Weekend in BKK, ideas?
 

Hi Folks,

I'll be in BKK next weekend as well as Thursday and Monday.

Any suggestions on things to do/see?

Suggestions:

--Red Cross Snake Farm

--Rent a boat and go on a canal tour

--Jim Thompson House

--Palace

--Night Bazaar

--Eat at the Seafood Market

--Royal Barge Museum

Lots of things to do
 

Was in BKK a week ago.

Some ideas:

If you like to shop, go to the weekend market--lots of goodies. Suggest you get a copy of Nancy Cartwright's great map and notes at your hotel. This should give you some ideas and funny comments on the map.

Definitely have dinner at the Blue Elephant restaurant--rated as having the best Thai food in Bangkok--have your concierge make a reservation. We had a superb meal--three courses and a drink for $55 for two--great food and beautiful presentation in a former British colonial mansion.

Grand Palace is a definite. Also take a ride on the express tourist boat on the Chao Praya river--great ride for about 65 cents.

We also walked in the Lumpini park, went to the night market nearby the park (werent there on the weekend for the weekend market), took taxis and tuk-tuks to get around.

If you have time, consider getting clothes made. We were very pleased with Embassy tailors on Wireless Road, right near the Conrad Bangkok where we were staying.

Have a great stay!

the night market at pat pong is nice cool stuff

don't get fooled by those trying to lurk you in their bar's that rip u off tho

All sounds good. I'll have quite a bit of time so I can probably get most of this in... I'm leaning towards staying at the Conrad.

Guess I'll actually bring a camera on this trip!

- Vertigo (Banyan Tree hotel) or Scirocco (State tower): great bars / spectacular views

- Chatuchak market on Saturday morning: shopping extraordinaire

- Thursday nights at Club Mystique (Sukhumvit Soi 31) are quite good

- Dinner at Bed Supperclub (Sukhumvit Soi 11) could be an interesting experience

- Get a quality Thai massage (e.g. Body Tune - Sukhumvit Soi 24)

- Watch Muay Thai Kick boxing (Lumphini park)

Enjoy! :D

http://wikitravel.org/en/One_day_in_Bangkok ^

Highly recommend the Conrad
 

All the ideas you received on the thread sound great. I highly endorse the thai message--wonderful and very cheap--just tell them "soft" if too vigorous.

My husband and I had a wonderful experience at the Conrad. I wrote a long report on the Hilton thread--search for it. I am a Hilton Diamond so I got the wonderful lounge access with all the food. But even without lounge access, the classic rooms are great, location is good--next to a large shopping center with food, banks etc. Taxis very cheap and the skytrain is nearby.

Enjoy!

Thanks! & Dec 5th Thai holiday?
 

Thanks for all the great ideas!

It will definately help me make the most of the weekend before moving on to Singapore and Hong Kong.

One question I just found December 5th is a Thai holiday. Does anyone know what it is and what impact it will have on places being open?

Thanks!

You will be in BKK on the most important holiday in the Kingdom (IMHO) - His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej's Birthday. I was lucky enough to be in BKK on this date - and stood on the street holding a candle with locals as HM the King rolled by in the yellow bentley (or was it a Rolls) .....

BTW - everything in the country will be CLOSED!

Info Here

An important public holiday is held on 5 December to celebrate the birthday of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest reigning monarch. Known in Thai as 'Wan Chalerm', the occasion is marked by an outpouring of love and reverence by Thai people throughout the kingdom and around the world.

On 5 December, buildings and homes all over the country are elaborately adorned with flags, portraits of His Majesty and bunting, predominantly in the color yellow. Around the Grand Palace and Ratchadamnoen Avenue areas of Bangkok, thousands of vividly colored marigolds decorate the streets. On the evening of the holiday itself, the streets around Ratchadamnoen and Sanam Luang are closed to traffic and thousands of people take to the streets. Spectacular fireworks displays are held and the atmosphere is joyous and festive. The best way to enjoy the atmosphere is to take a bus to the Rattanakosin area, and just stroll along the crowded but traffic-free streets for a truly memorable experience.

lord jim's seafood buffet @ oriental

Don't miss the brand new Paragon Mall in Siam Square. Okay, I still haven't been there, but I am dying to go. It just opened this month I think.

Sorry, unless you are a construction worker you will not be allowed into the Paragon Mall. Judging from what I saw today I'd say they'll be missing the Christmas shopping season by a wide margin.

Monday, 5 December is a National Holiday as mentioned. Much like the Queen's Birthday (12 August) is used a sort of Mother's Day celebration, the King's birthday (he was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts by the way) is a sort of Father's day celebration.

