Thailand is one of our fav destinations, home to fascination culture, scenery, beaches, people and food. Thailand has plenty of island paradises and one of our favourites is Koh Phangan. Christine spent a few days here and loved it!  'I was on a trip around Thailand and spent some time on Thailand east coast. Koh Phangan, just to the north of  Koh Samui , is renowned for its monthly Full Moon parties, but away from the partying there’s a beautiful island that makes a perfect hideaway destination.  Adjacent to Koh Samui, Koh Phangan is reached by boat from her neighbour, taking around 90 minutes in total to travel from the main areas of Koh Samui to the resorts of Koh Phangan. Koh Samui airport has regular flight connections from around Thailand. With over half the Island being a national park there’s plenty to explore with a hilly interior and coastline dotted with fishing villages, plus it’s a great spot for diving too.  Koh Phangan  makes a...

Bangkok, Siem Reap and Hua Hin  A superb three-centre itinerary combining cities, history and relaxation, taking in vibrant Bangkok, the incredible Temples of Angkor in Cambodia, and relaxing Hua Hin to finish. This is one of our favourite holidays at Escape Worldwide. Mark has been to all three destinations to feel free to give him a call! ITINERARY Day 1 - UK to Bangkok Fly from Heathrow to Bangkok, arriving the following day. Departures from other UK airports are also available, please ask for details. Day 2 - Bangkok On arrival, you’ll be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel, the handily located Park Plaza Bangkok Soi 18 for a three night stay. Our holidays to Thailand are extremely flexible so if you’d prefer a shorter or longer stay just ask! Days 3-4 - Bangkok Spend the next few days exploring chaotic Bangkok . Check out the temples, markets, restaurants and nightlife of this wonderful city. Day 5 - Bangkok to Siem Reap Transfer back to ...

A holiday to a great way to relax and spend time with the ones you love or great friends, however, it doesn’t always follow that your loved ones and friends are in the UK! Escape Worldwide can offer holiday packages starting from all over the globe, just the other day Christine arranged an amazing holiday to Bangkok and Phuket in Thailand, for two sisters. One sister and her family lived in the UK and the other sister and her family lived in Auckland,  New Zealand, so we arranged a holiday where they all meet up in Bangkok, then onto Phuket before going  home to their respective countries.  All flights, transfers and accommodation arranged for them. The lady was so happy as the sisters and their families hadn’t seen each other for 10 years and Thailand was a perfect location for them to meet up. The world is smaller than ever so feel free to give us a call, 020 8989 0970 or email us at info@escapeworldwide.co.uk if you would like us to help you ...

Karen and Christine was in Thailand in 2015 and whilst in Bangkok they went on a tour with a bit of a difference: On my recent visit to Thailand with Karen we sampled the Tuk Tuk Experience excursion in Bangkok . This was a really fun way of travelling around and as our guide was in the Tuk Tuk with us she pointed out different places of interest that we could go back to at a later date if we wanted to. After meeting at the hotel and introducing ourselves to other people doing the excursion as well we headed off to our first destination, Wat Saket (the Golden Mount). You ascend up the outside of this and upon reaching the top the views over Bangkok are amazing. Your guide will inform you of what you are looking out at and also all the history. You then descend and get back in your Tuk Tuk to your next destination. The next place we stopped was Wat Po. Here you will be able to see the reclining Buddha. Your guide will tell you all the history of this temple like this is t...

Karen was recently in Thailand and headed to the beautiful island of Koh Phangan: Christine and I visited Koh Phangan on a recent visit to Thailand, which also included Bangkok, Koh Samui, Phuket and Khao Lak, so it was a bit of a whirlwind trip! Because of this we had just one night in Koh Phangan, and we definitely could have stayed for an extra couple of nights. We stayed at the Santhiya Resort , which is built into the hillside on the north east coast, and is stunning. From Koh Samui airport to the ferry terminal is only about 15 minutes, and Santhiya’s speedboat only takes around 30 minutes, so from landing into Koh Samui airport at around 09:30 it didn’t take long at all to set to the hotel. As the hotel is built into the hillside it can be quite hard work walking to your room (ours was right at the top of the resort!) but there are little wooden cars to take you around if you’re not feeling particularly energetic! Unless you’re heading for the Full Moon Party Koh Pha...

