Journey with Bon Appétit on a Culinary Getaway to Thailand

Bon Appétit invitations you on a 10-day, 9-night Culinary Getaway to Thailand with award-winning chef and restaurateur Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon. Just lately named “Greatest Chef: Mid Atlantic” by the James Beard Basis and proprietor of Kalaya—heralded as one of many “Greatest New Eating places in the US” when it opened in 2019—Nok will share her favourite dishes and recollections with you on a journey dwelling to Bangkok and southern Thailand. Bask in extravagant meals at Michelin-starred eating places and afternoon tea alongside the Chao Phraya River; learn to put together Thai dishes throughout a hands-on cooking class with one in all Nok’s academics; and luxuriate in Thai hospitality throughout a home-hosted dinner in Bangkok. Dine on fresh-caught seafood in an island fishing village; picnic in a secluded cave; and observe the colourful pageantry, drama, and music of Thai cultural traditions just like the legendary Manohra dance and fireplace efficiency. Wend your approach via the klongs (canals) of Bangkok and a number of the world’s greatest road markets in Bangkok and Trang—Nok’s hometown.

Highlights

• Be part of Nok, lately named “Greatest Chef: Mid Atlantic” by the James Beard Basis, for a journey dwelling to Thailand the place you’ll meet a few of her favourite cooks; indulge within the meals that fueled her childhood; and go to a few of her favourite eating places, markets, and hidden websites.
• Lose your self in Thailand’s colourful markets, together with a day at Or Tor Kor in Bangkok, touted as one of many world’s greatest markets, and an early go to to the morning market in Trang.
• Spend idyllic afternoons on the water with a beachside barbecue and seafood picnic inside a cave.
• Keep in spectacular properties, from the lavish 4 Seasons within the coronary heart of Bangkok, to a luxurious seashore resort accessible solely by non-public speedboat, to a luxurious tent resort overlooking verdant mountains.

Pricing and Particulars

Learn on for the total getaway itinerary. Within the meantime, some key data:

• Dates: November 1–10, 2025
• Deposit: $1,000 (required upon reserving to safe a spot)
• Value: $7995 (double occupancy); $9445 (single occupancy); *Please observe: the interior flight from Bangkok to Trang is a further $85.
• Accommodations: 4 Seasons Bangkok (4 nights); Kachong Hills Tented Resort (3 nights); Cape Kudu (2 nights)
• To ebook your journey: Go to right here or name 1-877-298-9677
• Questions?: Reservations@academic-travel.com or 1-877-298-9677
• Phrases and circumstances

Itinerary

Day 1 (Saturday, November 1): Arrival in Bangkok

• Arrive on particular person flights and switch to your resort.
• Be part of Nok and your fellow vacationers for a welcome dinner that includes a six-course tasting menu at Le Du, ranked primary on Asia’s 50 Greatest Eating places checklist in 2023.

Included Meals: Dinner
Lodging: 4 Seasons Resort Bangkok at Chao Phraya River

Day 2 (Sunday, November 2): Canal Cruise and Dwelling Hospitality

• Go to the house of Jim Thompson, an American businessman who got here to Thailand on the finish of World Battle II to assist revive the Thai silk trade earlier than mysteriously disappearing.
• See why Bangkok is usually referred to as the Venice of the East and get a glimpse of native life as you wend your approach via its klongs (canals) by long-tail boat.
• Return to shore for afternoon tea and handcrafted delicacies ready by Capella Bangkok’s award-winning govt pastry chef.
• Expertise Thai heat and hospitality throughout a home-hosted dinner with Nok’s buddy and instructor.

Included Meals: Breakfast, afternoon tea, dinner
Lodging: 4 Seasons Resort Bangkok at Chao Phraya River

Day 3 (Monday, November 3): Spice and Stir

• Take a full-day, hands-on cooking class at Suan Dusit, the worldwide culinary college the place Nok hung out honing her craft.
• Get pleasure from a night at leisure to discover Bangkok’s many outlets and eating places.

Included Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Lodging: 4 Seasons Resort Bangkok at Chao Phraya River

Day 4 (Tuesday, November 4): To Market

• Wander via the majestic temple ruins on the Ayutthaya Historic Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Web site, within the rural outskirts of Bangkok greatest recognized for the long-lasting Buddha head entwined in tree roots.
• Tour the colourful and aromatic stalls of the Or Tor Kor Market, touted as the most effective contemporary markets on the earth.
• Optionally available Michelin-starred dinner: For a further price, those that select can take pleasure in dinner at Sorn, acknowledged as one of many World’s 50 Greatest Eating places in 2024.

Included Meals: Breakfast, tastings, lunch, dinner
Lodging: 4 Seasons Resort Bangkok at Chao Phraya River

Day 5 (Wednesday, November 5): Flavors Take Flight

• Switch as a gaggle to Bangkok’s Don Mueang Airport for a brief (1.5-hour) flight to Trang,* Nok’s hometown.
• Settle into your resort, nestled inside a scenic mountain vary.
• Get pleasure from dinner with a dwell Manohra dance present, a standard Thai people efficiency reserved for particular events.

Included Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Kachong Hills Tented Resort

*Inner flight ($85) not included in tour worth.

