Leah was brilliant. Great customer satisfaction! She was patient with us when deciding flights. And she got us a great hotel deal.
Zoe was brilliant as usual. Very helpful
First class service and one that I’d highly recommend.
Thanks to Arthur who arranged accommodations and support. See you next year
It all went very smoothly, and we loved the hotels suggested. Many thanks to Marco for his input!
Everything possible was done to help me and make my journey as stress free as possible.
Everything I asked, you guys delivered
Thanks Curtis for organising this trip. Excellent service as usual
Great hotel - simple but clean. Very nice. Transfer fast and efficient. Flights on time and great service in Business Class.
Thank you so much - Luke and your team are the best. We have been booking with you for over 10 years or maybe more
It is very helpful to be able to discuss your flight options with a real person rather than an online process.
Always 5 star service
We weren’t told that our flight from Frankfurt became an internal domestic flight once we landed at Phuket - our headphones were taken back and the entertainment was switched off
Very helpful when I phoned
Cancelled connecting flight spoilt the start of our holiday - I don’t think we will use Qatar again
Great customer service and helpfulness. Neil worked really hard to find a solution that worked for us.
Peter Smith is always there to help and has been for me and my family for many years now. Highly recommended!
Cody has been amazing. He has rescheduled the flights 3 times due to Covid, but we got there in the end. Will definitely use again.
Always good and professional - I don’t use any other company
Always top notch 5*+
Great communication and help all the way through
Consistently good service.
Always book with you because everything is always arranged for me and i get good advice from Nick.
Last minuteschanges by Qatar were notified to us promptly which enabled us to change date and time to a more suitable flight
The premium economy was not too good - it was just the same as economy - but apart from that it worked out perfectly
Excellent service, many thanks
Can't say anything bad - travel many times to Thailand with them and it's always 1st class service
Excellent service and quick responses
Well done and thanks
Thank you Matthew and the team. Ready for the next trip
I first visited Thailand at the end of the Seventies when I was invited to Pattaya Beach by Thai Airways to hear about plans to introduce Boeing 747 jets on the London to Bangkok route.
Around the hotel grounds were elephants decked out in Thai Airways livery: jumbos advertising jumbo jets. It was the first time I had seen elephants in their natural environment!
These days when people want to reach a tropical Thai beach they get on a plane for a short hop to Koh Samui or Phuket. In those days, it took a two-hour drive south from Bangkok to Pattaya (the drive was down a road so bad it made the B4326 look like the M1). This was my first experience of the Far East and probably as good an introduction as you could hope for.
By 1979, US servicemen on leave in the Far East were enjoying Pattaya Beach's extraordinary, edgy nightlife; the characteristic excesses of Thai entertainment were firmly established here. It was the place where The Beach's author, Alex Garland, would have been in seventh heaven.
I'm not clear why there was such a large US presence in Thailand at the end of the Seventies but the bar and club owners were clearly grateful.
Away from the strip, hotel developers were building resort hotels which at this time seemed to serve a market of affluent Parisians.
They have moved on but Pattaya remains a fun-loving place: the Costa del Sol of South East Asia. But there are interesting developments east of Pattaya, along the coast towards the border with Cambodia.
Typical of the different style is Centara Q Resort Rayong, a boutique resort set on quiet Laem Mae Phim beach on the eastern coast of the Gulf of Thailand.
there are 41 modern rooms in a resort designed to provide an intimate, beachfront getaway three hours' drive from Bangkok.
A number of other less well known Thai places are also beginning to be discovered by UK travellers, including Khanom, Koh Kood and Koh Phangan.
Koh Phangan is one of the many Thai resorts that has completed the journey from backpacker hang-out to upmarket resort.
Once known as the ultimate party destination thanks to its hedonistic scene and guest appearance in The Beach, the island has emerged as stylish and elegant.
The Anantara Rasananda on Koh Phangan is one of the Thai properties which makes the link between Koh Phangan's boisterous past and its more mellow present. Many guests have been here before, in their wilder days, but are now happily settled in their 30s, often with kids in tow.
Those hot, heady affairs still take place on Haad Rin beach, 30 minutes from the hotel, but now many people seek this more refined island option.
If you're looking for a more affordable Thai beach break, the Cassia Phuket lies on the unspoilt Bangtao Beach. Those looking to relax can choose to take a dip in the chic infinity pool or indulge in a massage and pampering session at the Chill Chill Spa.
At Market 23 Cafe, guests can socialise over a cup of coffee and takeaway snacks and meals including fresh fruit juices, daily smoothies, organic pro-biotic yogurt, light sandwiches, freshly prepared salads, and savoury and sweet pies.
Alternatively, guests can buy fresh ingredients to recreate their favourite dishes in their apartment. You can also order from local restaurants or take away directly from street vendors.
First published in the Mail on Sunday - June 2016
More articles below...