Word: getaway
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...spring spas, or onsen, are found in Tokyo, but for serious relaxation, plan an overnight getaway to one of the traditional inns that have long clustered around natural springs. Just a couple of hours away by train lie three prime destinations...
...about three hours south of Bangkok, hardly looks like a 21st-century getaway. The country's oldest resort rose to fame in the 1920s, a decade after British engineers punched a railway through deep jungle, eliminating the long elephant rides from Bangkok suffered by the royal family on their beach outings. (Commoners went by canal and oxcart.) For the ensuing half-century, Hua Hin was the place to sun and be seen by upscale Asians and resident expats. But the onset of group travel sent beachgoers to a succession of swank, new beach resorts, leaving Thais largely alone...
...Already, Chiva-Som's splash on the international spa scene is sending ripples of change through the sleepy getaway. Hyatt Regency recently became the newest resort to stake a claim upon Hua Hin's regal beach. Up and down the sand, hotels are being re-branded as fashionable spas. But there are no beach parties, no raves. And don't expect any soon, since the King has taken up permanent residence in his town palace Klai Kangwon. The name means "far from worries." That has long been Hua Hin's mantra, more than ever now that royalty is back...
...half-day drive south at Khao Sam Roi Yot, a marine national park. Despite its proximity to the capital, it harbors isolated coves and a profusion of vegetation-capped, limestone hills (the name means "300 peaks"). Toss in river rafting, and it adds up to Bangkok's best nature getaway...
...reached the northern tip of the island, and the moon was full. To celebrate we supped onshore, grilling freshly speared fish over a bonfire. After dinner and lazy conversation, my fellow escapees wandered the beach or plunged back into the warm waters for a farewell swim. My four-day getaway was over, and as the Marco Polo turned back to Bira, Engel's early observation continued to haunt me. I could always get a boat and set up shop on my own little island. Nobody would ever find me. That knowledge would be my most treasured souvenir...