BANGKOK IS VOTED 'BEST CITY IN THE WORLD 2013' BY TRAVEL+LEISURE MAGAZINE AND THAILAND ALSO WINS THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF AWARDS IN ALL THE MAIN CATEGORIES!

KEE@FSWMAG.COM
ONCE AGAIN AND TO NO ONE'S SURPRISE, BANGKOK AND NOT KUALA LUMPUR HAS BEEN VOTED ON 8 AUGUST 2013 BY TRAVEL+LEISURE MAGAZINE AS THE 'BEST CITY IN THE WORLD 2013'!

Are we shocked to our bone marrow Kuala Lumpur with its restrictions and no-this, no-that rules is nowhere in the Top 10?

At least this proves I have good taste as Bangkok is my all-time favorite city outside Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur and Kota Baru in Kelantan where I was born and bred and will be buried.

And luckily Bangkok is a short, God-given 2 and half hour flight from KL so we can all go there at the drop of a pantie I mean undie I mean hat. As a consolation, even the great city of London is not included, there!

Asiatique the Riverfront shopping night bazaar is one of Bangkok's newer attractions which replaces the old, famous Suan Lum night market.

The Top 10 Cities of the World are
1; Bangkok
2; Istanbul
3; Florence
4; Cape Town
5; Kyoto
6; Rome
7; Charleston, South Carolina, USA
8; Barcelona
9; Paris
10; Chiangmai

I cannot believe Thailand is the only country to have 2 cities in the Top 10! Sensational but of course none can deny Bangkok is #1 and Thailand's Second City the Rose of the North Chiangmai is #10!

Kee Hua Chee and Princess Dr Becky Leogardo in virgin white clothes at Wat Rong Khun, the fabulous all white wat in Chiangmai

This Wat Rong Khun was built by Thailand's top artist to honour his King Bhumibol and is now a major Chiangmai tourist attraction


Chiangmai does even better in Top 10 Cities in Asia as it comes in third. I assume Kuala Lumpur should be included somewhere since I live in this fab city and Travel+Leisure should give me face and include KL.

Did they? Did their readers?

Nope!

I fainted thrice after seeing the list and had to be resurrected by emergency doctors. And to think a pip-squeak island where its people drink their own urine called 'newater' after refining and distilling it. Miracles never cease, this is true.

The Top 10 Cities in Asia are
1; Bangkok
2; Kyoto
3; Chiangmai
4; Siem Reap (in Cambodia and due for sure to Angkor Wat)
5; Hong Kong
6; Tokyo
7; Singapore
8; Shanghai
9; Seoul
10; Hanoi

I mean Hanoi as in Vietnam even made it! I went there thrice and was thoroughly unimpressed since I am no fan of Ho Chi Minh but I must say the outlying islands are something else and Halong Bay even appears in 'Tomorrow Never Dies' which stars Tan Sri Michelle Yeoh.

Then there is the Top 10 Islands in the World where our fabulous islands are bound to be listed. We flaunt Langkawi, Perhentian, Redang, Tioman, Pangkor Laut, Labuan, Layang-Layang, Rawa, Sipadan and not forgetting Penang which IS an island as some seem to forget.

No Malaysian island is listed!

Once again, I lapsed into a coma and was revived miraculously after I was declared brain-dead due to the personal intercession of Buddha and Jesus Christ.

Philippines, which is not famous for tourist safety, has 2. So does Hawaii. Thailand of course romps in with one. Even Prince Edward island made it and who goes to Prince Edward island lurking somewhere in freezy Canada?

The Top 10 Islands of the World
1; Palawan, Philippines 
2; Boracay, Philippines
3; Maui, Hawaii
4; Santorini, Greece
5; Prince Edward Island, Canada
6; Bali
7; Kauai, Hawaii
8; Sicily, Italy
9; Koh Samui, Thailand
10; Galapagos

By now I was getting the drift so when it came to Spas, I assumed Malaysia would not be included since we are not acclaimed for spa culture.

And I was right.

And yes, you are also right---Thailand is included! Not 1 but 2 spas can you believe and of course you can!

Even Vietnam, hardly known for spas, boasts 2! I can die.

For some reason, there are only 5 Best Spas in Asia so maybe a Malaysian Spa is lurking from 6 to 10.

Kee Hua Chee soaking up the rose-scented, good life in porcelain bath tub


TAT Tourism Authority of Thailand actively and successfully promotes Thailand


The Top 10 Spas in Asia
1; Discovery Shores, Boracay, Philippines
2; Nam Hai, Hoi An, Vietnam
3; Sofitel Legend Metropole, Hanoi, Vietnam
4; Anantara Golden Triangle Resort & Spa, Chiangrai, Thailand
5; Four Seasons Resort, Chiangmai, Thailand

It gets weirder with the Top 100 Best Hotels of the World.

I always thought the best hotel on Planet Earth is Mandarin Oriental Bangkok. Or Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, The Peninsula Hongkong, Intercontinental Hongkong, Dhara Dhevi Chiangmai, The Peninsula Bangkok or Imperial Vienna. I have stayed at them all and can vouch for them on my ancestors' souls.

Would you believe the Best Hotel in the World is Mombo Camp in Botswana? Followed by Castello di Casole in Italy, Singita Kruger National Park in South Africa and Nayara in Costa Rica? The only one remotely worthy is Four Seasons Bora-Bora in French Polynesia!

Mandarin Oriental Bangkok came in at #31 which proves the compilers are all big game hunters promoting some joints where they can swagger in safari suits and not look out of place.

