julies,

You did good by this thread.

Kathie... ouch!!! Heal well!!
As Julie said, if it had to hppens somewhere, at least it happened where good medical care is avaialable ...and on Kauai!! Hoping you have a good view while you recover.
Julie, thanks agaiin for starting this interesting thread.

Thanks Julies for an excellent topic which has given me a lot to think about as we plan our first Thailand visit for this November.

Kathie, wishing you a speedy recovery!

Kathie, wishing you a well, and a speedy recovery. We all miss your wonderful posts, as you are always so very tactful. Here's to getting back to your keyboard really soon.

julies - I am not sure how to phrase this without sounding obnoxious, but why did you book a non-refundable hotel in Bangkok, knowing that you were dubious about the city? I saw your previous post where you expressed your doubts about going, and I do applaud you for the courage to visit anyway, but it seems you could have gone elsewhere quite easily, especially after other traveler's opinions gave you some doubts.

On a more positive note, I was quite impressed with the way you put your trip together partly impromptu, and partly planned. You are very courageous travelers.

Kathie - so very sorry to hear about your accident! I wish you the best for a speedy recovery.

julies, thanks again for such a wonderful thread. This is a good example on how to have strong disagreements with one another's interests, tastes, and style of travel, and yet have the discussion remain absolutely civil!

(I hope I don't jinx it now by stating this!)

Kathie-So sorry to hear about your accident and subsequent surgery. Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

CaliforniaLady--

Perhaps you misunderstood me. I said that the city did not call to us and we wouldn't be returning. I did not say that we spent every single second there hating the place.

Our return tickets were out of Bangkok, and we knew that no matter what we wanted to at least see what Bangkok was all about since we'd heard so much about it. Trying to figure out how long to stay, I asked here about the city and many people here told me about some marvelous sightseeing options in Bangkok. I am not disputing that there are some great places to sightsee; I stated that in my trip report.

After adding up the places that might call to us for sightseeing and wanting to give the place a fair shake, I added an additional night to the three I had originally planned. Thus we'd have three full days rather than two to check out Bangkok.

Everyone here pretty much also told me to stay by the river, and the place I found that we wanted to stay is small (only three rooms) and quirky and is not a mega hotel with hundreds of rooms available. I am happy we booked it since the Ibrik where we stayed really is what made Bangkok more enjoyable for us.

This was like any other travel decision one makes. As someone said above, one never knows until one gets there how one will feel about a place. We agree and based the rest of our trip on this concept--not booking way far ahead for precisely this reason. We wanted the flexibility to linger in places we liked and to move on from places we didn't like. But, as a final destination I wanted to have lodging settled ahead of time for Bangkok. I knew we wouldn't be changing our return tickets and lingering so we could add another place or stay longer. The tricky part was guesstimating when to arrive and how many days to stay.

On this trip I used booking.com a lot and found for the countries we visited, much more than any other trips we've taken recently, that cancellation policies for the types of places we are interested in are very stringent and really require a lot of advance notice. I understand policies are set by the lodging and not by booking.com, and perhaps for non-corporate, chain lodgings in this part of the world more stringent policies like this are the norm. In this case (probably the most rigid of our trip), if I did not plan to stay and wanted not to have to pay, I needed to cancel two weeks in advance. At that point we hadn't even figured out the end of our trip yet, and we hadn't had the discussions with some other people we met about Bangkok.

What a great topic.

I'm absolutely on both sides of this discussion. There's so much to love about Bangkok -- the broad smiles and warm hearts of so many people; the spirituality that is ingrained in the culture; the amazing smells that waft around every corner; the great hotels and terrific food. And so much to dislike: the traffic, the unrelenting heat, the too-visible air, the military junta that sneers at democracy. My own choice lately has been to visit places that have fewer negatives, while hoping that some of those negatives might change.

Kathie, hope you're much better soon!

Thanks to all of you for your good wishes on my recovery.

Progol--no jinxing done! Absolutely civil=absolutely refreshing!!

I did not read all the posts but wanted to add my 2cents. My daughter, SIL and grandchildren are now living in Bangkok - so now I have gone twice, and will go again soon, to a place I never planned to visit. Our daughter lives near one of the main BTS stations, Ekamai. We had planned to stay near them for our several week visit but at the last minute I decided to start off our trip near the river. We stayed at Riverside Chatrium and that was such a good decision. Yes, the river is the best part of BKK, IMO, if the purpose of your visit is to see something besides malls or sketch factor.

