The Metropolitan Bangkok, the hip hotel which is part of COMO Hotels and Resorts, provides three nights of accommodation for the first part of the tour, and a perfect base from which to explore the market, shop and hit the best bars and foodie haunts of the city, not to mention its own outstanding restaurants, Glo and Cy’an. 

The tour moves to The Sarojin Thailand, recently voted Asia’s best boutique hotel at the World Travel Awards for the 3^rd consecutive year, where guests will learn to cook and experience firsthand the resort’s outstanding cuisine, guided by their team of over 40 chefs and friendly staff against a stunning backdrop of the Andaman Sea and the five surrounding national parks.

Elephant trekking, cruising through the jungle by ‘pleat’ boat up the Takuapa River and sea kayaking through the caves of Phang Nha Bay will await those wanting to venture out when they’re not savouring superb food or relaxing at Pathways Spa.

The Sarojin/ Met Bangkok and Sailors Thai Culinary Experience is priced from $3332,and includes return economy airfares from Bangkok, three nights accommodation at the Metropolitan Bangkok, five nights accommodation and daily breakfast with sparkling wine at The Sarojin Thailand and many other inclusions which are listed in detail below.

For bookings call Julia Enders at Travelforce on 02 – 8235 5585 or email: Julia@travelforce.com.au   http://www.sarojin.com  http://www.como.bz

8  NIGHTS MET BANGKOK / THE SAROJIN AND SAILORS THAI CULINARY EXPERIENCE – 2008

The Sarojin/Met Bangkok and Sailors Thai Culinary Experience includes:

• 3 nights accommodation at the Metropolitan Bangkok
• return transfers to/from Bangkok Airport
• a visit to Bangkok’s thriving Or Tor Kor Market
• casual riverside seafood dinner by Chao Praya River
• return airfares from Bangkok to Phuket
• 5 nights luxurious accommodation at The Sarojin for 2 persons sharing
• daily a la carte breakfast with sparkling wine for 2 persons
• 2-way airport transfer by private car to/ from Phuket Airport with refreshments and cold towels served for 2 persons.
• return transfers to all excursions on same said addendum
• pleat boat river safari followed by Thai lunch at the river bank. Takuapa river is situated in Khao Lak Lam Ru National Park, the protection of this area is very important for conserving the natural water sources for the province. Takuapa River is one of the most important rivers in Phang Nga province. Explore this magnificent river and its beautiful mangrove forest waterways by “pleat boats”. The traditional “pleat” boats are especially designed to cruise shallow water areas and give a rare opportunity to enjoy a ‘close up’ of the spectacular scenery, fauna, flora and the local rural way of life within these waterways. Fully inclusive of safari style lunch, soft drinks and 1 bottle pb chenin blanc per person.
• cruising ,sea cave canoeing and Thai cooking class Phang Nga Bay and full day on board traditional Thai long tail boat cruise at leisure and enjoy sea cave canoe journeys in Phang Nga Bay,  beautifully located in Phang Nga Bay and 50 minutes by private car transfer from The Sarojin.  Phang Nga Bay is renowned for its many dramatic limestone islands.  These distinctive sheer rock formations jut vertically out of the emerald green water.  At lower tides, cave tunnels are exposed amongst these huge rocks, allowing entrance by sea canoes through these areas of untouched nature and into the hidden lagoons behind. Cruise further to the floating Muslim village for a Thai Muslim cooking class and lunch. This marine adventure is all inclusive of equipment, guides and fresh, cold towels.  Lunch at the floating village is fully inclusive of mineral water and soft drinks only. No alcohol is allowed to be consumed at the floating village. 
• seafood barbecue dining and cooking experience on The Sarojin beach, on the white sand shores of the beautiful Andaman Sea.
• Thai cooking class at the Edge Restaurant and farewell dinner

For bookings call Julia Enders at Travelforce on 02 – 8235 5585 or email: Julia@travelforce.com.au  / http://www.sarojin.com/

Over a coffee the morning will start with a relaxed introduction to the recipes and ingredients to be used during the class. Hands-on classes will take place in the kitchen at Nahm with fantastic ingredients flown over from Bangkok exclusively for the restaurant. Lunch will be served in nahm’s Private Dining room.

Each hands-on class will have no more than 8 guests to ensure that everyone will be able to fully participate in the lesson. The class, followed by lunch will be finished at 3.30pm.

Saturday 23rd February 2008 – Curries and curry paste
£150.00 per person Inc VAT plus £45.00 for an additional lunch guest

The first class will focus on curries. Matthew will be discussing the various ingredients which make up a curry paste, the traditional method of making them and include preparing coconut cream. He will then move onto different types of curry styles, such as a red curry to make fish cakes and a green curry of chicken.

Saturday 19th April, 13th September, 11th October 2008 – Complete Thai meal with wine matching
£190.00 per person Inc VAT plus £65.00 for an additional lunch guest

A Thai meal is an exercise in balance. Several dishes arrive together and are eaten with rice. Rarely does a meal have a repetition of dishes or tastes, so a curry, a salad, some soup and a stir fry all combine to make the meal varied and satisfying. Each of the following classes is designed to demonstrate the various techniques and dishes employed to create a balanced, complete Thai meal and each class will highlight a particular style of dish or technique within the context of a meal.

