K Maison Boutique Hotel: The Hidden Gem of Bangkok (Thailand)

K Maison is a stylish boutique hotel tucked away in the quiet alley of Soi Rum Chi in the neighbourhood of Ratchathewi. This four-storey hotel is not easy to spot since it is well hidden away from plain sight, and furthermore it has a simple white exterior design that humbly blends into the surrounding old buildings. In contrast to the exterior, the interior of the hotel is decorated in timeless oriental elegance and modern Thai classic, which create a luxurious ambience. K Maison is truly one of the hidden gems in Bangkok, where you can relax in a cozy atmosphere, yet enjoys the bustling city just a couple of steps away.

8 Delicious Local Eateries in Ayutthaya, Thailand

About 80km north of Bangkok, Ayutthaya is renowned for its great number of majestic temple ruins and listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1991. This ancient city with a rich historical and cultural background provides a unique experience for the travellers who love history and architecture of the ancient times. Besides exploring the historical attractions, tasting the Thai cuisines from the locally owned eateries is also one of the activities in Ayutthaya.

When you visit Ayutthaya, do try their famous foods like Kuay Tiaw Reua (Boat Noodles), Roti Sai Mai (Rolled Pancakes with Candy Floss) which can be easily found along the U-Thong Road, Khao Mok Kai which is a Muslim dish consists of yellow rice and also the Grilled Giant River Prawns which can be commonly found in many of the Thai seafood restaurants.

In this post, we would like to share with you the 8 local eating places that we had hunted down during our stay in Ayutthaya.

iuDia On The River: Experience The Tranquillity Of Old Siam (Thailand)

After years of procrastination, finally I have landed myself in the historic city of Ayutthaya, an ancient capital in the Central region of Thailand. Today, known as the Ayutthaya Historical Park, which was listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991, is one of the most remarkable ruined cities in Southeast Asia. Although Ayutthaya is only one hour drive from Bangkok and most of the main attractions can be covered within a day, we chose to stay in this beautiful city for 3 days, so that we can slowly explore the ruined temples and experience the city fully without rushing.

When come to choosing an accommodation, I always find it interesting to look at the boutique hotels, because I like to admire how a boutique hotel is uniquely set up and usually come with a theme and awe-inspiring style. When we were in Ayutthaya, we stayed with iuDia On The River, a cultured, refined and elegantly furnished boutique hotel located in the heart of the ancient Ayutthaya ruins.

Explore Ko Lanta, Thailand

Ko Lanta is a beautiful uncrowded island set in the Andaman Sea. This large island with white sandy beaches is just a couple hours of travel from Krabi. As compared to the neighbouring destinations like Phuket and Krabi, Ko Lanta is considered a little less well-known but it is becoming more and more popular in the recent years.

Other than the beautiful long beaches, Ko Lanta is also known for its nature reserves and cultural diversity where the Thai-Chinese, Thai-Muslim and Chao Ley (Sea Gypsies) have lived together in harmony for centuries.

SriLanta Resort: A Resplendence Stay (Thailand)

Our trip always involves traveling from city to city, town to town and changing of hotels every one to three nights; it was fun with lots of excitement but it can be quite hectic at times. Hence, for this year Lunar New Year retreat, we decided to go for a resort holiday and have a more relaxed trip. When we planned our retreat, the first country that came to our mind was Thailand. Why Thailand? It was because Thailand is a beautiful country with no shortage of beautiful beaches and also I love Pad Thai and K.K. doesn't mind eating more Mango Sticky Rice.

Initially, we wanted to settle with the popular destinations like Phuket or Krabi, but afraid that they were too crowded, so after further research, and we found SriLanta, a resort which is ideally situated on an uncrowded island of Ko Lanta.

Yi Peng Lantern Festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand

The moment we released the floating lantern into the sky, my heart became heavy, shortness of breath, ear was blocked and saw things in slow motion; standing in that mind blowing scene, I had to remind myself to get back to work as in start taking pictures of the thousands floating lanterns. That was my unforgettable experience during the Yi Peng Festival back in 2013.

Yi Peng, the Festival of Lights is celebrated on the full moon day in the 2nd month of Lanna lunar calendar in Chiang Mai, the ancient capital of former Lanna Kingdom. The people celebrate this festival by releasing the floating lanterns into the sky; the release is to get rid of their bad luck and make a wish for a better future.