maile

I would appreciate suggestions about what to do for a late afternoon in Bangkok. My husband and I will be flying in from Siem Reap, arriving at 2PM. We will go to the Pen and then have until 10:45 that evening when we need to return to the airport to pick up our son coming in on a flight from the US. If we get to the Pen around 4PM(?) would we have time for a good massage, dinner and drinks? I would prefer to go elsewhere than the hotel ... somewhere we could catch a cab later and get to the airport. And how would we "catch" a cab? Stand in the street or ask the restaurant or massage place to call one? Thanks for any suggestions. If it were not for this forum, I don't even think I would travel!!

Kathie

Is there a reason you need to pick up your son at the airport? Can't he catch a taxi or a pre-arranged "limo" such as AAC?

If it were me, I'd get a massage (plus body scrub or facial) at Face, then eat dinner there after. If you wanted drinks, they have a lovely bar.

To catch a cab, I'd walk to Sukhumvit (very close) and flag one down.

Info on Face spa and restaurants: www.facebars.com click on Bangkok.

maile

Kathie, my son is 15 and even though he is well traveled, after a long, long flight and changing planes three times, I think he might have a little trouble getting money changed and getting a taxi. The Pen said they could send one for him but at a cost of about $165 which I thought was insane. And Face was what I had thought about before and I note that it is "towards" the airport so we might linger a little longer over the drinks?

Kathie

Ah, I understand.

If you feel ok about it, I'd recommend having him picked up at the airport by AAC limo. It'll be about 1000 baht plus tolls - probably a bit higher now with increased gas costs. They will meet him just after customs with a sign with his name on it. It's as easy and secure as the Pen sending a car... but at a fraction of the cost. He/you will need to pay cash when he gets to the Pen. He can get cash from the ATM inside baggage claim or can exchange US$ for baht at the bank window inside baggage claim.

If you'd feel better about meeting him at the airport, just take a taxi from Face. Just remember to make sure the driver uses the meter.

simpsonc510

I agree with meeting your son at the airport. We (DS and I) went out to the airport to pick up grown up friends who were coming to BKK from Germany for their first visit. They were pleased to see us there to greet them and help get them to their hotel. We arranged for a van pick-up because there were four of us, plus their bags, which would be too much for a single taxi to handle.

Yes, you have time for a massage and nice dinner. That should not be a problem. I've dined at Face but have never used their spa. It does get rave reviews though. The restaurant is lovely. Taxis are not a problem. You can hail a cab just about anywhere. However, you will want to hire one that will put the meter ON.

jgg

I would recommend you go to the airport to pick him up. We used AAC Limo twice on our trip in March. On our initial arrival, our flight was about an hour early, so they weren't holding up our name, I had to find the AAC LImo person and she had to call for the car.

On our return to BKK from Siem Reap, no representative from AAC Limo was even there. I had to ask one of the other LImo cos. where they were. She called them and about 25 minutes later someone showed up. I know others here have had good experiences with them, but I wouldn't want to risk it with a teenager.

I would also recommend Face Spa!!

kuranosuke

i also rec. that you go to the airport to pick son up.

last month, i recommended acc limo(based upon the good reviews here) to my friend who was traveling to bangkok for the first time, arriving at 915pm. he arranged to be picked up by acc limo. when he arrived, no one was there to pick him up.

one of the nicely dressed ladies ask him if he needed a taxi. he told them he had a res. with acc. the lady called acc for him on her cell. he talked with the acc person and was told he did not have a reservation(he had a confirmation number) and that he was busy, and couldn't help him. the acc person did not even offer to assist my friend with another driver, service, etc.

so, my friend ended up utilizing the limo service of the nice lady who helped him. cost was about the same.

i apoligized to my friend, as i thought acc was a reliable firm, evidently i erred. perhaps this was an anomaly.

jules39

I will be the skeptic Kuranosuke do you think the nice lady really did call acc or did she actually call her limo service & this was a little scam?

Maile I agree go & collect your son you will feel better about it.

J

jgg

Either way AAC was at fault for not having someone at the airport to pick her friend up if he had made the reservation. As I said, we had a similar problem with them. Our nice lady (from another agency) found their folder (they all literally stack them on the floor behind where they are waiting) found our reservation form and did call AAC. However, I was pretty annoyed since I am paying for them to be there and have the car ready.

kuranosuke

jules, could be. maybe she was calling her "partner". however, like jgg said, they should have been there waiting for him.

Kathie

Ken, thanks for reporting on this incident with AAC. I've used them many times and never had a glitch. It's a good reminder that even things we think operate seamlessly can not work at times!

jules39

Oh I totally agree that aac should have been there it is very bad that they were not. I have never used aac but the fact that 2 of you have had experience with them not being there when you were expecting them is a very important point that I really appreciate knowing.
J

maile

Thanks to all for your imput. I was all set to contact AAC (so the drinks after a massage and dinner could be just a little longer) but after hearing your comments, I do think we will be at the airport to pick up our son. It is good to know where he would be able to exchange money though (bank window inside baggage claim) so he will have Thai money in case of a mix-up. I am certain he would be able to get a taxi on his own and get to the Pen if necessary. It is just after such a long trip .... and yeah, I worry still.

travelduo

You made the right decision by getting him from the airport yourself!

I am very curious........ is he flying from the US? If he is, I applaud you for raising a son that at 15 has the awareness to do that trip solo! The 15 year olds I know couldn't even make the domestic connection!

Hope you have an awesome time in bkk with your son! And let us know how it went when you get back home!

hawaiiantraveler

thanks for the report on AAC limo Ken. Always good to get all the reports, good or bad.....too bad about your freind, I hate when that happens

Aloha!

maile

To Travelduo: Our son has traveled since he was about 4 years old and seens very much at home in major airports and/or the subway systems of major cities. And we live on an isolated farm in California! The only problem is now he has reached an age where being in the presence of his parents create great difficulties. He is not going to be with us for the other portions of our trip and that is why he is flyin from the States to join us in Thailand: to be together for Christmas, visit with his Thai sister (an exchange student who lived with us for a year) and then we will all fly home together.

travelduo

Maile, that is very very cool! I can only hope that our son will be able to do the same when he is 15

This year will be our first time to take our son to Thailand(our 3rd trip), 2 years ago when we went to africa, we asked if he wanted to go or stay with grandma, he chose grandma, until we got to the airport and asked where his bag was!

We have a kind of similar situation to you, we sponsor a Thai kid thru Compassion International who is the exact same age as our son. He lives up in northern Thailand past CM. Its going to be a loooong trek to get to see him, but will be totally worth it!

I hope you enjoy your time in Thailand!

donwat

Taxi costs 400bht hotel to airport plus toll 50bht.Taxi will only fit 2 people and luggage as only 1 port in back and 1 in front seat so if 2 of you go to airport their may not be room.3 of us arrived at airport with 3 bags and had to take 2 taxis.So min cost both ways would be 900bht for 2 people.Looks as though just as cheap to have a limo pick him up. Don

williamscb13

Don't want to hijack the thread, but wanted to say thank you for the suggestion of Face. My sister and I needed something to do today in Bangkok and she loves spas. We spent the afternoon being pampered at Face. What a truly unique and wonderful experience from the delightful Thai architecture to the strong hands of the women who massaged us. I think it was one of the most fantastic spa experiences I have ever had.

So thank yo so much Kathie for the suggestion to the OP whose idea we basically co-opted.

Kathie

Glad you loved Face! One of our favorite places in Bangkok!