We are indeed blessed to have caring parents who agreed to care for wyx2 for 4d3n while wifey and I jet off to Smiley Land for a short getaway! It was quite a last minute decision and we were fortunate to secure round tickets via Tiger Airways (now merged under Scoot) @ $162 each.
We touched down Suvarnabhumi Airport and cleared customs about 11.15am. We immediately found our way to the car rental company booth (got ours from
thairentacar) and after 30 mins of admin, we collected our Toyota Yaris! Next stop -
Khao Yai!
A few weeks before, wifey and I were deciding where to head for a short holiday. We went HK early this year; tickets to Taiwan were too ex; so that left us with Bangkok (our most recent visit was in Dec 2014). However 4d3n seemed too long to just do shopping, eating and doing massage, so we decided to explore other cities. I vaguely recall seeing fb posts of "European town near Bangkok" and not long after did the place "Khao Yai" surface in our research.
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| Preview of drive route from Google map |
Getting to Khao Yai would involve a 3-hour drive from BKK airport, and honestly that worried us (for BKK's traffic is notorious). However upon more research our worries were allayed as many Sgreans assured the driving was smooth and getting to places via GPS was reliable. To illustrate, it was like driving along Malaysia's North-South Highway. And true enough. The local drivers were patient and generally gave way if you signalled your intention; highway was wide and smooth - we cruised at 100-120 km/h mostly. Wifey even took over the wheels for our drive back from Khao Yai to BKK, the drive is THAT lady driver friendly =P Petrol stations were aplenty (tip: you have to fill up the petrol tank before returning your rental car at the airport, and the nearest petrol station requires you to exit the highway. Make sure you key your desired destinations into your GPS on your way back to the airport).
Tip 2: Google map GPS is more reliable (and free) compared to the GPS provided by rental car companies.
Khao Yai boasts a National Park which has an accolade as UNESCO World Heritage site. On top of a National Park, the region of Khao Yai also has many attractions, some of which you will read later in this post. One of the attractions is the sunflower field. If you google for 'sunflower field near Khao Yai', this place will come up as one of the top few hits -
Saraburi sunflower field. Apparently the sunflowers bloom from Nov-Feb only! So our first stop from BKK was that. About 1.5 hr drive later, we reached the destination! But alas, there weren't any fields that resembled sunflowers of any kind... :(
It was almost 1pm then. Hungry and disappointed, we continued our journey to Khao Yai. About half an hour later, suddenly in the middle of nowhere, sprouted a sunflower field with bright, yellow flowers waving eagerly in the wind! I would have missed it if I hadn't turned my head in that direction. Beautiful!!! The yellow petals were almost glistening in the sun.
The sunflowers were not 'manned' and we didn't need to pay entrance fees. We spent about 15 mins there and I took a quick relief amidst the nature (hehe), and we continued driving.
About 30 mins later, we stopped for lunch at:
The Witches Brew.
Opened by a British, the witch-themed place was decorated with witch hats, brooms, goblins, magic spells and sorts. There were also props you could pose with and take photos of, at no extra charge. Reviews said the food was good - while the fish n chips was decent, the rack of pork ribs wasn't impressive, and the best was the berry smoothie lol. It was 2 plus and we were the only customers then, we enjoyed the personalized albeit slow service.
After lunch we adjourned to check in. We finally reached our hotel at 3 plus - the amazing Atta Lakeside Resort! Check out the 1-bedroom suite (only S$180 per night!):
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| Private balcony overlooking the tranquil lake and mountains |
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| Huge, clean space with living area and dry kitchen welcomes us |
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| Comfortable bed and private balcony |
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| Impressively large bathroom and wardrobe |
And yes, the room comes with reliable and fast Wi-Fi!
Tip: We stayed at Block 3 and there was a huge raintree lookalike tree that obscured our view of the east. Once I woke up at 6am intending to catch the sunrise, but the raintree was in the way. Next time, ask for blocks 4-6 and/or a room on a higher floor.
Exhausted from starting the day early and the drive, we napped until 6 plus before deciding to head out for dinner. This time of the year, the days are shorter and it was already dark. We keyed 'Midwinter Green' into our GPS and got there in 20 mins.
