Thailand

Allting börjar och slutar i Chinatown. Ingen annanstans är Bangkok mer färgsprakande, poetiskt och välsmakande.

In Thailand's "Monkey City," imposing Khmer-era temples are assailed by an army of furry menaces. These adorable mischief-makers have the run of the town and are the headline attraction of Lopburi (ลพบุรี).

A transit town funneling travelers to and from Ko Tao or southwards to Ranong or Phuket, Chumphon (ชุมพร) is where the south of Thailand starts proper; Muslim headscarves are a common sight here.

The classic karst scenery of the 400-sq-km Ao Phang-Nga National Park was famously featured in the James Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun. Huge vertical cliffs frame 42 islands, some with caves accessible only at low tide. The bay is composed of large and small tidal channels, which run north to south through Thailand's largest remaining primary mangrove forests.

Romantiskt, trendigt eller med ett oslagbart läge? Här kommer våra bästa tips för lyxiga, men inte allt för dyra hotell i Bangkok.

Glöm shoppingcenter och traditionella butiker. I Bangkok är det neonglittrande basarer under öppen himmel som gäller. Några flytande, en med ett tåg och en favorit bland lokalbefolkningen – här är några av Bangkoks bästa marknader.

Whether you're sun-seeking, dozing in a hammock, feasting on world-class cuisine, beach partying or discovering wellness in an exclusive spa, Ko Samui has it covered.

With steep, jungle-covered peaks, picturesque Ko Chang (Elephant Island; เกาะช้าง) retains its remote and rugged spirit – despite the transformation of parts of it into a package-tour destination. Sweeping bays are sprinkled along the west coast; some have superfine sand, others have pebbles. What the island lacks in sand it makes up for in an unlikely combination: accessible wilderness with a thriving party scene.

Jade-hued waves concealing rainbows of fish wash white-gold beaches wrapped in Phuketian heritage: Phuket (ภูเก็ต), Thailand's dazzling largest island, is so diverse you may never want to leave.

A quiet seaside town, Prachuap Khiri Khan (ประจวบคีรีขันธ์) is a delightfully relaxed place; the antithesis of Hua Hin. The broad bay is a tropical turquoise punctuated by bobbing fishing boats and overlooked by honeycombed limestone mountains – scenery that you usually have to travel to the southern Andaman to find.