aktchi

First time in Thailand or BKK and, sadly, I can only manage a few days (3-5).

How many days does one need to experience Bangkok without rushing around too much?

(I am not thinking of venturing out of the capital, but if there's a manageable 1-day trip one simply must include, please let me know.)

SK AAR

If this was my first time in Thailand and only 3-5 days available, I would stay in BKK. There are so many things to see and expirience. Stay at a fancy 5* hotel like Conrad or a hotel near the river - rates are low - and just enjoy the Thai hospitality. Shopping is great near Siam Sq.

Have fun and enjoy.

aktchi

Thanks. I am a true BKK novice, so please be patient. Should I be looking for a particular area by the river, or did you mean simply anywhere along the river? Any particular hotel names (besides Conrad) that might stand out as "best value" in terms of location, amenities and price?

Braindrain

Agree to spend your entire time at BKK.

IIRC, the Le Meridien was running a special. For maximum efficiency, try looking for a hotel close to a Skytrain or Metro station. The Westin Grande Sukhumvit and Sheraton GS have great locations.

SK AAR

For river side hotels I would consider Millenium Hilton - current Visa card promo on hilton.com is 25% off (promo code: PR24VC); the drawback is the location on "the other side" of the river. Lebua at State Tower on/near Silom Rd is another option; promo rate around 100 USD/nite + tax, incl. bf and great amenities. Le Meridien Plaza Athene (near Conrad and Sukhumvit) is a frequently reported win on Priceline for approx 56 USD + tax - great value.
Pullman Bangkok King Power is less expensive but gets good reviews (I admit I have never stayed there)

BKK hotels are frequently discussed in this forum and a search will reveal plenty of info - also on current promotions.

Good search engines are agoda.com; asiarooms.com and lastestays.com.

fiveninerzero

Bangkok is huge, you need weeks to see it all. For a good overview and the rundown, check out the wikitravel.org article.

agoda.com is my favourite Asia hotel booking engine so far.

FlyMeToTheLooneyBin

It's going to be my first time in Bangkok, too! I'm leaving this weekend. I loaded up on Thai "knowledge" by watching movies about the area. I find that they help to get me excited and put things in perspective. To that note, I'm going to be there for six days and head out to see elephants, floating market, river kwai, and Ayothaya. I've decided to skip beaches and stuff like that since I live by one and also saw a lot of other SE Asian beaches before.

aktchi

Exciting plans! Would love to hear about your research/experience says re hotels and sightseeing.

glennaa11

Obviously 3-5 days is not much time. I think how much you "need" depends a bit on the sorts of things you like to do. Bangkok is an enormous city. While staying near BTS or MRT is a good idea, you can't get to the most important sites like the Grand Palace and Wat Pho via those types of public transport very easily...altho I suppose you could take the BTS to Saphan Taksin and jump on a river boat. I wouldn't do that without a good guide for your first trip. That said, taxis are plentiful and relatively cheap.

If you can swing 5 days I would suggest a day trip to get out of the city and see more of the "real' Thailand. A trip to Ayutthaya with a stop along the way at the palace at Bang Pa-In is a good trip. You see the ruins of Ayutthaya which was once the capital of the country before it was sacked by the Burmese.

Bangkok is full of nice hotels. The level of service is quite excellent in most of them. You may also want to consider a serviced apartment unless you need a full service hotel. I personally like having a kitchen and a bit more space.

FlyMeToTheLooneyBin

Heh. Hotel info comes from FlyerTalk! But I never realized how powerful Siam was several hundred years ago. That I got from the movies

cj001f

meh.

leave BKK immediately and don't come back until your return flight

D1andonlyDman

Hey, nobody messes with Yul Brenner.