The Peninsula Hongkong is #18 while Mandarin Hongkong is #35, Dhara Dhevi Chiangmai is #43, The Peninsula Bangkok is #69 and Imperial Vienna is #75.

Kee Hua Chee, Princess Dr Becky Leogardo and Michael Mantz at the #43 Best Hotel in the world, Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi in Chiangmai, northern Thailand

The grand entrance to Dhara Dhevi hotel! It was built to resemble a Lanna Kingdom palace on an epic scale!

This is what I call a swimming pool, one of four at Dhara Dhevi Chiangmai

'Twin beds' take on a new meaning here in Dhara Dhevi Chiangmai

Bed fit for Princess Becky Leogardo

Luxurious livingroom at Dhara Dhevi Chiangmai but it lost to a safari camp!


As for Top 10 Best Airlines in the World, Thai Airways came in #9 (same as last year) and Malaysia Airlines is nowhere to be seen. And guess what? Singapore Airlines is #1. I was sure it would be Emirates which came in second.

Asiana Airlines is #4 and some thought it had gone bust as we never hear of it these days. I am reaching for a MAS airbag to barf into as I type.

The Top 10 Airlines in the world are
1; Singapore Airlines
2; Emirates
3; Qatar Airlines
4; Asiana Airlines
5; Cathay Pacific
6; Virgin Atlantic
7; Korean Air
8; Air New Zealand
9; Thai Airways
10; ANA All Nippon Airways

My last hope was KLIA which is truly one of the best and most spectacular airports in the world.

Again Singapore's Changi Airport won.

This time I did not collapse in a heap on the floor as I was tied to my antique teak throne-like chair. My friends and supporters also stuffed tampons (new ones) into my mouth to prevent me from puking.

The Top 5 Airports in the world
1; Changi Airport, Singapore
2; Dubai International Airport
4; Abu Dhabi International Airport
5; Ben Gurion International Airport, Tel Aviv

Who uses Abu Dhabi when free-wheeling Dubai is nextdoor? As for Ben Gurion, who goes to Israel at all? God almighty, Malaysia does not even recognise Israel, not that I ever thought of visiting unless it reverts to its rightful owners.

As it is, CONGRATULATIONS TO THAILAND, THE KINGDOM OF SMILES, FOR HAVING THE BIGGEST NUMBER OF ACCOLADES WHICH ARE TRULY WELL DESERVED! 

Travel + Leisure Poll ranks Bangkok as World’s Best Tourism City, Chiang Mai 10th Best Bangkok has been voted the Best City in the World in 2013, according to an Internet survey conducted by Travel + Leisure Magazine, a publication of the American Express Publishing Corporation. Chiang Mai, northern Thailand’s largest city, came in at 10th best. Thailand was the only country that had two cities in the top ten global rankings. In the Asian cities category, Bangkok topped the list, while Chiang Mai was ranked third. Bangkok got an overall score of 90.4, beating out other prominent global cities such as Paris, London and New York. Chiang Mai scored 88.15. This is the third such top-ranked award that Bangkok has picked up this year. In its 20 Global Destination Cities Index for 2013, MasterCard listed Bangkok as the world’s top destination city by international visitor arrivals. It was the first time an Asian city had gained the top spot since the Index was launched in 2010. TripAdvisor placed Thailand’s capital city, Bangkok, at the top of its Travellers’ Choice Asia Destinations list of 25 cities, while Chiang Mai was in sixth place. The Travel + Leisure awards 2013 saw other Thai destinations, hotels and spas also score well. On the list of the World’s Best Islands, Ko Samui was ranked 9th and Phuket ranked 15th. In the Asian islands category, Ko Samui was ranked 4th and Phuket 5th. Said TAT Governor Suraphon Svetasreni, “This is the result of the tireless efforts made by the public and private sectors as well as the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration over the last 10 years to ‘reinvent’ Bangkok and take advantage of its extensive tourism and travel opportunities. Visitors to Bangkok feel it is a truly cosmopolitan city that is a perfect mixture of the old and the new. Its distinctive character is the result of Thailand’s long-standing freedom while opening itself to all positive things beyond its borders.” He added, “We are also extremely gratified to see Chiang Mai, Samui and Phuket also gaining recognition thanks to the extensive efforts being made to improve tourism products and services. All these awards will go a long way towards helping the entire travel & tourism industry ensure quality control as we enter what will be a new era of growth.” On the list of World’s Best Hotels 2013, three were in Thailand: Name Rank Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok 31 Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi Chiang Mai, Thailand 43 The Peninsula, Bangkok 69 On the list of Top City Hotels in Asia, five were in Thailand: Name Rank Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok 2 The Peninsula, Bangkok 10 JW Marriott Hotel, Bangkok 14 Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok 18 Four Seasons Hotel, Bangkok 26 On the list of Top Resorts in Asia, two were in Thailand as follows: Name Rank Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi, Chiang Mai, Thailand 8 Four Seasons Resort, Chiang Mai, Thailand 13 On the list of Top Hotel Spas in Asia, one was in Thailand as follows: Name Rank Anantara Golden Triangle Resort & Spa, Chiang Rai, Thailand 4 On the list of Top International Airlines, one was in Thailand as follows: Name Rank Thai Airways International 9 The World’s Best Award 2013 questionnaire developed by the editors of Travel & Leisure in association with ROI Research Inc was made available to subscribers at www.tlworldsbest.com between 1 December 2012 to 1 April 2013. The complete rankings and survey methodology are available in the August issue of Travel & Leisure and online at http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/2013 .