I visited tropical island paradise from The White Lotus that’s 28C in February

When I travelled to 15 years ago with a friend it was a holiday we both still look back on fondly.

Cycling round rice paddies outside Bangkok, cookery lessons, night markets, temples, golden buddhas, spectacular sunsets, and snorkelling in the crystal clear waters round Koh Phangan were fabulous experiences.

And not forgetting the food!

Could a return to the Land of Smiles – via the recently reintroduced from Gatwick to Bangkok – live up to the memories?

My first destination for this return was Koh Samui, Koh Phangan’s bigger sister. It’s a popular destination for travellers and with season three of The White Lotus partly set on the island at the Four Seasons Hotel, its popularity is only likely to increase.

It’s not hard to see why, with densely forested slopes leading down to white sandy beaches and azure seas with hotels nestling around private bays.

The whitewashed villas of the Banyan Tree Samui resort trickle down tropical jungle slopes to the infinity pool, with fabulous views over a private bay in Lamai.

My villa, like all, has gates that lead to decking with loungers and seating. The oversized wooden door makes for a grand entrance into a living area with sofa and bar before reaching the bedroom and bathroom beyond with its massive bath, perfect for a long soak looking out of the floor-to-ceiling windows.

And the star of the show… through the sliding doors in the bedroom, my own private pool. 

That evening, I called for a buggy to meet my travelling companions for a trip to the nearby Lamai village night market.

Lamai is the most popular beach area of Koh Samui. The beach stretches seemingly forever along the coastline with rocky outcrops breaking the view.

Beachside restaurants like Cactus offer up typically Thai dishes such as prawn Pad Thai and fried giant fish.

Its night market is hugely popular with locals and tourists alike. With a Chang beer in hand, we perused the rows of food stalls and picked up gyoza dumplings, tempura prawns, potato spirals and gui chai spinach dumplings, which our guide, Nikkie, recommended, then sat at a picnic table and savoured our food.

The Banyan Tree offers a multitude of water sports from the beach and the yoga classes were great for easing my muscles after a long flight.

The spa has an amazing rainforest room where you can move through various hot and cold water therapies before chilling out on a heated lounger if the weather turns a bit tropical outside.

But, with the sun shining, we took a 90-minute speedboat ride out to the neighbouring island of Koh Tao for some snorkelling.

Colourful parrot fish munched on coral, giant wrasse poked their heads nervously out from under coral banks, while bright yellow and black striped angelfish swam around unfazed by us floundering humans above them.

The next day we took to two wheels for a long cycle ride around an off-the-beaten track region of Koh Samui.

We started at the Wat Phra Chedi Laem So, a small but beautiful golden temple on the south coast, before heading out through the island’s oldest and last natural coconut grove along the coast.

We stopped at Thong Khurt pier, where Khun Bandit, our guide, explained about the traditional long boats that the Thais have used to travel between islands and fish from for centuries.

You can still choose to travel from the mainland, just visible in the distance, to Koh Samui on these brightly coloured crafts.

All this activity requires sustenance, and back at the hotel, we indulged in the hotel’s chef’s table dining experience. Our private dining table was set up in the Edge restaurant, with views out over the bay.

We were invited to help prepare the ingredients, so I offered up my chopping skills and cut up some vegetables and herbs for our starter of grilled beef tenderloin salad with toasted rice powder.

A fragrant tom yum soup and salmon wrapped in red noodles with a yellow coconut curry was cooked for us at the table and it was all served with wines from Monsoon Valley winery, south of Bangkok.

A delicious and indulgent experience. All too quickly our sojourn in Koh Samui was coming to an end but not before one last dip in my villa pool. Then it was onto Bangkok.

Fifteen years ago I stayed on the ever-popular Khaosan Road, back then famous for being very popular with backpackers and for our accommodation, Buddy Lodge (still there and still well loved I’m told).

I loved the vibrancy of the street, always alive with food sellers and bars pumping out music 24-7. I was hoping Bangkok’s Chinatown would match that atmosphere and I wasn’t disappointed.

