After a very cold couple of months I was really in need of some winter sun and so when one of my best friends Andrew suggested Thailand and more specifically White Party in Bangkok for New Year I jumped at the chance. Andrew and I have known each other since uni, now a fully qualified doctor he moved to Australia several years ago to continue his medical career so unfortunately I don’t get to see him very often. Thus a cheeky break in Thailand. seemed an ideal chance to catch up with him and also have a fun holiday.

 

I flew to Thailand just after Christmas on December 27th. The only non ridiculously expensive flight I could find to arrive in time for the first party was with Kuwaiti Airways. I didn’t know much about that airline, but it was cheap. Like most Middle Eastern airlines I realised the chance of getting a bacon sandwich on board was pretty unlikely, what I hadn’t reckoned on through that it would be a completely dry airline. Big mistake. I wasn’t looking to get wasted on the flight, but I do like a pre-meal G&T and maybe a glass of wine with my food, particularly as I was stuck in economy. Emirates, Ethiad, Qatar and Oman all serve alcohol so I was pretty surprised that Kuwait didn’t. The rest of the flight was ok, but pretty basic, so I was glad when I arrived safely I’m Bangkok. 

I was tired, had all my bags with me and the taxis are super cheap in Thailand compared to London, so I skipped public transport and hailed a cab to the hotel. I stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott, my friend booked the hotel and chose if mainly based on the proximity to the White Party venue. It was a pleasant enough hotel if a little non descript.

The White Party is actually a series of parties over four consecutive days, all with different themes (military, jock, all white, New Year’s Eve) so I only arrived literally the afternoon of the first party so I didn’t really have much time to relax or unwind before hitting the club. From landing til New Years Eve it was pretty much eat, sleep, rave, repeat as the song goes. By the final party I was shattered. Apart from the hotel and Central World, the convention centre where the parties were held, I pretty much saw nothing of Bangkok. Thankfully I’d been before and was also planning to spend some time back in Bangkok later in my trip.

The White Party really was amazing though, the parties were brilliant and the production values of the events was stunning. I had so much fun, so worth doing if you have the chance, I’d definitely go again.