BANGKOK TREEHOUSE, THAILAND
The Thai capital is a city of searing heat, swerving motorcycles, neon lights and home to almost 10 million people. If you ask one of the countless tuk-tuk (rickshaw) drivers for directions to Bang Kachao they will probably look at you blankly. However, just 6km from the business district Sala Daeng, nestled in a bend of the Chao Phraya river, is this lush island.
Thai law has protected it from development since 1977, and it’s almost entirely covered in fruit orchards and dense jungle, punctuated by 200-year-old temples. Bangkok Treehouse is the only hotel on the island and looks like it has sprung up organically, with its pier of reclaimed wood and rooms pieced together with bamboo. The Tree Top Nest is a serene, elegant space, set out over three floors and features air-conditioning. However, if you’re prepared to sacrifice electricity for a night, View with a Room is a double bed on a platform 7m off the ground in an awning of mangrove palms.
This hotel takes its responsibility to nature seriously. For every booking, 1kg of rubbish is collected from the river, all the outdoor lights are solar-powered and only staff who can walk to work are hired. The island is car-free, so make like the locals and explore its narrow lanes on one of the hotel’s free bikes.
At weekends, Bang Nampheung is a partially floating market brimming with joss sticks, jewellery and exotic fruit such as gac (baby jackfruit). Be sure to try street food favourite khao kha moo (smoky pork with sticky rice and sour chilli sauce). The hotel’s restaurant offers fresh plates with ingredients from its own kitchen garden. Expect watermelon salad with black olives and mint and dory fillet in green curry with asparagus.
THE DETAIL Doubles from £118 per night, including breakfast and homemade ice cream. The nearest airport is Bangkok Suvarnabhumi (20km). bangkoktreehouse.com