Food and drink stalls line each side of the Yaowarat Road with shops, restaurants and brightly lit signs providing an ambient backdrop.

I was so pleased we had our guide, Tim, to help us navigate some of the best stalls. We started with a bowl of crab with dragon noodles, mine in a broth, a super simple dish that was very tasty.

Other delicious treats included rice cakes with fried radish and cream filled sweet bao buns. While the Chinatown experience will live in my memory as much as Khaosan Road, I might forget about the deep fried silkworms.

Wallflowers, a lovely cafe by day and bar by night, is close by. A former florist’s, the theme lives on in its decoration: flowers trail from old umbrellas on the ceiling and blooms decorate the rustic tables and the cocktails.

My toasted Negroni infused with coffee beans and decorated with herbs had an unusual taste that grows on you.

All this was just a short hop from the Shangri-La hotel, our home overlooking the Chao Phraya river.

While the decor was perhaps a little outdated, my room was still very opulent and comfortable and the main pool was perfect for a late afternoon dip followed by an Aperol Spritz sundowner.

Away from the tourist hotspots such as the Grand Palace and Wat Arun are some hidden gems.

The Kudi Chin enclave on the other side of the Chao Phraya is largely populated by the descendants of Portuguese traders who settled on the banks of the river centuries ago.

We wandered the walkways between tightly packed houses; no vehicles penetrate this haven.

Around one corner, Auntie Amphan sells homemade sweet treats from her kitchen and nearby we found the Baan Kudichin Museum, set in a lovely old house packed full of interesting artefacts and information about this tranquil pocket in a high-octane city.

More tranquillity can be found at Poomjai Gardens, planted with more than 100 lychee trees, plus many more wonderful plants and the Natura cafe for lovely food and a peaceful retreat.

Time for one last sunset cocktail before heading home and my Hangovertini (Hangover 2 was filmed here) at the Sky Bar at the Lebua hotel was something else.

I suspect I won’t be the first to express an audible “wow” when stepping out onto the rooftop bar that seems to float above Bangkok skyline.

Thailand you are still as good, may I say even better than you were 15 years ago.

I’ll see you again in another 15, or maybe much less this time.

Book the holiday

British Airways Holidays offers two nights on B&B at the Shangri-La Bangkok hotel followed by five nights on room-only at the Banyan Tree Samui resort from £2,689pp, travelling from Gatwick with 23kg baggage and including internal flights between Bangkok and Koh Samui. 

More info at 

Travel Test – British Airways Club World Business from Gatwick  to Bangkok, Thailand

What: BA flight BA2231, Club World Business seat.

Where: Gatwick to Bangkok, Thailand, one-way fares from £3,064 return. 

Experience: BA has recently reintroduced flights to Thailand’s capital after a four-year hiatus. Its Boeing 777-200s are flying there three times a week – and the BA service was exceptional from take-off to landing.

Settled in my aisle seat I was given a glass of Our Cellar Selection, Brut NV, Champagne and not long after take-off came a three-course dinner of prosciutto ham with marinated figs followed by beef short rib with colcannon potatoes accompanied by a glass of Yealands Pinot Noir, with a chocolate marble cake for dessert. All delicious.

Wi-fi was available but I left the world of flicking through socials behind for the movie Wicked Little Letters before settling down for a few hours of sleep.

It took little effort to get my seat flat and the footrest folded. A fluffy pillow and a blanket made for a comfortable experience.

In the White Company amenity bag an eye mask, earplugs and socks helped me sleep until breakfast was served.

My favourite bit of the whole flight turned out to be the creative Bridgerton-esque safety video, drawing inspiration from British period dramas, literature and films to give passengers the standard flight instructions. Very entertaining and I suspect more of us paid attention to it.

Quibbles: A few too many unnecessary buttons to adjust your seat and a lack of somewhere more convenient than the drawer – which ends up under your bed – to store my glasses so I could find my way to the toilets in the night.

Verdict: Overall a very comfortable flight with friendly and helpful crew. 9/10