Any trip to the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok, Thailand includes much more than what you come for or what you’ve ever imagined.

The first thing to lure me into the infamous hotel was a blurb in Lonely Planet’s Southeast Asia on a shoestring, saying Somerset Maugham, one of my favorite authors, stayed there. The Razor’s Edge author is one of the hotel’s many famous guests. Lonely Planet’s guide suggests readers visit the hotel’s Author Wing.

So I did.

From the moment I arrived, a simple tea at the hotel felt like something much more. Before finally settling for wicker seating in the front of the Wing, My friend and I peaked around the famous dining area to find a balcony where musicians play and a small library featuring classic novels in what looked like their original publication.

We feasted on our three deck serving of cakes and small sandwiches as we shared tea pretending we were living another life.

That trip to the Mandarin Oriental was on my second day in Thailand as well as second day of a two-month, backpacking tour of southeast Asia with my boyfriend Ric. Lucky for me it wouldn’t be my last trip to the famous hotel. In fact, I paid the place one last visit a day before leaving Bangkok for America. Closing the trip just as I started it.

But instead of visiting one of the hotel’s restaurants, this time I visited its spa. And trust me, after two months of backpacking-it was much needed.

Photo courtesy of Mandarin Oriental.

Ric and I pulled up to the front entrance of the famous hotel by taxi to be greeted by a man in an old-fashioned, Thai military uniform. From the moment we stepped out of the taxi, the hotel’s 135-year history and glorious decor unfolded layer upon layer.

The doors opened into the hotel lobby, but seemed to open into another world. The entrance is brightly lit by a wall of windows, which stretch to its high ceiling. Wooden bird cages hang from the top and fresh flowers decorate the bottom.

At the entrance one member of the hotel’s team of smiling hospitality staff wearing traditional Thai dresses, asked how she could help. She led us to the Oriental Spa pointing out the hotel’s pool and a restaurant, among other things along the way. We arrived at the Mae Nam Chao Phraya River, which runs through Bangkok, and she informed us that one of the hotel’s ferries would arrive shortly to shuttle us across the river to the spa.

I could easily see Somerset Maugham, the author that first led me to this grand establishment, cruising around on the glossy wooden boat I was on now, occasionally leaning over to scribble something down in a small notebook.

Ric and I both could have easily spent the day wandering around the hotel and been happy, but we had something even better planned, 90 minutes of bliss at the hotel’s spa.

Wooden chairs line the balcony leading up to the spa’s doors where people can take off their outside shoes and put on hotel slippers. Not long after noticing the chairs, a fresh faced Thai woman in beige, traditional garb came out to greet us and start our spa experience.

She served us bale fruit tea, iced, then placed slippers on our feet and let us know about the service we would be receiving. We were scheduled for The Oriental Signature Treatment, THB 4,500, which is a massage featuring both Thai and European techniques.

After a short and pleasant introduction, our masseuses Siriporn and Chanya came out to greet Ric and I and lead us to to our suite.

As I said before, nothing at the Mandarin Oriental is just a service, it’s a total experience. The suite where Ric and I were to receive our treatment came with robes, a shower, which converted into a steam room, a welcome package with toiletries and more. Our masseuses gave Ric and I a few minutes to make use of the suite’s facilities.

After getting to know the room we laid down side by side on firm white pads and waited for our masseuses to re-enter.

Before starting the massage, my masseuse Chanya asked me to choose which oil I would like her to use during my treatment. I chose the spa’s invigorating oil, which smells of peppermint, rather than its romance oil which smells of lavender.

Starting at the feet, Chanya released two months of aches and pains that came from carrying a 20-kilo bag across three countries and the usual harsh care people have for themselves when their only concern is travel.

Photo courtesy of Mandarin Oriental.

She worked her way up my entire back, not missing an inch. She followed that doing just the same to my front. Her style of massage at this point felt generally European, but the focus on pressure points was not something I had felt before visiting southeast Asia.

After a thorough massage, she went into the traditional Thai technique of stretching and cracking my hip joint, ankles and more. A mixture of the two types of massage techniques not only left me feeling relaxed at that moment, but invigorated over the next few days.

The spa treatment went way too fast. But our experience wasn’t over yet. At the end our masseuses gave us the choice of ginger or lemon grass tea. Once they served our choices they welcomed us to take our time in the room and leave when we were ready. It was hard to even move after feeling so at peace.

Obviously not everyone’s southeast Asian travel budget can include a trip to the Mandarin Oriental’s spa. But no trip to Bangkok is complete without just a visit to the famous hotel. However, if you can fit in something more than a visit, do it. A trip to their spa made my body forget it ever traveled southeast Asia, but gave my mind an experience it will never forget.

Thanks to the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok for sponsoring this post. Visit their website, become a fan on Facebook and follow them on Twitter. But most importantly, visit them in Bangkok at 48 Oriental Avenue in Bangkok.

I’m not sure the magic was ever really there.

Leading up to the Full Moon Party I heard mixed reviews. Some people said it was the best party they’ve ever been too. Others warned me to avoid it at all cost. A few said it was really something special that couldn’t happen anywhere else in the world. And some said it was something special, it was something real, but now it’s basically the Thai version of Spring Break.

