Checking out Chiang Mai: Whether you want to explore the markets, the jungle, the temples or the spas, there's truly something for everyone in Chiang Mai. Stay at the hip Dusit D2 hotel or something even more luxurious, head out of the city to visit an elephant camp, or - for the brave or foolhardy - venture inside a tiger's cage at Tiger Kingdom. Story by Lee Mylne

Tuk Tuk-ing in Bangkok: They belch, they splutter, they’re cramped and they don’t go very fast. Called a tuk tuk because of the sounds it makes when it starts, the tiny three-wheeled taxis are to Bangkok what the black cab is to London, or the gondola is to Venice. But taking a tour of Bangkok in one of its iconic tuk tuks is one of the best ways to really get a feel for this chaotic city. It is, quite literally, an assault on the senses.
Story by Lee Atkinson

Phuket’s Secret Space: Getting away from the crowds in Phuket, even in the height of the rainy monsoon season can be a challenge. But if you’re prepared to get wet, and aren’t afraid to squeeze yourself through tiny cracks in rock walls, the hidden hongs of Phang Nga Bay conceal another side of Phuket, one of serene and almost otherworldly beauty. Story by Lee Atkinson

Kicking back in Khao Lak: A quieter alternative to Phuket’s sometimes teeming beaches and frenetic night life, Khao Lak offers a more laid-back, back-to-nature beach holiday. If high-rise hotels, girlie bars, night-clubs and sarong shops aren’t your thing, and all you really want is somewhere to laze by the beach and maybe a few soft adventure activities thrown in, you’ll love Khao Lak. Story by Lee Atkinson

Bangkok by bike: If cycling in Bangkok sounds like something only a crazy person would undertake, read on. Just across the Chao Phraya River from Sukhumvit lies Bang Kra Jao, an untouched part of the city where bikes are an ideal way to get around. A cycling tour with Spice Roads allows you to cycle through small villages, past a maze of waterways, temples, jungle vegetation and - on weekends - a floating market. We took an easy 25 km ride, on mostly flat terrain, and got yet another perspective on this intriguing city and its surrounds. Story by Lee Mylne

Encounters with Elephants: The elephant looms discomfortingly close, snuffling my foot and crowding me. The mahoot laughs: "She wants to get to know you better!" Getting to know elephants is easy in Thailand's Lampang Province, where you can take a mahoot training course, visit a hospital for sick and injured elephants, and watch them paint and play music.
Story by Lee Mylne

Village life: It’s 6am and the early morning mist is rising from the flooded rice paddies and drifting up to disappear in the folds of the jungle-clad mountains beyond the river flats. We’ve been cycling along narrow deserted country roads for the past half hour, eager to get to the morning market at the next village before the stalls shut down at 7am and the locals head out into the fields to plant rice. Even though our 12km bike ride has been along mercifully flat roads, we’ll have well and truly earned our breakfast by the time we get there – and a coffee. Drinking locally-grown coffee at village market stalls has become a favourite ritual over the past three days spent inluxury lodges at two Lisu and Akha villages of northern Thailand.  Story by Lee Atkinson

Thai Spas: Wherever you are in Thailand, you're not far from a massage table. Stopping over for just a few hours in Bangkok? Head to the new Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel, with its luxury urban Vous Spa for a few hours respite from travel. And for those travelling north to Chiang Mai, there is a range of slick new spa options, including the Rarinjinda Wellness Spa Resort, the Chedi, The Aspara at the Sofitel Riverside Chiang Mai, and Devarana Spa at the hip new D2 Hotel. Story by Lee Mylne

Mountain of Clear Heart: Sustainability is the watchword at Phu Chaisai Resort & Spa, in the mountains near Chiang Rai, in northern Thailand. A labour of love by owner and designer Sudavdee Kriangkrai, the resort is built entirely of natural materials (bamboo and mudbrick), the food is delivered straight from the garden, and the views from the Mountain of Clear Heart, Phu Chaisai, are breathtaking.
Story by Lee Mylne

Bangkok's Floating Markets: Sitting on concrete steps leading into the river, we're watching our dinner being cooked. Can it get fresher than this? In a flotilla of wooden longboats, women in colourful aprons are wielding woks and tossing together dishes on request. Whether you visit the small floating market at Amphawa, or the larger and more famous Damnoen Saduak floating market, south-west of Bangkok, you'll be treated to a feast of colour and life. Story by Lee Mylne

The Golden Triangle: The Mekong borders three countries - Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. From the Thai village of Sop Ruak, where the borders meet, we cruise the great river and explore its banks under the watchful gaze of a giant golden Buddha. Story by Lee Mylne