On the Chao Phraya
Temple of Dawn or Wat Arun
Sunday at Chatuchak Markets
It can be very hot and crowded. It probably would have been wiser to go earlier, but our schedule was just too tight. Earlier that day, we had flown in from Chiang Mai, checked into the Hotel, (which was really chaotic, and day and night from our check in at JW Marriott in Phuket), had a lesiurely Brunch at Trader Vic's, and accompanied Philippe to his tailor's appointment.
Hotel
We stayed at the Marriott Resort and Spa, (again). I love to be on the river and often end up there when in Bangkok. Their rates are very, very reasonable, but then don't expect an absolute 5 star hotel. The pool is probably one of the nicest in Bangkok. The hotel has a free shuttle boat that runs every 15 minutes to the Saphan Taksin Sky train station, so moving around Bangkok is very easy. The 15 minute boat ride is also a wonderful way to unwide after shopping.
We went on a Manohra, sunset cruise, (included in the hotel package), the night before we flew home. Their boats are moored at the Marriott pier and they also offer dinner and overnight cruises. I'd love to do the overnight one to Ayutthaya someday.
Hotel Food
Great breakfast buffet in the mornings. We usually didn't bother stopping for lunch. The Sunday brunch at Trader Vic's is amazing. Here's a review. Well worth a visit to the Marriott.
We also ate one night on the terrace at the hotel. International buffet with Thai dancing and a table just near the river - wonderful.
Note: in house guests receive a 15% discount on all restaurants in the hotel.
Other: There is a small mini mall adjoining the hotel which has a few fast food places, (Mac's, KFC - which we didn't try!), and a couple of Thai or Asian restaurants. On our last night we ate at the Thai place, (recommended by Jack the tailor), before leaving for the airport. Here Philippe ordered his "mild" record breaking "chili hot" steamed fish. This place was incredibly inexpensive, but I thought the food only so so.
There's also a Boots Pharmacy, a jewelers, a couple of massage places, DVD store, optical store, souvenir places and a small store that sells large bottles of water, drinks, snacks etc.
Tailor
Jack the tailor is also in this mall. He was recommended by Bob from Fodor's Forum. Philippe had a wonderful, wonderful suit made. We emailed a few weeks ahead to set up an appointment for Sunday, which was the day we arrived in Bangkok. Philippe needed to go for 3 or 4 fittings so having the tailor so close to the hotel made this so easy. Good service, good fabric selection.
Jacks email: jack@monetilsarto.com
Monet il Sarto
View from our room
Grand Palace
We had a guide, Nui, from Tong's team for the day.
Contact details:
email: tourwithtong@yahoo.com
Tel. +66 8 1 914 6045
Natel +66 8 1 835 0240
Other: Tong has a great reputation as a guide in Bangkok. If she's not available she will offer you one of her team members. Unfortunately, Tong was ill and in hospital during our Bangkok stay. If you want to organize trips out of town, (e.g. Floating markets, Ayutthaya, Tiger Temple or visit a fisherman's house and have lunch there), Tong can be both guide and driver. She now has a new van which seats 7 or 8 people.
She also organizes airport transfers. We booked ours with her and were happy with the price and service. Her rates are slightly lower than Oriental Escape's prices.
More about Nui and our day with her:
She met us early in the hotel lobby and we took the hotel boat followed by the river express from Saphan Taksin to Tha Chang. From there it's less than a 5 minute walk to the Grand Palace. I had been to the the Grand Palace before without a guide and it was so much more interesting with a guide. If you do this trip without a Thai guide beware of all the scam artists outside the palace that tell you the palace is closed and offer you a free ride to a tailor, jeweler, another wat etc.
Nui - on the phone to Tong, letting her know that she had found us.
Model of Angkor Wat (Cambodia)
After a couple of hours of Grand Palace saturation we headed back to the boat pier, rented a long tail and explored some of the smaller klongs. Nui drove a hard bargin with the boat driver.
Our boat driver dropped us off at the Tha Tien stop, which is just minutes away from Wat Pho.
