Hotel and sight-see Recommendations in Bangkok and veggie food questions
 

Hello Thailand forum!
I did not notice a recent hotel thread in this forum for Thailand.

I intend to take my 13 yr old nephew to BKK for 3/4 days in the first week of January. (no dates confirmed yet). We will likely fly in from MAA...so landing early in the morning (around 6AM) via TG. ....

Questions:
1. What do FT-ers recommend for 4/5 Star hotels.....
Budget USD 125-200 per day.
If hotel has a pool, that would be a good add-on. Otherwise, I am not that picky. Free wireless and breakfast will be great...but not very crucial.

2. We are both vegetarian. I am guessing its easy to get veggie food in Thailand. However, any particular recommendations for restaurants?

3. My nephew is pretty low maintenance. He can be easily entertained. However, I was thinking of these (never been to Thailand before):
Visiting one of the famous Buddhist temples;
seeing a palace,
a Boat-ride;
Elephant ride of some sort....

What else would you kind folks recommend?

4. I know there is a rail link to the airport now (started reading that thread). Do tourists normally take taxis in BKK?

Thanks for the help in advance.

About the elephant ride, please know that those elephants are often abused and lead a horrible life. I personally don't want to take part in that industry. There are elephant sanctuaries that you can visit where you can interact with animals that haven't been beaten and tortured to learn tricks.

my tips:
- get a nancy chandler map of bangkok (you can find them on-line) before you leave. It beats a regular guidebook by a mile).
- stay on the river (check the Chatrium - an afforable 5 star with shuttle boat to skytrain and ferry boats dock).

Whilst the Landmark isn't on the river, it does have skytrain right next to it- pool area is good. Your son might love the Marriot resort and spa- that does have a good pool and is more like a resort( as its title suggests:)). It is on the river.You need to take its boat to cross the river but it does take you to the tourist boat stop and skytrain. Take the tourist boat one day - lots of places to see along the way and the Grand Palace can be visited at one of the stops.
Intend to try the Millenium Hilton sometime- I think its worth a look. I gather it is an unusual pool setting. And its on the river too.
As for places to eat- it depends which hotel you pick. I am not vegetarian so will leave recommendations to someone else but there won't be any problems.
Thai boxing - I was dragged along to this and then had to be dragged away as I just loved the whole evening. There is a great show and atmosphere and well worth giving it a go. Bet he will love that!

@mcbg1: Thanks for the elephant treatment tip. Yes, I would like to associate with a business that practices animal cruelty.

@erik123 : thanks for your ideas!

@fiona! Great tips.... Though, I always treat him like I would if I had my own kid...he is still my nephew;)...my sister may / may not be excited if I adopt him....:D

But superb thought on the Thai boxing!! He loves that stuff!!

Will work on the hotel.....

Thanks all for getting me started.

As to your vegetarian request, I haven't been in Bangkok for a bit over a year, but here's a bit of a rundown on some restaurants from then:

Vanilla Brasserie in Siam Paragon has a good selection of pastas, crepes, salads and sandwiches. The food quality is good for the price. The mozzarella and tomato salad is a good bet as are the spinach ravioli.

Le Notre in Siam Paragon has good desserts, and they provide neat dry ice boxes for take-away. A mini cake is about $3. They also have gourmet sandwiches (of which few are vegetarian) and tarts (such as a spinach tart or sundried tomato tart). The tomato tart was a bit flavorless, but most tomatoes in Thailand are.

Often hailed as one of the best Italian restaurants in Thailand, Bel Guardo restaurant and wine bar in Siam Paragon has moderately priced ($10-20) dishes, including risotto, pastas, appetizers and salads. The black truffle gnocchi was bland, but the tomato Carpaccio was good, although monotonous by the end of the large serving. Before the meal, there is warm bread with good olive oil for dipping.

The restaurants at The Dome, on the 64th -67th floors of the State Tower offer striking views of the city, and sometimes good food to match. Sirocco is quite good but expensive: a 75 cl bottle of San Pelligrino is upward of $10, and a vegetarian main course is likely upward of $30. When they wash their two story-tall windows, you get a nice view of the outdoor bar and the city. A small string ensemble performs nightly. Mezzaluna is another restaurant in the collection with vegetarian food. Since the tower has become more popular, the service and food quality has decreased a fair amount, but it is still worth the trip.

Salathip at the Shangri La has moderately priced Thai food (about 300 baht), but the environment is lacking. At dusk the mosquitoes visit even the indoor tables. The dancers and Thai orchestra could be entertaining for some, but are somewhat tacky otherwise. Their wine doesn’t seem to be stored perfectly, leaving many of their reds with a watery taste. The wines also have a very high markup.

Crepes and Co serves a good array of crepes, although they are far better for dessert than for dinner as the savory crepes are a bit lacking in sustenance.

To Die For. This place serves many small dishes in a cool setting. And they have a separate vegetarian menu. http://www.todieforbangkok.com/menu.php

@L'etoile ! Thank you so much for this awesome list!! I will check to see if they are all currently open, etc.

:D
trust me to rush a reply and not recheck the post! Goodness knows why I had you adopt your nephew!
One tip re restaurants- expensive is not always best. We have been in a couple of pretentious ones where the setting and the "in crowd" are more important than the actual food.

Thanks fiona!

