16 TRAVEL+LEISURE | APRIL / MAY 2020
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RUEKCR
UISEFrom top: The
lush coccoon of
Pruek Cruise;
afternoon tea
set, Supanniga
Cruise.
Book Loy River
Song for two or
three nights on
the river.O
NE OF BANGKOK’S ICONIC roof-
bars has taken the plunge. You can
now find a Moon Bar, the violet
ellipse atop Banyan Tree hotel, down on
the waters of the Chao Phraya River. It’s
the centerpiece of the upper deck of the
new Saffron Cruise, a high-end, drinking-
and-dinner boat from the luxury-resort
brand that’s one of a few vessels bringing
the regal back to the River of Kings.
For years, nightlife on this
waterway was dominated by neon-lit,
noise-polluting party cruises rammed
with the over-enthused throwing their
hands in the air at barely 7 p.m. or
soporific dinner cruises in whose too-
brightly lit dining rooms you could spy
patrons seeming to doze off. But this
new generation of boats tosses a
lifeline to those who want less cheesy,
more chichi. All classy, aspirational and
most importantly fun, with a priority
on good food steering the ship, each
offers a unique design and experience
to suit your type of sea legs.
Late one recent amber afternoon,
my mom and I boarded the Saffron
Cruise for the full shebang, sundowners
straight into dinner. Little things like
pre-ordering your first drink (Khun
Amp makes an on-point mojito) make
the sailing smooth; a spacious layoutwith skybridges to give the illusion
you’re floating makes it smart. The
“five-course” menu is actually seven
contemporarily plated dishes made
with high-quality ingredients on
varying degrees of the Thai spectrum:
the sinus-cleansing Northern-style
seafood hotpot with morning glory,
Thai basil and glass noodles—high; the
perfectly seared salmon fillet with
pomelo—closer to fancy-fusion. By the
time you get to the wok-fried beef
tenderloin with chili you’re going to
want to toss in the towel, but don’t,
because it’s damn tender. (T+L Tip: The
downstairs dining room has great
picture windows, but if you prefer al
fresco, make a special request to have
your dinner served on the top deck.
They can accommodate—wind and
weather depending, of course.)
I admit to having been a bit daunted
by the prospect of close to five hours
on the same riverboat, but the time
flew by. The course circles Bangkok’s
iconic sandcastle temple Wat Arun
(your first passing is right before
sunset—hello, IG love) to the north and
tourist-playground Asiatique to the
southeast a few times, then on the last
loop it heads up past the golden-gate
Rama VIII bridge. There’s plenty ofstaff to take all the photographs you
could ever need, and from the best
angles, plus a professional aboard so
they can print and present you a
souvenir snap at disembarkation.
The circular route turns out to be a
secret blessing, for once you’ve seen
(and photographed) all the pretty
things on shore the first time, for the
rest of the cruise you can sit back and
enjoy the breeze, the appropriately
volumed pop music, and the company.
And whether it was my chatty mom, or
a big group of friends, with whom I
took just the sunset sailing on another
evening, that was the main point.banyantree.com; 66-2/679-1200; daily
sunset cruise including one drink Bt550;
daily dinner cruise including one drink
Bt3,200; private charters for weddings
or other events are available, with
custom activities such as spa treatments
and cooking classes.