No visit to Bangkok is complete without going to the Siam Paragon Shopping Center, adjacent to the BTS skytrain station "SIAM", right in the center of the city. I think it would be difficult to find a shopping center on this large scale, and high quality, anywhere else in the world.

The market in the basement is spectacular. There is an oceanarium, deluxe movie theaters, car showrooms, every possible designer shop, even an opera house. It makes anything in Singapore look like a dump.

Not far away is the Central World Shopping Center, which is worthwhile too, just completing renovations. The Emporium shopping center is nice too, with high end stores and a great market/food hall.

Re Siam Paragon -- in the words of a close expat friend of mine in BKK, "another soon-to-be-bankrupt shopping center!"

The Intercontinental Hotel, that used to occupy the area that is now Siam Paragon, was more to my liking.

The ground level ( food stalls/ restaurants/ supermarket) section of Siam Paragon is really worth a visit. I was most impressed. The rest of the complex is not that impressive, and certainly not that busy. The zen Central complex sounds good on paper, but it is strangely deserted. Simply do not know how they are going to survive. Quite nice and expensive food court on one of the upper levels.

I miss the old Inter-Con too. wow what a flash back. They had live peacocks in the garden too IIRC. The Zen Center is being renovated right? It's the one on the corner down from discovery with the beer garden in front? It had a great resto upstairs but was all under construction late last year. Hope it comes back it was Aroi.

The Intercontinental Hotel, that used to occupy the area that is now Siam Paragon, was more to my liking.

The land is owned by the Royal Family. When the Intercontinental's lease expired a new lease was negotiated allowing Siam Paragon (http://www.siamparagon.co.th/v3/index.html) to be built. It is a joint venture between the group which owns Siam/Discovery and another group which owns the Emporium.

The movie theatre complex at Siam Paragon is impressive. Theatre #4 (Siam Pavalai) is one of the best venues I have ever seen.

On weekends all of these malls are crowded beyond belief.

I am not familiar with any bankrupt (soon to be or otherwise) shopping malls here so am curious to hear more details on that subject.

I agree Central World (ZEN, PKA World Trade) is really fantastic now that the renovations are complete. The 2007 Bangkok International Film Festival is underway presently at this facility. (It was held at Paragon last year.)

The movie theatre complex at Siam Paragon is impressive. Theatre #4 (Siam Pavalai) is one of the best venues I have ever seen.

Is this the one with reclining sofas, ushers that show you to your seat and tuck you in with silk blankets and bring you drinks? Amazing place ...

Is this the one with reclining sofas, ushers that show you to your seat and tuck you in with silk blankets and bring you drinks? Amazing place ...

No, those would be the Nokia Ultra Screens (1, 2 & 3). The Pavalai theatre is probably what the OP referred to as the Opera House, a huge theatre.

Re Siam Paragon -- in the words of a close expat friend of mine in BKK, "another soon-to-be-bankrupt shopping center!"

The Intercontinental Hotel, that used to occupy the area that is now Siam Paragon, was more to my liking.

The ground level ( food stalls/ restaurants/ supermarket) section of Siam Paragon is really worth a visit. I was most impressed. The rest of the complex is not that impressive, and certainly not that busy. The zen Central complex sounds good on paper, but it is strangely deserted. Simply do not know how they are going to survive. Quite nice and expensive food court on one of the upper levels.

Is this the one with reclining sofas, ushers that show you to your seat and tuck you in with silk blankets and bring you drinks? Amazing place ...

No, those would be the Nokia Ultra Screens (1, 2 & 3). The Pavalai theatre is probably what the OP referred to as the Opera House, a huge theatre.

Siam Paragon seems to be pretty busy to me... I think some of the upper floors seem deserted because they are so spacious. I would guess most of the stores are doing o.k.

The Intercontinental was a spacious hotel, on expansive grounds, far too valuable for that location. It would be as if someone wanted to build a low rise hotel with 500 rooms, 2 stories, in midtown Manhattan... just doesn't make sense. There is a website, i think something like www.2bangkok.com which has lots of pictures of the old Intercontinental, including all of the tearing down pictures.