We loved watching the river traffic from our balcony and taking the public transportation for river outings. We also did a long tail boat ride thru the khlongs which of course was a huge hit with 4 year old grandson. We also did a walking / food tour that started near the BTS pier - also very enjoyable.

I had purchased a "walking tours of Bangkok" book before we arrived and had plans for self guided walking tours. HA! the heat and the crowds put an end to those plans. Even some of the major sights, Grand Palace, we never even tried for the same reasons. We did go to the wat where the giant Buddah is and a flower market along the edge of the river.

On my second visit,using uber, I did visit the Jim Thompson house and really liked that. It was like stepping into the "real" Thailand and was a quiet (but not so cool) oasis.

Now I did love the street food and the massages (Health Land). We did visit one mall at the very end of our first trip - Terminal 21 - and while I am not a shopper, I have to admit, I was impressed. Too much of my sightseeing ended up being from inside a taxi as we crawled along in the never ending traffic jam from h*ll. Altho not very aesthetic, I would think have enjoyed walking around a bit more but even in the more residential neighborhood near my daughter's apartment, most of the Thai residences were hidden behind high walls. I spent alot of time out on her balcony looking around!

When we returned after our first trip, both my husband and I said NEVER again, but a new grandchild has lured me there again, and now again, in a few months.

I realize I did leave out one major plus - the Thai people - just delightful!

Kathie - Ouch -- Sending healing wishes!
julies - Thanks for the controversy (age old on this board). Always interesting to see the range of opinions.

As far as BKK, I'm in the 'glad I went but won't be rushing back' camp. We are foodies and do love markets, Asian design and shopping for exotic trinkets, but the traffic, pollution, malls -- and scams -- got on our nerves. But for me the big issue in BKK was that it lacked soul and wasn't walkable enough. Would give it another try and include a bike ride if passing through again, but not high on my list.

This thread is fascinating to me. I wish threads like this could be carried out in such a civil manner on other cities. When we went to BKK for the first time 5 years ago, my impression was that everyone loved the city. Very few objective negative repsonses about it. Obviously everyplace has people who love it and others who dont, but that just doenst seem to surface on Fodor's in any meaningful way.

Glad you started the thread, julies!

Julies - I think our feelings about the places we visit are sometimes determined by where we've gone and what we've experienced beforehand. For me, Bangkok was my first introduction to Asia and I was wowed by it all - the street traffic, tuk tuks, the food, temples, sites and the people. I still long to return one day. But as you see on my own southern India thread, not everyplace wows everyone. Did you enjoy the grand palace and major sites? I hope you didn't miss them because of the heat. Still waiting for the rest of your report!

Kathie - a speedy recovery to you.

I recently returned from my second 4 day visit to Bangkok which I enjoyed, despite the pollution and traffic (which did not impact us as we took BTS everywhere). I agree that the river is the best part of Bangkok, but I also visited many sights included in guidebooks which I thoroughly enjoyed and found worthwhile.

The key for me is to spend only a few days at a time in Bangkok, and then go elsewhere. I like northern Thailand for the scenery and Chang Mai because it is easily walkable and has very interesting wats and temples. If we were transiting through Bangkok I would return again for a few days, but I would not make Bangkok a sole destination.

For those thinking of visiting BKK for a first time and wonder if it's their cup of tea here are a few suggestions to make it a more pleasant experience. Time of year to go- try to go in the Nov/Dec/Jan months as weather will be a bit cooler. Hotel- make sure you are within a block of a sky train station or as many have suggested you prefer to stay on the river make sure that hotel has a boat that goes to the sky train.
Tour early in the morning and late afternoon. Mid day heat can be quite exhausting.
You may want to consider hiring a driver for a day or two. This is a great way to explore the many venues BKK has to offer while not wearing you out. We did this on our first visit to BKK and it was great. You ride to each venue in an air conditioned car, with bottled ice water provided and you are dropped off right in front of the venue. It's not expensive and saves time and a lot of energy. Food- I advise staying away from street food- not worth the risk. There are whole threads. On this topic arguing for and against, just my opinion on this one. Tuk Turks- avoid, take taxis if you must but be sure they use the meter. Anyone approaching you on the street with news of a special sale- say no and walk away.
Do not try to do too much in a day, take it slow and easy with plenty of rest stops.

Bill has excellent advice.

