Notes from beautiful Thailand- a Stonefish adventure

I visited one of my favourite countries in August, primarily to attend two wine dinners where Stonefish Wines were being featured, but also to catch up with my agents and visit some of my customers. 

I’m fortunate in my travels that I meet and welcome into my life lots of different people from various cultures who live quite a different life to me.  The common denominator between us being a passion for what they do and not being afraid to get in and get their hands dirty to achieve their goals in life.

On my first day in Bangkok, I met such a person. Kiwi Dave I call him and he was introduce to me by a well known Hotelier from the Gold Coast, Tom.  An expat of 20 years, a family man who's witty and passionate about life- and I don’t just say that because he loves the Stonefish Range (but of course, it helps) !  I’m sure we’ll see more from him.

On my overseas trips I love catching up with people I've met from previous trips. I always try to meet up with my friend Mark, a welcoming and gregarious Aussie expat who owns a bar called Bar 4 in Nana-  “the place” to be if you are an Aussie expat.  I feel very much at home (and very proud) when I walk into his bar as I'm surrounded by signage and banners- all Stonefish! 

I ate at a most amazing restaurant called The Seafood Market and Restaurant while in Bangkok.  It’s slogan was, “if it swims, we have it”- and they certainly did! There were quite a few strange creatures, so I chose carefully and selected the chilli crab which was prepared spectacularly in a kitchen filled with 35 chefs and just as many assistants.

No trip to Bangkok would be complete without a visit to my favourite restaurant, Gai & Joel Global Flavours, http://www.gaiandjoel.com/ which boasts a menu full of internationally inspired gastronomical delights! I would return over and over just for their Tenderloin Tournedos. Bellissimo, divine!

If you’re after a great steak while in Bangkok, you can’t go past the Landmark Hotel where you will also be able to select from the whole Stonefish Range.  The Grand Hyatt is also one of my favourites and not because they sell more Stonefish than anyone in Bangkok, but it is home to 'Spasso', a beautiful bar that serves wicked cocktails and has great live music. It always proves to be a delightful wind down to a busy day of meetings or shopping.

The next leg of my trip found me again in beautiful Pattaya also to visit agents and customers where there are always so many new and exciting opportunities. The Hilton Hotel is stunning with beautiful views of the area and I hope to stay there again on my next visit.

On this trip, I met with Massiri, the Food & Beverage Manager and her charming associate Jeena from the Holiday Inn Hotel, who have been fantastic supporters of our wines for some time now. I very much enjoyed how the meeting evolved into an early dinner with a most entertaining and interesting group.

My last meeting in Pattaya involved a few relaxing Gin and Tonic's with an interesting gentleman by the name of Aloysius Michal of the beautiful Dusit Thani Hotel on Pattaya Beach, watching the world go by. I hope to work with Michael soon.

The final leg of my trip landed me in Samui as a guest of the Banyan Tree Hotel. My goodness, what a stunning establishment- I never wanted to leave! I was the representing guest at a wine dinner showcasing the Stonefish Range and Flying Finix for 30 of Samui’s most influential and well known lovers of fine food and wine. Many thanks to the charming General Manager Fredrick Arul- it was a most successful wine dinner.

The following day, I enjoyed a superlative lunch at Zazen in Samui. It was a delightful experience with a talented and passionate young manager!

If there weren't enough fantastic dinner's and lunches on this trip, there was one still to come. It was at a charming restaurant in Samui called 'The Red Snapper' where I shared a beautiful evening proved with interesting guests from many local hotels. While being entertained by a local jazz band, the guests thoroughly enjoyed Stonefish Wines and raved about our dessert wine of the Stonefish family, Flying Finix.

So many people make my journeys pleasurable and exciting and in no particular order or reason I would like to mention the following people I met on my trip:

Scott Bowen, General Manager - Centara Villas Samui

Anuchart Poldeeh, Food & Beverage Manager - Chaweng Buri Resort & Spa, Samui

Thirawat Chomchoey, Food & Beverage Manager – Peace Resort Samui

Sujin Butrajarn, Food & Berverage Director – Impiana Resort, Samui

Siwat Thitipornwatthanakul, Wine Sommelier – Four Seasons Hotel, Bankok

Massiri Chaleenwan, Food & Beverage Manager – Holiday Inn, Pattaya

David Ashworth, General Manager – Sixth Sense Hideaway, Samui

Juliane Pach, Executive Food & Beverage Manager – Sixth Sense Hideway

Fredrick Arul, General Manager – Banyan Tree, Samui

Jan Michael Leinung, Food & Beverage/Events Manager, Zanen Boutique Resort & Spa, Samui

Adthapong Visutyothapibal, Food & Beverage Service Manager – Sheraton Pattaya Resort

Theerasart Garijit, Food & Beverage Manager – The Tongsai Bay Hotel

Keep enjoying our wine and of course, keep in touch.

Cheers!

Peter Papanikitas

P.S I've taken some super snapshots to come. Stay tuned!