With the sun about to dip below the horizon, our yacht approached a curious-looking island. In the crystal-clear water ahead, there was a hive of activity, as a troop of Samae monkeys excitedly swam out towards the vessel. For the next 10 minutes, we took it in turns tossing segments of watermelon and cantaloupe towards the hungry macaques, with each of them scrambling to get their hands on their juicy tea-time treat, before looking up at us with adorable, red-tinted smiles. This encounter with the grinning primates was one of the many times during my trip to Bangkok and eastern Thailand in which I’d seen smiling faces. And I’m not just talking about the people and animals who call the place home, visitors to the southeast Asian country are also remarkably cheery and content – perhaps more so than ever before. I spoke to a number of honeymooning couples and other holidaymakers during the week, and despite the current trepidation surrounding travel, most didn’t seem that concerned. “There are worse places to be stranded” or “we’ll happily take another couple of weeks here”, were two sentences I heard regularly. I flew to Thailand with Norse Atlantic Airlines, and their 12-hour direct route from Manchester to Bangkok, avoiding a connection in the Middle East, provided me with peace of mind. My haven in the crazy and chaotic Thai capital was one of its most distinguished addresses, Oriental Residence Bangkok. I spent three nights in a plush onebedroom suite, where I would sit with coffee in the morning, looking over downtown Bangkok’s spectacular skyline, before chilling out in a chic cabanas beside its fourth-floor Play Deck pool. For guests on their honeymoon, the hotel has special packages and can romantically decorate the room with Champagne and a basket of fruit or flowers. The food and beverage at the hotel is first class. As well as a buffet and à la carte breakfast at Café Claire, I also enjoyed three of their signature evening dishes – tuna tartare with avocado, traditional French onion soup and crispy duck leg with sautéed potato. But, best of all is the restaurant’s Claire & Her Chocolate Fantasy afternoon tea, an Instagrammable ‘journey into a world of pure imagination’ featuring a feast of sweet and savoury bites and speciality TWG teas. The location of Oriental Residence Bangkok, in the heart of the embassy and business district, is perfect for exploring the hot and steamy capital. From here, you have the option of jumping in a Grab (Thailand’s incredibly cheap version of Uber), flagging down a taxi, tuk-tuk or moped, or walking. I explored some of the places I missed on my previous visit to Bangkok – the Wat Satek Buddhist temple, the Grand Palace and the Chang Pier waterfront on the banks of the Chao Phraya River. On day three, craving a dash of greenery and a burst of fresher air, I made a beeline for the serene Lumphini Park. But as I strolled around the large ponds between the trees, I realised I was not alone. One of the park’s many resident giant monitor lizards, seemingly with a scaly smirk on its face, was basking yards away from me on the grass. Bangkok’s nightlife is legendary, but if you want a break from the cheap beers (it’s as little as 100 baht or roughly £2 for a bottle of Chang or Singha) and the intensity of Sukhumvit Road, Soi Cowboy and Khao San Road, then head to the ‘tummy of the dragon’, Yaowarat Road in the heart of Chinatown, where street vendors and moped riders jostle for HONEYMOONS 87
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