During the subsequent lunch, Troy Sutton, nahm’s sommelier, will discuss the paring of wines with this meal and how to choose some elegant wines that work with this challenging cuisine.

Saturday 17th May 2008 – Thai Salads, street and market foods
£150.00 per person Inc VAT plus £45.00 for an additional lunch guest

Salads are the sprightly dishes of the Thai repertoire. Pungent dressings are made with fresh chillies, lime juice and fish sauce which season a staggering variety of ingredients, such as a tart and juicy pomelo salad with shredded chicken. More interesting, perhaps, is the lobster salad dressed with rich chilli jam and fresh coconut cream. The class will also prepare traditional dishes that are commonly eaten in the streets and markets of Thailand.

Saturday 5th July 2008 – Summer time on the grill £150.00 per person Inc VAT plus £45.00 for an additional lunch guest Grilling is one of the most common of Thai cooking techniques. In market places and street stalls catfish and prawns are grilled slowly over smoky embers. While the technique is simple, the many ways of dressing the grilled dish are not always so.
Thai stir fries can be surprisingly simple but there are a few important techniques that must be followed. In this class Matthew will show how to season a wok to obtain the defining smokiness of a good stir fry, often referred to as ‘breathe of the wok’.

Extend your nahm experience: stay the night
Combine your master cookery class with an overnight stay at the Halkin. Our master class package includes participation in the cookery class, lunch at nahm, an overnight stay with full English breakfast and David Thompson’s celebrated book on Thai cuisine to take home. Available from £465 per room, per night (based on single occupancy, inc. VAT), subject to availability

For further information or to make a booking please contact
Alison Donovan on + 44 20 7333 1233
or email alison.donovan@nahm.como.bz

nahm, The Halkin Halkin Street London SW1X 7DJ
Tel 020 7333 1233 Email res@nahm.como.bz
Website halkin.como.bz

“The Sarojin Taste of Asia” experience runs over six nights and includes cooking classes with the resort’s expert chefs, who take guests to local markets to buy their produce before returning to prepare favourite dishes with individual tuition. This can take place at the hotel, on a river bank, in a local house or restaurant or even beside a waterfall, after which the feast is enjoyed with wine and non-cooking partners. The Takuapa River in Phang Nga province is just one of the beautiful settings where guests can enjoy their cookery classes, after travelling through the mangrove forest waterways by local ‘pleat’ boat. After a safari style lunch and glass of wine, guests can sit back, relax and observe the locals or plunge into the cool river for a swim.

Fruit Carving: For those who are looking for something a little different The Sarojin is offering fruit carving classes, a valued part of Thailand’s heritage and one of its oldest art forms. With individual tuition from the chef, guests learn how to decorate food dishes with fruit carvings and a variety of natural arts. Starting with the basics they create flowers from chillies and leaves from carrots, before graduating to create roses from watermelons. They finally learn how to make their table more interesting by creating a small elephant from a green apple. Each class takes approximately 1.5 hours.

The ‘Sarojin Taste of Asia’ program is available exclusively from Elegant Resorts and Villas, available from 01 May – 31 Oct 2008, and includes:-

• 6 Nights accommodation for 2 people sharing a Sarojin Suite
• Thai Cooking Class with Chef by Takuapa River for 2 people
• Fruit Carving and Natural Art Class for 2 people
• Private Seafood Barbecue Dining Experience for 2 people
• Daily a la carte breakfast with sparkling wine per person
• 2-way airport transfer by private car to/ from Phuket Airport with refreshments
• One 30 minutes spa massage per person
• Complimentary Elephant Trekking Adventure for 2 people

AUD Prices $2,725.00 Per Person Twin Share Land Only.
(All costs subject to alteration without notice). Tailor-made packages are also available for the Christmas /New Year period.
To book, contact Elegant Resorts on 02 8270 4850 or enquiries@elegantresorts.com.au

About The Sarojin:
The Sarojin is a luxury boutique hotel, which opened its doors on 1st October 2005. Located in Khao Lak, just one hour north of Phuket Airport, The Sarojin is a 56 room property offering plunge pools, spa pools, intimate couples baths, rainfall showers, private gardens, spa, fitness facilities, dining tables set in extraordinary locations and its own team of guides, a luxury boat and fleet of cars.
The Sarojin is the vision of the well travelled directors of WhiteKaps Resort Co. Ltd – a registered Thai company with investors from Thailand, Hong Kong, Singapore and the UK – and the concept behind this intimate hotel is that it offers an experience reminiscent of staying at friend’s private estate rather than at an international resort. The Sarojin won “Asia’s Leading Boutique Hotel” at the World Travel Awards 2006 and 2007 and was included in Condé Nast Traveler USA’s “Hot List Hotels and Spas for 2006”. It also won “The World Luxury Romantic Hotel 2007” at The World Luxury Hotel Awards.
For its community work, The Sarojin was awarded the “Past District Governor Sir Kenneth Fung Ping Fan – Rotary Club of Hong Kong International Service Award 2006”. The Sarojin has established “The Sarojin Khao Lak Community Fund” and 100% of the fund will be distributed to community projects in the Khao Lak area. Projects include fishing boats; housing; Red Cross; new school buildings; children’s play and educational equipment; and orphanage support.www.sarojin.com