The Baan Thai Wellness Retreat Bangkok

Before the current ubiquitous concrete houses and tall apartment buildings began appearing in Bangkok several decades ago, Thailand’s capital city was rich with traditional teak homes, complete with ornate Oriental rooftops in beautiful bright colours.

Such traditional Thai architecture is hard to find now in the city, much less a historical family home that has retained its original design from generations past. This is precisely what makes the Baan Thai Wellness Retreat so precious.

Built more than 60 years ago by M.R. Bongsebrahma, a grandson of Rama IV, this traditional Thai teak house has remained in the family since it was built. In 1965, the family decided to share its heritage with the public by turning Baan Thai into a restaurant, which served fine Thai cuisine while entertaining guest with authentic Thai dance performances.

Baan Thai drew celebrities from all over the world including Tiger Woods, Jackie Kennedy and Japanese royalty.

Today, Baan Thai has once again been restored through renovations in the original buildings, and the addition of several traditional teak wood houses from Ayutthaya. Instead of offering sumptuous, classic Thai food, however, Baan Thai now offers a taste of old-world Thailand by serving as a luxurious wellness retreat. Though retaining original structures, the homes have been fitted with modern luxuries like exquisitely designed bathrooms and air-conditioning. The decor is a mix of contemporary and traditional, with teakwood furnishings and fine Thai artefacts that once belonged to the family.

Now a collection of several houses, Baan Thai boasts private and shared swimming pools, and exclusive tropical gardens. Each house has its own unique character. Baan Dossiriwongse, for example, has a sweeping original roof structure, which affords wonderfully high ceilings.

Baan Sombhan features a multi-level interior with ensuite bathrooms fitted with an oversized bathtub and enclosed shower. Baan Wanwaew’s traditional Thai sala is the perfect place to curl up to a good book or enjoy a traditional Thai massage.

Indulge in luxurious spa treatments inspired by sister property Phu Chai Sai Resort and Spa. Or enjoy a cooking class. You will wish you could stay forever.

i suspect each person’s learning curve and each tutor’s teaching capability are different. I’ve seen a few people with zero Chinese skills take one hour of private tutoring (one to thrice a week) before work and they still cannot communicate after three months.

Personally, unless you are skilled with languages and/or make a concerted effort to study consistently, I would go with a more structured learning environment. The language programs at the universities (Fudan/Jiaotong/Tongji/etc) are pretty good. A colleague did a year of part time (3 hours/day, 5 days/week) and can get around without a problem.

I did a year at Fudan during college and while I speak colloquial Chinese quite fluently I just signed myself up for part-time Business Chinese classes later this year (2.5 hours/day, twice a week, after work) to refresh.

My teacher charges around 150 kuai an hour, she’s qualified, provides materials and has contributed to some recognised books. She comes to my house and is happy to rearrange by wechat. I have one lesson a week (except when I’m traveling, on holiday, in a full day meeting) which averages out at 50 hours a year, not exactly much.

I started learning before I came to China and worked my way through some of the ‘Chinese with Mike’ series on youtube as well as some other online/ video stuff. There’s also some decent vocabulary apps, I used a couple to revise the week before my exams.

All in all (even after 2.5 years) my Chinese is totally rubbish but I’m ok getting about in taxis, restaurants, bars, asking the odd direction etc. Survival-lite. I passed HSK I and II, more to put on my CV than anything else. Doing an hour a week and pretty much not revising (I’m fairly lazy) I don’t think you will get much further. Also, I’m not here to learn Chinese but I found that every scenario that I could scrape by with a little Chinese takes the pressure off and means I can relax a bit more and enjoy China.

I know people who have learnt loads in a year with some intensive Uni courses and half day sessions plus actually revising and chatting to their ayi, having Chinese friends and chatting to colleagues helps. But then I also know people who have been here for several years that cannot communicate their own address in Chinese.

None of the above would help me buy moisturiser rather than shower gel though. Pleco dictionary probably would help.

Or was your post just a convoluted way to go on a date with a hot Chinese student?