A restful stopover...in Bangkok

Paris. City of ... oh, just about everything. Not the sort of place you want to spend three days snoring in your hotel room recovering from jet lag and a head cold caused by the stress of getting away on holiday.

Why not give up a few precious days of your break for a restful stopover so you arrive at your main destination feeling refreshed?

This was our thinking when planning a recent holiday to France. Our stopover requirements seemed simple: a tranquil spot halfway between Auckland and Paris, easily accessible, cheap and somewhere we could be lazy without feeling guilty. The ideal? A $20 a night bungalow we know nestled among the rice paddies in Bali's magical Ubud district, where you wake up to the sound of frogs and the taste of Mr Pastika's hot barley tea and banana pancakes.

So how did we end up swanning around a five-star hotel in one of the world's least restful places - noisy, squalid, chaotic Bangkok?

Those "simple" requirements were to blame. Every stopover option - from Bali in the east, to New Orleans in the west, to an island in Thailand or Singapore - threw up major hurdles in terms of lack of seats on flights, major extra costs, added unwanted stopovers or bad connection times (such as having to stay overnight at an airport hotel or wait for hours for a flight or ferry). Call us fussy, but extra travelling time seemed to defeat the purpose of a four-day R&R stopover.

We were on the verge of giving up the whole idea when friends who live in Hong Kong mentioned a great weekend they spent in Bangkok at a gorgeous hotel right on the Chao Phraya river which runs through the heart of the city.

Inspiration struck. We had never considered Bangkok because while it's a vibrant, exciting place, it's also a bit mad. But staying in luxury accommodation could make all the difference and, having done the temple and palace circuit last time, we could just chill out this time. And hey, where else in the world could we (almost) afford absolute five-star luxury on the piddling kiwi dollar?

Thai Airways had reasonably priced flights available - the extra knee room makes them a good airline for us tall people, and although they stop in Sydney on the way to Bangkok, they do fly direct from Bangkok to Paris. A bit of research on the hotel our friends liked, The Peninsula Bangkok, revealed that since opening in 1998 it has won a bunch of "best new city hotel" awards and is recognised as one of the best in the region with large, lovely rooms and beautifully landscaped grounds.

Our long-suffering travel agent tried to help to book the Peninsula, which usually has packages available through New Zealand agents, but not this time. No problem: a 10-minute surf on the internet (under the search "Bangkok," "accommodation" and "Peninsula") turned up several internet agencies offering packages starting at $US80 plus service and tax charges ($NZ220) including a one way airport transfer, breakfasts, membership of the gym and a fresh bowl of fruit every day. We blew the budget and upgraded to the $US100 plus taxes package (then about $270, now about $300 a night) for a room with a balcony.

So how did the experience rate in terms of those original requirements?

Well, that first night, two very sleepy, grumpy travellers, one of them sneezy with a cold, step off a flight in Bangkok and are at their destination within 40 minutes. Accessible: yes.

Grumpy quickly turns to happy when everywhere we look hotel staff are smiling and greeting us with genuine warmth, everything is in order with the reservation, and we wander through our enormous room, open the curtains and step out onto the balcony to breathe in the warm air and soak up a panoramic view of the city and river. The smell of garlic and chilli wafts up from the restaurants below where the tropical gardens and pool area are lit with fairy lights. Amazingly, it is quiet. Tranquil: yes.

The room? The bed, shower and toilet we need. The foyer, dressing room, desk, fax machine, CD player, five telephones, electronic curtain controls, twin vanities and couch are really just for fun.

The next four days are spent doing very little. The superb breakfast banquets offer an excuse to spend hours sitting outside by the river every morning, ordering up more pots of freshly brewed coffee, chewing on yet another piece of tropical fruit and watching the rice barges, ferries and river taxis pass by. Once the weariness and sniffles have worn off, we start taking the Peninsula ferry (prettiest on the river) to the other side and wandering off around the city streets and markets, finding little restaurants to slurp tom yum goong (hot and sour prawn soup) or pad thai (fried noodles). Having done the tourist circuit last time, there are no regrets about the hours spent on the balcony or poolside just watching the world go by. Guilt-free laziness: absolutely.

The down side of hotel life?

Lovely though it is, the sheer size of The Peninsula means it could never have the character of Mr Pastika's immaculate bungalows in Bali or a $5 thatched hut on a heavenly Thai beach; you can't wear your jandals here and only Madonna could afford the laundry service.

On the bright side? There are no rats chewing the soap while you're sleeping, there's plenty of hot water and look, who doesn't need a television in the bath?

Four days after wandering bleary-eyed into our Bangkok paradise, we're delivered to the airport in a sleek black Mercedes (it's like the Cone of Silence after a tuktuk) checking in for a flight to Paris and fighting fairly intense feelings of regret that we can't just stay here.

Weird but true.

CASENOTES

GETTING THERE: Travel agents offer a range of well-priced packages at Bangkok's top riverside hotels. Depending on which airline you use, further discounts are usually available in packages which often include breakfasts, airport transfers, membership of the hotel gym, sightseeing tours and a daily fresh bowl of fruit.

HOTELS: The Peninsula Bangkok: standard deluxe room from $243 a night, balcony room $286.

The Regent Bangkok: standard deluxe room $233 a night, superior deluxe $331.

Royal Orchid Sheraton: superior river view $186, towers deluxe river view $394 (including hors d'oeuvre and cocktails from 5.30 to 7.30 pm and a 24-hour butler service).

(Prices supplied by House of Travel Takapuna)