Affordable Thailand

Best for Culture: Bangkok

Thailand’s rascal capital of 14.5 million has exceptional shopping, nightlife and attractions-a-plenty. It could also be Asia’s best food city.

Sleep
Starwood’s first Aloft (doubles from 2918 Baht, or $91.50) for South East Asia is modelled on a W hotel, but without the price tag.
Jazzy décor and all the mod cons make this new 296-room tower on the mildly boisterous bar street, Sukhumvit Soi 11, a favourite with the young and plugged-in party crowd.
More subdued, The Atlanta (doubles start at $22) was the favoured hangout for foreign correspondents during the Vietnam War.
It’s fading, and the staff are reliably tetchy, but with a lush garden, swimming pool, a stunning art-deco lobby and strict no-sex-tourism policy, it’s great value.

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Spiceroads (tours from $31) offer guided bicycle trips in and around Bangkok, including the narrow lanes through Chinatown and Phra Pradaeng, a corner of forested, rural Thailand on the Chao Praya River that is otherwise known as the city’s “green lung".
Discover the Kingdom’s burgeoning art scene at the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre on Siam Square.
The snazzy, 7600-square-metre not-for-profit space – designed by US architect Robert Boughey – opened in early 2009 as a platform for young and up-and-coming artists.

Eat & Drink
Bangkok is all about the street food. The best and most accessible eats are at Pratunam, on the corner of Phetchaburi and Ratchaprasong Roads. Come for legendary dishes like grilled fish, som tam (raw papaya salad) and sweetened rice with mango.
A step up in comfort and service is Home Kitchen (94 Soi Lang Suan, +66 2 253 1888). This two-storey restaurant on fashionable Lung Suan makes exceptional Thai salads, including yum gai (grilled chicken) and yum taikai (lemongrass with anchovies).
Bangkok’s best drinks are at Moon Bar (21/100 South Sathon Road), an el fresco bar on the roof of the five-star Banyan Tree Hotel with 360-degree city views.

Best for the Beach: Hua Hin

The original Thai beach resort, Hua Hin is still the most laidback and languid. The King lives here; the name of his palace, Klai Kangwon, means “far from worries".

Sleep
Five minutes north of the city centre, the Anantara Hua Hin (doubles from $105 for a three-night stay) has 187 rooms set in lush gardens that tumble down to a sandy beach.
The rooms are a little tired, but great value with private balconies and bathtubs. Best of all are the facilities: a spa, gym, tennis courts, water-sports, restaurants and bars.
Set back from the beach, the Ibis Hua Hin (doubles from $34) opened in February this year. The 200 guest rooms are small but make up for it with perks like satellite TV and internet. There is a small pool and restaurant on site.

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Hire a car or motorbike and drive to Pranburi for the day. This coastal village half an hour south of Hua Hin has un-crowded beaches and seaside shacks serving ice-cold beer and snacks.
While there, stop by Kaeng Krachan National Park and spot wild elephants and tigers, or Hua Hin Vineyard (1037 Nong Ta Taem) for a glass of Colombard, a white wine originally from Bordeaux whose grapes grow remarkably well in Hua Hin.

Eat & Drink
Hua Hin’s bustling night market offers a variety of eats, with everything from stalls serving quick-fix dishes like pad thai, to sit-down barbecue restaurants with crab, king prawns, mussels and lobster.
Koti Restaurant (Phetkasem Rd, Dechanuchit Junction; +66 3251 1252) is popular for deep-fried crab sausages and stir-fried fish with crispy ginger.
Outside of town, Sopa Seafood (Khao Takeab Village; +66 8188 0771) is a dinky seaside shack on Hua Don Beach with superb yum talay – spicy seafood salad – and ginger-fried fish.

Best for Adventure: Chiang Mai

The former capital of the Lanna Kingdom, cool and cosmopolitan Chiang Mai is surrounded by mountains, jungles, and vibrant tribal people.

Sleep
Set amid rolling hills and rice fields, the Mai Siam Resort (doubles from $56) has three bungalows with balconies and hammocks overlooking a garden. Use their free mountain bikes to explore the countryside.
In the city, Vanilla Place (doubles from $28) has 15 bargain basement rooms with teakwood furniture, TV, air-conditioning and internet.
A few steps up in style and comfort, Dusit D2 (doubles from $104) has 131 sleek rooms with access to hotel facilities, including a lovely big pool, spa and rooftop gym.

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If you’re travelling with kids, they’ll love the gentle giants at the Elephant Nature Park , a rescue and rehab centre where you can volunteer to take care of the animals.
Hire a car and drive to the Golden Triangle – the infamous border area with Burma and Laos that was once the heart of the opium trade.
The $10 million Royal-sponsored Hall of Opium Museum (+66 5378 4444) outside of Chiang Saen showcases the opiate’s 5000-year history.
Back in Chiang Mai, Baan Thai Cookery School can help you impress the folks back home with hands-on daily classes cooking Thai curries.

Eat & Drink
Chiang Mai’s illustrious khao soi – noodles in coconut curry topped with lime, pickled cabbage and shallots – are best at Samoer Jai (+66 5324 2928), a tiny diner near Wat Faham. For Sai ua, or northern-style herb and pork sausages, go to Damrong (+66 5323 4661) at Warorot Market; eat with raw chilli to release the flavours.
More upmarket, family run Huen Phen (112 Rachamankha Rd; +66 5327 7103) specialises in nam prik ong, a spicy pork dip served with fresh vegies.
Then join the throngs at Riverside (9-11 Charoenrat Road), a breezy outdoor restaurant on the Ping River, for live music with a beer or two.

Wellbeing means different things to different travellers. Here’s how to pick a hotel that gets it right for you.

