Bangkok didn't do a thing for us & we won't be returning
Feb 27th, 2016, 03:15 AM
#21
Thanks for sharing your experience with BKK, julies. As others have said, I, too, am not surprised that it didn't appeal to you.
Although I don't think it's a place that you'd ever care for, ending a long and active trip in an intense place like BKK is, in my experience, almost a guarantee to dislike it. BKK, and many large cities, have a certain kind of energy that require stamina and, at the end of the trip, I've found that I have much less to give a place. For instance, we began our SE Asia trip in BKK, and while I didn't love the city, we appreciated it; on the other hand (as an example), we ended our trip to Spain in Madrid, and both of us just didn't connect to the city, and I suspect it has a lot to do with our flagging energy level at the end.
This is in no way a critcism, julies, of your reactions to BKK -- just sharing my own experience and what works for our travel style and what doesn't.
Although I don't think it's a place that you'd ever care for, ending a long and active trip in an intense place like BKK is, in my experience, almost a guarantee to dislike it. BKK, and many large cities, have a certain kind of energy that require stamina and, at the end of the trip, I've found that I have much less to give a place. For instance, we began our SE Asia trip in BKK, and while I didn't love the city, we appreciated it; on the other hand (as an example), we ended our trip to Spain in Madrid, and both of us just didn't connect to the city, and I suspect it has a lot to do with our flagging energy level at the end.
This is in no way a critcism, julies, of your reactions to BKK -- just sharing my own experience and what works for our travel style and what doesn't.
Feb 27th, 2016, 04:13 AM
#22
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progol--Interesting observation on your part. I really don't think that the fact that this was the end of our trip made a difference, especially since prior to our arrival in Bangkok we'd made a conscious decision to take it easy for a few days in Luang Prabang and then did a relaxing two day boat trip on the Mekong to the Thai border. In October we ended a three week trip to Sicily with 4 or 5 days in Palermo (another city many consider intense). We really liked the city and wished we'd had more time there.
The plus of ending in a place we didn't really like was that we weren't wishing we could extend our trip and stay for a few more days.
Now a question for those of you who love Bangkok and make many return visits: Does your visit center around staying in a luxury hotel at an affordable price and eating at fancy restaurants at an affordable price and spending your days shopping for nice clothing etc. at an affordable price?
The plus of ending in a place we didn't really like was that we weren't wishing we could extend our trip and stay for a few more days.
Now a question for those of you who love Bangkok and make many return visits: Does your visit center around staying in a luxury hotel at an affordable price and eating at fancy restaurants at an affordable price and spending your days shopping for nice clothing etc. at an affordable price?
Feb 27th, 2016, 04:41 AM
#23
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I confess to being somewhat ambivalent about Bangkok. I have visited many times over the last 25 years, mainly for the convenient transport links from Europe, but would not rank Bangkok in my top ten cities of the world. As far as SE Asian cities go, I much prefer places like Phnom Penh, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh which I suppose are much like Bangkok was 25 years ago. Maybe it is just nostalgia?
The fancy restaurants I am happy to miss, as I much prefer street food and the small "hole in the wall" type places For which Bangkok is rightly famous.
Not a great fan of shopping and we usually stay in budget to mid range accommodation these days, but if we do splurge in a 5* place, Bangkok would be the place we do it simply because it is one of the cheapest places in the world for that sort of accomdation.
We ended our year in Asia last November with a week in Bangkok in a very nice hotel with executive lounge access. We did enjoy the "free" Gin and Tonics, the buffet breakfast etc.etc. But the irony wasn't lost of me that one night there would have paid for a week elsewhere on our trip!
As we left, like you, we didn't want to stay longer and in fact we couldn't help feeling that that stay may well have been our last..
The fancy restaurants I am happy to miss, as I much prefer street food and the small "hole in the wall" type places For which Bangkok is rightly famous.
Not a great fan of shopping and we usually stay in budget to mid range accommodation these days, but if we do splurge in a 5* place, Bangkok would be the place we do it simply because it is one of the cheapest places in the world for that sort of accomdation.