Midwinter Green
I researched that there were live band performances at 7pm, but when we got there the place was rather quiet. We asked a couple of wait staff (whose extent of English was limited) and they seemed to suggest that either there was no live band on that particular day, or it was because that week coincided with their King's death anniversary and so - no celebrations or sorts. Anyway, the food prices were rather exorbitant by Thai standards, so we left for another highly rated place 10 mins down the road:
Lan+Lee+Lar
We liked the decor at Lan+Lee+Lar, decked with old-school items, toys, billboards and electronics. The open concept dining area consisted of a pond which reflected the fluorescent lights overhanging, adding to the warm ambience. There was an area which could accommodate a live band, but I guess we were there on a wrong day.
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| Deep fried fish and beer |
We ordered deep fried fish for starters and White Tom Yum fish soup with tang hoon. They were DA BOMB! The deep fried fish was very fresh and very crispy and was the ideal accompaniment for beer. The Tom Yum soup was served with generous ingredients and cooked with spices so fresh, I could even smell the lemongrass with every sip. We requested for clear Tom Yum soup (no milk) that was spicy just at the right level for our liking. Needless to say, we devoured every single drop.
There are no late night activities in Khao Yai so we watched DVD borrowed from the hotel concierge in the comfort of our room.
Next morning -
Did I mention, the breakfast area and the lodges are some distance away, and the resort offers complimentary buggy services upon request? All we had to do was call in, and head down to street level, and the buggy would come by and drive us to the breakfast area.
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| Beautiful day! This street reminded me of Japan. |
A beautiful thing about this resort (and perhaps the same can be said about Khao Yai) is that it is sparsely populated with buildings and people. While waiting for the buggy, we basked in the sun, breathed in the fresh, crisp air and basically soaked in the tranquility and peacefulness of the surroundings. There were no sounds of vehicles, machinery or people - just the rustling of leaves from the breeze, birds chirping and... and us. The word 'Atta' actually represents 'soul' and Atta Lakeside Resort was purposefully designed with the intent that one can be isolated from the world for the soul to be rejuvenated.
The buggy got us to the breakfast area (which was just behind the concierge) in less than a minute. We were greeted by this scenery:
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| The pool looks SUPER INVITING, doesn't it!!! |
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| Another view of the lake... mountain ridges in the background |
Breakfast area was spacious, you could sit outdoors near the pool or indoors nearer the buffet spread. The food choices were aplenty, ranging from local food (green curry, pad thai, plain porridge etc) to western (salad, cornflakes, sausages, ham, baked beans). There was also live egg stations, fresh brew coffee machines and array of tropical fruits. We were supposed to start the day earlier but the breakfast was too luxurious and we're probably not exaggerating if we claim we could spend half a day there.
Good thing we have another night and breakfast at Atta Lakeside. We returned to our room, prepared and set off to explore the other attractions in Khao Yai. For your info, most of the attractions are within 10-20 mins drive so it is best you have your own rental car which you can zip around at your own convenience and timing.
Thames Valley
One could also stay at their rooms and enjoy the British themed garden.
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| View from outside... not guests so we couldn't venture further |
Palio Village
Tuscan themed town with shops selling souvenirs, F&B (sorbet, smoothies) and clothes. This day coincided with the King's death anniversary and not all shops were open. But we were blessed with great weather ideal for beautiful photos:
We find that Palio Village is very well built befitting the Tuscan theme. Every corner and street and the cobbled roads were done up rather impressively and not slip shod.
For lunch, we drove to highly rated Krua Khao Yai:
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| Yes, Tom Yum soup again. |
At 2pm Krua Khao Yai restaurant was swarming with locals! Their main stays are their smoked pork ribs and deep fried fish - but because we had such a full brekkie and there was only 2 of us, we wouldn't be able to finish them. We ordered tom yum soup (yassssss), green curry and stir fried shitake mushrooms. The former was good but paled in comparison to our dinner the night before; green curry was okay; our favourite was the stir fried mushrooms - very flavourful gravy and mushrooms done just nice and without that stale mushroom taste. I think I read somewhere that Khao Yai grows their own mushrooms. Oh, Krua Khao Yai has very good red tea too. We left at about 3pm and there was still a queue. Highly recommended place indeed.
The Chocolate Factory
The sun was quite scorching and we found comfort in the air-conditioned area of The Chocolate Factory. It is a good place to land souvenirs like biscuits, pastries, chocolates and even hand cream. They also serve sit-down meals.
As mentioned earlier, this day was the King's death anniversary and we were warned by the hotel concierge that all restaurants, even 7-11, would be closed by mid afternoon. We had simple dinner at the hotel restaurant... udon soup and fried noodles. Expensive and disappointing but filling and better than having cup noodles. Anyway, there is sumptuous breakfast to look forward to!