Wat Pho
Reclining Budda
There are a few Palm readers at the back - we stopped here for a couple of readings. We had heard about a particular palm reader from Therese on Virtual Tourist. She has a wealth of information on her pages, which are also fun and easy to read.
Unfortunately the guy she recommended was away on a lunch break so we settled for his neighbour. It was interesting. We'll have to wait and see how good he was.
The Massage School is also in the complex. You can also have them come to your hotel, far more pleasant. Their prices are very low. We had massages and facials at Face booked for the next day, so we didn't bother stopping for a massage. There is also a very good Thai restaurant and a charming little place for a coffee break in the Face complex.
Palm reader - in the Wat Pho grounds.
After Wat Pho we ALL squeezed into a taxi and went to Vimanmek Palace. It is a good idea to take a guide, we didn't have to wait in the lines and join the other groups. Nui is an official guide and we could jump the long wait and visit at our lesiure. Grand Palace tickets also allow entrance to Vimanmek Palace, and it doesn't have to be on the same day.
Nui was lovely and she made our day so much more interesting.
Vimanmek Palace
After so much cultural saturation we needed a dose of "consumerism". The jeweler we wanted to visit is also in the Dusit area, so we called SJ International and organized a pick up. They arrived within 15 minutes! They will also come pick you up from your hotel. Lilly was recommended by Kathy on Fodor's Forum. This was only one of many great tips on this travel forum.
Contact details: SJ International
125/8 Sawankhalok Road, Dusit, Bangkok.
Phone 02-2432446 or 02-2432447 or 02-2411875.
Ask for Lilly, she's charming.
Patong markets - early evening
Here you'll find watches, bags, DVD's at unbelievable prices. Go early to avoid the hard sell and the crowds.
Jim Thompson House
Take the sky train to National Stadium
Erwan shrine
A visit to the market
Tea at the Oriental
China Town
Siam Ocean World in Siam Paragon - this is where we left Philippe when we wanted to go shop. The girls and I jumped back on the sky train and headed over to the MBK Center, while Philippe spent 4 hours happily looking at the aquarium. Note the wonderful advertising gags below.
FOOD TIP
After shopping we all met at The Loft for a mid afternoon snack. It's a food court - on the 7th floor of Central Chitlom, a dept store, (Skytrain to Chitlom). Fantastic food at great prices. Highly recommend this place. We went back another day, we liked it so much....
Other: We tried Somboon Seafood one evening. We went to the branch near Patong markets. It was ok. It's huge, and the atmosphere is very so la la.
The seafood is very fresh, it's still swimming while you order.
Shopping Tips
MBK is wonderful for teenagers on a budget. You'll find DVD's here, all sorts of copies of shoes, bags, clothes etc. Take the Skytrain to Siam or National Stadium
Pantip Plaza is also a good for DVD's and PC games. It's a computer freak's heaven.
Before you go
Guide Books:
We used various maps, guide books and web sites. Here's a list of those I found useful:
Basic Information: Lonely Planet Thailand, Lonely Planet Bangkok; Lonely Planet Thailand's Islands and Beaches; Thailand DK Travel Guide; Thailand - National Geographic Traveller, Footprint Thailand (Footprint Handbooks)
We didn't take a guide book with us on the trip. Most are too heavy. I extracted the information I needed and took an excel sheet.
Nancy Chandler's Maps of Chiang Mai and Bangkok - these I took with us. Ok. They're pretty to look at, and available from Amazon.
The Treasures and Pleasures of Thailand and Myanmar: Best of the Best in Travel and Shopping (Impact Guides)
By: Ron Krannich (Author), available from Amazon.
Web Sites:
Trip Advisor
Trip Advisor Forum
Fodor's Forum
Asia Web Forum
Virtual Tourist
Cathy's Travel Pages
Books
Fun novels to read before and during the trip:
Both available from amazon.de
Letters from Thailand
by Botan (Author), translated by Susan Fulop Kepner.