We ended our year in Asia last November with a week in Bangkok in a very nice hotel with executive lounge access. We did enjoy the "free" Gin and Tonics, the buffet breakfast etc.etc. But the irony wasn't lost of me that one night there would have paid for a week elsewhere on our trip!
As we left, like you, we didn't want to stay longer and in fact we couldn't help feeling that that stay may well have been our last..
Feb 27th, 2016, 04:45 AM
#24
julies-- Good point about Palermo (and I'm hoping we feel the same way about the city as we'll be there in May at the end of our trip!).
So perhaps it's a little bit of an immediate reaction to a city as well as where one is in a trip. If a city grabs you, then it really doesn't matter whether you're at the beginning or end of a trip, one finds the energy to explore. But if you're tired, and near the end, there's less energy to "work" it, if you know what I mean. Funny, we ended our trip in Siem Reap, and we were not at all taken by it -- and you began your trip there and thoroughly enjoyed it. So perhaps we would've felt differently about Siem Reap if we started our trip there.
So perhaps it's a little bit of an immediate reaction to a city as well as where one is in a trip. If a city grabs you, then it really doesn't matter whether you're at the beginning or end of a trip, one finds the energy to explore. But if you're tired, and near the end, there's less energy to "work" it, if you know what I mean. Funny, we ended our trip in Siem Reap, and we were not at all taken by it -- and you began your trip there and thoroughly enjoyed it. So perhaps we would've felt differently about Siem Reap if we started our trip there.
Feb 27th, 2016, 09:23 AM
#25
I completely agree with progol about energy and with it Initiative flagging at the very end of a trip esp a long one. Often I am on sensory overload after exploring so many sites and different cultures. But obviously we are all different and that's what makes Fodor so valuable.
I don't see the comparison between BKK and Palermo at all. Palermo to me is about half as intense as BKK, assuming one even considers Palmero intense. The size alone doesn't compare. I loved Palermo and think BKK is ok, but nowhere near a top city for me.
I don't see the comparison between BKK and Palermo at all. Palermo to me is about half as intense as BKK, assuming one even considers Palmero intense. The size alone doesn't compare. I loved Palermo and think BKK is ok, but nowhere near a top city for me.
Feb 27th, 2016, 07:04 PM
#27
I love Bangkok and spend several nights in the city at least four times a year. I don't spend my days shopping for fancy clothes, eating at fancy restaurants or staying in luxury hotels. I have lots of fun things on my "to do" that include exploring and wandering aimlessly, traveling on the local boats, and searching out unusual museums, craftsmen, neighborhoods, and sights. I love to try new food; sometimes it's street food, other times food courts and yes, sometimes expensive restaurants.
I've stayed at the Peninsula and the Oriental, and lots of other moderate and up and coming hotels as well. My trip earlier this month included a $28 local inn and a $99 chain.
But I can't connect how budget or how one spends their time to how much one will love a city, and I'd say that applies to ANY city. Good travel experiences can happen by accident or by good planning; you can easily dislike a place because the weather was wrong, the timing was off or you simply weren't feeling up to it. Some places I alternate between liking and hating. Bottom line is that travel is intensely personal and there is no way to know if you'll like it till you get there.
I've stayed at the Peninsula and the Oriental, and lots of other moderate and up and coming hotels as well. My trip earlier this month included a $28 local inn and a $99 chain.
But I can't connect how budget or how one spends their time to how much one will love a city, and I'd say that applies to ANY city. Good travel experiences can happen by accident or by good planning; you can easily dislike a place because the weather was wrong, the timing was off or you simply weren't feeling up to it. Some places I alternate between liking and hating. Bottom line is that travel is intensely personal and there is no way to know if you'll like it till you get there.
Feb 27th, 2016, 11:08 PM
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@lcuy<<<But I can't connect how budget or how one spends their time to how much one will love a city, and I'd say that applies to ANY city. Good travel experiences can happen by accident or by good planning; you can easily dislike a place because the weather was wrong, the timing was off or you simply weren't feeling up to it. Some places I alternate between liking and hating. Bottom line is that travel is intensely personal and there is no way to know if you'll like it till you get there.>>>
Nice paragraph. It's about as simple as that.
Nice paragraph. It's about as simple as that.