Knowing how much I like to build things up I tried to go to Koh Phangan with little expectation. In fact, as the moon grew larger during my time in Thailand I even started to get a bit apprehensive and nervous.

For every bad review I heard about the party, I heard two bad reviews about the people at the party.

“Watch your pockets,” our taxi driver from Thong Sala to Haad Rin pier warned us. “Lots of pick-pocketers.”

I heard about fights, serious injuries, drug busts, even rapings!

And this was suppose to be an event built by hippies on peace and love, but I guess Woodstock was too, which suffered similar criticism.

Despite the warnings, my apprehension and my attempt to arrive on the island with no expectations, I think the wannabe-hippy in me held on to the vision of something more.

With all that in mind came the more important logistics of money, getting to Koh Phangan on time and somehow getting off the island in one piece.

My boyfriend, Ric and I planned to visit the Full Moon Party on April 18. I originally wanted to stay on Koh Phangan, because that just made the most sense. But during my travels a few people recommended staying on either Koh Tao or Koh Samui, two islands nearby, which are “much nicer,” they told me. I took the tip and not long after some other people told me it was better to stay on Koh Phangan as getting to the Full Moon Party and back to another island is not very organized or easy.

I don’t know what it’s like to stay on Koh Phangan because I never have, but I would advise all Full Mooners to do so if they can. Doing the Full Moon from Koh Tao to Haad Rin beach was expensive (1300 B per person just for boat and taxi service with Lomprayah), long (90 minutes on a boat both ways and 30 minutes on a taxi both ways) and tiring (the party boat from Koh Tao left at 5:30 p.m. 18/4 and did not depart Koh Phangan until 8:30 a.m. 19/4).

For all the hassle and money it makes no sense not to stay on Koh Phangan. If you want to party all night you can stay in Haad Rin even on the beach. If not, there’s an entire island with quieter options that are only a taxi ride away. Plus, it’s a good looking place, so you won’t be missing out on scenery offered at islands nearby.

Once we arrived in Haad Rin, we had to pay 100 B each to enter the party area. Before getting to the beach, people eat, drink and purchase neon clothing in town. The female uniform of the Full Moon Party is face and body paint, a neon orange, pink, green or yellow loose-fitted singlet, torn jean shorts and havianas. There are plenty of cheap and tasty places to eat and even more bars to drink, but most people opt for 180-350 B buckets sold on the street.

Buckets at the Full Moon Party cost between 150 and 380 B.

Slowly partiers migrate to the main attraction-Haad Rin Beach. At first glance all I saw was a sea of literally thousands of people. I couldn’t even see a beach. Our first stop was the toilet, which was the saddest sight I’d ever seen in my life. This is probably why a lot of men opted to piss from the beach out into the ocean, which then became the saddest sight I’d ever seen in my life.

The second I entered the crowd I wasn’t hit with love or happiness, but a strong wiff of piss and BO.

After taking in the crowd and the music, I looked up to see Paradise Bungalows, which legend has it-started the whole thing. Ric and I made our way there becoming easily distracted more than once along the way. All along the beach are more bucket vendors, but even better vendors selling barbecue and cheesy pizza.

After taking down a few sticks of barbecue…

SLIDE!

A random partier going down the slide at the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan.

The first thing to grab us in was a massive slide with water flowing down it that shot out onto a huge plastic cushion.

Next was a massive jump rope-but this wasn’t just any jump rope. It was soaked in gasoline and lit on fire. No doubt attracting those on something a bit stronger than booze to tempt fate. We stood with a large crowd watching a backpacker here and there try it. Two in five backpackers actually made it in to jump the rope. One in five lasted for more than two jumps. And everyone ended up getting whacked by the flaming rope and leaving defeated.

The crowd stayed steady and made it’s way onto stages and into the water. We finally made it to Paradise Bungalows, which sits higher than the beach offering a good view of the party and people having sex in nearby waters lit by fog-lights.

Paradise Bungalows at the far right end of Haad Rin Beach supposedly started it all.

One last walk down the beach would prove to be our most challenging. It was 4 a.m. at that point and while Ric and I were both still going-it was getting to that point in the night when we should’ve just gone to bed. Unfortunately, there was no bed to go to so we sat on the beach waiting for 6 a.m.-the time our taxi was scheduled to pick us up at Haad Rin Pier.

We came so close.

So close to not having one of those famous Full Moon casualties I had heard about. Some people lose their camera, some people lose their purse, but I topped them all and lost…my boyfriend.

Don’t ask me how. I can’t explain it. But to make a long dreadful story short-we somehow reunited at Thong Sala Pier around 7:30 a.m., where our boat was scheduled to pick us up at 8:30 a.m. That hour of being exhausted and hungover in the heat was one of the worst in my life.

Altogether Ric and I spent 6,000 B on what was inevitably just a really good night out that went on into the early hours of the morning. So whether the Full Moon Party was worth it to me, I’m not so sure. But after all the talk, it’s something I would have regretted not doing while in Thailand.

Everyone’s experience of this world-renowned party will be different. In fact, the party is probably whatever you make of it. But if you come expecting peace, love and happiness parading on a pristine beach-think again. You’re more likely to run into Scandinavians painting each others’ tits, piss heads relieving themselves on the Gulf and someone whose lost everything except his or her swimsuit.

To view more photos of the April 18, 2011 Full Moon Party check out my album on Facebook.