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| Woke up earlier this time to enjoy the sun and scenery... with coffee of course. |
We checked out at 11am and made our way back to Bangkok city, first stopping by Primo Piazza.
Primo Piazza
Italian inspired architecture and lush greenery. Again we were blessed with great sun for beautiful photos:
And the highlight has to be animal feeding activity!
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| Cute alpacas! You could feed donkeys, horses and sheeps too. Very cute! |
Spent about 45 mins in total and continued our drive south.
Both wifey and I felt that Khao Yai deserves more time. We would plan to visit these places the next time we come here -
Chok Chai Farm (3-hour farm tour good for children),
Hobbiton (Shire themed resort),
GranMonte Vineyard, strawberry picking and the smoked pork ribs at Krua Khao Yai hahaha...
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We chose to return our rental car back at SUV Airport, though one could also return at their other outlets within the city. The return process was smooth and we found ourselves in the train towards the city in no time.
Checked into Amari Watergate Hotel. You should be no stranger to this place, if you have tailored/accompanied your partner to tailor clothes on your previous trips. They recently spruced up the lobby and it definitely looks more bright and welcoming! I chatted up the hotel staff (for he was Japanese!) and I think that was the reason he gave us a
FREE room upgrade to a SUITE!
Sorry I don't have pictures to share but the room was so huge it was like a 4-room HDB apartment with frills like:
- Essential oil that greeted us
- 2 toilets
- 1 super King-sized bed in a humongous bedroom
- 3 tall windows facing 3 directions of the city
- Got dedicated living area, work desk, arm chair and huge wardrobe
- We were just hyperventilating being AWED by the sheer size!
We reluctantly dragged ourselves out of the atas room to explore the city. First stop - lunch!
Inter Restaurant
HIGHLY raved by my family (who patronized it recently) and also by online reviews, Inter is conveniently located (just opposite Siam Paragon) and is famous for its reasonably priced, consistent authentic local food... and queues. Good thing we arrived during off-peak hours, and we got a table after 15 mins.
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| Grandma fried rice, fried morning glory, deep fried chicken wings and Tom Yum soup (OF COURSE) |
I loved EVERY DISH. Tasted so homecooked and perfectly delectable. Their Tom Yum soup was vvvvvvvvvvvv good, almost the same standard as Lan+Lee+Lar's. I finished every drop!! Tip: you can ask for top up of the soup at no extra charge! We were done with lunch at about 4pm and the queue was about 12-15 ppl.
After such a full lunch we just couldn't fit in dessert, even if it was
After You Cafe (which was just opposite)! So we took the MTR to Terminal 21 for some pre-massage digestion aka shopping.
Later, we walked 10 mins to
Health Land Asoke, whose building resembles a Japanese castle, a very impressive decor and certainly looks atas! But the massage packages are very affordable, we took 2-hr Thai massage for only 600B each. You can check out the reviews online for yourself, it was value for money but we left not very impressed and feel
Lavana Spa (800B) offers more pampered service and facilities.
Night markets are the 'in' thing now in Bangkok (recall ArtBox was so popular in Sg?), and I chose to visit one near our hotel -
New Rot Fai Ratchada Market.
It was Friday night and you bet the night market was bustling with activity and entertainment. There are more than 10 rows of stalls offering mani/pedi services, selling trendy clothes, handicraft, toys, bags, intertwined with F&B selling local zhichar, wanton noodles, cakes, sashimi (YES, OMG I CAN'T IMAGINE), deep fried crickets etc. I felt like I didn't want to end our last night on a not-so-satisfied stomach, so we grabbed a table and tucked into a salt-baked fish with beer:
Turned out to a very good decision cos the fish was very tender and moist, it was wifey's first bite of this food and despite being full she helped herself to more servings. The side dish of plain noodles looks uninviting but when paired with the tangy peanut dip, it is lovely. Down everything with ice cold bottled beer - and we are done for the night :)
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We spent about $1700 in all, a very reasonable amount for a very relaxing and memorable short trip. So after 4 days we picked up yx at my parents' place, and this was what happened:
She heard me at the door and walked slowly towards me in small steps, looking down. Usually on weekdays when I go over after work, she would be running over excitedly and telling me what she was doing or wearing or looking at; but not this time. I could tell her eyes were beginning to swell and she didn't mutter a word, still looking down. I knelt down and she reached for a hug, finally letting go a whimper. Aww, this girl must have missed us deeply! True enough, we heard from my family that during the period we were away, yx would occasionally break into small cries and call out for us. We missed you too baby girl! :)