The Zen Central center seems quite deserted to me; they are located between two BTS skytrain stations, and foot traffic means a 10 minute walk, in the heat... the BTS stops right AT the Siam Paragon, so most people just go there. At the Emporium Center, the BTS also stops right there... and the Central Chit Lom store also has a BTS adjacent.

The movie theaters at Siam Paragon are probably the most deluxe anywhere in the world... private lounges, some seat ticket plans include champagne, hors d'ouvres, snacks, couches for two, electronic reclining seats, etc. And your neighbor might be at least 5 or 6 feet away from you in any direction. Tickets for that in Bangkok, cost LESS than a regular theater in L.A. or New York.

I thought the big theater on the very top, I think two levels ABOVE the theaters, is called "THE OPERA"... it is not near or connected to the movie theaters. There is also a convention center up there.

The ground level ( food stalls/ restaurants/ supermarket) section of Siam Paragon is really worth a visit. I was most impressed. The rest of the complex is not that impressive, and certainly not that busy. The zen Central complex sounds good on paper, but it is strangely deserted. Simply do not know how they are going to survive. Quite nice and expensive food court on one of the upper levels.

I happen to be in Bangkok right now on holiday, and I stumbled by chance right into the food court the Siam Paragon. This must be the biggest food hall that I have ever been to in any country. Everything from cheap Thai hawker stalls (satay about 10 baht each) to mid-priced American chains to pricey Italian restaurants all under one roof, all on the same floor.

I had a thrill trying out different items at many of the cheap Isetan-like stalls in the center area: satay, sausage-on-a-stick, fried bananas covered in sweet rice, and filled mini-pancakes. They put each in a plastic bag for you to take away. Grab a bench seat and start eating! One of my best experiences in Bangkok.

The Zen Central center seems quite deserted to me; they are located between two BTS skytrain stations, and foot traffic means a 10 minute walk, in the heat... the BTS stops right AT the Siam Paragon, so most people just go there. At the Emporium Center, the BTS also stops right there... and the Central Chit Lom store also has a BTS adjacent.

I find ZEN Central quite empty as well. And I don't really care for the layout. The Chitlom BTS is just about a 5 minute walk to ZEN. And the nice part about it is you don't need to go down to street level. There's a covered overhead walk way that connects Chitlom and Siam BTS stations. I wish they had more of those in between stations. I'd walk a lot more there.

I happen to be in Bangkok right now on holiday, and I stumbled by chance right into the food court the Siam Paragon. This must be the biggest food hall that I have ever been to in any country.

I honestly think there are more food options at Central World but Paragon does offer a wide choice on the "G" level. The pre-paid food court is about average size for most malls here maybe a bit smaller than some, and the chains (MK, Oishi, Kobune, Fuji et al.) are universally represented. The post-paid food court is also quite good, almost equivalent to the ones at Central Chitlom and 'Fifth Ave. at MBK'. Just adjacent to the pre-paid Food Court there is an area that usually has weekly specials, focusing on a specific cuisine. Typically this is the best bet, IME. The supermarket at Paragon does seem to be the best.

Having spent the better part of the last four days at the cinema complex at Central World I'd have to say that it is as good as Paragon, with the exception of a massive theatre, but then the film festival is only using six of the theatres so the others are also crowded showing general release films. And I haven't checked out the other screens. Central World is not quite as chic (HiSo) as Paragon but it seems to be very popular. On Saturday and Sunday most restaurants seemed to have pretty long queues.

I find ZEN Central quite empty as well. And I don't really care for the layout. The Chitlom BTS is just about a 5 minute walk to ZEN. And the nice part about it is you don't need to go down to street level. There's a covered overhead walk way that connects Chitlom and Siam BTS stations. I wish they had more of those in between stations. I'd walk a lot more there.

That covered walkway, above street level, is great. There's another one in the Victory Monument BTS area. But even that 5 minute walk from Chitlom BTS to ZEN, compared to the SIAM BTS being DIRECTLY CONNECTED to Siam Paragon, makes a HUGE difference in the number of people that will go inside. And I think it's a little more than a 5 minute walk, maybe 8 minutes. In Bangkok, even covered with the Skywalk, most foreigners/westerners will be DRENCHED with sweat by the time they get there.

