Hedonism for me is quite simple – mindless shopping at bargain prices, and great food.

(of course there are other things that could live on this list but for the sake of an intro to this piece…)

And when you throw in having to search for bargains – well, I couldn’t be any happier.

When you need a bargain orgy, head to Platinum Fashion Mall in Bangkok.

“Mall” in the sense that it’s an airconditioned building with retailers.  But here’s the difference – each tiny outlet doesn’t boast a big range – because primarily this place exists as a wholesale outlet.

You see people lugging wheelie bags – generally they are retailers who are buying stock to resell – whether online, other parts of Thailand, Africa, wherever.

And because it’s not fancy-shmancy, prices are crazy low, with bulk buy incentives.

For example – a T-shirt maxi dress (great quality) was B320.  Buy 2 or more and it’s B290 each.  (B32 = US$1; B25 = S$1)

White cotton shirts and blouses from the white cotton shirt shop – B250, with reductions for every one more you buy (you can mix and match designs)

Accessories for B200.  Shoes for B250.

Primarily the stuff you find here is oriented towards women/fashion/trends – forget it if you are looking for suits, proper office attire.  But if you’re in the market for more casual stuff – men too, but on a much smaller scale – then give in to the madness.

There’s stuff for fatties, thinies, skankies, aunties, fashionistas – if you have the patience to look.

The prices are so low your filter for ‘do I need it’ disappears.  And when the bulk buy options get crazy (I picked up a cool angels wing enamel ring – buy one for B250. 2 for B300 – see how that happens?) the shopping fever is impossible to resist.  I was giddy.

There is a vague sort of grouping -1-3 floor for women’s fashion,  4th floor for men’s, 5th for accessories, 6th food court.  (old wing)  But really it all becomes much of a muchness.  If you see something you like, either buy it immediately, or take a note of the shop number, or you may never find it again.

The ‘old’ part of the mall is dedicated to clothes, and the ‘new’ mall extension, shoes and bags.  The new mall is smaller and much more manageable, and the older mall is a mad muddle of stalls – there are over a couple of thousand stalls so after a couple of hours it all melds into one mass of crazy.  From pyjamas to underwear to slut dresses to jeans to ethnic gear to funky dresses to shorts to … you get the picture.

A lot of stuff.  And a lot of ladyboy sales assistants.  I don’t know why.

And – CASH only.  Don’t bother bargaining – the only bargaining they do is about bulk buy.

Food – the food court on the top floor is awesome (and of course, super cheap).  Somtam (green mango salad), crab omelette, curries, noodles – you name it.  (and in case you’re wondering, the boiling water at the cutlery stand is to dip your cutlery in to sanitise).  You need to buy a stored value card which you can refund if you haven’t used it all up.  The beef ball noodle is really good, as is the fry-up stall, and the rice – well actually it’s all good!

I spent most time on the 3rd floor, and don’t miss this great original tshirt store, Oleeah, moving to the 4th floor in December – the guy designs the funniest tshirts (funnier than Threadless) and the shop is run by he and his mom.

I won’t even confess how many pieces I came away with.  Suffice to say, I have a whole new wardrobe of harem pants, shirts, tshirts, and accessories – enough to open my own blogshop – for money that would buy a couple of things in Zara.

What you need to know

• The basement smells of drains but the rest is OK!
• Cash only – there are ATMs everywhere, and moneychanger outside
• Make a note of the shop number if you see something you like
• You can’t try things on – but some places have measuring tape
• They generally don’t care if you are happy or not – it’s hardly worth their while
• Pack extra luggage!
• The toilets are OK!  But bring wet wipes and tissue
• Nearest BTS – Ratchadewi and a walk.  Taxi from Ratchaprasong is about B50 and 10 mins (depending on traffic)
• When the cab queue is too long, try a tuk tuk – but settle on a price before you get in
• Missing – foot massage (there’s something in the basement but it didn’t pass muster)
• If you’re serious, plan a couple of visits, over a few days – or you’ll flag (there are Black Canyon Coffee outlets dotted throughout to keep you going)
• It shuts down by 7pm
• There’s a McDonald’s outside if you must

You may also like: Chatuchak and Ratchaprasong

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Bangkok Part 1: 3 Days in Bangkok

Bangkok Part 2: Chatuchak Weekend Market

Bangkok is a big sprawling city, and where you choose to stay really depends on where you need to/want to be.

As a tourist, your most important consideration would be how you’re going to get around, especially given Bangkok’s traffic snarls.

