The world’s wettest and wildest water festival is approaching and is right here in Thailand. From early April until the night of April 14 you can be sure there will be few places to hide from the hustle n’ bustle of Thai New Year and the Songkran Water Festival. However, here are a few suggestions for dining and stays in a dry and sophisticated ambience at luxury hotels around the country.
Sawasdee pee mai! (Happy New Year)
Celebrating Songkran in Koh Samui A quiet tropical resort overlooking the sapphire seas of the Gulf of Thailand, Banyan Tree Samui is the ideal beach getaway this Thai New Year. A one-night-only cultural fair will be hosted at the hotel on April 13 with a Songkran Street Market and BBQ Buffet on the beachfront lawn, accompanied by a traditional Thai bamboo show, a fire show, and live music. Tickets are 2,900 THB per person, and the evening’s activities are from 7pm to 10pm. For kids, on April 13, there will be water-gun and water balloon fights, along with a sandcastle building competition. At MICHELIN-listed Saffron, the resort’s authentic Thai fine-dining restaurant, a Songkran Royale Thai Set Menu will be available on any evening from April 11 to 15. Guests at Banyan Tree Samui will also find their daily buffet breakfast complemented by Floating Market Live Stations between April 13 to 15, inclusive.
Songkran’s ‘Timeless Flavours’ in Chiang Mai To mark Songkran, Meliá Chiang Mai’s signature restaurant MAI Restaurant and Bar on the 21st floor will serve a special menu from April 11-16 that “revives lost recipes”, with each dish “telling a story of tradition and heritage”. Crafted with locally sourced, seasonal ingredients, the restaurant will offer the likes of ‘Blacktail chicken sausage’, ‘Consomme with dried redtail catfish and ant eggs’, ‘Fluffy salmon with fermented rice noodles and betel leaf’, ‘Paddy crab rice with spicy green mango salad’ and ‘Baked black pork with Thai oregano’. Other options include ‘Spicy grilled scallop salad’, ‘Green curry sous vide chicken with mangosteen’, ‘Grilled ribeye beef with fermented shrimp paste curry sauce’ and ‘Steamed tofu in soya sauce and green mustard lettuce’. ‘Steamed butterfly pea flower rice cake’ and ‘Banana-flavoured Laan Na doughnut with chocolate sauce’ are among the desserts.
A Cultural Carnaval in Krabi Located on tranquil Tubkaek Beach, some 35 minutes drive from the town of Krabi, Banyan Tree Krabi will unveil a host of events for all the family this Thai New Year, starting at 8:30am on April 13 with a tak bat (Buddhist alms-giving ceremony). For children, that same morning, there will be a flower garland-making activity at the resort’s acclaimed kids’ club (which also has a waterpark). There will also be a water fight, dunk tank, and complimentary ice cream for all. Then, at 3:30 in the afternoon, guests can gather to enjoy a Thai traditional long drum parade. In the evening, on the beachfront lawn, which commands a spectacular view of the Andaman Sea and uninhabited limestone cliffs jutting from the sea, the hotel will host a Songkran International BBQ Buffet accompanied by live music and a fire show.
‘Songkran Survival Kit’ on Offer in Pattaya To celebrate the occasion, the new Meliá Pattaya Hotel is offering ‘Songkran Getaway’ replete with a ‘Songkran Survival Kit’ featuring a water gun and waterproof crossbody back for stays of two nights or more. Opened on February 14 this year, the remarkable hotel pays homage to Pattaya’s ethnic diversity and commands expansive views of the Gulf of Thailand. Songkran Getaway also affords 10 percent off at the hotel’s restaurants including all-day dining restaurant Sanehh Sarae, that tells the story of Pattaya’s Bang Saray fishing village, and Japanese-Peruvian Nikkei restaurant Den, which pays tribute to nearby “Little Japanese Town” Si Racha and the influx of Japanese expats to the Kingdom during the “Thailand 3.0” economic era. Songkran Getaway’s stay period is from April 12-19 this year.
Mix and Match Dishes with Playful Songkran Dinner Set in Bangkok INNSiDE by Meliá Bangkok Sukhumvit’s all-day dining restaurant The Kites Eatery is serving a fun five-course dinner set to celebrate Songkran. Priced from THB 1190++ per set, the menu offers five different sections – “Fried”, “Salad”, “Soup”, “Stir-fried” and “Curry” – with three options per section. Examples of options include “Deep-fried pork belly with fish sauce and herbs”, “Grilled grass-fed Australian beef salad”, “Spicy river prawn soup with fragrant Thai herbs and chili”, “Stir-fried catch of the day seafood with yellow curry sauce” and “Green chicken in classic Thai green curry sauce” respectively. The curry is served with steamed jasmine rice and seasonal fresh fruit or sweet of the day. Situated on the hotel’s 31st floor and dominated by soaring windows giving way to spectacular views of Bangkok, The Kites Eatery is adorned with abstract artwork of kites – a reference to the popular pastime of kite flying in state park Sanum Luang.
