After a long flight, you will enjoy the convenience of our location. Home to Bangkok's bustling middle class, the hotel's neighbourhood of Laphrao encompasses nearby Chatuchak weekend market, and our hotel links directly to the huge Central Mall, where you can eat at scores of Thai restaurants inside, plus hawker stands lining the alleyways outdoors.

Our first stop: Isan's famous meats, including sun dried moo dad deo, cyclo Isan sausages, and tart and fiery larb minced meat salads. All served with traditional sticky rice. Next, eat at one of the city's most famous gai yang eateries -- a humble roadside affair selling delicious grilled baby chicken, plus crisp and quenching green papaya salad. Then it’s a quick stop at the Khon Kaen museum to view their exhibit of Isan daily life, and finally, we tracked down Khon kaen's best tea and coffee stall. Here, we'll introduce you to traditional cha (tea) and café boran, brewed through a sock like filter. The tea is surprisingly orange colored, and all heavily sweetened with treacly condensed milk. Your choice, hot or on ice…

After check in, you will have time to freshen up and rest, or briefly acquaint yourself with the vicinity. Meet up in the evening for the official launch of the Isan Food Festival Masterclass Weekend, complete with Thai wines and local snacks. Then you are on your own. There are seven different restaurant venues on premises, from German to Italian, Thai, Vietnamese and Chinese, plus an in-house brewery. And if that's not enough, numerous hawker stalls sit just outside, plus nightclubs and discotheques.

Today we say goodbye to Isan, as we fly back to Bangkok, then drive south, passing the kingdom's dessert capital of Phetchaburi. We'll stop for a light lunch, then explore Phetchaburi's exquisite Khao Wang, a former royal residence built high on hill. The surrounding is a virtual forest of frangipani inhabited by dozens of overly friendly monkeys. before reaching the luxury resort of Hua Hin. Official summer residence for Thai royalty, our accommodation today is at the Sofitel Centara, formerly known as the Railway Hotel. It has been lovingly resorted to its colonial grandeur, and its grounds boast exquisite topiary plus a maze, with a setting smack on the beach. You are on your own this evening, but for those interested, we'll host a walking tour to the town's night market.

BANGKOK TRANSPORT: Our hotel and mall are linked directly to the new MRT subway, and a short $1/35 Baht taxi fare to the nearby BTS Skytrain. (There is also a free hotel shuttle to the Skytrain, or alternatively, take the MRT one stop and connect.) These easy-to-use transport options are a god-send in Bangkok, and should be used especially during peak hour periods. Our hotel also offers a complimentary shuttle bus into town several times daily, with drop offs at Central Department Store locations. (Schedule is available at front desk).

Optional Event: Please reserve in advance at the lobby tour desk.
Don't miss the Siam Niramit theatre, which chronicles the history of Thailand in a most spectacular fashion. Just a year old, the theatre was built at a cost of $300 million, and the stage large enough to accommodate 3 elephants, streams and waterfalls, plus a cast of hundreds. This world class spectacular show lasts 80 minutes, and includes dinner and transport. You'll be picked up at 5:45 from the hotel, then taken to the Siam Niramit complex prior to the show. There's a life-size reproduction of Thai villages, showing regional architectural differences, plus demonstrations of traditional crafts. Showtime is 20:00/8 p.m., you'll return back to the hotel before 22:30/10:30 p.m.

In the early evening Phra Pathom Chedi transforms into a vibrant market, and the most famous vendor serves -- literally -- flying ice cream. Your catch… For dinner, we finish at nearby Nakhon Chaisi (which, coincidentally, is the former name of Nakhon Phatom.) Its lifestyle has hardly changed with time, an intriguing glimpse of old-style rural life. But the riverfront market pulses every evening -- especially on weekends -- with Bangkok day travellers. And nary a foreign tourist in sight! A great ending to our 10 days in Thaialnd!