My recommendation is to make sure you’re close to the BTS – the elevated rail system that links the centre of Bangkok.   If you’re within walking distance of the BTS, it means you’ll be able to move around pretty quickly.  Otherwise you could be stuck in a cab for ages (and cab drivers don’t speak English really).  Tuk-tuks are a nice idea but really you only do it once.  Think of the fumes you’re breathing in!  The other efficient way to go is a bike taxi – but you’ll have to want to risk riding pillion through traffic.

Accommodation

There are so many hotels in Bangkok, ranging from very high end to short-stop horrors.  There are backpacker places, ’boutique’ hotels, serviced apartments – so many options.

As a guide, B1,000 = S$40

My hotel list

The Sukhothai Hotel

One of my favourite hotels in the world.

This hotel is just deliciousness.

It is contemporary luxe, and stylish in an understated way.

The rooms are gorgeous, and the bathrooms are destinations in themselves.  The small executive suites are TOTALLY worth the self-indulgence.

Traditional Thai design melded beautifully with contemporary.  Style AND substance.

The pool and spa is also great, and the brunch on Sundays is popular.

A lovely touch are the handmade chocolates you get every night.  Gorgeous truffles – especially the green tea ones.

The award-winning Thai restaurant, Celadon is excellent too, and what a lovely setting.

The only downside is that it’s not close to the BTS.  But on Sathorn Road, you’re not really far from anything.

But worth it if you’re looking to immerse yourself in stylish luxury for a few nights, and you don’t have to be anywhere.  It’s a destination in itself.

Summer rates start from B6,900++ for a deluxe room.

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The Four Seasons Hotel

The former Regent Hotel got an upgrade about 10 years ago and turned into The Four Seasons.

It’s spacious, but not new.  Like The Sukhothai, courtyards connect various parts of the hotel so it doesn’t feel like a concrete tower block.  The rooms are traditional, and large.

As you would expect from The Four Seasons, it’s luxurious but not necessarily chic, with a conservative, older, profile.

The Spice Market is an excellent restaurant, with great Thai food.

The poolside is a lovely place to spend a morning and chill out.

Situated next to the Grand Hyatt and the Erawan shrine, this hotel is in the heart of Ratchaprasong – walking distance to all the shopping, and also a 5 minute walk to Ratchadamri BTS station.

If I need to be moving about in Bangkok and The Sukhothai is too inconvenient, The Four Seasons is a good second choice.

From B7,000++ for a superior room

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The Courtyard by Marriott

This is GREAT hotel for a shopping weekend.

It’s relatively new, stylish, in a great location, and not wildly expensive.

It gets its 4 star rating because it doesn’t have the full suite of amenities, but if you’re not looking for an amazing poolside (it has a little pool) but a contemporary, well-located, stylish hotel, this is it.

The regular rooms (shower, no bath) go at B3,000, and the premier (2 queen sized beds and a full bathtub plus walk in shower) at B4,000.

The breakfast buffet is a bit manic but quite worthwhile.

Just around the corner from the Four Seasons, this is walking distance to the Ratchaprasong shopping, and 5 minutes from the Ratchadamri BTS.

This hotel is a star find!

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Other hotels:

The Grand Hyatt Erawan is a good business hotel.  I find it a bit tower-blockish and soulless but it’s very efficient, and well-located.

The Westin Grande Sukhumvit and The Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit - both by Asok BTS, should you need to be in the Sukhumvit area.

The Holiday Inn – great location in Ratchaprasong, rooms around B3,000.  It’s always busy.  Not too fancy but not too shabby.  It’s OK if you’re not fussy.

The Ecotel “Full comfort at budget prices”  My young nephew always stays here with his pals.  It’s easy on the pocket, and ‘ok’ he says. It’s clean, and does the job, and conveniently located in Pratunam.  Rooms start at B1,000

The Somerset – there are various Somerset, Ascott and Citadines properties around the city.  If there’s a bunch of you, it’s easier on the pocket to take an apartment.  The Ascotts being the most expensive, and the Citadines the most affordable.   It’s worth noting though, generally they don’t come with restaurants, and only provide breakfast.

The Oriental is the grand dame of Bangkok.  On the river, with a lovely colonial feel (especially the Old Wing), the staff greet you by name, the service is a delight.  The riverside Thai restaurant is excellent.  Many will ONLY stay here.

It’s a bit old for me, but to stay there once is a great experience.

The Emporium – I have friends who swear by this place.  Luxurious serviced apartments, at Sukhumvit Soi 24.

The Metropolitan –  on Sathorn, right next to The Sukhothai.  It’s a ‘nearly’ for me.

The rooms are large and I like the interiors (COMO style, so minimalist, chic, clean) but they have weird little windows and I always feel a little claustrophobic.

The pool is perfect if you’re an exhibitionist, you’re on show to the restaurant.

