lalex19

#1. staying at sheraton royal orchid in bangkok - where to get massage close by???
#2. going to anantara in chiang rai for a few nights and was wondering if there are any good restaurants outside of the hotel, and are the spa treatments worth the extra price at the hotel, or should we go elsewhere and where?
thx so much

rhkkmk

a good massage place is just up the road upstairs from the gallery cafe restaurant, which is also good....out door of hotel, turn right....go to end of street turn left....restaurant is about 1/2 way down that block....

the only place we found to eat near to anantara was the thai kitchen....its a very local place, but you need a car to get there...

lalex19

thx for the info.
guess we will relax and enjoy the anantara when we finish touring.

Gpanda

The massages at Gallery Cafe are wonderful. Get a two hour massage, it's well worth the time investment.

Lunch or dinner at the Gallery Cafe is also really good. We always stay at the ROS and eat there several times. Much better than the food at the ROS.

lalex19

thank you so much...what's your favorite (or 2) restaurant in bangkok. there for 3 nights. seafood market sounds amazing and have been following the threads a bit, but would love your input.

rhkkmk

near to sheraton are two: tongue thai in back of the oriental and my most favorite is harmonique in the same area---next to main post office on new road near to hotel...

more upscale would be lord jim at the oriental....biscotti at the four seasons....jesters at the peninsula .... oriental rest. on ground level at the penn....

Gpanda

From the ROS, you can easily walk to three very good restaurants. The Gallery Cafe, Harmonique (Down the New Road [Charon Kreung] and in a Soi to your right after the post office) and Tongue Thai ( near Oriental Place). All are good food at reasonable prices.

lalex19

thx to all...yum yum

rhkkmk

imo, gallery cafe is the least good of the three, as it is quite dumbed down for hotel tourists...

lalex19

rhkkmk
i know you're "the man" (or lady) re: restaurants, so what are two of your favorites??? thx

Hanuman

Trust me rhkkmk is no lady!

rhkkmk

i think perhaps i answered that above...

but harmonique is our favorite restaurant for simple thai food at a good price and of good quality...it is closed on sundays however...

coconut palm near to wat pho is a close second, but honestly the food is better there....closes at 7PM..

my wife loves the chinese restaurant in the peninsula hotel...

face bar complex is a good place for both indian and thai...

lord jim as noted above...

ask for my restaurant listing and you will receive more ideas: [email protected]

Kathie

IMO, (and I've been eating there annually since it opened) Harmonique is fun (as long as you don't let the terrible service bother you) and the food is good, but not excellent. It's Chinese-Thai food, and one of the owners makes steamed bread to have with your meals (usually you have to request it, I don't know if it appears on the menu). We always stay at the ROS, and Harmonique makes for a fun and convenient meal.

For better food (and service), I'd suggest Lana Thai at Face, one of our favorite places or Lemongrass. Both are on Sois off of Sukhumvit, so you'd need to take the Skytrain. I know Bob isn't find of Lemongrass, but I've eaten there for perhaps the last 15-20 years and have had consistently very good food.

We also always go to Face for massages... it's a spa experience, not just massage as you'll find at Gallery. Take a look at www.facebars.com and click on Bangkok. You'll find the information of the whole complex - both restaurants, the spa and Visage, the patisserie.

lalex19

thx again...you have definitely provided me alot of info...kathie, i know you love anantara in chiang rai. should we stay there at night for dinner. and is the spa super expensive (but worth it???)

Kathie

When we were there, we ate at the Anantara and had very good food. As with all restaurants in Thailand, let them know how spicy you want your food. We like spicy food and always ask for it. Someone reported that they thought the food at the Anantara wasn't spicy enough, but everywhere you have to ask for what you want and the chef will accommodate you.

The spa was expensive (for Thailand) but in US prices it was a bargain! We did lots of spa and really enjoyed it. It's been a few years since we were there, and I don't know current prices, but the spa had a lovely atmosphere, and there were lots of types of massage and other treatments to choose from.