I've also noticed that Bangkok's shopping centers are NOT aircondioned as low as the shopping centers in Singapore are... not sure about the ones in Kuala Lumpur.

I would love to know what the air conditioning bill at Siam Paragon is per month... must be $250,000 per month i'm guessing. Maybe more.

We are in Bangkok right now and spent the afternoon at Siam Paragon. How many shopping malls have you seen where there is a Lamborghini and Ferrari dealership??? It is amazing. Also, a nice branch of Jim Thompson....We loved the market and food court downstairs. We especially loved the bottles of fresh fruit juice right by the checkout in the front of the market. Delicious, and only cost a couple of dollars. Siam Paragon is a must see!

We are in Bangkok right now and spent the afternoon at Siam Paragon. How many shopping malls have you seen where there is a Lamborghini and Ferrari dealership??? It is amazing. Also, a nice branch of Jim Thompson....We loved the market and food court downstairs. We especially loved the bottles of fresh fruit juice right by the checkout in the front of the market. Delicious, and only cost a couple of dollars. Siam Paragon is a must see!The dealerships are what did it for me. The mall is spectacular, but I've never seen anything like the car dealership floor anywhere else in the world.

If you travel 10 thousand miles to go to a "mall" for high-end brands that you can buy cheaper in the USA, then the Paragon is for you.:D

You will find me at the Chatuchuk Market sipping 10 baht fruit juice and eating 3 baht satay. ;) Or watching a movie at the Ekkamai Theatres.:cool:

If you travel 10 thousand miles to go to a "mall" for high-end brands that you can buy cheaper in the USA, then the Paragon is for you.:D

You will find me at the Chatuchuk Market sipping 10 baht fruit juice and eating 3 baht satay. ;) Or watching a movie at the Ekkamai Theatres.:cool:

Couldn't agree with you more. ^ Although Mr. Megatop might point out that I'm not often seen with fruit juice in hand. :cool:

If you travel 10 thousand miles to go to a "mall" for high-end brands that you can buy cheaper in the USA, then the Paragon is for you.:D

You will find me at the Chatuchuk Market sipping 10 baht fruit juice and eating 3 baht satay. ;) Or watching a movie at the Ekkamai Theatres.:cool:

I don't think anyone is advocating flying all the way to Thailand just to visit the Paragon Mall? And of course we know that no Flyertalker would ever fly 10,000 miles just to visit a mall:rolleyes:.

I think we are suggesting that it might be an OK place to visit, especially for food and entertainment, and because of easy access.

Sure Chatuchuk Weekend Market can be fun. Almost every visitor to Bangkok insists I take them there, and if I were looking to outfit an apartment with housewares it might be my first stop. Sure it's crowded, hot, cramped, only open on weekends but who cares, it's still fun. BTW, I saw a recent report that said that Chatuchuk Market has the highest number of thefts, as reported by foreigners to the Tourist Police, of the major tourist destinations in Bangkok so watch your wallets and handbags.

"3 baht satay" costs three baht for a reason but perhaps you should remain blissfully unaware of what you have been consuming.:eek:

The movie theatres at Major Sukhumvit (what you call Ekkamai) are owned and operated by the same company which operates the theatres at Paragon (Major, EGV, SFx), and the prices are the same. Major Sukhumvit is a bit older but still has premium seats (500 ~ 600 baht). The Apex chain (Siam, Lido, Scala, all in Siam Sq.) offer a first show (09:30 ~ 10:00) price on weekends for 80 baht, if you are looking for a bargain. These theatres are nearly opposite the Paragon Mall.

I guess your point is that there are many places to visit in Bangkok besides the Paragon Mall?

I guess your point is that there are many places to visit in Bangkok besides the Paragon Mall?

That was certainly my point, which springs in part from my general aversion to malls of any sort. Shopping at Paragon or gaysorn or Emporium in one of the luxury-brand boutiques no different from the stores just down Peachtree Road at Lenox Mall--at which I rarely shop anyway--would be anathema to me. Stopping in to Paragon to people-watch or grab a quick bite in the food court--but not the overpriced restaurants--is perfectly reasonable, though.