We Love Bangkok! It's our favourite Far East city and we can't get enough of it! We've put together our '48 hours in Bangkok' guide to give you some inspiration too. At Escape Worldwide we travel to Bangkok frequently, to get to know this fast-paced city as well as possible - Darren recently stayed at the Chatrium Riverside Hotel , Mark's favourite is the Dusit Thani while Karen & Christine are planning their next trip for September! DAY 1 - MORNING Start your visit to Bangkok by hopping on the Skytrain and travelling down to Taksin Station on the Silom line - the Skytrain is by far the best way to get around, and an all-day pass will cost you around £2, which is worth it for the air conditioning alone! Temple guardian at the Grand PalaceAt Taksin station, walk towards the river and hop on one of the public boats that ply the waters of the Chao Phraya - it's a great way to see the city from a different angle, and at around 20p for the trip to ...

Honeymoons are always a difficult one, you want something special but at the same time you don’t want to totally blow your budget, you have after all you probably had to shell out a small fortune on the wedding! One of our favourite and good value honeymoon options is Thailand . Thailand has so much to offer from the shopping paradise and fun of Bangkok to some of the most amazing beaches you’re likely to see. Also Thailand has some amazing value for money hotels, including some great options with Pool Villas. I’d suggest spending 3 or 4 nights in Bangkok – it’s quite a hectic place so you need a few days just to take in the main sites. There’s loads to see and do in Bangkok, and I find it handy to stay near the Skytrain monorail network to make getting around easy. Areas such as Silom and Sukhumvit are popular for their mix of shopping, great food and easy links to the rest of the city – try MBK centre for bargain electronics, or my favourite Platinum Mall for great clothes ...

Krabi is one of our favourite parts of Thailand and is an area we've visited a number of times - we'd love to share our passion for Krabi with you! WELCOME TO KRABI The relaxed beach resort of Krabi is set in some of Thailand's most   impressive scenery , overlooking beautiful Phang-Nga Bay in the south of the country. As Thai beach resorts go it's fairly small and laid-back, making it a great option for those wanting to   chill out on holiday , rather than partying all night. The main beach area is at Ao Nang, a few minutes from Krabi town itself, and here you'll find a good selection of hotels, a number of bars and restaurants - including some of the   best seafood  you'll find in Thailand - and a relaxed atmosphere. GETTING TO KRABI   Most of Krabi's beach hotels can be reached in around half an hour from the airport, which has direct flights from Bangkok for an easy   Bangkok and Krabi twin centre holiday , and also Koh Samui. Phuket airp...

  Mark has just got back from Bangkok and whilst there he visited the new Centara Watergate Pavillion:   Having been to Bangkok a fair few times and having seen plenty of hotels I was keen to see Centara Hotels and Resorts new offering and I have to say was pleasantly surprised by the Centara Watergate Pavillon .     The hotel is well located, close to Pratunam Market and a short walk to the Central World shopping mall, one of the largest in Bangkok .   Arriving at the hotel, the reception is located on the 9th floor which I have to say give it an exclusive feel. The lobby was large, bright and welcoming with floor to ceiling windows overlooking the water features and main restaurant.       I was welcomed by the friendly reception and met the marketing manager for my look around. Firstly we were taken to the impressive Spa, which has a good number of treatment rooms and also seemed to be very well priced for a city hotel...

