This way to shopping paradise, Thailand

One of the best ideas you could have this year is to indulge in some retail therapy in Thailand. Why Thailand? Because it features the most diverse shopping experiences this side of Asia, and it makes every shopping expedition an affair to remember. So go ahead, get your flight tickets and Thailand visa and head to the best shopping delights at

Bangkok.

From swanky malls to floating markets, and from night markets to outlet shops, Bangkok has all of these and more. You can go quite crazy trying to decide what to pick and what to leave – so you might just end up buying everything in sight! When in Bangkok, also check out the famous vintage shops that sell stuff made from old valuable items, or rummage through the sheer variety of clothes at Pratunam Market.

Handicrafts at Chiang Mai.

You will love the sheer variety of handicrafts on sale – prices vary as per item and location – at Chiang Mai, where factories and workshops frame the city centre. You can also head down to these factories to watch artisans at work, apart from picking up several pieces here at excellent prices. There are also good shopping malls here, apart from street markets and boutique stores that sell antiques and handicrafts.

Food items at Phuket.

For the freshest and tastiest produce, head straight to the food markets at Phuket. The island exudes a great vibe that invites shopaholics to spend all day strolling its food and cloth markets. You can also walk into large department stores (the prices here are higher) and boutique shops. Check out cheap clothing options, jewellery, arts and crafts and of course, fresh fruit and vegetables.

Hip shopping at Phi Phi Islands.

Earlier known as a wanderer’s paradise, Phi Phi Island has now emerged as a hippie shopping destination featuring a mishmash of shopping experiences. Almost every shop here doubles up as something else (cafes sell clothes, book stores stock beer, you get the drift…) so it might take a while to shake off your disorientation. But the prices here are quite reasonable, the wares on sale are of a good quality and you must especially check out shops selling blown glass items. Plus, you can get a new tattoo at the island’s famed tattoo parlours.

Affordable shopping at Koh Phangan.

Head straight to Koh Phangan if you want budget shopping in Thailand. You will find a variety of wares at this beach town, from jewellery to shoes and from lingerie to skin care creams. However, this is not a typical shopping destination but more of a market evolved for everyday needs at the beach.

Are you in Bengaluru? Take an evening off for yourself

Bengaluru is truly one of the most pleasurable cities in the country today. A fairly well-planned city with good infrastructure and the most salubrious climate in all of south India, Bengaluru is a good city to live and do business in.

In recent times, Bengaluru has also emerged as a premier destination for IT and allied businesses. As a software hub, it attracts a lot of engineering talent from across the country and abroad. At the same time, the city is host to a lot of high profile events such as concerts for global rock stars. Altogether, Bengaluru is a premier business and pleasure destination in south India.

Chances are that you often head to Bengaluru for meetings, off-site conferences, business training, etc. You probably stay at a hotel, work all day, then head back, pack your bags and leave for home. There are many people who go to Bengaluru but are too busy to enjoy the sights or even take in the city’s metropolitan vibe. This means that they are often unaware of the many joys that the city has to offer the traveller.

One of these joys is the typical south Indian massage that you can enjoy at a premium spa in Bengaluru. It consists of deep tissue massage and reflexology using warm herbal oils to relax tense muscles and eliminate toxins. The massage may be a foot spa or a full body massage using oils and aromatherapy.

Both men and women can partake of excellent spas in Bengaluru, which also offer Swedish massages, head and foot spas, pain relieving massages and many more. Those who opt for traditional south Indian massages find that not only does their stress decrease while the massage is on, but various aches and pains also disappear gradually. The warm herbal oils seep into the skin’s tissues and help in cell repair and rejuvenation, apart from offering anti-oxidant action.

In addition, most good spas in Bengaluru serve healing cups of green or white tea after the massage is over, or a brew of honey in ginger tea so that toxins are removed from the system and the body feels fresher.

So the next time you are in Bengaluru, do take the time and set an evening off for yourself. Book yourself into a spa, get a full body massage, have an early vegetarian dinner and head to bed. When you wake up the next morning, you will be refreshed and ready to take on the world!

A perfect location in Mumbai to celebrate every life event

The stress of life in Mumbai is such that one hardly gets the time to sit back and unwind after a hard day. Many hours spent in tiring commutes, constant deadlines and impossible targets make working life a miserable one for many Mumbaikars. Then there is the absolute paucity of lush green spaces where one may go and just sit quietly to contemplate one’s life and future.

The only spaces that provide any scope for entertainment for the whole family are shopping malls and cinema theatres. With so little time one gets to relax during the week, weekends are spent in cleaning up the house and meeting only with immediate family members. This busy lifestyle ensures that many Mumbaikars do not get the time to catch up with family members unless there is a public holiday.

