Our editors and writers pick the most exclusive and best items on their wishlist or for gifting loved ones this holiday season.
Tag Heuer Connected
Being a person who is fond of gadgets this festive season I long for a smartwatch. Having given up wearing a watch nearly a decade ago, smartwatches are the only thing that would make me put one on again, and what better than to go for TAG Connected. A watch that gives you easy access to your messages, keeps track of calories burnt and steps taken. It is at the forefront of gadgets one could wish for. Available in Thailand ranging from 59,500-69,500 baht, it is the most hi-tech watch from a Swiss watchmaker that would make an ideal gift.
Umesh Pandey
Bangkok Post editor
HP Spectre
Quick confession, the whole page cannot accommodate my wish list, but I'm allowed to pick only one so this HP Spectre laptop becomes my choice. This is not only because I'm fed up with my two-year-old laptop that proved too expensive compared to its lifetime, but the simply elegant design of the HP Spectre makes it a tempting choice. HP claims the Spectre, with its 13.3-inch screen, is the thinnest laptop available to the market at the moment, and at 1.4cm thick and weighing 1.11kg, it is comparable to that of larger iPad models. Despite its super-slim size, the Spectre's body, being a mixture of carbon fibre and aluminium, feels like it can take a bit of rough and tumble. With a starting price of 69,990 baht, it is up there with the most popular MacBook. But I am not a fan of any brand and absolutely not into the "Cult of Mac", so the super-sleek and powerful laptop which comes in tablet size is at the top of my wish list.
Busrin Treerapongpichit
Business editor
Saucony Endorphin Racer
Run for your life -- that's what I want to do in 2017, meaning to run as if my whole life depends on it because if I get caught by the coldhearted monsters of 2016, all is over. So to run fast, I wish we all have a pair of Saucony Endorphin Racer, preferably lime-green or yellow. Sleek and light, they'll take you fast and far, especially if you're mid-distance joggers looking for new performance-boosting footwear that's also cool to look at (not bad at 5,200 baht). To guarantee a sparkling lifetime of running, I want more than one pair: perhaps another pair of Nike Lunar Epic Flyknit (8,400 baht) and the new Brook Transcend 3 (6,200 baht from a US website). Have a good year running!
Kong Rithdee
Life editor
BMW M2
Among the numerous sports cars launched this year, BMW's all-new M2 was probably the most eagerly awaited. After driving it for the first time at the car's international launch in California, it could easily be concluded that the M2 could handle more power. It's not that the standard 370hp output isn't enough, but it's the M2's brilliant suspension bits from the bigger M4 that beckon. Which is why it's very hopeful that BMW would also shoehorn the M4's twin-turbo version into the M2 for 400hp-plus thrills in the future. Oh, and not with the rubbery manual gearbox, but with that dual-clutch auto reprogrammed for lightning-quick gearchanges in its most aggressive setting. But as for now, the M2 stands out as a hugely fun car to burn rubber at 5.999 million baht -- a price tag that can't even net you the cheapest Porsche.
Richard Leu
Motoring editor
Bumrungrad Hospital Holistic Programme
Health is better than wealth. And when it comes to health, prevention is always better than cure. For this holiday season, a health check-up package would make a generous gift for someone you really care for. Bumrungrad Hospital on Sukhumvit Road offers five different physical exam packages with prices starting from 10,000 baht for men and 11,700 baht for women for the smallest programme. But the most comprehensive or the holistic programme is suitable for those between the ages of 55-69 -- perfect for your mum, dad and other senior family members. The package is priced at 29,400 for men and 33,500 for women, inclusive of doctor's fee and large tests like whole abdomen ultrasound, Electrocardiogram (EKG), Exercise Stress Test (EST) bone density test and eye exam.
Arusa Pisuthipan
Life deputy editor
Jimmy Choo Lucy
Gift any woman (like yours truly) with Jimmy Choo's sandal heels with the floral and vintage star Swarovski anklet from the Cruise 2017 collection and she will surely scream like a kid let loose in a candy store. Let's keep it real though -- since some of us actually have to work and cannot strut around in 4-inch heels with bejewelled straps all day -- the Lucy flat makes for a pick that also lets one in on the sparkly fun. It won't be like anyone else's, because like choosing from a tray of sweets, you can make it yours by picking from the three to four variations of each diamanté brooch. As these charms can be easily removed or clipped onto your kicks, it'll feel like having a dozen different pairs, on top of alternating between classic or eye-popping mode. Available next week at Jimmy Choo boutiques abroad, with the shoes at 35,900 baht and irresistible decorations starting at 2,100 baht.
