and what to do!
We're a party of 4 - 1 couple, and 2 best mates! We'll be arriving in bangkok at either 16:30 or 19:30 on the 9th Feb, depending on which flight we book from Phnom Penh. We fly out at 23:55, 2 days later, so gives us about 48 hours to do stuff, and gives us 3 evenings, as i guess on the last night we don't have to leave the city till about 8-9pm.
We want to fit as much in as possible, the palace, Wat, reclining buddha, flower market, shopping etc etc, but am at a loss how to plan all this!
Can't even decide where to stay! We're split between staying on the riverside, or Siam square. Which would you reccomend?!
We also want to do a night dinner cruise on the river too! Can we get all of this in?!!

cheers guys

Stay on the river and skip the dinner cruise. The river is much more interesting during the day. Here's what I'd do for your two days:
1) Take the flight that gets you in at 16:30 so you can have a great dinner at one of Bangkok's fabulous restaurants .

2) Next day -- get to temple of the emerald buddha and grand palace when it opens. Go from there to Wat Po. Have lunch at Jim Thompson House and see the house. Shop in late afternoon.After dinner you can either go to the night market or the flower market.

3) Hire a long tail boat and take a klong tour. Have him take you to Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn and my favorite) and if you don't want to go in the late evening (when it is 1000 times livelier) go to the flower market. Go to Jim Thompson House and Vimanek Mansion in afternoon. Shop

People differ on this but I would hire a driver to take you to all these places since it will mean you won't be overwhelmed by the heat and will be able to have more energy and see and absorb more.

Gloria has given you a very good plan to see as much as possible in an orderly fashion. If you stay on the river, I would check out Chinatown and the Golden Buddha early before going to the Grand Palace. These are on the way up to the GP from any of the river hotels usually mentioned on this forum, e.g., Marriott, Oriental, Peninsula, Shangri-la or Royal Orchid Sheraton.

If this is your first time in Bangkok, then yes, you should probably spend time on the river. If you are in the city to shop very much, they you may want to be closer to the Siam area though. Shopping in Bangkok is really fantastic!!!

Try to dine at The Bed Supperclub one night. It's a very unique place, and a favorite amongst posters on this forum. So is Face restaurant. I would recommend those two dining options for two of your nights in the city.

The suggestion of a klong tour on a longtail boat is a very good one. IMO It is a better option for seeing the activity along the river than a night time dinner boat. However, the lights at night, plus the peaceful cruise up and down the river, is very relaxing. The food is OK, nothing to write home about, but the peace and quiet is a big plus. In the daytime, the river is filled with traffic of all sorts. At night, the river is much quieter! It is a very different experience from a daytime boatride.

The heat and humidity of Bangkok can be draining. You should not plan too much activity for one day until you see how well you handle it. You can see a lot of Bangkok from the cool comfort of the skytrain and taxis are plentiful. In my 8 trips to BKK, I have yet to hire a driver. But others do, and think it is of value to them.

I would include a visit to SuanLum night bazaar one of your evenings. It is a great place to shop, and is much more pleasant IMO than the weekend market, which gets very how, very crowded, and easy to get lost in. The night bazaar is open every night, while the weekend market is only on the weekends. SuanLum has food on the premesis (food court) plus live entertainment on a huge stage all the time. A lively way to spend an evening.

I would also take a ride to the top of State Tower building (near the river) to Sky Bar for a nightcap. The city view at night, from 64 floors up, is awesome! You may want to do this after a nice dinner, when you are dressed in "nicer" attire, as there are dress codes for Sky Bar. There is also a restaurant next to Sky Bar, but it doesn't get the same favorable reviews as other places named on this forum.

Please do a search for other suggestions, as Bangkok gets discussed a lot on this forum.

Enjoy your trip.

Carol

For your evenings:
1) I would do one dinner at one of the riverside restaurants -- either the outdoor buffet at the Oriental, the indoor thai restauran at the Royal Orchid, the thai outdoor restaurant at the Pen or the Oriental or the indoor Lord Jim at the Oriental. Before having dinner go for a drink at the State Bar, unless you are afraid of heights. You can end your evening listening to jazz at the bamboo bar.

2. Bed Supper Club

3. Dinner at a place like Face which is well reviewed followed by the night market and/or the flower market.

what kind of food would interest you??

the places suggested above are all good...i would add tongue thai just behind OP which is a small mall just behind the oriental hotel...

i far prefer the river locations for hotels to siam square...

the marriott is my favorite of those listed and the cheapest...

look at hotel site: www.huahin.20m.com
this site includes the tax/service in the price and usually breakfast..

the suggested routing for touring above is ideal and quite complete for your limited stay...you will not be able to do as much as you think because of the heat and humidity...