GadlingTV’s Travel Talk – Thailand Part 12: Going Home


Gadling TV’s Travel Talk, episode 42 – Click above to watch video after the jump

After riding elephants, eating scorpions, walking through Hellfire Pass, visiting the famous bridge at the River Kwai, and seeing a Red Shirt movement up close – it’s finally time to say goodbye to Thailand and wrap up the biggest adventure Travel Talk has had.

Our last day was a blur of packing, dashing around Bangkok’s street markets for souvenirs, and a spectacular goodbye dinner overlooking the entire city. If there’s a better way to leave Bangkok than with a night up on the Dome / Sky Bar at Lebua, we’re not sure what it is. Early the next morning we said goodbye to new friends, stocked up on M-150, emptied a few last bahts from our pockets and prepared for the long ride home.

If you have the itch to embark on an adventure like ours, check out Trikaya Tours and ask for Joom (our incredibly hospitable tour guide). Thailand, we thank you for your hospitality and can’t wait to return in the future.

If you have any questions or comments about Travel Talk, you can email us at talk AT gadling DOT com.


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Hosts: Stephen Greenwood & Aaron Murphy-Crews

Special guests: Sean Boompracong, International Media Director for the UDD.
Produced, Edited, and Directed by: Stephen Greenwood & Aaron Murphy-Crews
Special thanks: Tourism Authority of Thailand, Trikaya Tours, Lebua at State Tower

Travel Talk took Thailand by storm on invitation from the Tourism Authority of Thailand. No editorial content was guaranteed and Aaron & Stephen were free to openly share all adventures that they embarked upon.

Announcing lebua and Gadling’s winner of a trip to Bangkok!

The last of the votes have been counted, punch cards have been verified and the international monitors have signed off on the tallies, ladies and gentlemen. We have an official winner.

Last month Gadling and lebua had the pleasure of launching the largest contest that we’ve ever hosted on this blog: the chance to win a journey across the Pacific Ocean to spend several nights at Bangkok’s finest hotel. Complete with free dinner, drinks, airport transfer, beautiful views across the capitol of Thailand and memories to last a lifetime, it was the sort of prize that could convince any blogger to rig the ballot box. But ultimately we stuck to our trusty randomizer robot and picked out one lucky name: Barracuda Ron.

Ron, we wish you the best of luck and excitement on your trip to the other side of the planet. Having visited lebua ourselves not 6 months ago we can testify that you’re staying at a gorgeous hotel with top notch food selections, service and amenities. Congratulations and send us some pictures from the road!

Make sure to follow Gadling and lebua for more exciting prizes in the future.

Win a trip to Bangkok from Gadling and lebua!

With spring right around the corner, we have a special treat for you, dear readers, the chance to win a free trip for two to Bangkok from Gadling and lebua, the finest five-star hotel in Thailand.

You might recall the recent coverage of the lebua properties at Gadling. Their Bangkok hotel occupies the top floors of State Tower on the banks of the Chao Phraya River, towering among the surrounding buildings and offering full panoramas of the beautiful city. The hotel, simply put, is mind blowing. Set in the beautiful, visceral, dramatic city of Bangkok it’s the perfect base from which travelers can explore the Grand Palace, the night markets and the throbbing cultural city.

The winner of this drawing will be able to experience the luxury first hand with a four night stay in the exclusive Tower Club Riverview Suites, with airfare for two, one dinner for two, cocktails at the Skybar and airport shuttle covered. All that you need to do is pick a few days, select your flights and begin the journey of a lifetime.

Rooms will be in the plush Tower Club suites on the very top floors of the property, with breathtaking views from the balconies, lavish interiors, complimentary broadband internet, complimentary mini-bar, a new range of Bvlgari amenities, access to the Tower Club Lounge and many others perks.

Sound amazing? Having been there ourselves, we can guarantee that this will be the trip of a lifetime. All that you need to do to enter is leave a comment below. We’ll be sending important updates and details via our Twitter feeds as well, so make certain that you follow @lebuaconcierge and @gadling on Twitter as well.

