100 Best Spas, in stores in May, features expanded coverage of proliferating Asian spas.
Going to a world-class Asian spa is "not just about getting a massage," says Julie Sinclair, editor of Spa magazine. Treatments based on curative traditions and techniques that date back thousands of years aim to bring mind and body into balance.
"What we consider to be alternative treatments are considered integral to health" in Asia, Sinclair says. "There are rituals. ... It's transformative."
Think massages in outdoor pavilions. Burning incense. Foot-washing ceremonies and the tinkling of chimes.
Luxury hotel chains, such as Four Seasons, Amanresorts, Mandarin Oriental, Ritz-Carlton, Taj Hotels and Shangri-La, offer stress-melting local therapies at their Asian outposts. The Dheva Spa at the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi in Chiang Mai, Thailand, is a destination in itself for devotees of yoga and Ayurvedic therapy.
Other Asian getaways provide an immersion in wellness and healing -- often with a dash of spirituality. A sampling (more can be found at spaasia.com/resource and spafinder.com):
*Ananda In The Himalayas, India. Celebrities and seekers of tranquility find inner bliss at this maharajah's palace on a mountainside overlooking the sacred Ganges River. A visit to the 100-acre compound, a five-hour drive north of New Delhi, typically starts with an Ayurvedic consultation to determine physical and emotional type. Ayurveda seeks to bring mind, body and spirit into harmony.
Treatment includes massage, personalized meal plan and yoga. Lodging at this soulful retreat -- voted the No. 1 destination spa in the world in 2005 by the British Conde Nast Traveller, is in 75 rooms and suites, some with their own gardens. Cost: from about $300 a person daily May through September, including classes, hiking, gym use. Special programs and holistic-wellness packages are offered. Information: 011-91-1378-227-500 or anandaspa.com.
*Chiva-Som, Thailand. Set amid tropical gardens and waterfalls in the beach resort of Hua Hin, 130 miles south of Bangkok, Chiva-Som boasts an eclectic menu of more than 100 Eastern and Western treatments. Each guest gets a personal assessment of mental, physical and spiritual health and treatments ranging from reflexology to marine mud wraps, yoga and sessions with a Buddhist monk. The on-site medical spa offers Botox injections. Cost: from about $450 a person nightly, including meals, daily massage, classes and health and wellness consultation. Information: 011-66-32-536-536 or chivasom.com.
*Como Shambhala Estate at Begawan Giri, Bali. It's the elegant, new retreat from Christina Ong, the Singapore-based spa/resort guru who founded celebrity-magnet Parrot Cay in the Turks & Caicos Islands. This 40-room oasis in the rice-paddy dotted Balinese countryside outside the artsy town of Ubud offers luxury and wellness at an introductory rate from $300 a person a day through June (including airport transfers, meals and some spa services). An Ayurvedic doctor and naturopath are in residence; yoga and Pilates are offered, too. Other Shambhala resorts include another in Bali and one in Bhutan. Information: 866-585-2215 or cse.comoshambhala.bz.
*The Hong Kong-based Peninsula hotel chain has just announced a "wellness" initiative. New spas will be unveiled at The Peninsula Hong Kong this spring and at The Peninsula Bangkok at the end of the year. The spas feature "treatment journeys" that draw on Eastern and Western wellness and relaxation concepts. Next year brings the new Peninsula Tokyo, which will have an Asian-inspired spa.
*Banyan Tree Phuket, Thailand. Thailand is spa central, with a wealth of pampering available. This lush hideaway in the country's R&R beach mecca is "my personal favorite," Burt says.
While not billed as a wellness resort, the Banyan Tree is famed for its relaxing Thai-flavored decor and divinely decadent spa treatments -- such as a two-hour Thai massage ($135) or 90-minute Balinese rubdown ($95). The resort is "better than ever since the (2004) tsunami," Burt says.
"They're on high ground and didn't receive a lot of damage." Other Banyan Tree resorts include one due this year in China, an emerging spa destination. Information: 011-66-76-324-374 or banyantreespa.com.
Hope this give s a good overview of why spas in asia are soooooooooooooo popular.
[display_name id="2"]Hyatt Corporation opened its first hotel on September 27, 1957. Hyatt's first property at Los Angeles International Airport was originally named Hyatt House. The owner of Hyatt House was a local entrepreneur by the name of Hyatt R. Von Dehn. Hyatt hotels expanded aggressively along the West Coast during the next decade. However, it wasn't until 1967, when Hyatt Corporation opened the world's first atrium hotel that the Hyatt® name became known worldwide. The hotel's 21-story atrium tower lobby and dramatic departure from traditional hotel architecture changed the course of the lodging industry. The challenge to hotel architects was no longer to eliminate extra space; rather, to create grand, wide-open public spaces.
By 1969, there were 13 Hyatt® hotels in the United States. That year, a subsidiary of the newly formed Hyatt International Corporation opened the first international hotel, the Hyatt Regency Hong Kong.
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Fabulous golf course pool villa on beautiful golf course for sale in Cha-Am