Here are my two-cents on where to stay when you have a full day to tour. This advice is based on the following assumptions:
- This is your first trip to Bangkok.
- You want to see the standard tourist sites like the palace and reclining Buddha at Wat Pho.
- You will want to maximize your time touring as opposed to hanging in the hotel.
- A big breakfast is not a concern so as to not weigh you down and to allow for sampling food as you tour.
Stay somewhere on the river and pay extra for a room with a good view, The Anantara or a non-Marriott property like the Shangri La would be great choices. Assuming you have one day to tour, you can easily catch the
tourist boat and ride it to the palace. Tour the palace and Wat Pho. Get back on the boat and ride it to the last stop. Walk to Khaosan Rd for lunch. The food is okay but the people watching from an outdoor patio table is incredible. Get back to the boat and stop where you want along the way back down to the hotel.
If your stay is more than one night, consider staying elsewhere or on the river, but try to be on the BTS line for ease in getting around. For one day's touring the boat works best, but for longer stays the BTS train works better. You can easily take the BTS train to the boat and do that tourist stuff for a day, but if you only have one day the train is not as big a concern, IMO. Nor is the price of the room. A little extra for a view on a one-night stay is a little extra. On a longer stay several nights of little extra can add up.