TRAVEL THAILAND ALL IN GOOD THAI Thought Thailand was all buckets, beach parties and backpackers? CATHY ADAMS explores the country’s more sophisticated side I ’M OFF TO get a tattoo. At least, the chances are I will, if I fall off the motorbike I’ve hired from some Phuket street hut where the petrol comes from a litre bottle of Sailor Jerry. The so-called ‘Phuket tattoo’ is what you receive when your (hungover, ill-advised, virgin) trip on a bike results in a deep gash to your flesh. So, resigned to the fate of this initiation, I hand over some crumpled baht and bracket my knees around a blue Suzuki. After a few wobbles working out how to turn a corner without upending myself over the handlebars, I’m razzing it around the roads of Phuket, passing palm trees and hefting it up green hills with an extra tug on the gas to get panoramic views over the sparkling Andaman Sea. I should count myself lucky, really – I’m down on Cape Panwa, the southernmost tip of the bulging Thai island, which is serene and separate from the pulse of Phuket Town and surrounding gap-yearing beaches, where traffic would most likely flatten me into the tarmac of the busy two-lane highway. Thanks to some rapid urbanisation, on first glance Phuket is overwhelming, unrealistic and hardly the promise of idyllic Thai beaches and landscapes. That is, until you drive as far south as you can get without tipping into the sea, and you hit the lush boutique retreat of Sri Panwa, hidden high up in the jungly hills. Here, there’s not a Phuket tattoo in sight – that will have to wait until I leave.* The Sri Panwa estate is so expansive, there’s a fleet of tuk-tuks to ferry you about the different parts of the resort. Hell, even the rooms need their own tuk-tuk to navigate. The one-bedroom villas come with wrap-around infinity pools, plus an elegant lounge and a whole lot of glass for views out over the sea. But the reason to come to Sri Panwa isn’t its private villas nor its super-relaxing spa (again, with undisturbed views). The resort’s signature attraction is its sexy rooftop bar and deck Baba Nest, which offers by far the best view on the whole of Phuket. If you can face waking up for sunrise at 6.15am, come for that. If not, come for sundowners and watch the oranges and pinks mix in the sky from the panoramic deck, before retreating to the hotel’s excellent Baba Soul Food Thai restaurant – think classic Thai dishes served up with ocean views. Then call a tuk-tuk home again. I’m sure there are better places on Earth, but I’m yet to find them. After two days my blood pressure has returned to normal and my skin has lost that pallid look that betrays days spent in office air-con, but my time relaxing in sun-slammed Phuket has me gasping for some action. More specifically, Bangkok action. Commonly thought of as one of Dante’s rings of hell, Thailand’s capital is the sort of place you are likely to leave with an actual tattoo. A “giant slather of a city”, says a friend. But really, how bad can it be? In reality, Bangkok somehow manages to simultaneously be the dirtiest and glitziest city I’ve ever visited. My introduction is pretty high-rolling – a signature Rolls-Royce from the buzzing airport to the vertiginous Peninsula hotel, after which I’m installed in a lounge chair overlooking Bangkok’s heaving Chao Phraya river. There’s a jazz band playing softly and the buildings across the water are twitching their lights on and off. Squint hard enough and it actually feels quite European. But drain the water out of the river – it has the colour of cold pea soup and with a similar consistency – and I imagine you would see everything from shopping trolleys and beer bottles to sunken boats and dead lizards. It’s a fitting introduction to a city that is as grubby as it is glamorous. Sure, Bangkok is one of those places that TAKE A SEAT: Baba Nest rooftop bar at Sri Panwa is a seriously stunning spot from which to gaze out at Phuket’s glorious sunrise and sunsets But what to do in- between? Order some cocktails and Thai dishes from the resort’s Baba Soul Food restaurant of course... e Sri Panwa estate is so expansive, there’s a fleet of tuk-tuks to ferry you about the different parts of the resort ➤ ASSETS squaremile. com squaremile. com 114 115