max1999

Hi Guy's We will be staying in Bangkok for 3 days in March. I just wondered how much money we will need. We already have £100 in THB but I did'nt want to use my credit card as I have heard of lots of problems with them. We will have to eat out, pay taxi's, pay airport fee(to get out of country) and we will probably buy just a few pressies. So a rough guess is what I need.

We are planning just to stay in Bangkok for just this short stay as we have been told there is plenty to see and do

We are staying at the Imperial Queens Park Hotel - 199 Sukhumvit, soi 22, has anyone stayed there or know what the area is like?

From Hatyai

There are plenty of currencies exchange booths in BKK, you can find them everywhere in Sukhumvit. I changed money in a a booth nearby Sukhumvit soi 18 merely few weeks ago.

You have roughly 6500-7000 Thai bahts. I don't think this amount is adequate to cover the expenses for 2 persons in 3 days. Anyway you can change Uk pounds at any currencies exchange in the ariport or at the street.

glob99

Take your ATM card. Plenty of ATMs all over Bangkok. How can anyone answer your question? You can have a meal for 100 baht pp or 4000 baht pp. You can buy a tie for 50 baht or 5000 baht. You can take a boat ride for 2000 baht or the public river boats for 20 baht.

Be sure the taxi will use the meter (those taxis parked outside the hotel will gouge you.). 200 baht or less in taxi fare will get you to all the sites in Bangkok. Be sure to have 20 and 100 baht notes and not just a wad of 1000 baht notes.

Rampo

Agreed! ATMs are pretty much my sole source for cash in Thailand.

I also agree with From Hatyai - 7000 baht is not much money for 3 days in Bangkok, especially for first-time visitors (and that includes taxis to and from the airport??). In spite of the recent gains by the baht, Thailand still can be a fairly inexpensive place, but many would not enjoy themselves very much stretching that amount of money over 3 days

jpatokal

I think it's more than adequate for taxis, Skytrain, local food, drinks and entrance fees to temples and museums, with probably some money left over for trinket shopping in the Night Bazaar. If you're going to go splurge on fancy food or stock up on Gucci, you can quite safely use your credit card; it's the small, dodgy, fly-by-night shops that like to clone tourists' cards.

max1999

Thanks for your replies. I think I will exchange my money when I get over there as I think that would be best for me - I didn't know if there were places to exchange money near by. I have read somewhere not to exchange it in the hotel as it is not a good exchange rate.

trekkie

can i get help with regards to planning for a trip. Im taking my dad to visit bangkok for 2 days 6 to 8 feb. the first night at conrad. the 2nd maybe at millenium hilton which im still deciding and will confirm tmr.

someone mention abt the night bazaar, can i get some direction as to where it is from conrad hotel. im quite keen to try some glass noodle sald, im sorry if im being OT. but im anxious to get my itinery right.

thanks

jpatokal

Wouldn't it make more sense to spend two nights in the same hotel, so you don't need to spend half your time packing and unpacking?

From Conrad it couldn't be much easier: exit hotel, turn left, go straight and a few blocks down the road you'll come to the Night Bazaar. However, the food there is hardly gourmet stuff, and yam wun sen (which, be warned, Thais like insanely spicy!) can be found in any halfway decent restaurant in Bangkok.

Rampo

There are a fair number of hole-in-the-wall/folding-tables-in-the-soi Thai restaurants/food stalls in the Silom Night Market area. As jpatokal warns, yam wun sen is a spicy dish even by Thai standards, but can be awfully good. It's a pleasure/pain type of thing - between bites a typical Thai conversation may go something like "Ouy...phet...phet...arroy...phet mak!" ("Ow...spicy...spicy...delicious...this is really spicy!")

trekkie

thank u for the reply... i hope to be able to try the yam wun sen which i assume is the glass noodle salad....hopefully i'll come back with good replies.

just a further question: i read sometime back about medical surgery in bangkok. i might be interested to get my teeth whitened in bangkok as well as a facial and am hoping for good recommendations by Fters..

MegatopLover

Bamrumgrad Hospital and some of the other major hospitals in Bangkok have substantial dental clinics that will do teeth whitening and all sorts of other services. Charges at those places will run up around 15,000THB, cheaper than in the US but not exactly a bargain. Freestanding dental clinics also do whitening. Silom Dental Clinic is a well-known one. There's also one on the top (fourth?) floor of Siam Center mall; I used that one, and it seemed to be popular with foreigners. Charges were 10,000THB for laser treatment. It was a fairly clean and relatively modern place, like you'd see in a dental office in the US ten or twelve years ago, but my treatment area, at least, did not have the elaborate (read: expensive) computers and plasma-screen displays dentists in the US now seem to fancy.

Be forewarned, in case you haven't had it done before. The laser treatment leaves a sometimes sharp tingling pain in your teeth, probably by activating the nerves. You might schedule your facial or a massage for shortly after your treatment. I did that. It was something to look forward to while they were going to town on my teeth.

Chewie

Not trying to Hijack the thread but, when we are arriving in BKK in May (ay 9:45 at night) and we'll use the closet ATM when we land to pick up some Baht.

My question is: Obviously the ATM will dispense large Baht bills... Where can we get some change so that we have smaller bills to pay/tip the taxi driver to our hotel?

I'm not sure what is open and where to get change readily at BKK.

Thanks!

Rampo

Options:
1. Exchange a couple of US $20s at a money exchange booth. This typically results in an assortment of baht denominations, including some coins.
2. Withdraw some amount like 9900 baht from the ATM.
3. If you only have large baht notes, stop at one of the many shops or eateries and buy something so you can get some change. (A relaxing Singha is always nice.) 9:45pm is not that late for the airport. Many flights arrive around the midnight hour.

glob99

Use one of the large bills to pay the toll on the expressway.

MegatopLover

If all else fails, one of you can run in to the front desk of your hotel and get some change.

About large bills in Thailand: the largest denomination is 1000 baht, approximately US$30. By world standards, that's not a terribly large banknote. With fare and tolls running about 300-400 baht from Suvarnabhumi to major hotels, you won't need a great deal of change. That said, 1000-baht note is a big note for a lot of Thais. Cab drivers should be able to make change, 7-11's too, but street vendors might give you grief.

glob99's suggestion is the best and most efficient. Almost all cab drivers will require you to pay the toll during the ride anyway, so break the 1000-baht note at the tollbooth.