Thunderroad

My wife and I will be transiting through Bangkok for about 14 hours this Saturday, arriving 10:30 a.m. and leaving just after midnight. It's been a long time since I've been there during the rainy season. Is it worth going into town for a meal or two and a bit of a walk around and ride along the river? Or is it so muggy and/or rainy that getting out and about would be unpleasant? And if there is heavy rain, will it take us forever to take taxis back and forth into town? I might book a room at the Royal Orchid Sheraton to be on the river and as a base since we may well want to spend part of our time resting, or in the alternative at the Novotel at the airport. I know the airport transit hotel is another option, but a 6-hour stint there is really not much cheaper than booking at the other two hotels. For what it's worth, we might be somewhat jet-lagged and we've been to Bangkok together before, albeit just for a couple of other brief stopovers.

Thanks for any advice.

pb9997

Going back/forth by train should be ok as you will not face traffic. BTS also allows getting in/out of stations to hotels/shopping centres, regardless of weather issues.

If you want to choose a hotel, consider a hotel with access from BTS, there are several of them, last time I chose Novotel Ploenchit, but there are so many others and from different chains.

With 14 hours I would definitely go to town, by train to be sure traffic is not an issue both ways. There are luxury malls and malls with great prices, all next to BTS and nice food centres. Do not stay near the airport in such a beautiful place as Bangkok

Tchiowa

This time of year assume bad weather. There is a lot of flooding in many areas of Thailand right now.

You can take the ARL and link to BTS or MRT and get to any of the major shopping areas. Make sure you familiarize yourself with the ARL schedule, including when it stops running and when it has "express" service. BTS and MRT are running constantly.

If you are thinking about a hotel, I'd take one at the airport to drop any luggage. Then you don't have to worry about coordinating hotel, BTS, ARL, etc. on the way out.

If you want a downtown hotel, the Hyatt has BTS access at Chitlom (west entrance on the skywalk) and the skywalk can get you to Central World (shopping and an excellent food court at Zen) and Paragon. Elevated and covered so you don't have to worry about rain or flooding.

Dr. HFH

And I'd take one in town. Your luggage will be checked through, won't it? Bring a change of clothes in a carryon. There's little coordination necessary. The hotel will help you figure out what time to leave on the way back to the airport, -- just back up the shopping/sightseeing/showering time from that.


Similarly, the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit (referred to on FT as SGS) is at the BTS (Skytrain) Asoke station with an elevated and covered walkway directly into the hotel lobby. That same walkway takes you from the hotel lobby into the Terminal 21 mall.

Thunderroad

Thanks very much for the useful replies, folks, including the info about the BTS and the BTS-friendly Hyatt and SGS. Much appreciated! We travel just with wheelie carry-ons, so the checking/shlepping luggage issue isn't a big problem.

I guess I'm still trying to sort out what we'd do in town beside simply relax at a hotel (not that some relaxation isn't important, especially since we might be jet-lagged) and hitting a mall, as my wife isn't a big mall person. Any particular restaurants and sights you'd recommend near either of those hotels?

pb9997

a) Stay in a hotel near to a BTS station, be it Novotel Ploenchitt, Hyatt, SGS or whatever; Novotel has a nice Exec lounge on the last floor, great views to have some photos.

b) Ride the BTS to Saphan Taksin; This is where you pick up boats that navigate the river, worth seeing and experiencing. The cheapo boats are as nice as the posh ones, all do the same route.

c) Once in the boat, lots of ports to disembark with beautiful temples - you cannot go wrong here, from the simplest temples to the most majestic. From a 30 minute visit to several hours, depending on the many areas to visit. If you do plan to visit temples, consider wearing flip flops as you are asked to enter bare foot and it is much more convenient than keeping shoe lacing in/out of shoes, each time.

d) There are great western hotels by the river with nice restaurants, if you are so inclined; You can also go for local street food, usually simple but tasty. Bear in mind, in Southeast Asia the biggest lines and crowds is where the best food is being offered. Malls have nice food centres with food that may not be as frightening for a foreigner just arriving in.

e) On your way back get the boat again, or pick up a taxi; If picking up a taxi, prior to leaving the hotel you are staying, ask an employee to right down the address of the Hotel in Thai. Taxi drivers may have a hard time understanding English but they do appreciate an address written in Thai and cannot go wrong.

f) In Bangkok either drink boiled water or bottled water; Tap water is unsafe. Food from stalls always better be hot, to be on the safe side.

g) Saturday is the day for the Chatuchak Weekend Market - the biggest in Asia, easily accessible by subway (MRT). Variety would not even start to describe it. But in such a short window and with eventual floods I would skip it and stay with the temple circuit.

I am glad you are inclined to spend time in the city instead of the airport hotel, more expensive and no glamour.

Cheers.

Thunderroad

Wow, this is great information and advice, pb9997! I should have mentioned that I do a lot of work in Asia, and have passed through Bangkok a number of times (but only briefly in recent years, hence my questions about what to do, how to get around, etc.), so I have some sense of the hygienic and culinary considerations. But I appreciate all of this.

The river rides to the temples and hotel restaurants are a great idea. I guess we'll play it by ear, though, in view of how the weather is looking. Am I correct in assuming that the pattern is to build up to late afternoon downpours, or is it less predictable than that?

aBroadAbroad

The stickied http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thail...and-forum.html includes a list of links to several "What should we do with XX hours in Bangkok" threads. Lots of ideas there.

Thunderroad

Thanks!

Dr. HFH

That is certainly a common pattern, but it's far from reliable or predictable at all.

EmailKid

Weather, no weather, I'd go into town, no brainer (I've done it for shorter periods).

There are a couple of places to leave your luggage at BKK if you can't check it through.

And yes, take ARL to Skytrain.

Tchiowa

Morning arrival may put you in a bad spot with ARL. They're having problems because of missed maintenance schedules.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/tran...commuter-chaos