Four Reigns
by Kukrit Pramoj (Author), translated by Tulachandra
Enjoy
Temple of Dawn or Wat Arun
Sunday at Chatuchak Markets
It can be very hot and crowded. It probably would have been wiser to go earlier, but our schedule was just too tight. Earlier that day, we had flown in from Chiang Mai, checked into the Hotel, (which was really chaotic, and day and night from our check in at JW Marriott in Phuket), had a lesiurely Brunch at Trader Vic's, and accompanied Philippe to his tailor's appointment.
Hotel
We stayed at the Marriott Resort and Spa, (again). I love to be on the river and often end up there when in Bangkok. Their rates are very, very reasonable, but then don't expect an absolute 5 star hotel. The pool is probably one of the nicest in Bangkok. The hotel has a free shuttle boat that runs every 15 minutes to the Saphan Taksin Sky train station, so moving around Bangkok is very easy. The 15 minute boat ride is also a wonderful way to unwide after shopping.
We went on a Manohra, sunset cruise, (included in the hotel package), the night before we flew home. Their boats are moored at the Marriott pier and they also offer dinner and overnight cruises. I'd love to do the overnight one to Ayutthaya someday.
Hotel Food
Great breakfast buffet in the mornings. We usually didn't bother stopping for lunch. The Sunday brunch at Trader Vic's is amazing. Here's a review. Well worth a visit to the Marriott.
We also ate one night on the terrace at the hotel. International buffet with Thai dancing and a table just near the river - wonderful.
Note: in house guests receive a 15% discount on all restaurants in the hotel.
Other: There is a small mini mall adjoining the hotel which has a few fast food places, (Mac's, KFC - which we didn't try!), and a couple of Thai or Asian restaurants. On our last night we ate at the Thai place, (recommended by Jack the tailor), before leaving for the airport. Here Philippe ordered his "mild" record breaking "chili hot" steamed fish. This place was incredibly inexpensive, but I thought the food only so so.
There's also a Boots Pharmacy, a jewelers, a couple of massage places, DVD store, optical store, souvenir places and a small store that sells large bottles of water, drinks, snacks etc.
Tailor
Jack the tailor is also in this mall. He was recommended by Bob from Fodor's Forum. Philippe had a wonderful, wonderful suit made. We emailed a few weeks ahead to set up an appointment for Sunday, which was the day we arrived in Bangkok. Philippe needed to go for 3 or 4 fittings so having the tailor so close to the hotel made this so easy. Good service, good fabric selection.
Jacks email: jack@monetilsarto.com
Monet il Sarto
View from our room
Grand Palace
We had a guide, Nui, from Tong's team for the day.
Contact details:
email: tourwithtong@yahoo.com
Tel. +66 8 1 914 6045
Natel +66 8 1 835 0240
Other: Tong has a great reputation as a guide in Bangkok. If she's not available she will offer you one of her team members. Unfortunately, Tong was ill and in hospital during our Bangkok stay. If you want to organize trips out of town, (e.g. Floating markets, Ayutthaya, Tiger Temple or visit a fisherman's house and have lunch there), Tong can be both guide and driver. She now has a new van which seats 7 or 8 people.
She also organizes airport transfers. We booked ours with her and were happy with the price and service. Her rates are slightly lower than Oriental Escape's prices.
More about Nui and our day with her:
She met us early in the hotel lobby and we took the hotel boat followed by the river express from Saphan Taksin to Tha Chang. From there it's less than a 5 minute walk to the Grand Palace. I had been to the the Grand Palace before without a guide and it was so much more interesting with a guide. If you do this trip without a Thai guide beware of all the scam artists outside the palace that tell you the palace is closed and offer you a free ride to a tailor, jeweler, another wat etc.
Nui - on the phone to Tong, letting her know that she had found us.
Model of Angkor Wat (Cambodia)
After a couple of hours of Grand Palace saturation we headed back to the boat pier, rented a long tail and explored some of the smaller klongs. Nui drove a hard bargin with the boat driver.
Our boat driver dropped us off at the Tha Tien stop, which is just minutes away from Wat Pho.
