Thai King chooses Garmisch as his place of refuge 

Rules are rules, and what applies to one applies to everyone. Except, apparently, if you happen to be a Thai King… 

Press from Germany and around the world have been making us aware of a certain special visitor whiling away his days in our beloved Alpine playground of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. While a famous visitor to this mountain paradise is nothing newsworthy, what’s making this stay at a time when hotels and inns across the land are supposed to be shut tight is the company he keeps. While there’s no figure revealing the exact number in King Maha Vajiralongkorn’s entourage, the UK’s Independent informs us that the sizeable party includes a “harem” of some 20 women. 

The contingent’s place of refuge amid Coronavirus chaos is reportedly the Grand Hotel Sonnenbichl, a four-star property boasting of unparalleled views of the Zugspitze, extensive spa facilities and a rustically appointed restaurant specializing in fondue. The Austrian ski team has been among the hotel’s most recent guests. While most vacationers rated a stay at the Sonnenbichl positively, reviews on Tripadvisor warn us of unpleasantries such as the excessively loud tinkling of the cowbells around the necks of cattle in the neighboring fields or floors that squeak when walked upon. 

The hotel apparently received special dispensation to accommodate the kingly group from the district council, citing the fact that they were a single, homogenous group of people with nobody coming in or going out to disturb its make-up. 

Not surprisingly, the moves of the not-so-beloved royal, who also goes by the name of Rama X, aren’t going down well with his countrymen. Despite laws that state anyone who insults the monarchy could be looking at a stiff jail sentence, a hashtag translating to ”Why do we need a king?” started to trend on Thai Twitter accounts following the news of the king’s Alpine sojourn.