Stores, malls, cinemas, restaurants will be open, pretty much everything except bars, banks, government offices (and museums) and offices.

Thanks for all the ideas!

This will be a great improvement from deciding what to do when I get there.

Strongly not recommend Conrad for the weekend or Holiday !!!
 

If you'll be in town for business around that district, great choice you've got. But if you will be over the weekend, especially during the king's birthday, recommend you to stay near the real centre of the city.

If the money is not big matter for you, FS, GH or Intercon should be your great choice. If you don't want to spend to much for the hotel, try Holiday Inn Bangkok, Arnoma, Novotel Siam or Princess Patumwan. These hotel are located in the walking distance to the skytrain and the main shopping centre of Bangkok. Skytrain is the most convenient and reliable way of transportation in BKK. Don't have to bargain the price, and the most important concern is safe.

Please do not stay at Conrad during the weekend, so quiet, nothing to do in the walking distance.

Yeah, who would want to stay at a nice hotel that is quiet, out of the way and as such might be more relaxing? No constant drone of traffic, a restful sleep, who needs that? ;)

The Conrad is a lovely property, located in a complex of buildings called All Seasons Place (shopping, restaurants, food court, supermarket, banks, Starbucks, etc.). It is no more than 500 meters from the Conrad to the Ploen Chit BTS (Skytrain) station. (I measured it on my MapMagic software map, 471 m to be exact.) Just walk up Wireless (aka Wittayu Road). What is that, a 10 minute walk at most? There is also a complimentary shuttle mini-bus that cycles past the Conrad and can take you to the BTS station. Taxis are plentiful and inexpensive, and motorbike taxis (not for the faint of heart or safety-concious) would be 60 seconds and 10 baht between the Conrad and the BTS station.

Note that the BTS stops running ~ 12 midnight, and resumes service ~ 06:00.

BTW, the weather here in Bangkok has been incredibly beautiful. Below average temps., no rain, low relative humidity, clear, crisp blue skies, nice breeze. Most Thais are saying it is too cold, and they are wearing sweaters! (Today is overcast.) Temps: 84 F high, 70 F low, relative humidty ~ 65%.

Have a great trip.

Its hard to think of forgoing the Conrad after being on the exec/club floor last time I was there!

Is the Skytrain an option from the airport, or stick to taxi/limo?

I've been tracking the weather and can't wait. I'm sure it will be nice after a few nights in Beijing @ 30F or so.

Actually just checked and its 48F. Not as bad I as I thought.

The BTS does not run to the airport, just take a taxi. Bangkok taxi threads are quite popular here, there are dozens, have a search and read for the complete details.

Thanks for the the info on the Paragon. Was going to stop in next week maybe.

Bangkok & Ko samui over Christmas and New year
 

We will be in BK for 3 nights 17-19 Dec staying at the shangrila and on to Koh Samui staying in Central samui beach resort for 14 nights . This is a very special holiday for a 50 & 49 Birhtday celebration. Any hints on what to do or where to eat would really be appreciated. Could anyone reccommend where to bring in the New year.? Is it possible to get an upgrade on flights or hotel accom. as we booked through a travel agent in Nothern Ireland it was just to pricey for us. We are not business passengers and are not frequent flyers. Can anyone tell us what type of plane TG use from london Heathrow to BKW.
Thank you for helping an amatuer like myself.

Is it best to eat in the bar or restaurant at the Supperclub?

:confused:

Psst -- the Holiday Inn Ploenchit (not same as the HI Silom) is the best deal in town right now. Right next to the Intercont and you even get to use their gym and pool, it's brand new so it's actually more stylish and in better shape than the IC (IMHO), and best of all, it's half the price!

It was briefly mentioned before, but a 2-3 hour private river boat ride on the Chao Phraya is not to be missed...true insight into the days of past in Bangkok when the river was the center of trade and transportation for the city and the country for that matter.

Head down to the pier near the Oriental and bargain for a long-tail boat ride through the klongs. Forget about all the hawkers on the street before you get to the pier selling boat tours - just go straight to the nice man on the pier and bargain depending on how much time you want to spend / what route you want to take.

Make sure you tell him you want a slow boat ride - otherwise they'll just speed you through the course as fast as possible...you'll have to pay a bit more, but you'll enjoy it much more.

I always forego the "tourist trap stops" such as the snake farm / etc, because I've seen them all before. My preference is simply a nice leisurely ride through the canals as slow as possible - plenty of photo opps, plenty of chances to stop along the way for some beer / ice / snacks, and a great time all around!

Even having lived in BKK for almost 5 years, I still enjoy this trip every now and then, and it's top of my list when friends visit me...