So why not plan a get-together?

A get-together is the perfect opportunity for family and friends to meet each other after a long time, exchange views and hugs, bond over food and drinks and generally pick up the threads of their lives. If you have been wanting to hold a small gathering of friends and family, pick a special occasion and book a suitable banquet hall for it.

It is fairly easy to plan a get-together in Mumbai if you have the guest list ready. But be sure to book only the most prime facility if you want to make the occasion extra special. There are many good banquet halls in Mumbai, but only the very best, like The Leela Mumbai, are actually worth booking. The Leela Mumbai puts together one of the most exquisite banquets in Mumbai backed by opulent spaces and the best support staff to make your event a grand success.

Spread over a plush 11,742 square feet of area, the Leela Mumbai offers opulent banquet space in its Grand Ballroom that can seat up to 1,200 guests. Now that’s a large amount of space for the most boisterous celebration you can think of! Or you can book the smaller Ball Rooms if you’re planning a more intimate do, like a silver wedding anniversary or a 50th birthday or even a mehndi ceremony.

The Leela Mumbai offers the best seating options, exquisite international or Indian cuisine of your choice, extremely attentive and helpful staff and the most luxurious banquet spaces that you can ask to be customised for your function. Plus, the hotel is conveniently located at Sahar, in the heart of Mumbai, so it is fairly easy to reach it as well.

All in all, you can have the best banquet in Mumbai at The Leela!

15 smart ways to travel through Europe on a tight budget

A European holiday can be the highlight of your life. There are several beautiful countries in Europe, and the best part is, you can see most of them on a single Schengen visa. But you will quickly find that Europe is as expensive as it is gorgeous. Instead of fretting over the amount of money you will need to spend, you could consider these money-saving hacks for your Europe holiday:

1 Travel off-season. Most people make the mistake of booking tickets in the destination country’s peak holiday season. This will result in more money for flight tickets and accommodation. Always travel to Europe, off season for cheaper deals.

2 Book your tickets in advance. The closer you book your tickets to the date of departure, the more expensive they will be. Frequent travellers know they must book tickets at least three months in advance to avoid last minute charge hikes and delays.

3 Travel to Schengen visa countries only. Not every country in Europe is on the list of Schengen visa countries. Look up the entire list of countries to know which ones you can travel to, on a single Schengen visa. A better way to save more money is to travel to an EU country but one which does not use the Euro, such as Croatia.

4 Look for alternatives to hotels. Your accommodation choice will impact your spends on your Europe sojourn. Instead of booking yourself into a hotel or resort, ask your friends or family members if you can stay at their place. If this is not feasible, stay at a hostel or rent an apartment from a local.

5 Carry cash to spend. It is always better to carry along sufficient cash instead of using your credit cards everywhere or taking money from the ATM to save on international withdrawal fees.

6 Book a multi-city cruise. Instead of booking 10 different cars to travel to multiple destinations, a single cruise will do the job better and cheaper.

7 Use public transportation. Car rentals can be expensive in Europe, especially if your pick-up and drop-off points are different and located far from each other. It is always cheaper to use public transport, which is quite good in Europe.

8 Walk everywhere and join free walking tours. You can learn a lot about a place and remember side streets and prominent landmarks if you walk everywhere. Also look for free walking tours with an English speaking guide to explore a city, but don’t forget to tip the guide.

9 Visit museums and art galleries on free days. Do your research and find free visitor days for art galleries and museums in your destination city. This will save a lot of money on admission fees.

10 Use free Wi-Fi only. Communicate with friends and family using messenger services on your phone and free Wi-Fi which is available at many cafes and restaurants in Europe. Sending emails, photographs and other communication is much cheaper with free Wi-Fi.

11 Use a rail pass to travel within the EU. We recommend taking a railway pass that allows multiple passage between select EU countries. You pay for it once and travel a certain number of times before you make the next pass.

12 Use a local SIM card. Do not use international roaming on your phone when you travel to Europe. Instead, get a local SIM card (you can get one at most European airports) and discard it when you travel to another country.

13 Shop in cheaper countries. Some European countries such as Switzerland are more expensive than others, such as Portugal. Make a shopping list and wait to reach a more price-friendly country before you start shopping.

14 Research how much to tip. Each country in Europe has different rules about tipping, so find these out before you get there. Some countries pay their wait-staff hourly wages, so there is no need to pay a high tip. At others, a good tip is a norm.

15 Stay within the sights. Instead of staying on the outskirts of the city and then travelling far to see the prominent sights, stay within reach so that you walk to the tourist spots instead of hiring transport.