That was certainly my point, which springs in part from my general aversion to malls of any sort. Shopping at Paragon or gaysorn or Emporium in one of the luxury-brand boutiques no different from the stores just down Peachtree Road at Lenox Mall--at which I rarely shop anyway--would be anathema to me. Stopping in to Paragon to people-watch or grab a quick bite in the food court--but not the overpriced restaurants--is perfectly reasonable, though.

Of course projecting something you dislike or loathe (anathema) on Thai people (99% of the cutomers at Paragon, Gaysorn, Emporium) seems a bit strange. Don't go to these places if they cause you discomfort, which apparently they do. But don't disrespect those who choose to go to destination malls like Paragon.

The restaurants in Paragon are no more overpriced than those at any mall in Bangkok.:rolleyes:

Siam Paragon for me is a must-go place if only for the food court alone. Great ambinece for a food court - best so far in BKK. You eat amidst tropical marine fish aquariums. The food court doesn't use the ubiquitous paper coupons but a mag-swipe card, this is a good step forward.

My son loved the dessert bar (like snowcones but SEA-style): very easy to order for newbies. Point-point-point-pay.

Plus there is the aquarium (ovrepriced but still) in the basement as well to round off entertainment options.

Of course projecting something you dislike or loathe (anathema) on Thai people (99% of the cutomers at Paragon, Gaysorn, Emporium) seems a bit strange. Don't go to these places if they cause you discomfort, which apparently they do. But don't disrespect those who choose to go to destination malls like Paragon.

That would indeed be strange, but I didn't do it, and I frankly have no idea where you got the notion that I intended to project onto Thais my views on what I as a visitor and other visitors reading this thread might find as worthwhile diversions. I thought this thread was about what visitors, not locals, do when in Bangkok. (Recall that the thread began with the following: "No visit to Bangkok is complete without going to the Siam Paragon Shopping Center....") The sentiment with which I agreed above, and on which I elaborated in my second posting, obviously implied that it was based on the availability of most of the same brands and products at home, i.e. elsewhere from Bangkok. For Thais, Siam Paragon, gaysorn, and Emporium are their Lenox Square, Mall at Cherry Hills, Mall at King of Prussia, Copley Square Mall, South Coast Plaza, whathaveyou. I see nothing wrong with a local (Thai or expat) or quasi-local (very frequent visitor) choosing to shop there. Really, I see nothing wrong with shopping there at all for anyone. My point, which I will try to make successfully this time, is that there are many places in Bangkok for visitors to visit besides Siam Paragon. A visitor shopping at Siam Paragon when the same goods can be found at home seems to me --and I did write, "anathema to me" above--like a profound waste of time when Bangkok has so much else to offer. Obviously, YMMV.

I feel compelled to note my firm belief that my posts in this forum have shown that I have nothing but respect for the Thai people and do not impose my views or standards on them. I am quite surprised to have one of my posts construed otherwise.

Now, I had anyway been thinking that I would clarify my post above by noting that I do like to spend a bit of time shopping in Siam Square, adjacent to Siam Paragon, because of the great many local Thai and other Asian designers who have boutiques there. The critical difference is that I cannot find many of those brands at home, a fact that overcomes my general aversion to malls.

My friend's family has a jewelry shop there, which carries more contemporary designs while maintaining a certain Thai aesthetic. Same with several of the other local jewelers as well. And, prices are not as outrageous, given the high quality, as one might expect considering the surroundings at Siam Paragon :cool:

hmmm, I wonder if she has a discount card for the restaurants there ? :D

No one has mentioned bowling next to the theatre, good music, real dj, nice snacks and bowling....Cant be beat.

Someone comented that the mall is always busy. That does not mean the mall is doing well.

The basement does very well and the food is excellent. the grocery store is also busy. the movie theater and bowling complex are also busy.

But the rest?

My Thai Financee, who is HiSo goes to see the latest fashions then goes to any number of stores through BKK to get "the look" or a knockoff for a fraction. i.e 800bht for a designer dress. She does however have one staore that she always buys from, Zara.

The Nokia theater is the greatest. Reminds me flying SQ in First :)

I will be back at the end of the month for a quick visit.