Thailand 101: What to do for a week?
 

My wife and I have decided to go to Thailand in November. We haven't been there in literally decades so I will approach it as if I'm going there for the very first time. The main reason we're going is that the fares are cheaper than going to Tokyo, Osaka, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, etc., and, like I said, we haven't been there in ages.

I know this is asking FT'ers a lot but give it your best shot. We're flying into Bangkok and I wouldn't mind just staying there unless others feel it's imperative we make it up to Chiangmai, for example.

Okay, here's the questions:

1. What three things are "must do"?

2. Name three hotels that are reasonable, in a good location, and decent. (We don't require 5* hotels with bath towels as big as rugs.)

3. Should we stay at the same hotel the whole time or does it make sense to spend a few days in one and then move to another in a different location?

4. There's all these ground tours that one can book prior to going such as a 3-hour tour of temples such as Wat Po for US$17. Should we do this or just wait until we get there?

I think that's enough for now. :)

I would reccomend attempting to priceline 5* hotels in the $55-$75 range for your dates. You don't need 5* hotels you say, but you certainly wouldn't turn them down if they came cheap enough.
1) Try bidding Riverside @$55 (Mostly likely get Shangri-La)
2) If declined, bid $60 and add Siam Square
3) If declined bid a little more adding Sukhumvit.

Shangri-la is likely to pick you up at the $55 or $60 levels in your first 2 bids, other possibilities but you could get "stuck" at the Banyan Tree or Intercontinental. Successful bids have not been reported on BFT for the Conrad or Nai Lert Park.

Then I'd say that bid #3 at $68 to $75 would land you at the Sheraton, Westin, or JW Marriott, or get sucked up by the Shang.

Nov is high season though. I'm staying at the Shang next week to check it out before I bid for my Nov dates.

Cheers,

Scho

Agree that priceline is good place to look but go to biddingfortravel.com first,also lots of useful info at lonely planet thorn tree.com Kanchaniburi (Bridge on River Kwai)is close to BKK and might be worth a couple of days take the overnight sleeper train to Chiang Mai spend a few days in that area maybe fly over to Mae Hong Son which is a beautiful area also time permitting go to SukoThai ,south of Chiang Mai.spend a day checking out ruins

Thanks for this advice. :)

It's that easy to use Priceline to get a decent rate? When would you recommend bidding? A few weeks out or a few months out? Also, I've used Priceline for hotels in the U.S. where you bid by zones within a city. Is that the same for Bangkok? If so, what "zone" would you recommend?

And, yes, I wouldn't turn down a 5* hotel for $60. :p

first on the things to do. with just a week I probably wouldn't consider leaving bangkok except for day trips. The old capitol is nearby. I love some of the thai beach areas, but you'd be pushing it in a week especially being jet lagged and all.

The places to go are pretty obvious in Bangkok, including the palace and the museum, Jim Thomson's house and the temples. To that i'd add the weekend market. Pat Pong (however it's spelled) is touristy and racy and was ruined when they stuck a Starbucks in the midst of it, but it's still part of Bangkok.

i also liked the Saxophone bar (the best blues bar outside chicago I've been in).

You could also go to a kick boxing event, get a massage, go to a cooking class of whatever.

My guess is all that will end up giving you at best one or two free days and their are numerous day sightseeing trips (to the bridge over the River Kwai, to the floating markets which are way too touristy) etc.

As for hotels, there are a number of asian hotel discounters.

among them:
http://www.aaaahotels.net/bangkok.php
http://www.thaihotels.com

in addition the washington post last year did a story on a famous old hotel. can't remember the name.

after breakfast - Get a 1 hr foot massage (average $5, which includes tip)

after lunch - Get the most intense manicure & pedicure you can find, like with 2 women working on you doing every little toe and finger as a separate job, about 2 hrs (high end $20, which includes tip)

after dinner - Get a 1 hr Thai body massage (average $5, which includes tip)

repeat daily, with, perhaps, elephant rides, temples and food inbetween.

return home, blissed out.

:)

If you haven't already signed up for the Golden Circle (The Shang's freq stay program), do it = you get a free b/fast and free local calls even on PL rates. You'll like the Shang. Having stayed at the JW, the Marriott, the Conrad, the old Hilton at Nai Lert, the 2 SPG properties in BKK, I'd rate the Shang higher than the rest. Most of all, I like the locale (Bangrak/Silom) because it is not Sukhumvit. A bonus is that there's a BTS (the commuter trains) stop right outside.

