Will be heading to Bangkok for 4 nights in March. 1st off, THANK YOU ALL for all your input/advice/help. Much appreciated. Here's my "loose" itinerary so far.

Saturday:
--arrive to BKK from HKG at 11am
--check into Citadines Bangkok Sukhumvit 11 Hotel (what are your thoughts on location/hotel?)
--MBK market.
--Jim Thompson house
--dinner at The Oriental Hotel; either at Lord Jim or China House
--Patong night Market

Sunday:
--Chatuchak weekend Market
--Lunch at Cabbages and Condoms
--Klong tour
--Grand Palace
--Wat Pro

Monday:
--Tour with Tong! Half day floating market and elephant ride
--Secret Garden for dinner
--Sky Bar at The State Tower for drinks

Tuesday:
--Full day in Pattaya (to be determined)

Wednesday:
--walk around..ready to leave to SGN.

What are your thoughts?! Any MUST SEE/EAT/SHOP places i need to add?

THANKS AGAIN.
--

I would change the 1/2 day with tong to a full day, and do the fishing village and the train track market the same day as well. I do not know where you are doing the elephant ride, but i would think you would enjoy the fishing village as much if not more (we spent a lot of time with elephants this xmas in thailand and love it all, but the fishing village was really unique, and you will get your share of nature)
ignore the negative thread about tong and her tour. it is great.

thanks 4bams. yes, i've been reading very positive feedback regarding the fishing village and am contemplating on booking it with Tong. im not very "touristy"...and wonder if i'd enjoy it as much as most?

Most people on here advise visiting the Grand Palace and Wat Pho (they are side-by-side) in the morning. I see you have them on a Sunday afternoon. I don't have an opinion about it... I just recall others' thoughts. Your Sunday is really quite full, IMO.

MBK is a mall, not a market, but air conditioned, which is nice. But it is a mall that is very much like a market, with small stalls, but also a department store and some shops where you pay the price on the tag and do not negotiate. The small vendor spaces, on the other hand, are just the right place to make offers! Try it. It's fun! You will know the small vendor spaces when you see them.

Are you going to Pattaya for the beach? It is about a 2 hour drive from Bangkok, and the beach isn't all that great. I was just there over the New Year. It's quite a place... you either like it or hate it, for the most part.

I'm glad to see that you will include cocktails at Sky Bar. It's a fabulous place! (expensive, and be sure you are dressed properly... no flip flops or backpacker looking clothes and clunky open sandal shoes).

I have not been to your hotel; but I think soi 11 is a good location. I assume you will have a hotel shuttle that will take you down soi 11 to the skytrain station...as Citidines is quite a hike down that street if I recall correctly. It seems I've seen their shuttle...? I frequent soi 11 alot, but I stay on soi 8, at the Adelphi Suites. I don't know how your hotel is priced, compared to Adelphi. Adelphi is a short 2-minute walk to the skytrain station.

FYI... the streets along Sukhumvit (soi is the Thai word) are numbered odd/even. All odd sois are on one side and the even sois are on the other side of Sukhumvit, which is a main wide and busy street. Soi 11 is directly across Sukhumvit St from soi 8. Most of the time, if you need to cross Sukhumvit to get to the other side, you take walkways above the traffic (which is crazy at times).

Hope I've helped you. Enjoy your trip. I'll be in Bangkok for my 16th time in April!

Carol

You have little time in Bangkok. Is there a specific reason you are going to Pattaya? The beach isn't very nice, and the town is well-known for its sleaze. If there isn't a reason you have to go there, I'd cut it.

I don't recommend riding elephants near Bangkok. The elephant camps there are not what most of the people on Fodors are looking fro (non-exploitive, treat the elephants well, etc.). You really need to go north to Chiang Mai or Chiang Rai for the better elephant camps.

Your shopping the first day: MBK is a huge mall - people either love it or hate it. So have a plan B. Patpong night market - I can't remember anyone saying they enjoyed it. (note: the red-light district in Bangkok is Patpong; the busy beach on Phuket is Patong) The goods are poor knock-offs and way over priced. If you just want to walk through Patpong, fine, but don't consider it a shopping venue. If there is something specific you are looking for, let us know and someone can tell you the best places to find it.

Day 1 is busy but probably do-able.

Day 2 is really impossible. You want to get to Chatuchak early as it is blazingly hot. But you'd be well-advised to visit the Grand Palace/Emerald Buddha and Wat Po early as well. You could try for those two toward the end of the day (check on closing times) but you'll risk missing either or both because you really have a day that is too packed.

IMO, Cabbage and Condoms (while it is for a good cause) has bland food. There are lots of good places to eat in Bangkok, it would be a pity to use one of your few meal times in Bangkok to eat truly mediocre food. Also, it's quite a ways away from where you'll go to get your klong tour.

There is so much to do in Bangkok, but it is hard to make recommendations without knowing what interests you.

In terms of your hotel: since you have a very short time in Bangkok it would be best to be somewhere close to public transport, near a skytrain stop or a water taxi stop. From what Carol says, it sounds like your hotel is not conveniently located.

