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Home to some of the world’s best resorts, there’s no doubt Thailand has got the luxury spa thing down pat. Throw in the lush scenery and exotic cuisine, and it’s a recipe for success.
Lying on silk cushions on my balcony bed, I look out over a deep blue swimming pool to the green hills of Laos and a swathe of the Mekong river. Dusk is thickening and the river is molten gold, reflecting fading sunlight off teak forests. Flocks of white egrets flap homewards and a cloud of dragonflies hovers above my head. The Anantara resort where I am staying is in the notorious Golden Triangle, the former source of half the world's illegal heroin, where Thailand, Burma and Laos meet. Thailand's Queen Mum, the late Princess Mother, made her home here and created alternative livelihoods to opium poppy growing. Her villa can be visited at Doi Tung, which is set amongst forest-clad limestone mountains, and Anantara adjoins the Opium Hall, a steel and glass museum depicting the history of the drug. Anantara is a peaceful bolthole amid tropical gardens, atop a hill, gazing down on the toffee- coloured Mekong and the nearest town, Chiang Saen, an ancient river trading capital. Pampering at the resort's spa begins with ginger and honey tea. After an aromatherapy facial massage using four different oils, I opt for a body wrap which contained honey, brown sugar, fresh pumpkin and bananas. Good enough to eat, I soak it off in a huge balcony-set tub strewn with flower petals. A massage follows using hot herbal pouches invented centuries ago for war-weary soldiers. It's the perfect jet lag cure. Finally, the 90-minute Thai massage is like unarmed combat, using pressure points from hair-pulling to knees-in-the-back to release blocked energy. Between treatments, the traditional long-tailed river boats are the fastest way of exploring. The walled city of Chiang Saen, with its river terrace restaurants, is minutes away by water. Along the shore, fishermen mend nets - the Mekong is home to giant catfish. Laos is a flip across the river to Don Sao island, where under the kapok trees, stallholders sell crafts - sumptuous silk wraps, scarves, bright cotton bags, carved chess sets, cheap Burmese cheroots and the alarming snake wine, with a serpent coiled inside the bottle. The nearby Four Seasons Tented Camp, only accessible by boat, is for those who seriously crave a stop-the-world experience. Fifteen tents for two are snugged into the jungle, overlooking the river. There's no TV, but tents are spacious with huge golden tubs and outdoor showers and decking. Their small thatched restaurant serves Burmese and Laotian dishes. There's a pool and yoga pavilion for private tuition, and a secluded open-air spa, where mountain botanicals and warm spices are used in treatments. Back at Anantara, spices for their morning cookery courses are sourced at the Chiang Saen market at 7.30am, after which we make a flower and incense offering at Anantara's Spirit House before inspecting the resort's vegetable and herb gardens. We cook lunch from our fresh market produce - spicy prawn soup with ginger and lime juice; green chicken curry; and bananas in coconut milk. Easing back into big city life in Bangkok is a jolt. I soften the homeward journey at Baan Thai, a city-centre spa resort. Bangkok's traffic snarls and pollution are only 50 yards away down Sukhumvit Road, but down a small side road, a former canal, Baan Thai's only sounds are birds by day and tree frogs by night. Lush gardens and swimming pools surround a intimate, wooden Thai houses furnished in a Thirties style. Each is screened by tropical trees and draping bougainvillaea. My accommodation has a sitting room with sofas piled with silk cushions. Sliding doors open into the bedroom and there is a bathroom with an oval tub. Last but not least, is the library with a house spirit shrine, where, if you wish to enjoy a pleasant stay, you should make an offering to the spirit or phii. The private terrace pool is long enough to swim a few strokes, and verandahs have floor cushions for lounging. Here I complete my Wellness Consultation, on which my treatment programme is based (room prices include some spa treatments and meals). My day starts with a firm asian blend massage, where deep, long strokes combine Thai and Indian techniques. A green tea body wrap follows. Engulfed in green goo and wrapped in an electric blanket, my toxins are swiftly sweated out. Meals at Baan Thai are calorie counted, but are delicious Thai dishes beautifully decorated with carved vegetables and fruit. Breakfast is a glass of fruit juice, rice soup and organic coffee. Lunch and dinner menus are also healthy. I enjoyed pomelo (similar to grapefruit) salad with crab meat, stir fried chicken with kaffir lime and, to finish, soybean jelly with honey and jasmine. I take my leave of Thailand refreshed and undoubtedly calmer, but I feel a need to return to this wonderfully exotic and mystic place, as I realise I have only just scratched the surface.
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