mike7

Hello all,
I will start by saying that I know 3 nights is not enough time in Bangkok but due to the time constraints for the trip it is, unfortunately, all that we have. We will be landing in BKK on 12/24 at 1130 a.m. from U.S. and will be leaving for our next destination on 12/27.I know Anantara riverside is very highly recommended on this forum and it looks wonderful. Is it a good location to maximize our sightseeing in such a short time? Any other suggestions? I will be posting our itinerary for those days on here for all of your expert help once it is finalized. Thank you in advance!

Kathie

The Anantara has a boat to the central pier. You catch water taxis to the Grand Palace and some of the major wats (Emerald Buddha, Wat Po, Wat Arun), and the skytrain is right above the central pier, to take you to places like the Jim Thompson House and all of the major shopping malls.

rhkkmk

anantara is my fav hotel in bkk.. the boat is a 12 min. ride to the skytrain---and an enjoyable experience each time..

chatrium riverside is nice too.. renaissance is very central as is Marriott courtyard.

there is no perfect place to stay in bkk..
on the high end, peninsula is fab...

xmas time is the most expensive time of the year for hotels, btw.

crellston

Another vote for the Anantara. Regular boats to and from Saphin Taksin pier take 15 mins and it is alovely trip and provides easy access to the river buses for the Grand Palace, Wat Po, Chinatown etc. for everything else, the BTS station will get you where you want to be. The only other area I would consider would be around Siam Square which is at the junction of the BTS line making for easy transfers around the city.

In terms of the hotel itself, the Anantara is arguably one of the best value hotels in town. Not to the standard of the Peninsula or The Oriental but a lot less stuffy.

mike7

Thank you for your replies. Anantara it is! Does anyone have experience with a particular tour company or guide for a day? We would normally prefer to do it on our own but with limited time I was thinking a guide/tour would help us save time navigating the city. Then we would have the second day on our own.

Mutti

Our trip was in March and we used Your Thai Guide company. Our guide was Swai and he was wonderful! We were able to let him know ahead of time what we wanted to see and he complied with our wishes. He also was able to see when we were dragging, found us some street food and taught us about his country. He is a former teacher who loves his job. Enjoy your time in BKK!

rhkkmk

tours with tong is an excellent choice

redpill

I agree with Anantara! Will never go wrong with it! The trips to Emerald Buddha and Grand Palace are easy and I think there's no need for a tour guide to explore it. But you can always do so if you want to.

Kathie

If you want a guide at the Grand Palace/Emerald Buddha, there are official guides right at the entrance that you can hire for a few dollars. If you have done your reading in advance, you probably won't feel the need for a guide.