Thailand is one of the most beautiful, charming and diverse countries you can visit. It's also one of Asia's best-value holiday destinations, says Mark Haughton of Wanstead travel agent Escape Worldwide. Thailand's diversity makes it a fascinating place to visit, where you can take in ancient temples and modern cities, deserted beaches and non-stop nightlife, stunning countryside and plenty more – all in one trip. Holidays to Thailand are very flexible, so it's not just a two-weeks-on-the-beach kind of place, you can do as much – or as little – as you wish. Most visitors start their Thai adventure in Bangkok, the capital and by far the largest city, with the best flight connections from the UK. It's a hectic place with lots to experience – there's everything from ancient temples and grand palaces to vibrant markets and lively bars, and while it's a full-on city that's not to everyone's taste, it's an easy place to fall in love with. It...

Darren talks about one of his fav places.... Bangkok..Thailand Thailand is probably my favourite country of all those I've visited, and it's one I've been to the most - I went twice this year alone, taking in the beach resorts of Phuket and Koh Samui , plus spending a few days on Bangkok , one of my favourite cities anywhere! This time I stayed at the Rembrandt Hotel , which is really well located for zipping around Bangkok on the skytrain, the monorail network that keeps moving when the City's terrible traffic grinds to a halt. The best thing I find is to get a day pass for the skytrain that costs 100 Baht (about £2) which lets you travel all day - it's easier than getting a ticket each trip! The Rembrandt Hotel has a superb Indian restaurant on the top floor, and dining here comes with a spectacular view across Bangkok - the food's pretty good too! On this trip I did a bit of sightseeing in Bangkok and went back to the Grand Pa...

At Escape Worldwide we travel to Bangkok frequently, to get to know this fast-paced city as well as possible, Darren visited Bangkok last month and stayed at the Rembrandt Hotel, Mark was at the Dusit Thani recently and Karen stayed at the Royal Orchid Sheraton on her last trip. DAY 1 - MORNING Start your visit to Bangkok by hopping on the Skytrain and travelling down to Taksin Station on the Silom line - the Skytrain is by far the best way to get around, and an all-day pass will cost you around £2, which is worth it for the air conditioning alone!  At Taksin station, walk towards the river and hop on one of the public boats that ply the waters of the Chao Phraya - it's a great way to see the city from a different angle, and at around 20p for the trip to Chang Pier, it's a bargain too! From Chang pier it's a few minutes walk to the  Grand Palace  and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, which is Bangkok's...

We're celebrating our 10th birthday at  Escape Worldwide , and looking back at 10 years of globetrotting in the name of bringing you great holidays - at least that's our excuse! We're having a look at our personal top 10 favourite travel experiences of the last 10 years. Natalie picks up a bargain - or three!  "This was my first visit to  Bangkok , and as an experienced shopper and bargain-hunter back home I was pleased to see that there were tons of shops and lots of shopping to be done - I am a self confessed handbag addict and was pleased to see that there was plenty on offer! Before shopping comes sightseeing, and I started at the Grand Palace, a real 'must see' for anyone visiting Bangkok. The palace is a series of palace buildings and temples, and is very much in use - it dates back over 300 years and although the current King doesn't live here, the palace is still used for official events, and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha i...

If your ever in the Far East and looking for somewhere to stopover for a few days to spend abit of money on yourself, or others if you’re feeling nice... Bangkok is great! There are tons of shops and lots of shopping to be done in Bangkok . Anything from clothes to watches and handbags can be found for the collectors out there. These can be purchased in various parts of the city. There's a bargain to be had everywhere depending on what it is that you want and how much luggage allowance you have left! A trip to the Grand Palace and the surrounding areas is fantastic and getting around here is easy on foot or by tuk tuk, which you can rent by the hour for next to nothing. One place that is well worth a visit is MBK, which is a fantastic shopping centre for the bargain hunters! It’s full of floors and floors of merchandise from upmarket designer outlets to market-style stalls. It’s situated at the end of the skytrain line and the port for the river taxi is at the other end. On ar...