Feb 28th, 2016, 04:48 AM
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Hi all -- I continue to love this thread as I do think it is vitally important to have differing opinions on a city from which to ultimately make a very personal travel decision. I also really connected to what lcuy wrote because she pretty much summed it up in a nutshell.
I have a question and comment though...I have only done two big trips to Asia having spent much more time on the African and European continents, so I'm just getting started. We have done a Vietnam/Laos /Cambodia combo and a Japan/Bali combo. So of course, Thailand is on our list, as well as many other places. In terms of just pure entertainment from reading the forums, I love nothing more than to sit down to a Bangkok thread because the people who go often and stay long just love the city so much it jumps through the computer screen.
So I want to try it but now I'm a little confused. I happen to like large luxury hotels or small comfortable inns. I hate shopping for anything I can find in the U.S., so I'm not at the designer stores you can find on 5th avenue, but I love to stroll and pop into locally run shops for crafts, textiles, art, jewelry, and other accessories. I love to eat street food, in hidden restaurants only frequented by the locals and Michelin rated restaurants on occasion -- not for the expense but for the art and flavors. Lastly, I love to stroll and wander aimlessly hopping from taxis, to trains, and to boats with threadbare plans. And I also like a private tour with an air conditioned car when a specific day calls for it. So for those who love the city, does this sound like Bangkok? I would love to give it a try for a few days before moving onto other destinations in SE Asia.
Lastly, to me Bangkok is to the Asia forum as Johannesburg is to the Africa forum. Joberg happens to be for me what Bangkok is for so many of you. I have gone over 20 time, it feels like home and I'm planning my next trip before I finish the last. Yet most people who absolutely love South Africa don't care for it and use it as a gateway to Capetown, safari, the Garden Route, etc. I always feel this is such a shame as the history, the struggle and and the pulse of the country is found in Joberg, along with great museums, restaurants, arts and crafts stores, world-class hotels and boutique inns and so much more. And don't get me wrong, I adore Capetown and have also pretty much experienced all of the other more frequently visited parts of the country and gone off the beaten path many times before. Anyway, most posters advise first time travelers to skip Joberg, really finding nothing of value in the city. Sometimes I suggest otherwise, sometimes I don't because as we all already know it's different strokes for different folks. And there is no doubt that most people will find South Africa intoxicating either way.
As I'm writing I think I've talked myself into trying Bangkok! You never know what you will like until you try it. Thanks Julies for starting a great thread and thanks lcuy for your great observations.
I have a question and comment though...I have only done two big trips to Asia having spent much more time on the African and European continents, so I'm just getting started. We have done a Vietnam/Laos /Cambodia combo and a Japan/Bali combo. So of course, Thailand is on our list, as well as many other places. In terms of just pure entertainment from reading the forums, I love nothing more than to sit down to a Bangkok thread because the people who go often and stay long just love the city so much it jumps through the computer screen.
So I want to try it but now I'm a little confused. I happen to like large luxury hotels or small comfortable inns. I hate shopping for anything I can find in the U.S., so I'm not at the designer stores you can find on 5th avenue, but I love to stroll and pop into locally run shops for crafts, textiles, art, jewelry, and other accessories. I love to eat street food, in hidden restaurants only frequented by the locals and Michelin rated restaurants on occasion -- not for the expense but for the art and flavors. Lastly, I love to stroll and wander aimlessly hopping from taxis, to trains, and to boats with threadbare plans. And I also like a private tour with an air conditioned car when a specific day calls for it. So for those who love the city, does this sound like Bangkok? I would love to give it a try for a few days before moving onto other destinations in SE Asia.
Lastly, to me Bangkok is to the Asia forum as Johannesburg is to the Africa forum. Joberg happens to be for me what Bangkok is for so many of you. I have gone over 20 time, it feels like home and I'm planning my next trip before I finish the last. Yet most people who absolutely love South Africa don't care for it and use it as a gateway to Capetown, safari, the Garden Route, etc. I always feel this is such a shame as the history, the struggle and and the pulse of the country is found in Joberg, along with great museums, restaurants, arts and crafts stores, world-class hotels and boutique inns and so much more. And don't get me wrong, I adore Capetown and have also pretty much experienced all of the other more frequently visited parts of the country and gone off the beaten path many times before. Anyway, most posters advise first time travelers to skip Joberg, really finding nothing of value in the city. Sometimes I suggest otherwise, sometimes I don't because as we all already know it's different strokes for different folks. And there is no doubt that most people will find South Africa intoxicating either way.