To the OP, let me add to the already excellent suggestions some tipping strategies gleaned from locals who live there:
1) Taxis = round up to the nearest 10 baht
2) Restaurants/clubs= I leave loose change. Max tip 20B-40B. Fast food/self service=no tip
3) Massage=I tip 50-100B for 1 or 2 hr
4) Bellboy=20B-40B max.

The Landmark and Marriott Riverside and Spa are both good hotels. the Marriott has lovely gardens and great swimming pool. The Landmark rooms are better and it is right next to the skytrain. The River Kwai is a "must see". I quite surprised myself by enjoying the Thai Boxing( husband wanted to go). Take a walk around China Town. Don't stick to your hotel for dinner- there are so many great restaurants.

Why don't you like Sukhumvit? Just curious.

tide:
Yes, I've been a GC member since my bid was accepted. I've stayed at SGS 2 times in the last year and have joined the *Wood Priveledge Club. I have a voucher for $75 night at SGS, but figure I needed to try the Shang for $55++. If I like it and am successful bidding for my Nov trip, I will not be renewing my *Wood Priveledge Club which has value but hopefully6 cannot compare to %% at the Shang.

honmani2:
I cannot speak for Nov but for my night on June 8, it wasn't "that easy" it was "easier." 1st bid, riverside, 5*, $55, Shang! If I check in and I like it I will bid my Nov dates from my room at the Shang!!!!

Regarding when to bid, who knows? If your dates are fixed why not start now? According to "others" your not going to land the Intercontinental in that low a range. So you basically get 3 shots at 5* Riverside or Sukhumvit. If you decide that you don't want Sukhumvit, just make a couple bids at Riverside and then Siam Square once a week.

And do read the info at BFT so ar eable to get the most out of each Priceline visit you make.

Good luck!

Thanks for the sage advice, everyone. :)

BTW, where do you get a foot massage for $5? I mean, I don't want to end up in the wrong type of massage place, if you know what I mean. ;)

Too many entertainment options ;)

But seriously, one of the joys of my travels is to try to get a different experience from home (aka the mundane). Sukhumvit is little too cosmopolitan and too globalized for me, that's all. It's not like I avoid it to spite its popularity: I do go there because it has excellent dining options (e.g. "Korea Town" in Asoke, "Arab Town", excellent Indian in Soi 22 etc).

Bangrak, where the Shang is, is a little more "Thai" (in a global economy I realise this has increasingly little meaning in a big major city anywhere in the world). There's a wet market nearby where butchers hang on hooks cuts of meat, vendors selling thai khanom (sweets/delicacies), people busy with their lives on the way to work etc. I've spent many an hour just sitting there observing people going about their daily lives.

Hard to go wrong :D: foot massages are done in a viewable area of the shop on recliners, usually visible to foot traffic/pedestrians.

Really they are all over the place. The few I've been to I couldn't tell the difference between good and bad quality massages. If you want a Thai massage, I've been told to go to to the Wat Pho temple: it's considered the premier massage institution.

And a thai foot massage may not be what you think, so know that it involves a sharp stick that they jam into, like, the back of your big toe - uh, I'm not kidding.

They are able to do this because they know the pressure pts and they don't sit there and wiggle the stick around but, just leave it there til the pain subsides (or gives up, my opinion). Then they move onto the next spot ... There is rubbing, actually, they will do whatever you want, like as hard or soft as you want, etc. These little girls have hands of steel. Just don't be shocked when the stick comes out :D

Sounds brutal, but get enough of these and you will come home with your body craving it. The Thai body massages use pressure pts too. And, like so much else when you travel, this is something that you CAN'T get easily in the US.

Yeh, what he/she said. I tend to hang out near Pratunam for the same reasons. I dont know technically what the area is called but around Petchburi soi 9 or 10 through about 15 between Ratchatewi (BTS) and Pratunam. Far more Thais than farangs and no backpackers.

Oh, and dont worry so much about the "wrong" massage. I dont like massages so I dont do them but the shops are all over. If you want a rub and tug you will find it but there are plenty of legit shops as well. A bit of common sense will be your guide.