The best wellness holidays aren’t necessarily spent wrapped in a spa robe. Sometimes they’re found around a dinner table in Cambodia, on a hiking trail in New Zealand or after finally beating jet lag on the other side of the world. The hotel you choose is what makes them happen.

1. Easy access to good food

meals from Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20 — Taste delicious meals at Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20.

One of the quickest ways to derail healthy habits on holiday is to spend half of it working out where to eat instead of digging into the culture around you. Thankfully, Novotel has done much of the hard work already, with chefs building menus that lean into the flavours, ingredients and traditions of each destination.

In Sihanoukville, Cambodia, Korkor soup – often dubbed ‘Cambodian ratatouille’ – sits alongside raw blue crab dressed with lime and chilli, best enjoyed with views across the Gulf of Thailand.

In the lovingly chaotic city of Bangkok, the presence of food cranks up the sociability. At Novotel Bangkok Sukhumvit 20, you can settle in with mango sticky rice and stranger-turned-friends beside the pool at Sky on 20 rooftop bar, or bring them along to tackle river prawns and stir-fried crab with holy basil at the buzzing Crab Paradise Dinner Buffet.

Then Novotel Dubai Al Barsha welcomes you with a laidback twist on the level of indulgence the Middle Eastern city is best known for up on Deck Se7en. Looking towards Burj Al Arab, the rooftop lounge has everything from Mediterranean-style dishes like seabass ceviche to Italian prosecco sundowners.

At the other end of the scale, in the hills that surround the Novotel Bali Ubud Resort, calm comes from nature. At Siralada restaurant, Balinese traditions shape the menu while thunder rumbles over the surrounding jungle – proving the setting is as nourishing as the food itself.

While at Novotel Nha Trang, chef Kieu Thi My Hanh and her team showcase Vietnam’s knack for balancing freshness, texture and fragrant herbs. Pho remains a favourite, while seafood salad with pomelo and mango brings those flavours together in one bright dish.

It’s all an approach backed by partnerships with expert food creators such as Alfie Steiner, whose plant-forward recipes prove healthy food should never taste plain.

2. Better sleep options

Novotel Bali Ubud Resort room — Sleep deeply with Novotel.

There are few travel experiences more disappointing than arriving in a new country, determined to seize the day, only to fall asleep fully clothed by 3pm.

For Australian travellers, jet lag is often an unavoidable part of the journey. That’s one reason Novotel runs sleep-focused initiatives that help guests adjust quickly without compromising on health. We’re talking partnerships with Sydney-based sleep specialist Olivia Arezzolo, known for her advice on everything from better sleep habits to beating jet lag, alongside features like pillow menus, in-room yoga content and tailored sleep guidance.

The sooner you’re operating on local time, the sooner you can get back to more pressing matters – like deciding which spa treatment to book.

3. More ways to move

woman hiking around queenstown new zealand — Stay at Novotel Queenstown Lakeside and explore local hiking trails. (Credit: GettyI mages/ naruedom)

Every place in the world has its own way of getting you moving: whether that’s hiking up ice-bitten mountains before a sauna or gentle stretching by the pool before a facial. From fitness centres to spas, Novotel recognises that wellbeing rarely looks the same.

At Novotel Queenstown Lakeside, activity is inescapable. Here, hiking trails, ski fields, bungee jumps, and white-water rafting have made the region famous. The hotel’s location on the shores of Lake Wakatipu means less time spent organising yourself and more time out there experiencing them. To top it all off, you can book a private hot tub for the evening before heading back into the wilderness tomorrow.

Bali, of course, takes a softer approach. At Novotel Bali Ubud Resort or Novotel Bali Nusa Dua, movement is less about conquering a mountain and more about a dance class between the tropical gardens and lagoon pools. Afterwards, the spa takes over, with traditional treatments like a Lulur body scrub: a combination of rice, turmeric, sandalwood, ginger and jasmine that’ll soothe muscles already relaxed by the Balinese heat.

4. Better connections

Kids will love a stay at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh.

One of the best things about travel is that it gives your family stories you’ll be telling for years. Novotel helps create them with activities that bring everyone together, whether that’s trying something new, learning a local skill, or simply spending more time together.

Go for a distinctly Thai twist at Novotel Phuket Vintage Park, where many of the family activities draw on local culture. Kids can try everything from beginner Thai boxing and language lessons to umbrella painting and – a pastime beloved by children the world over – pool foam parties. Everyone is welcome to join in, whether that’s getting splashed, covered in paint, or simply watching their children discover a new side of Thailand during the dedicated Family & Kids Day.

A different adventure awaits at Novotel Sharm El Sheikh. Kids could be perfectly content with discos, drawing classes and new holiday friends, but the Red Sea has other ideas. Sitting on the edge of Naama Bay, days here might involve snorkelling colourful reefs, taking a boat trip to Ras Mohammed National Park or heading into the desert by quad bike or camel for a Bedouin-style dinner beneath the stars.

5. Location is everything

Surin Beach, Choeng Thale, Thalang District, Phuket, Thaiföld — Explore Phuket’s gorgeous beaches. (Credit: Bence Biczo)

Everyone’s idea of wellness looks a little different. With more than 600 hotels across 65 countries, Novotel gives guests the freedom to choose the destination that suits them best. Whether that’s a beachside escape in Phuket, an alpine expedition in Queenstown or a city break in Bangkok, there’s a good chance a Novotel isn’t far away.

All that’s left? Choosing your version of wellbeing.

Discover stays to inspire your everyday at novotel.accor.com.

Best for Culture: Bangkok

Best for the Beach: Hua Hin

Best for Adventure: Chiang Mai

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