Day 6 (Thursday, November 6): Island Explorations

• Embark on a personal speedboat for a full-day journey exploring the islands close to Trang. Go to the Emerald Cave, chill out on white sand seashores, snorkel among the many colourful coral, and luxuriate in a seaside barbecue lunch.
• Return to your resort for a Peranakan feast, a fusion of Chinese language, Malay, Indian, and Eurasian elements, adopted by a go to to city to pattern roti, a candy pan-fried bread.

Included Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Kachong Hills Tented Resort

Day 7 (Friday, November 7): Morning Market and Girls Who Weave

• Witness the market come to life on an early go to to the morning market and partake firsthand in Trang’s “obsession” with breakfast.
• Take a brief drive to Na Muen Si Village and study concerning the artwork of conventional weaving and the methods that village residents have handed down via generations.
• Be part of your fellow vacationers for lunch at an area restaurant.
• Chill out this afternoon on the resort, the place you may go to the close by botanical backyard and waterfall earlier than becoming a member of the group for a five-course dinner on the resort.

Included Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Kachong Hills Tented Resort

Day 8 (Saturday, November 8): Island Time

• Return to the pier and proceed by speedboat to Cape Kudu, a luxurious seashore resort on the island of Koh Yao Noi.
• On arrival, get pleasure from time at leisure or choose from quite a lot of elective actions, together with biking across the island, yoga, batik portray, a Muay Thai lesson, or a go to to a close-by lobster farm.
• Collect at an area open-air restaurant sitting on stilts atop Koh Yao’s tidal flats for a homestyle Muslim seafood meal, lovingly ready by Chef “Ma.”

Included Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Lodging: Cape Kudu

Day 9 (Sunday, November 9): Fascinating Koh Kudu

• Depart the resort for an unforgettable journey to a secluded lagoon at Koh Kudu, the place you may observe the varied wildlife, crystal clear turquoise water, and limestone pinnacles.
• Collect in Toh Buat Cave, the place fishermen have lengthy sought shelter from storms, for an unique lunch of contemporary roasted seafood curry served on banana leaf plates. Watch as fishermen pull 300-meter-long nets from the ocean to collect large prawns, crab, and fish.
• Toast your journey with a last celebratory dinner at Cape Kudu’s resort home with a dwell fireplace present that includes a mesmerizing show of spinning flames from torches, poi (fireballs on chains), and fireplace staffs.

Included Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Lodging: Cape Kudu

Day 10 (Monday, November 10): Departure

• Return to the marina by speedboat, then switch to Phuket Airport for particular person flights again to the US.

Included Meals: Breakfast

About Your Accommodations

4 Seasons Bangkok (4 nights)

The five-star 4 Seasons Resort Bangkok is a luxurious riverside city resort within the coronary heart of Bangkok. The resort, ranked within the high three of The World’s 50 Greatest Accommodations Record, gives breathtaking views of the Chao Phraya River and town skyline from its outside swimming pools, award-winning artistic delicacies from a number of on-site eating choices, and entry to a world-class spa and health heart. The property blends up to date class with Thai cultural parts, offering a serene oasis within the heart of the bustling metropolis. Every room options opulent decor, fashionable facilities, and personalised service.

Kachong Hills Tented Resort (3 Nights)

Positioned amid the gorgeous inexperienced hills of Trang in southern Thailand, Kachong Hills Tented Resort offers the proper mixture of tranquility and luxurious. Spacious safari tents provide fashionable facilities, trendy furnishings, and tasteful decor in a phenomenal setting. The property options an on-site restaurant, outside pool, bar, spa, and gardens.

Cape Kudu (2 nights)

Cape Kudu is a luxurious boutique seashore resort within the quiet fishing village of Koh Yao Noi in southern Thailand. Elegant rooms are designed with up to date Thai decor and geared up with fashionable facilities. The property boasts an infinity pool with magnificent ocean and island views, a full-service spa, and complimentary bicycles. Eating choices embrace the Hornbill Restaurant, serving native and worldwide delicacies; the Lengthy Island Bar; and a studying room with complimentary refreshments.

About Your Professional Information

Chutatip “Nok” Suntaranon is a James Beard Basis Award–profitable chef and restaurateur and the writer of Kalaya’s Southern Thai Kitchen, debuting November 5, 2024. A flight attendant from Trang, Thailand, Nok entered her second act at age 50 by opening Kalaya, one of many nation’s highest-regarded Thai eating places, named after Nok’s mom (the restaurant was featured in Bon Appétit’s April 2024 Journey Situation). Opened in April 2019 as a small BYOB in South Philadelphia, Kalaya was named one in all Esquire’s and Meals & Wine’s “Greatest New Eating places” and was a James Beard Basis Award nominee for “Greatest New Restaurant” in 2020. In November 2022, Kalaya relocated to Philadelphia’s Fishtown neighborhood with a bigger footprint and bar program. Nok’s incomparable impeccable fashion has been featured in New York and Philadelphia Type magazines; she was additionally named one of many “Most Influential Philadelphians” by Philadelphia journal. In 2022, Nok attended the “Chef Bootcamp for Coverage and Change” hosted by the James Beard Basis.