Unfortunately not, there aren’t any direct flights to Bangkok from Manchester. Direct services to Bangkok are only from Heathrow with Thai Airways, British Airways, Qantas and Eva Air. There are a few easy indirect options for example with Emirates, which is a world class airline and would fly direct from Manchester to Dubai and then you would change aircraft for an onward direct flight to Bangkok. You can even fly on the new double decker A380 aircraft on the Manchester / Dubai leg, which I loved when I flew on the A380. You can do a similar thing with the likes of Etihad Airways, which would go via Abu Dhabi and Qatar Airways which would go via Doha. There are also options with Air France or KLM going via Paris or Amsterdam. Escape Worldwide - Home of Long Haul Holidays http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk

There are one or two All Inclusive hotels in Thailand , but to be honest the food and drink is so cheap out there you wouldn't want to be staying in your hotel! Last time I was out there I visited three of the beach resorts - Phuket , Krabi and Phi Phi - and I think the most I paid for a meal was £25 and that was the most amazing lobster I've ever had in Phuket. Even the more remote beach hotels have a couple of beach restaurants close by, and if you are in one of the more touristy areas, such as Ao Nang in Krabi, you will be spoilt for choice. You will be able to get a really good meal for about £5 or £6, or just some chicken satay for £1 or so. The bottles of beer are enormous! Singha, Tiger and Chang beer are all very common, as are Happy Hours, so make the most of them! Happy Hour quite often runs from 4 in the afternoon until about 9 in the evening, and the offers tend to be 2 or 1. Given the full price is about £2 for a large bottle, you might not need to be there after...

Hi All,  We have some great special offers at the moment, so check out our latest newsletter at:  http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk/newsletter/offers/Oct11b2.html This week we have some great deals to Thailand , Sri Lanka  and a  Hong Kong  / Dubai THAI TRIPLE CENTRE BANGKOK, PHUKET & KRABI   - From Only £1099 per person  Fantastic savings to Thailand - save up to £300 per person on this superb triple-centre holiday combining three of our favourite parts of the Country, taking in Bangkok, Phuket and Krabi staying in quality hotels throughout.  Check out the details:   http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk/prices/offers/thai25.PDF   SRI LANKA TOUR & BEACH ALL INCLUSIVE TOUR  - From Only £1225 per person  A superb 5-night tour of Sri Lanka followed by 5 nights on beautiful Bentota Beach, with a full sightseeing programme and all meals & drinks included - saving up to £160 per person makes ...

Hi fellow travellers, Fed up with the rubbish summer we've had, us to so this week we've been putting together a list of great holidays that will let you remember what the sun looks like! Check them out: http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk/newsletter/offers/Sep10a2.html A great, cheap option is a week in the sun in Hurghada  in Egypt . This offer gives you a week in the sun for only £539 per person staying on an all inclusive basis at the 4* Mercure Hurghada . This lovely hotel is set right on the beach and give great snorkeling opportunities and as as time to relax and be waited on! With a great all inclusive package it's perfect for a week away! We've also got a great holiday  to one of our favorite places Zanzibar . Zanzibar  has some of the most stunning beaches in the world and great friendly people. A great option is the Royal Zanzibar Beach Resort  which offers a great level of accommodation, with a comprehensive all inclusive package for only...

Hi fellow travellers, Another week and another newsletter: http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk/newsletter/offers/Aug10b2.html This week have some great value options to Thailand , Goa , Sri Lanka  and Dubai . The Thailand  triple centre has to be my favourite. Bangkok , Hua Hin  and Pattaya . This holidays is a great introduction to Thailand and at a great price, only £849 per person for a 15 night holiday ! Though the offer we have to Sri Lanka  is blinding, only £669 per person for 8 nights staying at the 4* Kani Lanka , this offer cannot be missed! We have plenty of other great holiday  idea, so why not shopt by: http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk/ Happy travelling Darren Escape Worldwide Home of great long-haul holidays

Thailand is slowly getting back on it's feet which is great news and the place is simply stunning and should not be missed! OK at the moment you can't go to Bangkok but that doesn't mean you can't head to one of the stunning beach resort. I took this picture when I was in Krabi and as you can see it's is simply stunning! You deserve a holiday to head to Thailand! Happy Travelling Darren Escape Worldwide