Official rules:

  • Before you enter, we encourage you to follow @gadling and @lebuaconcierge on Twitter to stay abreast with updates. We’ll be sending important updates and info from these feeds!
  • To enter, leave a comment below.
  • Your comment can say anything (flattery highly encouraged!) but it must be left before Friday, February 26th at 5PM.
  • You may enter only once, and multiple entries will be deleted.
  • One prize winner will be randomly selected to receive 1) Four nights free at lebua at State Tower, Bangkok, 2) Round trip airfare for two for up to $1500 each, 3) Dinner for two at any lebua restaurant 4) Cocktails for two at the Skybar
  • Round trip airfare credit for two will be provided for up to $1500 each, through lebua’s US-based travel agent (NOTE: In the event the airfare is more than $1,500/person, winner will be responsible for paying the difference.)
  • Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
  • Approximate value of the prize is $5000.
  • Click here for the complete official rules of this giveaway.

Read more about the lebua properties among Gadling’s coverage, and good luck!

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Sorry, this contest is now closed.

Skybar: the best rooftop bar in Bangkok

Nothing out in the urban landscape can blow your mind quite like a well done rooftop bar. Remember Lost in Translation? The whole dynamic between Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson unfolded in the New York Bar on the top floors of the Park Hyatt Tokyo, backdropped against the smooth jazz singer, a few stiff drinks and the Tokyo Skyline. It’s hard for amazing things not to happen in a setting like that.

Bangkok’s version of the New York Bar is called Skybar, the beverage component of Sirocco at the top of lebua at State Tower. Taking the elevator up to the concrete, roman-stlye dome that overlooks the outcropping, it’s easy to see why Skybar and Sirocco are so popular: they’re gorgeous. The color changing ring in which the bartender serves drinks juts out against the hotel and over the infinite city, and as the hue shifts from pink to blue to green it’s hard to choose among staring at the people, the bar and the skyline.

As the live jazz band plays on, those longing for a bite to eat can sample Sirocco’s fine Mediterranean fare as they bask outdoors in the city night. Others visiting for the drinks and the sights alone can both spend time socializing around the Skybar ring or wander up to Distil, an indoor/outdoor mecca for premium spirits. Here, they can sample the rarest of Johnnie Walker scotch whiskies, the most exclusive Cognacs and a wide selection of hand rolled Cuban Cigars.

Skybar, Distil and Sirocco can be found at the top of lebua at State Tower, 1055 Silom Road, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500. Make sure you dress sharply, no sandals or troublemakers are allowed.

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Disclaimer: lebua sponsored our trip to come check out their hotels, though our opinions and experiences were all of our own design.

Inside of Bangkok’s five star luxury hotel, lebua at State Tower

Perched at the top of the second tallest tower in Bangkok among the skyscrapers, steel and concrete is the strangest sight. Twenty Ionic columns, white stone and glass come together to form a Roman styled building, as if the center of the Pantheon was picked up and moved halfway around the world.

The structure is called The Dome, it’s home, the lebua hotel at State Tower. As one of the finest five star hotels in Bangkok, lebua operates restaurants and bars in and adjacent to the dome, from where dazzled gastronomers can admire the glowing city below.

It’s all part of the lebua package, an opulent, luxury experience that begins when you step out of the airport. Indulgent and VIP visitors will have access to the new BMW 730 and Mercedes-Benz S-Class during their stay, and it’s a quick, twenty minute ride from Suvarnabhumi Airport into Silom, the financial and burgeoning cultural quarter of the city.

Situated near the banks of the Chao Phraya River, lebua takes up the top floors of State Tower, the second tallest building in Bangkok and a massive stone-faced structure in the skyline. An all-suite hotel, each room has balconies from where visitors can gaze out into the endless landscape and watch the city breathe.

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Suites also offer the finest in amenities, from Bvlgari shampoos and lotions to robes, slippers and premium luxury sheets. You can even have a masseuse sent up to your room for a private, Thai massage.

Those willing to tear themselves away from their rooms have seven restaurants to choose from including sky bar, the highest bar in Bangkok, and Café Mozu an Indian/Lebanese fusion restaurant with a top notch breakfast and lively club scene.

The pinnacle of the entire property, however, is The Dome. Dining outside at Sirocco, at the base of the dome is a surreal experience. With the ancient columns above, the sweeping views around you and the city below, it’s easy to feel awed by the grandeous setting around you. If for nothing else, visit lebua for this.

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Disclaimer: lebua sponsored our trip to come check out their hotels, though our opinions and experiences were all of our own design. No animals were harmed in creating these blog posts.