Wat Pho
Reclining Budda
There are a few Palm readers at the back - we stopped here for a couple of readings. We had heard about a particular palm reader from Therese on Virtual Tourist. She has a wealth of information on her pages, which are also fun and easy to read.
Unfortunately the guy she recommended was away on a lunch break so we settled for his neighbour. It was interesting. We'll have to wait and see how good he was.
The Massage School is also in the complex. You can also have them come to your hotel, far more pleasant. Their prices are very low. We had massages and facials at Face booked for the next day, so we didn't bother stopping for a massage. There is also a very good Thai restaurant and a charming little place for a coffee break in the Face complex.
Palm reader - in the Wat Pho grounds.
After Wat Pho we ALL squeezed into a taxi and went to Vimanmek Palace. It is a good idea to take a guide, we didn't have to wait in the lines and join the other groups. Nui is an official guide and we could jump the long wait and visit at our lesiure. Grand Palace tickets also allow entrance to Vimanmek Palace, and it doesn't have to be on the same day.
Nui was lovely and she made our day so much more interesting.
Vimanmek Palace
After so much cultural saturation we needed a dose of "consumerism". The jeweler we wanted to visit is also in the Dusit area, so we called SJ International and organized a pick up. They arrived within 15 minutes! They will also come pick you up from your hotel. Lilly was recommended by Kathy on Fodor's Forum. This was only one of many great tips on this travel forum.
Contact details: SJ International
125/8 Sawankhalok Road, Dusit, Bangkok.
Phone 02-2432446 or 02-2432447 or 02-2411875.
Ask for Lilly, she's charming.
Patong markets - early evening
Here you'll find watches, bags, DVD's at unbelievable prices. Go early to avoid the hard sell and the crowds.
Jim Thompson House
Take the sky train to National Stadium
Erwan shrine
A visit to the market
Tea at the Oriental
China Town
Siam Ocean World in Siam Paragon - this is where we left Philippe when we wanted to go shop. The girls and I jumped back on the sky train and headed over to the MBK Center, while Philippe spent 4 hours happily looking at the aquarium. Note the wonderful advertising gags below.
FOOD TIP
After shopping we all met at The Loft for a mid afternoon snack. It's a food court - on the 7th floor of Central Chitlom, a dept store, (Skytrain to Chitlom). Fantastic food at great prices. Highly recommend this place. We went back another day, we liked it so much....
Other: We tried Somboon Seafood one evening. We went to the branch near Patong markets. It was ok. It's huge, and the atmosphere is very so la la.
The seafood is very fresh, it's still swimming while you order.
Shopping Tips
MBK is wonderful for teenagers on a budget. You'll find DVD's here, all sorts of copies of shoes, bags, clothes etc. Take the Skytrain to Siam or National Stadium
Pantip Plaza is also a good for DVD's and PC games. It's a computer freak's heaven.
Before you go
Guide Books:
We used various maps, guide books and web sites. Here's a list of those I found useful:
Basic Information: Lonely Planet Thailand, Lonely Planet Bangkok; Lonely Planet Thailand's Islands and Beaches; Thailand DK Travel Guide; Thailand - National Geographic Traveller, Footprint Thailand (Footprint Handbooks)
We didn't take a guide book with us on the trip. Most are too heavy. I extracted the information I needed and took an excel sheet.
Nancy Chandler's Maps of Chiang Mai and Bangkok - these I took with us. Ok. They're pretty to look at, and available from Amazon.
The Treasures and Pleasures of Thailand and Myanmar: Best of the Best in Travel and Shopping (Impact Guides)
By: Ron Krannich (Author), available from Amazon.
Web Sites:
Trip Advisor
Trip Advisor Forum
Fodor's Forum
Asia Web Forum
Virtual Tourist
Cathy's Travel Pages
Books
Fun novels to read before and during the trip:
Both available from amazon.de
Letters from Thailand
by Botan (Author), translated by Susan Fulop Kepner.
Four Reigns
by Kukrit Pramoj (Author), translated by Tulachandra
Enjoy
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