Thailand Earns Several Top Honors in Condé Nast Traveler’s
Readers’ Choice Awards:
 |
| Bangkok |
Judged on factors such as Shopping, Ambience and
Friendliness, Bangkok came in with a #4 ranking
on the Top Cities in the World list, one spot behind Florence,
Italy, and ahead of other
world-class destinations like Vancouver, Sydney and Buenos
Aires. As for the Top Cities in Asia, Condé Nast’s
readers rated Bangkok #1 - edging out Hong Kong and Kyoto, who took 1st place
in the 2011 survey - giving it high marks for its Restaurants, Lodging and
Culture. Readers also heaped praise on Northern Thailand’s largest city and
cultural centre, Chiang Mai, which earned the #5 spot in Asia sandwiched
between Singapore and Ubud,
one of Bali's major arts and culture centres, and ahead of Tokyo
and Shanghai.
Moving from the cities to the sea, Thailand
continued to score high marks. In the Top 10 Islands in Asia
category, it rang in with two of the top five selections once again. Phuket,
ranked #2 on the list behind this year’s winner Bali, was favored for its
beautiful beaches (scoring second-highest in Asia on that criteria behind only
Lombok, Indonesia) and its wealth of activities; and Koh Samui, the #5 island
in Asia, was buoyed by its lovely scenery and its diversity of lodging options
and placed just a fraction of a point behind fourth-place Langkawi, Malaysia
and one spot ahead of Hokkaido, Japan. Others making the list include Philippines favorites Luzon, Cebu and Mindanao, and Malaysian Borneo.
Perhaps the most contested categories in the Readers’ Choice
survey are the ones dealing with accommodation, and Thailand has no shortage of quality
options there. For the Top 15 Resorts in Asia, Condé Nast’s readers rewarded
four Thai properties, starting with the Four Seasons Chiang Mai at #5, which
happens to be the 2nd favorite resort in Southeast Asia
behind only the Sofitel Angkor in Siem Reap. Phuket scored twice, with the
Anantara Phuket Villas coming in at #7 (the 3rd highest island resort on the
list, and where the best room is “any, even the standard rooms hit the sweet
spot”) and the JW Marriott Phuket at #15 (tied for the final spot with the
Grand Soluxe Angkor in Siem Reap). The other Thai property honored this year
was the Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle in Chiang Rai - a “simply stunning
property” - which was regarded as Asia’s 11th
best resort.
(For information about the Top 15 Hotels in Thailand, led by the Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok, you may visit http://www.cntraveler.com/readers-choice-awards/asia/top-15-hotels-thailand-asia
)
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