And of course the staff are always better dressed than me in their chic grey Armani outfits.

The best thing is the delicious Como Shambhala toiletries in the bathroom.

Worth a stay if there’s a special deal on.

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Sometimes, when you say things out loud, they happen.

“From your lips to Gods’ ears” as they say.

So I’m putting it out there.

I want to hang out in Italy.

Watching the wonderful Kevin McCloud on the fab series Kevin McCloud’s Grand Tour awakened pangs I’d long forgotten.

There is something incredibly seductive about Italy, and my particular favourite, Florence.

I don’t know if it’s the colour of the stone, the blues of the sky, the orgy of classicism – art, architecture, the imprints left by the Medicis, by Michelangelo, by Brunelleschi – but the whole place just wraps you in a blanket of sensuality.

In an ideal world, you’d visit off-season, mid-Spring or mid-Autumn, stay in a delicious little pensione, and give yourself the luxury of just kicking back and exploring the city for 5 days.  The weather won’t have turned to hot yet, but in the sun you’re warm enough.  The city is busy, but not with the hordes that descend in the summer.

The best thing about Florence is that all the major sites are within walking distance.  I’m guessing in the mid 16th century that was still the best way to get around ; )

No tour buses, no guides with flags.  All you need is a little bit of reading before to familiarise yourself with the history, and time to stop, stare, absorb and just gaze.  Do a bit of research before (with the internet, you don’t need a guidebook) then just show up and TAKE IT ALL IN!

You do not have to be an art lover, an architecture student, an Italian speaker, a connoisseur or a classicist to appreciate the magnificence of Florence.

Sit in the Piazza della Signora with a capuccino and  people watch.  Get up close to Ammanato’s Fountain of Neptune.

Wander round the Palazzo Pitti and imagine the Medici’s living there.

Take a book to the Boboli Gardens and have a quiet couple of hours.

Spend a couple of hours everyday exploring the Uffizi.  I promise you, everyday you’ll see art that will move you.  Botticelli, Caravaggio, Leonardo da Vince, Michelangelo, Coreggio, Raphael – an amazing collection of Renaissance art.

Marvel at the wonder of Renaissance art all around you - sculptures in street corners, statues in churches – beauty is everywhere.

Feel your feet on the Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge).  Stop for a moment and think of how many generations have stood before you.

Go and stand under Brunelleschi’s Dome at the Duomo and wonder how he built it.

Just take it all in.

And of course, pasta, and ice cream.

And when the boys on scooters pinch your butt, don’t get mad, do what I did and yell “Thank you!”

Read Irving Stone’s The Agony and The Ecstasy.  It tells the story of Michelangelo’s life, based in Rome and Florence.  You get a wonderful flavour of life at the time, and it’s a really good read.  For architecture buffs, read Brunelleschi’s Dome – How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture by Ross King. The dome is still stunning and breathtaking today, but at the time, it was gravity-defying and groundbreaking.

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In New Zealand, say tramping, not trekking.  Same same.

If you love nature and the great outdoors, New Zealand is waiting for you.  Beautiful scenery, landscapes – coasts, pastoral views (sheep), islands, mountains, fiords – it’s all there.  STUNNING natural scenery.

Kiwis are on the whole hardy outdoorsy types, and no wonder.  It’s a natural outdoor playground.

While you can ski, sail, campervan, bike New Zealand, try tramping.

My first taste

I tramped the Routeburn years ago as a totally un-outdoors, unprepared, greenie, and strangely, while it was tough, it was amazing, and I got hooked on trekking through mountains.

My friend Cass and I started with a few days in Queenstown (adventure capital of the world) one February, where we whitewater rafted, ate, jetfoiled and ogled the many outdoorsy men wandering around.  Spectacularly weather and scenery!

By the time we got to the start of the trail, it had started raining.  Cass had assured me that it was ‘easy’.  HAH!!  (she did take it back by day 2)  If I’d known about the ‘luxury’ option then (scroll down), I would’ve insisted!

I was totally unfit, and had never carried a pack before.  It was an alpine trail and in the Southern Alps, it tends to rain a lot.  And it’s cold, being in the mountains!  It rained big time on our tramp.  I mean deluge.  Pretty trails became raging waterfalls to wade through, big winds when we were going over the pass nearly had me toppling off the mountain.

But OH!  So beautiful.  And if you are blessed with good weather, I can only imagine how spectacular it would be.

While the cold soggy socks and boots you have to put on in the morning are no fun, it’s worth the grief, I promise.

