an afternoon in Bangkok
 

On our way back from Cambodia to home, we transit in BKK, 18 Nov. We have already visited a number of basics in BKK last year in the company of Ratt. How to spend a relaxed but interesting afternoon in BKK at the end of a 18 day trip through Indochina. No swimming pools, etc. Rather something of sightseeing or so. What would you suggest us to do?

1. Take a klong tour and visit Wat Arun. Then have tea in the author's lounge of the Oriental Hotel. Stroll around Oriental Place and the area around it which has gorgeous shops.

2. Go to Suaan Pakkard House

3. Go to Vinanamek Mansiona

these are excellent suggestions that gloria has given...especially the klong tour if you have not done it...

a delightful long lunch at one of the riverside hotel restaurants...followed by some last minutes shopping...

but the best: hire a car to take you to the prasart museum....it is about 40 minutes outside of bkk in a wonderful garden...the museum is private and is only accessible by prior reservation...they only see about 15 people per day at maximum...the tours are guided and totally private...reservations can be made directly via telephone or through their shop in the peninsula plaza shopping center....you won't be disappointed...about 80% of the tour is out doors...

I was going to suggest the Prasart but felt it might get too complicated because you need to make the arrangements ahead of time and it sounds as though you will not be in Bangkok ahead of time to do that. Also, Ratt probably won't take you -- although one of her other drivers will. Finally, you should really plan on spending at least 3 hours there and it takes about 45 minutes to get there. And with the possibility of plane delays etc I thought you might want something a bit less pressured. However, if you do have the time and want to do something more "strenuous" but quite wonderful, Prasart is a great idea.

I will chime in with Gloria and Bob and suggest that you do a klong tour by longtail boat. It's a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours in BKK.

A relaxing lunch along the river is also a great suggestion. It's such a wonderful city to watch, and especially from the riverside. The Pen or the Oriental both have nice outside dining for this.

You might also like to get a massage at Wat Pho or spend time in one of the nice spas (I'll let others make their suggestions for this) before getting on your long flight home.

Carol

The klong tour sounds interesting. Would you recommend a particular company to book such a tour with? We will be staying at the Peninsula.

Thanks!

The person at the pier of the hotel should be able to arrange it. No problem.

No need to book a tour. You can hire a boat on your own at the Pen (the Pen boatman can help you with this).

Absolutely do it privately. You can tell them how long and where you want to stop -- Wat Arun is a must and you could also stop at the Royal Barges if you want. Also tell him to take you on some of the smaller klongs. The people at the Penn will make sure the boat person is good and knows where to take you. You'll have a great time. It's the highlight of many people's time in Bangkok.

Sounds great! But there may be a catch. We will be arriving in Bangkok in the early afternoon and only have one night in Bangkok before flying on to Bali early the next morning. My fiancee has never been to Bangkok before and I was thinking that if we could only do one bit of "official" sightseeing we should see the Royal Palace that afternoon. (I've been to both Wat Arun and the Palace ten years ago, but never did a klong tour.)

So, what do you think: Royal Palace or a klong tour?

The Grand Palace closes fairly early - 3 or 4 o'clock so depending on what time u arrive the decision may be made...

Depends on what you like--a klong tour will give you a feeling for life in BKK on the river. Beautiful scenery, "exotic" if your fiancee has never experienced anything like this before. The Grand Palace complex is a huge sight and is always very crowded. If it were me, and I've done both klong tours and the Palace several times, I would go with the klongs.

I'd vote for the klong tour and have them at least go by the Temple of the Emerald Buddha and Grand Palace. And stop at Wat Arun. If you have time, have high tea or just a cup of coffee (they make a great iced capuccino) in the Author's Lounge of the Oriental. Shop a bit in Oriental Place if you want and then go back to the Penn and relax and then go to dinner at Bed Supper Club. Your fiancee will have a fabulous time and will be ready to come back so you can see all the other wonderful sights.

Do your klong tour or Royal Palace in the afternoon, and then I would suggest a nice dinner (maybe at the Bed Supper Club) and a drink at the top of State Tower at Sky Bar. State Tower is near the river, with views from the 64th floor (?) that will leave you in awe. Sky Bar is a beautiful place. You'll see the building, with its golden dome on top. That's where Sky Bar is!

Enjoy your (too short) visit to BKK.
Carol

Sky Bar is another excellent idea.

If you decide not to do the klong tour I would skip bed supper club and have dinner at one of the restaurants on the river. But personally prefer the klong/bed supper club combo.

Thank you for all your suggestions!

I'm curious what the Bed Supper Club is all about, so I'm going to start another post on that.

if you do a search on this forum you'll find lots of info on bed supper club. They also have a web site which I think is www.bedsupperclub.com

Suffice it to say it is unlike anyplace you have ever been and it's great!

If you do a google search for "sky bar bangkok" you will get some photos by somebody posting with the name glissom. The photos are awesome. It will give you an idea of the place.

sounds like you might not get into central bkk until it is too late to plan much at the grand palace...so why not do the klong tour...added to it could be a grand palace drive by in the boat....usually you come right out into the river again near the navy headquarters and wat arun and the grand palace are not far up river so it would make a great intro to bkk...

you can also get the boats on the river pier below the taskim skytrain stop...they have a desk there or from the kiosk in back of the river city shopping center or as said above any river hotel will get you one...the advantage of the hotel is that the bellman will tell the driver exactly where you want to go and for how long...is suggest 3 hours which will be about 1200 B i think....your partner will love it and beg to come back to bkk in the future...

