Friday, February 12, 2010

The Baan Thai Wellness Retreat




The Baan Thai Wellness Retreat
Hidden away down a quiet side street off Sukhumvit Road and isolated from the hustles and bustles of city life, the Baan Thai Wellness Retreat is an oasis of peace and calm.
A stay at the peaceful wellness retreat, even if only brief, enables you to experience the very finest that Thailand has to offer. Gain insights into this amazing kingdom, its mystical culture and time-honoured customs and traditions. Delightful Thai hospitality; exotic spa therapies, revitalizing holistic health therapies and treatments; Thai culinary art; ornate Thai teak architecture — each is part of the kingdom’s enchanting artistic and cultural heritage.

‘Baan Thai’ literally means Thai house. The Baan Thai Wellness Retreat consists of five authentic stand-alone Thai teak homes, some dating back over three quarters of a century. These have been lovingly restored and refurbished to showcase a way of life that few have been able to experience.

The original traditional Thai teak house was designed in a luxurious style and built by M.R. Bongsebrahama (one of King Rama IV’s grandsons) for his family well over 60 years ago. The teak house has remained in the family ever since. Through the years, each generation of the family has restored and added to the original house. In 1965 Baan Thai opened as a restaurant serving fine cuisine and entertainment in the form of traditional Thai dance performances. In the latest chapter of this evolving story, Baan Thai, the house and restaurant, has been transformed into a luxurious cultural and wellness retreat — The Baan Thai Wellness Retreat. All of the original houses have been renovated and several teak wood houses from Ayutthaya, the ancient capital of Siam, have been added to the complex.

The traditional Thai teak houses form the basis of this luxurious wellness retreat developed by renowned cultural interior design expert M.L. Sudavadee Kriangkrai, one of M.R. Bongsebrahama’s two daughters. Two of the traditional teak homes have been redesigned to accommodate the spa. Each of the guests’ rooms and suites affords its own unique qualities and charm while retaining the cultural integrity of the property. Some of the decorative features date back over 200 years. While most are more recent, all are genuine.

The Baan Thai Wellness Retreat offers an extensive range of anti-aging, therapeutic or detoxifying treatments, pampering and beauty therapies delivered in the comfort and privacy of spa therapy rooms and suites. These include a range of authentic Thai treatments, such as Scrubs & Wraps, Baths, Massage, ‘Just for woman’, holistic health treatments, hand and foot care, facials, salon, haircare, as well as Ayurvedic, Asian and Tibetan therapies. Guests can also enjoy the unisex wet area available with hydrotherapy, infrared sauna and steam facilities.

Spa services are provided with the careful supervision of Horwath Spa Consulting, a specialist spa company whose directors have been involved in the development of Destination Spas in Thailand. A team of holistic health practitioners provides professional consultation in Diagnostic Reflexology, Homeopathic Consultations, Acupuncture, Chi Nei Tsang, Rebirthing Sessions and Deep Tissue Massage, while total detoxification programmes are supervised by the retreat’s own resident medical professionals.

Designed to accommodate the latest spa therapies while maintaining the nuances of cultural integration as dictated by the architectural style of the property, the warm, soothing and inviting environment promotes total relaxation and is conducive to process of change and development, and rejuvenation.

THE BAAN THAI RETREAT MENU
Dine in air-conditioned comfort, on the terrace of your room, or in the privacy of your suite. The team of dedicated Thai culinary professionals at the wellness retreat have prepared an ever changing range of menu offerings, specially designed to promote total wellness.

Great care is taken in the preparation of some of the most vivid tasting and intense culinary delights featured on the Baan Thai Retreat menu. This begins with the careful selection of the base ingredients (of which many are from certified organic farms in Thailand) through to the preparation and cooking process. The team is committed to the creation of flavourful cuisine while retaining the integrity of Thai culinary traditions. Other less traditional menu offerings and dishes from other nations also grace the menu, but the majority are native Thai.