Never having camped or hiked before, I laugh now at how unprepared I was.  You’ll be walking for about 5 – 6 hours a day from hut to hut.  You’ll be going up and down. You’ll be eating boiled freeze-dried food.  You’ll need to keep your sleeping bag dry.  You’ll need to tape against blisters.  You need fleeces and layers.  You’ll be carrying everything you need on your back (sleeping bag, billy to cook with, cutlery, toilet paper, clothes) – my pack was about 16lbs.  There’s no luxury of privacy at the end of the day in the DOC hut.  (I woke one morning to find a guy across the room staring at me as I opened my eyes.  Kia ora!)  Arriving last means getting the last choice of bunk.  (but you’ll be so tired it won’t matter)  No showers.  Rain means you don’t get any of the spectacular views promised.

When it wasn’t raining, there were silent, wooded glens, full of ferns and fairies.  There were crossings on bridges.  There was the interminable climb up to the saddle (pass).  And the interminable climb all the way down for 2 hours, with your destination hut never seeming to get any closer but in view all the time.  There were beautiful lakeside sunrises.  There were hardy Kiwi boys RUNNING the trail a few times in training for the Coast to Coast run (where they run across the alps from one coast to another – nutty Kiwis).  And everywhere, people feeling sorry for me, the foreign city girl who was totally unprepared!

So what if I could barely walk by day 3?  I had the time of my life.

At the end of our tramp (we cried with relief and then promptly vowed to do another), we ended up in Te Anau, the town at the head of the Milford Sound, and we kayaked the stunningly spectacular Sound early one silent, beautiful morning.  The only problem was, because I could barely move my legs, I had to be violently pulled out of the kayak by 2 men like a stuck bathplug.  So embarrassing.

We then took a helicopter trip to the a glacier where we landed on the ice and larked about before flying back to Queenstown.

Truly, an amazing trip!

Here’s how it works

Most trails in New Zealand operate on a hut system.  DOC (Department of Conservation) Huts have bunks or mattresses, and you have to book your bunk.  Each hut has cooking facilities, and common toilets and showers.

This means you have to carry a sleeping bag, and food, and you’ll be sharing your sleeping and morning moments with total strangers.  It’s basic, but it works.  And it’s all a part of the experience.

There are all sorts of trails you can try (over 400) – from mountain trails, to beach trails.  The ‘famous’ ones are The Milford Track (around the stunning Milford Sound), the Routeburn Track, the Abel Tasman, the Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk.  Most walks are 3-5 days, and the weather depends on the gods.  Not surprisingly, the Southern Alps are cold and wet, and the beach walks in the summer tend to be warm…(though the weather is changeable in Kiwiland)

An easier way

There are also ‘luxury’ tramps by Ultimate Hikes, where you have a hearty Kiwi guide, and all food, accommodation and planning taken care of; including backpacks.  It is a lot easier than organising a tramp from Singapore.  Plus, you get rooms, and someone cooking real food for you.  The lodges are custom-built, so it’s a lot more luxurious than a DOC hut, with showers!  It’s a lot more expensive than doing it on your own (NZ$1000+ as opposed to NZ$50 for DOC booking) but a lot easier to organise.  Ultimate Hikes operates in the Milford Track (private rooms) and the Routeburn Track (bunkbeds).  You’ll also be carrying a lot less stuff – no bedrolls or food needed, so your packs will be a lot lighter.

How good does that sound?!  I would so love to do it. (how about it Cass?)

If you are planning to go it alone, remember you’ll need gear.  There are places that rent you gear, so you won’t have to buy from scratch.  I was incredibly thankful that I invested in a really good, vented rain jacket.  If you are heading to the Southern Alps, make sure you have raingear.  And of course, as on any trekking holiday, having boots that you’ve broken in is going to be crucial.

And oh, what an amazing adventure you’ll have, you lucky thing!

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From the time of Arthur, Guinevere, Merlin, Tintagel Castle sits on the Cornish coast, perched atop a deep blue tempestuous sea on a beautiful stretch of coastline.

Arthur and his father, Uther Pendragon date from around the 5th century.  And while it’s not proven in fact, they have long been associated with Tintagel.  Legend has it Arthur was born at Tintagel.

It’s just ruins now, but there is something incredibly magical about Tintagel Castle.  The ruins are in fact of the castle built by Richard, Earl of Cornwall, in 1233 on the Arthurian site.

When you lay your hands on the stones I swear you can feel the history surging through you.

Settle on the grass, overlooking the ruins and the surging sea, the chilly wind blowing at you, and let your mind wander.  It’s an enchanted place.  Sitting here, I can believe in magic.

Tintagel is in northern Cornwall, South West England.

Please tell me your favourite places in the world…email me at talk@thegroovini.com

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