I rarely use the skytrain because of my mobility issues. I take taxis everywhere, door to door. I arrive fresh and relaxed. nothing worse than arriving at a mall or restaurant dripping in sweat!! It often takes longer in a taxi but you can plan for that, especially if you avoid the normal heavily congested areas: silom rd, sathorn rd at certain times, new road near asiatique and Robinsons, sukhumvit from asoke to soi 2.

I find 2 weeks in Bangkok is never enough time and I am on trip 20.

I'll soon be returning to Bangkok as my sole destination during the hottest month, April. I will have some business mixed in with a lot of pleasure as I return to my favorite city for the 38th time since 2001. I am no longer a tourist and have little desire to do any sight seeing. I do love the shopping and variety of dining options. I have stayed in luxe hotels along the river and "in the city" but now prefer serviced apartments in lower Sukhumvit.

I have oodles of friends, both Thai and expats, and I spend the bulk of my time enjoying their company. I cherish these friendships and consider Bangkok to be my home away from home. Two important birthdays are celebrated in April just 2 days apart, with lively dinners and revelry. Can't wait!

MrsBillT has some very good suggestions for enjoying Bangkok. It can be beastly hot and humid, and especially in April. The weather in December and January can be absolutely glorious! Taxis and the skytrain or subway provide much needed AC! I would add that for a lot of people a nice swimming pool for relaxing and cooling down is a must. Unlike MrsBillT, I enjoy at least one tuk tuk ride per visit to Bangkok. I absolutely avoid the motorcycle taxis!

I get excited about returning just by writing my thoughts about Bangkok on fodors!

Should have added... Kathie, I hope you are recovering! Take care.

Sound advice, but nothing new about it. Tens of thousands visit Bangkok at all times of the year.

Many use Bangkok to top and tail a trip to other destinations in SE Asia. As often as not it's more important to make sure that the weather conditions are right for those destinations rather than Bangkok.

While the weather [heat/humidity] might be a factor, it is just one of several to take into consideration, and shouldn't be a deal-breaker.

I think that choosing the right location for your stay in Bangkok is the main consideration, and also doing sufficient homework to prepare yourself, especially for a first timer.

I'm the one who started this and the one who won't be returning.

It is interesting to hear that the appeal for so many of you Bangkok lovers and returnees is restaurants, friends, shopping, and shopping malls. When choosing a travel destination, in most cases, I don't think that this is what attracts people as tourists. Sorry, but IMO for the average person who is looking at visiting Bangkok as a place for (convenient) sightseeing, the city just doesn't cut it. Taxis??? Traffic is absolutely horrendous!

As I said at the start, for us, Bangkok falls into the category of a city we have now been to once, and it will be only once.

I know others will be following this thread in the future as they do searches about Bangkok. Please tell me where, within easy walking distance of the river, a nice cluster of neighborhood restaurants that would appeal to the average tourist can be found. In other words, in which location is it possible to walk around a six or eight block area and find lots of different choices for lunch or dinner? We did not have much luck with this, and we tried several different areas.

We stayed Riverside at the Chatrium - one of my main "vacation rules" is NOT to eat in hotel restaurants. Soon after checking into the hotel, we attempted to scout out local eateries and pretty much found nothing. The restaurants we saw were way outside our comfort and language zone! NO idea what was being served and no way to ask. So we took most meals at the Chatrium and actually were quite pleased - esp. for hotel meals, the price was reasonable and nice choices from local to more Western options. The buffet breakfast in the morning was fantastic - everything from croissants, eggs, pancakes and then curries, and other Thai options. It was a great way to begin to try the more local dishes.

Near the hotel was Asiatic and I wish we would have gone to in the evening but we never got there. I read somewhere that one of the things about Thai eating habits, is that they tend to snack thru out the day - thus the sit down meal / restaurant dining is not really how a Thai often eats - others may disagree with this explanation but it does seem to make sense in view of all the food carts.

We did do a walking food tour which included trying some items from carts and also several authentic seeming restaurants (altho to my US sensibilities, the kitchens were a bit concerning). We ate several times after that from the carts - "pork sicles", roasted chicken, papaya salad, pad thai and suffered no ill effects. And of course the food courts in any of the malls were just choice overload! So all in all we ate well and enjoyed the food but strolling a neighborhood to a local eatery was not usually much of an option.

I'm one of the non-fans of Bangkok. However, since it is a major transport hub, I can't say I'll never return. The last time I was in Asia (too long ago!) I went through Bangkok four times. At least I got to stay at four different places, and reaffirmed my preference for the river. (See: https://mytimetotravel.wordpress.com...ay-of-bangkok/ )

It's a real pity (aside from the obvious reasons) that Kathie can't chime in, because I think her input would cover sights rather than shopping and eating. With all due respect, simpsonc510's Bangkok visits are irrelevant to a potential first-timer's decision (apart from the references to heat and humidity!).