That budget will give you a very wide selection. Yes, the FS, Pen and MO are out, but BKK has some great hotels within your price range. My favorite (as is already well known to FT habitués) is the Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit (referred to on FT as SGS). Their emphasis is on service, and it really shows. Very convenient, too, with direct access from the lobby to the Asok Skytrain station. The pool is spectacular. It's eight stories up (on the roof of the parking garage, and access from the spa on the third floor of the hotel), and you'd never know that you were in a city. Lush plantings, incredibly good service. Pool pictures. Free internet if you're Starwood Platinum, breakfast if you're Platinum and on some packages.

If you've got your 13 year old nephew with you, his parents may not appreciate the Landmark. It has a disproportionate number of sex tourists with their friends walking through the lobby at night, and at breakfast in the morning. While that activity exists everywhere in BKK, I found it quite pronounced at the Landmark.

I'd also recommend that you not stay on the river. The hotels by the river are quite nice, with great views and ambience, but there's little within walking distance. You might be better off staying at one of the Sukhumvit choices (SGS, Westin, Intercontinental, JWMarriott, etc.), and going to the MO or Pen for a lovely riverside lunch on one day.


Should be very easy to get vegetarian food in BKK. For a wide selection of foods in one place, try the Food Court in the basement of Siam Paragon Mall (Siam stop on the Skytrain). If you're staying at a nice hotel (as it appears that you will be), you may rely on the concierge for recommendations, too.


Definitely the Grand Palace Tour (includes a lot) and Kanchanaburi (Bridge on the River Kwai, the real place). Both tours fascinating. Both can be booked at the tour desk in whatever 5* hotel you stay in.


They're incredibly cheap. Just make sure that the driver uses the meter. If you get the taxi from the doorman of your hotel, he'll give you a card with the taxi's information on one side (driver's ID number, etc.) and the hotel's info in Thai on the other side for getting back. The problem is that the traffic is simply awful, so taxis can be very slow. Personally, I prefer the public transportation system. It's good, clean, safe and cheap. Your hotel doorman or concierge will give you directions, it's easy to use, and fun, too!! Great views of the city from the Skytrain. Traffic in BKK is world renowned for being terrible.

I'd say forget the BKK rail link. It's not really that much less costly than a taxi (may even be more since you'll be two people traveling), and dealing with your luggage will be no fun, especially considering the heat. Airport to SGS typically in the USD$8-9 range including tolls.

There are lots of experienced BKK travelers on FT, so feel free to ask for any additional specific information you may wish. You'll get solid and informed answers.

I would agree with the hotel recommendations on Sukhumivt (around Asok BTS) or around Chidlom (Intercon, Grand Hyatt). Due to your status I would probably recommend the JW Marriott near Nana BTS or the Renaissance or Courtyard near Chidlom BTS. You can read more about it to find out what they give as far as extras (wi-fi/breakfast) in the property master threads:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marri...s-reviews.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marri...d-bangkok.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/marri...e-bangkok.html


http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thail...-near-bkk.html

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thail...ght=vegetarian

I was in BKK last year with my sons, 10 and 7 at the time. There is some information on what we did in Bangkok.

As for what to do with kids I would do the following:

• Grand Palace & Wat Pho (reclining Bhudda)
• Wat Arun but possibly good enough to just see from the river
• Ride on the local orange flagged river boats
• Massages
• Ocean World aquarium in Siam Paragon mall basement
• VIP movie at Siam Paragon mall on the top floor
• Baiyoke Sky Tower revolving platform 60+ floors above the ground
• There is a Korean BBQ restaurant in the Time Square bldg around Sukhumvit Soi 12 where you BBQ meat at the table. My kids loved it.
• Lots and lots of great food options in Siam Paragon food court.

You may want to read more details in my trip report at http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/thail...k-bangkok.html BKK starts at post #22

Just take a taxi from the airport to the hotel. But once you are in the city you should try to rely upon the SkyTrain/BTS and underground MRT. Traffic isn't as bad as MAA but it isn't great either.

Thank you Yosithezet and Dr.HFH for the detailed recommendations. I appreciate it.

Though others might disagree - I would highly recommend staying riverside. Many of the attractions listed are on or near the river (the true hart of the city) and easily accessible by express boat - avoiding spending many hours stuck in traffic and experiencing the "venice of the east" from the water. Many hotels will have shuttle boats dropping you at Taksin bridge skytrain station and/or give you easy access to the Silom corridor (restaurants/shops). My prediction is that this would be more fun for a 13 yr old than the concrete jungle of Sukhumvit (though there are more food/shopping options in close range).

hi erik123, I will seriously give this a thought..of staying riverside. Perhaps he will enjoy the frequent boat rides.

If you are Marriott Gold or Plat elite, you will get an upgrade to a better room (based on availability) plus access to the executive lounge which basically includes food and beverages all day long (6 am - 10 pm). As stated above, the JW Marriott is highly recomended and it's like home away from home for us http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalboz/...7622147537990/

If you stay by the river, there is a Marriott Resort & Spa located at the Thonburi side of the river. I never stayed here but had dinner at Trader Vic's back in March 2008 and it was okay. There should be a thread on this property also.

As for sight-seeing see the temples, palaces, the river, the markets, etc. http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalboz/...7610561308964/