#thainland

Starwood Hotels & Resorts has announced the opening of W Bangkok, marking the brand’s entry into the Thai capital. Located at the intersection of Sathorn and Narathiwas roads, the new hotel is contained within a modern, 31-storey glass and steel tower, but also includes a century-old heritage building that used to serve as the Russian embassy.

W Bangkok houses 407 guestrooms and suites in the two distinct buildings, including ten Marvelous Suites, four Duplex Suites, a Wow Suite and the W brand’s signature Extreme Wow Suite. Guestrooms have been designed in gold, blue or magenta jewel tones by floor, with a high contrast of ambient and direct lighting, colored glass panels and accessories to create mystique and illumination.

Each guestroom features custom-designed chrome furniture and technology including 40-inch flat-screen LED televisions and jack pack stations with a sound systems and docking stations for MP3 players. Facilities at the hotel include a fitness centre, spa, swimming pool, business centre and 1,000m² of meeting and event space.

It will also offer a range of F&B outlets including the brand’s signature Woo Bar, W Lounge, poolside dining, and a second floor restaurant with an open kitchen.

If you’re going to begin and end your New Year’s detox with flights halfway around the world, the main event had better be spectacular. And at Phulay Bay, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, in Krabi, Thailand, it is.

The resort’s new Paradise in Balance Retreat is done privately and can be put together anytime this winter or later. The main charm of this retreat its unique-in-the-world authenticity. Ritz-Carlton didn’t just bring in consultants and itinerant teachers; they tapped into the deep wellness traditions around their location in Thailand, one of the country’s most stunning.

The three-night, four-day program includes traditional Thai massage (the “lazy man’s yoga” with extra-deep stretching) and herbal poultice treatments, raw-food Thai cooking classes, full moon beach yoga, healthy menu options (banana flower salad, spicy beetroot tartare with papaya dressing) in the resort restaurants, and detox juices.

The yoga might be done on windswept mid-ocean rocks (really), and the spa soaking in a vitality pool in a lush mangrove jungle. 

But what really sets this retreat apart is the participation of a Thai Buddhist monk from a nearby monastery that’s supported by the resort, who leads guests on daily meditation walks (facilitated through a translator).