The map you are referring to is by Nancy Chandler.

The cruise sounds like a nice thing for next weekend.

About how much should it cost for a 2 hour cruise?

2 hour cruise shouldn't cost you more than 800 baht, plus a nice tip to the boat driver afterwards if he goes slow and treats you well is always a good idea.

87Plus
 

Got in late last night and had a "free" drink at 87plus.

It was certainly interesting as I'd suspect the number of "pros" were by far the majority. Of course it was "ladies" night but I certainly felt that female attention was way to easy to attract.

Maybe now I know what it feels like to be an attractive female in a room full of men :cool:

So what's the deal - was I imaging things?

Is this your first visit to Bangkok? I doubt that you were imagining things; that bar/club in the Conrad is a popular place for locals to meet foreigners.

Did you arrive Thursday night, or Friday night? I only ask as we might have been on the same flight? I returned yesterday, Friday, 2 Dec ~ 23:20 on UA 881 from NRT.

Well its my first time in BKK for more than 24 hours ;)

Actually on the flight I was in Beijing for 2 nights first, via NRT. Heading out via HKG later next week. So I'm here for a few more days.

As an FYI one of the bartenders at 87plus told me Mystique is closed.

She recommend Q Club which we stopped by after the Bed Supper club (which was certainly an interesting experience) :D

Are you at the Conrad, or do you have a residence here?

FWIW, I've been away for a week but I did see an ad on TV last night here in Bangkok for Siam Paragon and it said they are opening 9 December 2005! I assume it will be what is locally referred to as a "soft opening" (aka "face saving")? (Note that Emporium, World Trade/Central, Siam Center are all undergoing rennovations/face-lifts, and are in various states of completion.)

It was in all the newspapers and everywhere on TV this weekend. Thais are up in arms though about the high ticket price for the "largest aquarium in Asia" within the mall. I hear it was originally going to be 600B, but now is officially 480B.

I was trying to find out if I could use the IC pool if I stayed at the HI. I read another post that said the HI pool is ground level, not rooftop like the IC, so by early afternoon the buildings block the sun. Was the HI pool open when you stayed there and could use the IC pool?

I went to the new Siam Paragon mall yesterday and have to say that, even in its partially finished state, it is very, very impessive. I know that many, many people worked around the clock to make the 9 Dec opening. Yesterday was a sort of Monday-holiday (10 Dec being Constitution Day) so it was quite crowded. The line to the Aquarium reminded me of some of the ride lines at Disney World!

The Food Court is huge, the largest I've ever seen in a mall.

You can enter the Siam Paragon mall directly from the SIAM BTS (Skytrain) station.

I think most stores, and the cineplex will be open by 1 March, if not earlier. I think a hotel is planned but construction may not have even started yet as completion dates mentioned are 2008.


There are a lot of photos in the following locations for those interested:

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=290813
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=292403

I spent 16 hours in Bankgkok 3 weeks ago with the following itinerary and would recommend it to anyone:

1. Arrived and took Thai Airlines limo from arrivals area for $15 USD after showing Star Alliance Gold card for discount

2. Checked in to Sheraton Grande on Sukhumvit ($110/night) expensive for short stay, but I needed to decompress and got free broadband and breakfast at one of the best buffets in Asia!

3. Walked to a favorite barber shop for cut, shave, 30 minute scalp/neck massage -- $10

4. Satay chicken and chili sauce and Singha beer at small restaurant for appetizer, $1.50

5. Back to Sheraton Grande Hotel Spa for wonderful massage -- over priced but convenient and well situated for me to return to room in robe

6a. 10pm dinner reservation at Sirocco Restaurant (www.thedomebkk.com/sirocco/sirocco_home.htm) overpriced by Thai standards, but luxury dining that is one of a kind from my experience. Sixty floors above Bangkok street level and dining on the roof of a building with live jazz, great views, great meal, and fun bar atmosphere

6b. Ate foie gras, Ostrich filet, dessert, two Singha beers, and finished the evening at the bar at 1am with a Mojito!

7. Hopped to Hyatt bar for late night music amid the expat scene

8. Back to Sheraton at 3am for another shower, emails

9. Brunch at 5am in lobby of hotel -- left for airport at 530am

10. Check-in at 550am for 7am UA BKK-NRT flight

The 16 hours was costly by Bangkok standards, but I could do that loop over and over again in my sleep. Extraordinary night and confirmation that Thailand is one of the greatest places on earth. Bangkok gets better with every visit, although others might argue it's starting to lose it's charm.

Happy travels!
Seattle1K

That last part there rings a bell -- did they also put your mojito in a blender, so it comes out looking like a glass of spinach soup? :eek: