Thailand
THAILAND CULINARY JOURNEY
Discover Thailand’s culinary delights on a delicious 12-day journey. Dine at popular venues in Bangkok including a Michelin star restaurant, an insect restaurant and an elegant dinner cruise. Plus, learn how to cook authentic Thai dishes and enjoy a rural life experience, visiting local farms. Continue to Chiang Mai for a lesson in home cooking, visit an elephant nursery and explore a tea plantation. The journey ends with leisure time at a remote island resort on Koh Samui.
Bangkok – Chiang Mai – Koh Samui
12 days, 11 nights
A CITY OF TEMPLES AND SKYSCRAPERS
Your exotic culinary adventure begins in Bangkok, the vibrant capital and commercial center of Thailand. The bustling metropolis is an exciting mix of ornate temples and shrines that stand alongside glamorous shopping and towering skyscrapers. To maximize your time in the city and ensure a smooth start to your journey, an airport representative is waiting to meet you at the landing gate as soon as you enter the airport terminal. You are then assisted through fast-track immigration and customs procedures before meeting your guide who transfers you directly to the western bank of the Chao Phraya River to check in to The Peninsula Bangkok, a stylish, high-end hotel that commands magnificent views over the river.
Overnight at The Peninsula, Bangkok
Meals: None
HIGHLIGHTS OF BANGKOK AND DINNER CRUISE
Enjoy the morning at leisure, enjoying the serene river views, or perhaps venturing out on your own to explore the surrounding neighborhood and a busy local market. For lunch, your guide takes you to Methavalai Sorndaeng, an authentic Thai fine dining restaurant overlooking the Democracy Monument. In the afternoon, visit the Grand Palace, one of the most dazzling examples of traditional Thai architecture, and continue to Wat Pho which houses an impressive reclining Buddha statue. Continue to the Golden Mount and climb up 318 steps to see wonderful views of the city. Then head back to the river and board the Supanniga cruise boat where an elegant Thai dinner is served along with gorgeous views of the city at night.
Overnight at The Peninsula, Bangkok
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
CULINARY AND CULTURAL ADVENTURE
A late breakfast is recommended as your culinary adventure begins in the afternoon. Begin at a local market to discover a wide range of exotic local produce. With help from an experienced chef, collect the best and freshest vegetables, herbs and spices. Then, at a cooking station inside the lively marketplace, learn how to prepare a delicious Thai meal. During your cooking session, the chef shares secrets of traditional Thai cooking and helps you create your culinary masterpiece, which you can enjoy as an early dinner. Later, explore the city’s street food scene by tuk tuk, sampling some of the tasty snacks and dishes that are popular with locals as well as a sunset cocktail at an atmospheric bar by the riverside.
Overnight at The Peninsula, Bangkok
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
THAI RURAL LIFE EXPERIENCE
After a leisurely morning, head to one of the city’s finest restaurants for lunch. Often recognized among the world’s best restaurants, Nahm is a Michelin star venue serving Thai cuisine with strong, fresh flavors. Trade in the hustle and bustle of the city for an experience of rural life along Klong Mahasawad, a quiet local canal. Traveling by boat, stop to visit an orchid farm, rice plantation, fruits orchards and a local temple along the way. Later, you have a rare chance to taste insects for dinner - delicately prepared and exquisitely cooked at "Insects in the Backyard". Then stroll around the creative art space at Chang Chui before ending the day at Talad Phlu, a local market where you can sample more local delights.
Overnight at The Peninsula, Bangkok
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
ARRIVE IN THE LANNA CAPITAL
Take a 1-hour flight from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, the cultural heart of northern Thailand and capital of the ancient Lanna Thai kingdom. The charming city is framed by the remains of ancient city walls and the Ping River to the east. Meet your guide at the airport and check in to your boutique hotel, 137 Pillars House. Located in a quiet part of the city, the charming property is built around a historical Lanna Thai style house supported by a grand total of 137 pillars. In the evening, drive through a countryside area where you can stop for photos among the picturesque rice fields. Then continue to Bad Boy Valley where a delightful six-dish dinner is served in a private house and museum displaying exotic arts and crafts.
Overnight at 137 Pillars House, Chiang Mai
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
HOME COOKING AND CITY TOUR
Experience the simple life in a small countryside village where you learn how to cook typical Thai dishes at a private house and garden. With help from your instructor, select high quality ingredients fresh from the garden. Then follow the process of preparing, frying and plating, before sitting down to a delicious lunch of your own creation. In the afternoon, take a leisurely trishaw ride around the old town, stopping to visit Waroros Market to learn more about local food culture and taste some northern Thai specialties. Visit Doi Suthep mountain just before sunset to witness inspiring vistas at dusk. Then explore the glittering temple at the summit where you can make merit and receive a blessing from a monk.
Overnight at 137 Pillars House, Chiang Mai
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
ELEPHANTS AND TEA
Prepare for an unforgettable day getting to know the elephants at Elephant Life Experience (E.L.E), an immersive elephant camp which allows you to build a close relationship with a friendly giant and observe its natural behaviors first-hand. The private 5-hour experience includes feeding and bathing the elephant, learning basic commands and riding on its back for 30 minutes. You can also paint with your new friend and see how the skilled pachyderm creates artistic masterpieces with its trunk. After a picnic lunch, bid farewell to the elephants and continue to Araksa, a tea plantation that produces fragrant, high quality leaves using local methods. Explore the lush tea garden and learn all about the tea growing process.
Overnight at 137 Pillars House, Chiang Mai
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch
A PERFECT TROPICAL ISLAND LIFESTYLE
Depart Chiang Mai and fly to Koh Samui for a tropical island retreat in the Gulf of Thailand. After a domestic flight, you arrive on the island where your guide is waiting to greet you at the airport. You are then transferred directly to the beautiful and secluded Four Seasons Resort for check in. Experience a perfect tropical island lifestyle at this high-end resort, staying in a private villa on a hillside, shaded by coconut groves and overlooking the vast, crystal-colored ocean. Enjoy your days at leisure in peaceful seclusion. You may choose to indulge in a treatment at the spa, stroll along the resort’s remote beachfront surrounded by lush greenery, or simply spend lazy days by the private pool in your villa.
Overnight at Four Seasons Resort, Koh Samui
Meals: Breakfast
DEPARTURE AND ONWARD JOURNEY
Spend your last morning at leisure, taking in one final look at the gorgeous ocean view from your villa. If time permits, you may choose to have a final dip in the warm ocean waters of the quiet bay, stroll along the beach to feel the soft white sand beneath your feet or simply relax at the resort, making the most of your final moments in this slice of tropical heaven. After checking out of the hotel, meet your guide in time for your private transfer to the airport. Then bid a fond farewell to the island as you make the final 30-minute drive to Samui Airport. Upon arrival at the airport, check in for your flight and board your plane for the return journey to Bangkok or connect to your next destination.
Meals: Breakfast