Bangkok, Thailand

Asia & Australasia

12 Mar

Written By Simon Campbell

Ancient temples, palaces and a tribute to Augusta. The vibrant day and nightlife of Bangkok is balanced with the serenity of golf and island escapes.

Few cities in the world inspire travellers’ tales quite like Bangkok. Whether they’re of the late-night variety from the infamous Khao San Road, legends from its ancient past etched within the walls of myriad palaces and temples or the never-ending folk tales laced with the making of its street food, not many rival Bangkok when it comes to conjuring up a good yarn.

Take the Grand Palace, on the royal island of Ratanakosin, it’s witnessed coronations, royal assassinations (the Rama VIII was found in his bed with a gunshot to the head in 1946); attempted military coups; not to mention the usual fare that comes with royal residences. Or Wat Pho, where stories stretch into the afterlife with its 46m-long Reclining Buddha representing the death of Buddha and passing into nirvana, and not forgetting the lanes of Chinatown where Chinese opera undertakes the most powerful form of storytelling.

Perhaps for golfers, it’s a case of being at the start of a story, as the city has ambitions to create the ‘world’s golf capital’, hyperbole perhaps, but it’s made a start with Royal Gems Golf City, an hour north of the centre. Here, American architect Ron Garl has started a 63-hole project with a course – Dream Arena – that takes inspiration from holes at Oakmont, TPC Sawgrass and Royal Troon, and then a back nine mimicking those of Augusta. More for the purist will be Garl’s course at Alpine Golf Club, a 20-minute drive north, where he built a challenging course on what was once rice paddy fields, and did a good enough job to entice the 2000 Johnnie Walker Classic, won by none other than Tiger Woods.

Back in the heart of the city, the tranquillity of golf, can be balanced with a visit to the city’s eclectic and seemingly endless street markets or the rooftop bar scene that rivals any in Asia, but perhaps the other major plus point of Bangkok is the location.

From here it’s not only the gateway to the islands – day trips to nearby islands or an hour-plus flights to classics such as Koh Samui or Phuket – or take the path less trodden into the north, for a mountain or jungle adventure. Either way, stories are guaranteed.