The retreat offers a full range of other fresh fruit and vegetable juices, herbal tisanes, tonics and elixirs throughout the day. A wide range of wines and champagnes are served with dinner.

The Baan Thai restaurant has welcome guests such as royalty from Sweden, Denmark and Japan as well as Jackie Kennedy, Tiger Woods and many other celebrities.

TEAK SPLENDOUR
A Journey Back into Time
As you enter the retreat, stop and pause a while. Take in the magnificence that surrounds you — the amazing traditional artwork is very much part of the Baan Thai experience. From the intricately carved doors at the entrance of the retreat to the beautifully carved wood panels and artifacts found throughout the property, the fine collection of genuine traditional art reflects the era in which they were created — a time when skilled craftsmen carved history into wood, passing on to their children and grandchildren, great stories of a magnificent kingdom and the rich cultural heritage they have come to inherit. Even artefacts made in relatively modern times all retain their cultural integrity. None are modern reproductions.

FACILITIES
The Baan Thai Wellness Retreat offers an extensive range of facilities that have been carefully designed to meet the needs of guests so that they can maximize the benefits of their stay.

- 21 guest rooms
- 7 with their own private spa therapy area, 9 with kitchenette facilities
- 5 x single and 3 x double spa therapy rooms — 2 with private steam rooms, 2 with Jacuzzi
- Beauty salon
- 2 x Consultation rooms
- Colonic hydrotherapy room
- Infra-red sauna
- Herbal steam room
- Garden rain shower
- 2 Private swimming pools
- Free form swimming pool
- Modern gymnasium staffed with personal trainers and Stretch, Fit Ball, Yoga and Tai Chi classes
- Aerobics studio
- Meditation pavilion
- Thai spa cuisine restaurant
- Juice & elixir bar
- Open air lounge
- Library
- Mini Bar
- IDD direct dial telephone
- Cable Television
- Wireless internet connection
- Limousine transfers
- Off-street parking

This peaceful wellness retreat located right in the heart of cosmopolitan Bangkok enables you to enjoy a change of pace at your convenience. Within the resort itself, tranquility prevails. Step beyond and a short stroll away, you’ll find easy access to mass transit systems, shopping malls and other modern infrastructure.
Feel Bangkok’s pulse — the city that never sleeps.

Location
The Baan Thai Wellness Retreat is situated between the Thonglor and Phromphong BTS Skytrain station, which is also adjacent to the Emporium shopping complex and the Benjasiri Park.

The Baan Thai Wellness Retreat
7 Soi Sukhumvit 32 Sukhumvit Road
Bangkok 10110
Thailand
Tel : + 66 (0) 2258 5403, 2661 4051-3
Fax: + 66 (0) 2258 9517
Email: contact@thebaanthai.com
Website: www.thebaanthai.com

Saranrom Cultural Park Exhibition


SARANROM CULTURAL PARK
An Exhibition in Honour of His Majesty the King, Cultural Shows and
Light-and-Sound performances
Cultural Park for Tourism Project
1 January – 14 April 2007
13.00 – 21.00 hrs, daily
At Saranrom Park
Free Admission

An Exhibition in Honour of His Majesty the King
The exhibition showcases thousands of projects initiated by His Majesty the King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand for the benefit of the Thai people throughout his 60 years on the throne.

Cultural Shows from Five Regions
Cultural shows from the five regions include Thai traditional folk dances, Manorah performances, shadow puppet plays, northeastern-style basket dances, performances of Thai traditional masked dances or khon, and plays by artists from around the country.
Performances are staged simultaneously twice a day.
15.00 – 15.30 hrs and 18.00 – 20.30 hrs

Merry Folk Music
Enjoy a vast selection of colourful folk music bands such as the northeastern-style Sing Saderd folk singers, the Mongserng rock group, the southern band Pran Preu and alto xylophonist Narongrit Tosa-nga. Many national artists and famous stars from each province will take to the stage, presenting impressive performances daily.
Performances are staged simultaneously twice a day.
15.00 – 15.30 hrs and 18.00 – 20.30 hrs

Grand Light-and-Sound performances
Every Friday, Saturday and Sunday/ 19.00 – 20.00 hrs
These combine the performing arts with multimedia effects, musical fountains, flying angels and laser displays. With the support of more than 50 performers, the show is intended to express national loyalty for His Majesty the King through five stories about five special occasions.