@julie - if I were looking for a concentration of restaurants I'd probably head for Sukhumvit, but that's not near the river. My go-back-to small restaurant is Taling Pling. There are several branches but I usually go to the one round the corner from the Myanmar embassy. That's a Skytrain stop and a half from the river, and there are several other eateries in that area. But, as was mentioned on your planning thread, there's plenty of choice in the food courts.

may I add as others have, Bangkok is not really a "walking" city. way too hot and many sidewalks are in poor repair.

there are tons of places to eat along the river, but you have to do your homework. I often prefer hotel food in bkk I must say, but there are many one off restaurants. Asiatique is easy to get to and has tons of restaurants and is located right on the river with its own free boat from taskin station of the skytrain after 5PM.

I just jump in a taxi from my riverside hotel and go to restaurants all over town and the fare rarely reaches $5.

SO, YOU CAN DISLIKE BKK AND THAT IS FINE, EVEN PREFERABLE FOR SOME, but many love it and return over and over.

it was good of you to present your observations..

We are "walkers" and enjoy using our feet to get around. However for many cities, including BKK, that doesn't work. We just returned from 7 weeks in Colombia and Ecuador and none of the major cities were great for walking for a variety of reasons, but that didn't stop us from enjoying them and finding good local restaurants. The same is true in BKK and at least BKK has a great metro system that is easy to use and gets you around quickly and in a/c. And the boats on the river are great to use.

If I recall the planning thread you started on BKK, julies, Kathie provided many great suggestions of places to see that were not food or shopping related. I recall mentally noting that we had not seen some of the places she mentioned.

We did go to Asiatic on our last trip to BKK and didn't particularly care for it, but there were a ton of restaurants. rhkmhk provided us a list of restaurants on our first trip and we went to several of his suggestions, several were near the Oriental and easy walking once you took the metro or ferry to that area. We also did a food tour on each trip and enjoyed going back to some of the places we enjoyed on the food tour. Chinatown had lots of places to eat.

I do not plan a specific trip to BKK, but as noted above, it is a transportation hub and we want to go back to SEAsia and likely will be flying through BKK. I think for 1 or 2 visits there is plenty interesting sites to see. Culturally I found it fascinating.

After I submitted the above, I went to twitter and saw the following -- funny!
http://www.travelandleisure.com/slid...-best-cities/5

"SO, YOU CAN DISLIKE BKK AND THAT IS FINE, EVEN PREFERABLE FOR SOME, but many love it and return over and over."

This has been a very civil discussion so far. Why are you shouting? I thought we had all agreed that some people loved BKK and some did not, and that was fine. People considering a visit to BKK should have access to both points of view.

Funny, I didn't receive rhkkmk's caps as shouting, just highlighting a point of view. Maybe I'm just not savvy enough to know the difference but, in this case, I guess ignorance is bliss.

When we want great walking cities we head to Europe. For Asia, due to the heat and congestion that many Asian cities have we look for ones that have excellent tourism infrastructure to get us from A to B.

I find it quite easy to walk around lower Sukhumvit, from, say, the J W hotel to Terminal 21. I do it every trip in order to reach some of my favorite local restaurants and pubs on and around Sukhumvit soi 7/8 thru 15.

Yes, sidewalks are in disrepair. I had a very bad ankle sprain on my very 1st trip to Bangkok, within the 1st hour of touring with a Thai friend! She suggested Thai foot massage at Wat Pho, and it hurt like he** but it did work! I could have danced out after one hour of torture! (at home I would have been advised to keep it elevated, walk on crutches, and wrap it in an ace bandage)

I'm enjoying this discussion even though I do not really consider myself a tourist, and I have nothing much to add for newbies (sorry thursdaysd).

For a newbie, however, I would add that the movie theaters in Bangkok, if you go to the "gold class" ones, are a real treat. Even if the movie isn't very good, you can take a nice snooze with the pillow and blankets and recliners they offer! We just saw the new Star Wars movie at the Central Embassy Mall in December and enjoyed it!

I am able to type a bit more , so I will add some thoughts.

The thing I love most about Bangkok is the spiritual connection. I've been visiting since the mid-1980s, and always choose a new wat or two to visit. The fact that lovely hotels are so reasonably priced is a plus, as we prefer to get a suite.

