We're big fans of Trey Ratcliff's blog Stuck in Customs. Here's a shot of Wat Arun in Bangkok.

Of this shot, Trey says, "This picture is of Wat Arun, a famous Buddhist temple in Thailand. I took it from a really cool little Italian restaurant across the way that is attached to a boutique hotel named "Arun Residence". I will stay at this place next time - be sure to get the balcony room at the top if you come... it's just over $100 a night."

We also highly recommend the Arun Residence for lunch (especially their papaya salad) and it looked like a great hotel too. Sadly our photos of Wat Arun from the hotel's deck aren't a patch on this one.

For more photos of Wat Arun click here.

The Big Mango has been voted the best city in the world in an online poll by Travel + Leisure magazine. Bangkok edged out last year's winner Florence, Italy.

The "World's Best" poll, which is in its 13th year, covers hotels, islands, cruise lines and airlines as well as cities.

Travel + Leisure's 10 best cities in the world are:

1. Bangkok
2. Buenos Aires
3. Cape Town
4. Sydney
5. Florence
6. Cuzco (Peru)
7. Rome
8. New York
9. Istanbul
10. San Francisco

2008 is the first year Bangkok has topped the list of world's best cities.

Other highlights from the poll, as compiled by Reuters, include:

Best hotel: Singita Sabi Sand, South Africa

Best island: Galapagos, Ecuador

Best cruise line (large ships): Crystal Cruises

Best cruise line (small ships): Silversea Cruises

Best international airline: Singapore Airlines

Best domestic airline: Virgin America

Best tour operator: Micato Safaris

Best car-rental agency: Hertz

Best hotel for $250 or less: Domaine des Hauts de Loire, France

There's plenty of chow in the Big Mango and it's cheap, delicious and super fresh. Here's a handful of recently discovered gems.

DECK BY THE RIVER, ARUN RESIDENCE

What? Great food on a luscious wooden deck above the Choapraya River. Deck by the River overlooks the mighty Wat Arun so you can soak up some culture whilst you wolf down your lunch. What could be better? Choose from a Thai or a Western menu. Delicious spring rolls, tom kha gai and salads. 1000 baht ($30) for lunch for two.

Where? 36-38 Soi Pratoo Nok Yoong, Maharat Road; +66 2221 9158.

LE LYS

What? Simple, filling, good Thai food washed down with cold Singha beer (no wines available). Sit on tables around a grassy courtyard amidst posters of the 2007 French rugby team and St. Tropez. One guidebook says it feels more like a dinner party here than a restaurant, and it's easy to see why, Ly Lys is a very laidback, friendly place.

We gorged on spicy carrot salad, aubergine and shrimp salad, green curry and red curry, plus plenty of Singha for 845 baht ($26).

Where? 104 Soi 7, Th Narathiwat Ratchanakharin; +66 2287 1898.

EAT ME

What? Slick and sexy, this "art restaurant" is both hip and delicious. Enjoy great Australian / Pacific Rim food on an outdoor terrace cooled by overhead fans, or sit inside underneath work by Bangkok artists.

Wet your whistle with a cocktail then dive straight into the starters; we chose mountain bread nachos with salsa and lentil and sesame soup. No rest for the wicked, next up was a feta, lentil, green been, tomato and paprika salad and salmon steak with capers, broad beans and lemon zest pulp.

All this and a good wine list. 2,700 baht ($83) for two people, two courses, plus wine.

Where? 1/6 Soi Pipat 2, a small street off of Convent Rd. just south of Silom Rd; +66 2238 0931.

BED SUPPERCLUB

What? Super stylish space-esq party pod. A favourite amongst well-healed expats with surprisingly good food. 1,750 baht ($54) buys you a three course set menu and entertainment galore.

Tomato and coriander soup was chased in by a waitress dressed as a rat (it being Chinese New Year). Then came a duck salad accompanied my Monsieur and Madame Massage who, for 200 baht, pummel your pressure points and ease away your aches. A quick rubdown was followed by sirloin steak then a mango, ginger and pomegranate sorbet. One treasure hunt later and in came a chocolate brownie with ice-cream and raspberries. The meal was rounded off by dragon dancers and acrobats performing vertigo-inducing feats to celebrate the year of the rat.

Non-stop entertainment plus supine supping and, if you’re feeling really energetic, an adjoining club pumping out house music.

Where? 26 Soi 11, Th Sukhuvmit

THE BLUE ELEPHANT COOKING SCHOOL

What? Where better to master the art of Thai cuisine than in the country’s crazy capital? ½ day or whole day courses with menus that change daily. Visit a market, watch fish have their heads ripped off and meet water beetles that smell of mangoes, go back to the school and get stuck in. Four courses, four classes, four chances to cook it yourself. When it’s all over you go downstairs and feast on the fruits of your labour.

Where? 233 Th Sathon Tai; +66 2673 9353; ½ day classes cost 3,250 baht.