Jamie Spencer, one of Tropical Sky’s expert Luxury Holiday Specialists, recently spent his honeymoon in Thailand and was mightily impressed by the quality of the hotels he stayed at, as he explains…

Thailand is a country of real diversity and contrasts, and we decided to start our recent holiday to this beautiful country with a night in lively Bangkok before moving south to Ko Samet to begin the beach part of our trip. We also discovered that the legendary Thai hospitality and quality of service was very much in evidence at the hotels we stayed in.

On arriving at the Le Bua Hotel in Bangkok the check in procedure was simple and relaxing, as we were invited to sit on the comfortable sofas and listen to the grand piano playing in the background whilst the paperwork was completed.

La Bua is a five star boutique hotel that occupies the top few floors of one of the highest buildings in Bangkok. All rooms are above the 50th floor and have balconies with amazing 180-degree panoramic views of the city.

The Sirocco restaurant is really lively and definitely the place to be, along with the stunning cocktail bar, which is just amazing with its breathtaking views, especially at night. It was definitely a good idea choosing La Bua, it was a great hotel and perfectly located to get around Bangkok and see the sights.

After our stay in the city we then travelled onwards to Rayong pier (just north of Pattaya) for our boat transfer to Ko Samet where we would continue our stay at The Paradee Hotel.

Although our journey was delayed, to our delight hotel staff were at Ko Samet pier waiting for us in a beautiful private speedboat, which even featured white leather seats embossed with the Paradee
Logo. After the 20-minute boat transfer more staff were standing on the beach waiting for us with a warm Thai welcome.

We were introduced and taken straight to our rooms by Alex the Front Desk Manger for our in-room check in. As we arrived at our room a gentleman was already there smiling away with a wooden briefcase filled with an array of natural soaps of all fragrances for us to choose from, a lovely touch. I chose Lemon Grass and my wife went for the Oriental Tea.

The rooms were lovely, spacious and beautifully laid out and included a complimentary welcome bottle of red wine. At the end of the four poster bed was a window with a direct view of the sea.

The beach at The Paradee Hotel is perfectly manicured and treated every day, and the sand is like flour and bright white. There is a reef just off the beach and cordoned off from boats so you can snorkel away on your own and look at the wonderful fish and coral without any worries.

The staff walk around every now and then and hand you fresh fruit skewers. To my amazement mine and my wife’s had our Chinese birth year animal sign on the top, another example of the hotel’s superb personalised service.

All in all The Paradee was truly amazing, such a hidden gem. Stay there with absolute confidence and you will be back.