We love to stay along the river, and found we isn't enjoy t nearly as much staying downtown - next trip we will be back at the river.

"the movie theaters in Bangkok, if you go to the "gold class" ones, are a real treat"

I think is an example of the disconnect. Why would I go all the way to Asia and then go to the movies? I can do that at home (not that I do). (Exception - I might go to a Bollywood movie in Mumbai.)

@Kathie - glad there's some improvement! Hang in there.

Interesting that you find a spiritual connection in BKK. I went to Thailand the first time specifically because I wanted to visit a Buddhist country, but I was disappointed. It reminded me very much of medieval Europe, with hugely expensive and elaborate temples surrounded by the poor, whose offerings made the buildings possible, when their need was much greater. Plus Buddhism as practiced seemed to be very much a matter of folk religion/magical thinking - if you make the appropriate offerings you will have a son, or a new job, or a better after life.

On our last trip to BKK we saw the latest (at that time) James Bond movie in the Terminal 21 mall cinema for about $3.00. When we go on vacation we want to be pampered. Lux hotels, great food, many shopping venues as well as cultural ones.
We get it that this is not everyone's cup of tea, but I submit BKK has just about everything you could be looking for if you do your homework.

Funny about the movie theaters--who knew? And the massages esp the foot massages are pure heaven. I practically got 1 a day.

Each person's travel style is different (thank goodness, or we wouldn't "need" a site like fodors to help with planning).

I like to go to movies in Bangkok because of the theaters! I don't recall the last time I saw a movie anywhere in the USA. It has literally been decades. I usually avoid movies altogether, even on airplanes on long flights. The experience in Bangkok just isn't the same! The pre-movie wine, finger foods, popcorn, luxe waiting room with fancy seating, etc...... and for such a small price!

I also don't play pool in the USA, but I can be found with friends of mine in a few pool halls along Sukhumvit when in Bangkok. I can't shoot worth anything, but it's fun to play! Probably not the usual stuff for a tourist. You might also find me at the bowling alley and trivia quiz night! Bangkok has such a great choice of things to do. One of the best things is the easy availability to find live entertainment that is really phenomenal. Usually no cover charge. All types of music.

I find such a calmness in the Thai people (non-confrontational) because of their faith. I have partaken in merit making and tree planting (in remembrance of those who have passed) along with Thai friends and I find it to be a moving experience. I sat in on the blessing ceremony for the 2-year anniversary of my favorite serviced apartment building a few years ago. I've been a part of a mixed Thai/Danish wedding a number of years ago. It was pure pleasure! So different from any I've been to in the USA.

When I'm in Bangkok I'm busy doing a lot of unusual things!

This thread has become fascinating and definitely proves that we are all different and have very different tastes and interests.

For us, our purpose in visiting new cities in different parts of the world and in different cultures is to learn some history, taste the foods, visit significant sites (cultural, historical, spiritual), participate in local activities we can't partake of at home, take in interesting local markets, understand the geography of the place, visit unique parks and gardens, observe the daily lives of those who live in the city etc. We typically use public transportation to travel major distances within the city and then walk because we feel that in order to really get the feel for a place one needs to slow down and take it in up close rather than out the windows of a car or bus.

MrsBillT--

We don't have a ton of experience with Asian cities only having visited Bangkok, Hanoi, Saigon, Phnom Penh, Vientiene, Siem Reap, Luang Prabang, Mumbai, Kathmandu and Delhi. Of those I'd classify Bangkok and Delhi as definitely not amenable to walking or particularly enjoyable places to walk. Interestingly enough these two are also at the bottom of our list of Asian cities we enjoy. Are you saying that if we visit places like Singapore or Hong Kong or others we should expect places where we can't walk? I should add that despite the heat we did do a lot of walking in Bangkok (and we sweated a lot).


Kathie--

Glad you are somewhat improving. During our visit we did take several of your suggestions because those are the types of things that interest us when we visit a new place.

We live in Houston where we have long hot humid summers and we do not walk here . Asia is hot and humid and for us we do not fond walking about in such heat and humidity enjoyable. Sweating and having to shower and change clothes several times a day just is not something we want to do. Now in Europe, during the right months of the year there are so many charming towns and cities where you can walk and not sweat bullets!
In addition my wife (note it is Billt that is writing) does not relish walking about in severe heat,sun etc. I can deal with it better than she so sometimes she stays in the hotel and has her 2 hour massage ( we have our person come to our hotel) while I do the markets and other outdoor activities . It works out just fine for both of us.