Is the Thai restaurant in the Peninsula hotel by the river (formerly named Thalaythip?) now called Thiptara? Their web site doesn't have much info on it.

Thks for all those suggestions. Looks like we, after arriving at the airport, we will opt for a klong ride and then afterwards a relaxed afternoon around Oriental + early dinner at Oriental. Oriental Hotel is a bit steep for overnight, I find. Is there anything less expensive around that area? Oriental is 230-250 usd minimum from what I understand.

Once in awhile you can get the Oriental for around $200 by going to their website or contacting them directly but it isn't too likely in November. The Penn which is across the river will be less but still in the $200 range. Cheaper options in walking distance of the Oriental are the Shangri-la and the Royal Orchid. Cheaper still (and very nice but not nearly as convenient) would be the Marriott. But for the short amount of time you have I'd either splurge and stay at the Oriental or opt for the Royal Orchid or Shangri-la.

cram--unfortunately you are at the top of the price market starting nov 1...

less expensive in the area are all of the other hotels....

penn will be around $200 on the huahin site or about $230++ directly from them

the sheraton orchid should be much less and probably has discounts...look on the starwoods.com web site....AAA or senior rates are good...nov 18 is a weekend and two years ago in nov i got a seniors rate of $75 for a suite...you have to play with their site to make it work for you..

the marriott will be about $110 on huahin and maybe $120 on the marriott site...it is my favorite...

shangri-la may have a special as well...look on huahin and on their site for specials...

jd----yes that is the current name...this is an al fresco restaurant which is closed on bad weather nites...only open for dinner...a la carte menu, or what most people have is the set menu for two...my last time we had the 2200 B menu for two which was fantastic...usually there are 3 set menus to choose from...

you eat outside in a fenced off area next to the pool...there are thai style buildings surrounding the area and the river is on one side...it is very very nice....food is good and all thai...lots of variation in the set menus...it is a bargain...

in addition to reading this forum for reviews of the hotels, check out www.tripadvisor.com. They have a lot of reviews of the hotels mentioned -- many of them very detailed.

jdeg, yes, it's called the Thiptara (I think). We really enjoyed it. Great atmosphere and the prices were reasonable. Just don't order the water, which was $9 per bottle.

ccc---did you save the empty bottle?? if you read the fine print it says that for each bottle you turn in you receive one share of their stock....

Thks all, we are making up our mind about the Peninsula Hotel and a klong ride, followed by a stroll around the Oriental area, as it was suggested on this board. Now next: dinner suggestins, knowing that we will be staying at the Pen?

Bed Supper Club

I'll put it another way
1. Bed Supper Club if you want excellent food and really unique and fund experience.
2. The restaurant in the Penn if you want an outdoor restaurant on the river with thai food
3. The riverside buffet at the Oriental if you want a large buffet (lots of seafood) and a variety of cuisines
4. Lord Jim in the Oriental if you want superb seafood in a new gorgeous setting indoors but with a river view
5. China House in the Oriental if you want great Peking Duck in a lovely setting.

1. Bed Supper Club if you want a unique experience and an excellent meal.
2. Tawandang German Brewery if you want to eat Thai style, with hundreds of Thais, dining and watching a great stage show with a mix of Thai jazz fusion, a bit of pop, and exotic Thai dancers too. The beer here is great too! (you need to take a taxi here and go EARLY so you get a good table)
3. A dinner cruise on the Chao Phyra River (although you might not want to do this if you have taken a klong tour)
4. Go to Suanlum night bazaar, shop in the little stands for souvenirs, and eat in the outdoor food court, where there is a big stage with live music going on nightly. Sit, shop, walk, eat, shop some more, enjoy the music... Not a fancy dinner, but certainly a lot of fun if you like to shop. There is a good variety at the night bazaar. Food court is typical of a mall style place with many little stands.
5. After dinner (which ever option you pick) go to the top of State Tower and have a nightcap at Sky Bar. It's 64 floors above the city. It's all outside, breezy and cooler than down on the ground. The view is awesome. You can look down on the Peninsula and Shangri La. Dress code.. nice casual clothes, nice shoes (no clunky backpacker sandals). Drinks are not cheap, but you will LOVE the view if you are not bothered by heights. When I say it is "outdoors" I mean exactly that. There is a glass wall around the perimeter and that's about it. Another option (but not as classy) is the top floor of the Banyan Tree. Same kind of thing, but it just doesn't have the beauty of Sky Bar IMHO.
Carol

depends on budget:

either of the main restaurants at the penn: jesters (asian fusion) or the thai al fresco offering....less costly the chinese or the riverside cafe (forget name)
or
lord jim at the oriental

or tongue thai behind the oriental and OP place

angenelli at the shangri-la hotel (italian)

biscotti at the 4 seasons hotel

gallery cafe in back of the sheraton orchid (thai)

harmonique on soi 34 new road (thai)..in back of river hotels

bed supperclub---sukhumvit soi 11...very unique and good food

crepes and co off of sukhumvit...crepes of every description---excellent and cheap

Personally since you only are having one meal in Bangkok I think the only restaurant worth traveling far for is Bed Supper Club. Otherwise I would eat at either the Penn or the Oriental depending on the kind of food and atmosphere you want. I thought you had earlier said you wanted something romantic so those restaurants would also meet that criteria (at least the ones at the Oriental -- haven't eaten at the ones at the Penn).

By the way, State Bar is a short walk from the Oriental so you could certainly easily go there for a drink if you eat there or at the Penn (the Penn's boat goes right next to the Oriental). It is spectacular but VERY scary if you have a height problem and it also can be very windy.