As I'm writing I think I've talked myself into trying Bangkok! You never know what you will like until you try it. Thanks Julies for starting a great thread and thanks lcuy for your great observations.
Feb 28th, 2016, 05:41 AM
#31
"But I can't connect how budget or how one spends their time to how much one will love a city, and I'd say that applies to ANY city."
If people who love a city say, when asked why, that it is because of the shopping, the restaurants, and the high-end hotels at budget prices - and their trip reports bear this out - and those are in no way your interests, it is a good bet that you aren't going to be a fan of the city in question. Especially when also told that the city is very hot and humid, badly polluted, and has horrible traffic, and its fans don't dispute those facts. Given that there are more places than there is time available to visit them, it pays to be selective.
If people who love a city say, when asked why, that it is because of the shopping, the restaurants, and the high-end hotels at budget prices - and their trip reports bear this out - and those are in no way your interests, it is a good bet that you aren't going to be a fan of the city in question. Especially when also told that the city is very hot and humid, badly polluted, and has horrible traffic, and its fans don't dispute those facts. Given that there are more places than there is time available to visit them, it pays to be selective.
Feb 28th, 2016, 10:40 AM
#32
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Hi Julies, I'd love to write detailed info for you on what I love about Bangkok. But I am currently in Kauai where I took quite a tumble the other day and shattered my shoulder. I had a partial should replacement on Friday. I'm afraid the is about the limit of what I can type.
Feb 28th, 2016, 12:30 PM
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Warm Sunday greetings from upcoming work-related week in the San Francisco Bay Area to the OP, julies -- and thank you kindly for your thoughtful impressions of Bangkok. Launched a fine thread. (And good recovery to you, Kathie.)
My life-long love affair with the City of Angels commenced as youth, a ~half-century back, staying at the Mandarin Oriental with my parents and siblings. (City traffic a bit lighter in the 1960's.) Will always have such fond and sentimental memories of that initial holiday with my family.
Current work has me in Bangkok on a quarterly basis. As with other cities I visit for meetings, usually just one to three days of office buildings, hotels, airports. Will say, I do try to coordinate certain working visits with a weekend rendezvous with the loved one, usually down by the river. We have wonderful friends in Bangkok; many in the aviation and lodging industries.
Am very fortunate to call Singapore home for family, work and residence. That said, will always have a soft spot for Bangkok. Good travels to you and all from SF Bay Area,
robert
... Singapore Airlines, You're a Great Way to Fly ...
My life-long love affair with the City of Angels commenced as youth, a ~half-century back, staying at the Mandarin Oriental with my parents and siblings. (City traffic a bit lighter in the 1960's.) Will always have such fond and sentimental memories of that initial holiday with my family.
Current work has me in Bangkok on a quarterly basis. As with other cities I visit for meetings, usually just one to three days of office buildings, hotels, airports. Will say, I do try to coordinate certain working visits with a weekend rendezvous with the loved one, usually down by the river. We have wonderful friends in Bangkok; many in the aviation and lodging industries.
Am very fortunate to call Singapore home for family, work and residence. That said, will always have a soft spot for Bangkok. Good travels to you and all from SF Bay Area,
robert
... Singapore Airlines, You're a Great Way to Fly ...
Feb 28th, 2016, 04:12 PM
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When starting this thread, my hope was that it would be as a part of a dialogue on a city that I feel engenders strong reactions one way or the other.
Kathie--a partial shoulder replacement; I'm sorry! I hope your recovery advances in a timely manner. The bright side of it (if there is one) perhaps is that this happened while you were in the US rather than in some remote, foreign location where quality medical care is not readily available.
Kathie--a partial shoulder replacement; I'm sorry! I hope your recovery advances in a timely manner. The bright side of it (if there is one) perhaps is that this happened while you were in the US rather than in some remote, foreign location where quality medical care is not readily available.