Parisa Pichitmarn
Muse editor
Guerlain Orchidee Imperiale Black The Cream
If any generous guy missed seeing a nought on the hefty price tag of the Orchidee Imperiale Black The Cream and wrapped up the jar as a Christmas present for me, I would really feel sorry that he didn't spend the 46,000 baht on something else, say a diamond ring. Still, thanks for noticing my deep wrinkles and the kind intention to help fade them with the Guerlain masterpiece, hailed as the ultimate talisman of youth. Requiring more than 15 years of research, the formula is enriched with Blackimmune technology that harnesses the power of black orchid native to the Peruvian Andes. Flowering only three weeks a year, the resilient wild orchid is associated with longevity, which inspired the French brand to use its extract as an anti-ageing ingredient. The problem with receiving the cream though is I won't need to afford the next jar as one is definitely enough to continuously keep wrinkles at bay.
Kanokporn Chanasongkram
Life beauty writer
A5 Kobe Wagyu Beef
A generous block of intensely-marbled wagyu beef would be a special year-end treat for me -- the food writer/beef loon. To be exact, it's the A5 Kobe, the crème de la crème of Japanese beef, which costs almost 20,000 baht per kilogramme. You can tell the character of the fresh A5 wagyu apart from its counterpart by the intricate lines of fat so delicate and dense they make the red meat look like it is covered with snowflakes. I'd love the beef simply pan-grilled to a perfect medium-cooked steak, and am fancying every bite of each slice burst-releasing its naturally sweet fat juice and refined beefy taste in my mouth. The certified A5 Kobe, in cuts such as strip loin, tenderloin and rib-eye, is available at high-end supermarkets including Central Food Hall Chidlom, Gourmet Market EmQuartier and Paragon, and Villa Supermarket Thong Lor.
Vanniya Sriangura
Life food columnist
'Memory', an artwork by Cambodian-American artist Sopheap Pich
Is this a painting or a sculpture? I have no idea, but I wouldn't mind having this 1,250,000-baht piece of exquisite artwork in my living room as a New Year gift. Memory makes up part of Pich's third and current solo exhibition "Elemental" at H Gallery. Despite having long been one of Southeast Asia's foremost contemporary artists, I admit I haven't been one of his fans until this latest series. Bamboo, rattan and wire have always been his materials in creating often-airy structures of paintings and sculptures, but the void is now filled with layers of coarse canvas and beeswax. The end of a year is not only a time for celebration and Memory is just the right piece to look at and reflect about what has happened in the past year, good and bad. The surface of the work may look gloomy and suffocated, but what's invisible yet will always be present are the intricate and meaningful layers hidden under.
Kaona Pongpipat
Life art writer
Porsche Design Huawei Mate 9
A Chinese brand smartphone may sound negative for most Thai consumers, me included, but Huawei has changed my perception. I've never tried driving a Porsche, but hands-on with the Porsche Design Huawei Mate 9 makes me feel like experiencing a high-performance sports car. The heart of this device is collaboration -- with a glossy premium design handset by Austria-based Porsche Design and a powerful dual lens camera by German optical expert Leica. Powered by a Kirin 960 processor, the Porsche Design Huawei Mate 9 boasts 6GB RAM and 256GB of internal storage, with promises to run fast for up to 18 months, while other smartphones start to lag after six months. Priced at 49,900 baht, only 800 units of this limited edition will be available in Thailand -- definitely on my wish list.
Sasiwimon Boonruang
Life tech writer
Oriental Express Journey
As a travel writer who loves history and train journeys, what else is better than an Eastern & Oriental Express luxury train trip? I want to fulfil my mother's dream to visit Penang and my wish to visit the island where my great-grandfather Prince Svasti spent his final years and died more than 80 years ago. Of all three trips on offer, the "Fables Of The Peninsula" was my choice. The adventure begins with a night at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore before heading to Kuala Lumpur, the Cameron Highlands, Penang and Thailand's Ban Huay Yang fishing village and Wannakon beach, before reaching Bangkok. This journey is on my tick-list for the New Year. The "Fables Of The Peninsula" trip costs US$7,900 [284,515 baht] per adult. Visit www.belmond.com/eastern-and-oriental-express/luxury-train-travel for details.
Pichaya Svasti
Life travel writer