Learn about Thai Folk Wisdom
The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration will stage demonstrations on how to create products based on Thai folk wisdom. Visitors are welcome to observe the demonstrations and learn about useful techniques free of charge.

Demonstrations are held twice a day.
15.00 – 17.30 hrs
18.00 – 20.30 hrs

Contact information:
Cultural Park for Tourism Project
Bangkok Tourism Division, Culture, Sports and Tourism Department
Bangkok Metropolitan Administration
Tel: 0 2225 7612-4
Fax: 0 2225 7615-6

Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Dok Khun Siang Khaen Festival


Dok Khun Siang Khaen Festival is held during April 13-15 every year at Bung Kaen Nakhon. The day starts with merit making, followed by pouring holy water on Buddha images, local dramatic arts, floral cart procession, northeastern food contest, boat race in Bung Kaen Nakhon, and shops selling a variety of products.


source : tourismthailand.org

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Kew Mae Pan , Peak refuge

Not far from Doi Inthanon summit is the Kew Mae Pan trail that is sprayed with red rhododendrons, pristine nature and breathtaking scenery


Tourists visiting Doi Inthanon National Park in Chiang Mai generally head for the famous summit of this mountain resort. To them, the long trek to the summit is a sense of accomplishment. However, little do they know that halfway to the top is a three-kilometre-long trail called Kew Mae Pan boasting pristine nature and breathtaking scenery.

Doi Inthanon is Thailand's highest peak, standing 2,500 metres above sea level. In winter the breeze is cool and refreshing, even cold by standards of city folks more used to the tropical climate of Bangkok. If you are travelling there, don't forget to carry a light jacket with you.


Kew Mae Pan is famous for its red rhododendrons, a rare sight elsewhere in the country, various species of birds, the goral and nature in its purest form.
The air was chilly when we visited there recently, ideal for a trek that wasn't supposed to be that taxing, but one which still left us city slickers panting for breath as we climbed one slope after another on the circuitous trail.

Led by a Hmong guide, we hit the trail early afternoon and not long after we arrived at a spot with a sign reading "Cloud Forest". My friend checked his watch calibrated for altimeter reading: it said 2,179 metres. A thick curtain of rain clouds enveloped the forest. Everywhere there were towering trees from whose trunks hung green fern, moss and lichen. The damp air pregnant with rain felt refreshingly cool.
Our guide pointed to a tree called Ko in Thai that belongs to the same family as oaks, Fagaceae. There are four varieties of Ko trees in Thailand and all of them are found here.
"Ko is a kind of chestnut with hard-shell. Its seed is food for birds and wildlife," explained our guide.
Read more bangkokpost.com for full article

Friday, February 5, 2010

Fun - Filled Activities , Pak Chong , Thailand




Pak Chong: The Land of Fun-Filled Activities

Pak Chong, apart from being famous for Khao Yai National Park, has become a popular weekend destination near Bangkok. It is where various activities are provided for the best of your enjoyable experience.

Only a two-hour drive or 165 km from Bangkok, Pak Chong county of Nakhon Ratchasima province has become an increasingly popular and sophisticated weekend destination for city slickers. Thaiways would like to take you to this county where various activities are provided for the best of your enjoyable experience.




Accommodations with a golf course
For golf lovers, all you need to do on your relaxing holiday is to take time out of your busy schedule and spend the time teeing off on the golf course.

Accommodations with agro-tourism activities
With the dotted vineyards and farms in Pak Chong, not-to-be-missed item is a visit to one of those places where agro-tourism activities are arranged.


To read more thaiwaysmagazine for full article.