Your itinerary seems a bit ambitious to me unless you are arriving from another very warm country. You might find the heat in BKK a bit overwhelming when you first arrive which might put a damper on your plans. The BKK traffic can play havoc with your plans as well. See if you can find a map of the Skytrain routes as that might be a good guide to plan your days. As for Chatuchuk....you can get lost in there for the entire day. One suggestion would be to go there on Saturday just in case you need to go back for that bargain you couldn't decide on the day before. The market is only open on weekends. I agree with Kathie, there is too much to do in BKK.

I personally have found that if you see something at the weekend market that you like, but it THEN. You might not be able to find that same stall again the next day. The market is HUGE.

my first impression is that day two is not doable....the weekend market takes about 1/2 day by the time you go out there and return, plus it will knock you over with the heat...

but do it as it is a unique experience....i usually suggest that people skip it, especially when they have as little time as you do...but...

a klong tour takes about 2+ hours.... the grand palace takes at least 2 hours and wat pho takes 30+ minutes....lunch at C&C is in another part of the city and takes 30 minutes minimum to get there and the same to get away....

you simply don't have that much time in the day, plus the energy to do it all....the market will leave you exhausted i am sure....the klong is lazy time so that is good and touring the GP is tough especially in the PM....

i too would expand my time with tong to a full day and have her a second day for the touring around town...

soi 11 is a great place to stay, very central

Bob, but Carol says the hotel is far down soi 11, so they will need a shuttle to the skytrain as it would otherwise be a long walk in the heat. For that reason, I'd advise looking at an option closer to a skytrain station.

Citadines is not that far down Soi 11. In fact, it's almost right across the street from Maeng's place, which is an easy walk. It's definitely long before you get to Bed.

I would cut out MBK and go straight to JT house for lunch. It will be pushing 1:00 pm before you even get to the hotel.

Agree you've got klong tour, Grand Palace and Wat Pho at the wrong time of day, and in the 'wrong' order. Do the canal tour after Grand Palace and Wat Po.

If you're going to the floating market, then the elephant ride is at the Rose Garden, I bet. Not a place I would recommend.

It's beyond me why you would go to Pattaya for a day. You won't get there till close to noon, and the beaches are quite unpleasant in the afternoon. Then you'll just have to go back to Bangkok. Really a waste of time.

wow. the responses are very very helpful and a change in my itinerary seems like a must.

our (4 mid 20's) interests are shopping, eating, a bit of sight-seeing, spas, getting nails done, custom tailoring!! (but i dont know where) and shopping and eating

Kathie-im looking for places to shop for unique items as well as great knock-offs (i know i know )

C&C seemed like an interesting restaurant but seems like majority rules here that it's not worth going to. from google maps, it seemed like the restuarant was situated near our hotel.

hotel-before booking, i've read many reviews stating that its situated in a great location, near great transportation. hope its right!

pattaya-yes, ive heard mixed reviews and now after hearing critiques on my itinerary..i think i should spread out my acitivities and that pattaya would be a full waste of time.

im from orange county, california..so as some of you may know..the weather is pretty much perfect here. i guess im not fully aware of thailand's scorching heat.

oh! what about restaurants that are a MUST?

and i have so much more to research about.

please, keep your advice and reccommendations coming!!

17 more days. very excited

Okay, in terms you can understand: Imagine Huntington Beach at 2:00pm on the hottest August day (95+) then jack the humidity up to 90%. Got that? Pattaya in late March will be MUCH worse.

Don't worry about your hotel location. It's an easy walk from the Skytrain, AND there are lots of great restaurants right on that road, review the posts from simpsonc510 (click on the nickname above) for lots of good restaurants in that area. Bed Supperclub, just up the road from your hotel, is a very popular place for dinner and drinking.

I would put MBK on "if you have time" list. You can do it if you have time after the JT house, or on another day.

Also, it's a little known fact that parts of the Grand Palace are closed on weekends (two throne halls and the armory). So, if you cancel Pattaya, you can go to the Grand Palace on Tuesday and see things you wouldn't see on Sunday. That way, you can still go to Chatuchak on Sunday morning, when it will be cool.

Michael
Thanks for that note about Citidines. I really did not realize it was near Maeng's. I had pictured it further into soi 11. It will be fine, if that is all the OP has to walk to get to the skytrain station.

Sophia
We like Zanzibar restaurant, which is right on soi 11, between the skytrain and the hotel. Also, on soi 8 (right across from soi 11) as mentioned before, there is Kinnaree, an excellent Thai restaurant. It is in a house. Very nice food, service, location! Via Vai is on soi 8, directly across from our Adelphi Suites hotel... best pizza we've found in Bangkok.

If you like Lebonese food, there is a great restaurant close to your area. It is at the corner of Sukhumvit and soi 2, in the basement of a shopping center (can't recall its name). Also, down soi 2, at the Majestic Grande Hotel, is SACZ. A very nice Italian restaurant that also has some Thai dishes. Their foie gras is really lovely. If you have time, go to the Pickled Liver (Maeng's place) on soi 11. It is in a "back alley"... behind Cheap Charlie's and next to the Tapas place (which is also good)... and do say hello to Maeng from Carol. She is a delightful person!!!!

For shopping, you are just two skytrain stops (or about a 20 minute walk) from some of the best. DO go to MBK. It's where you should start your shopping, because you'll find the good quality knock-offs you are wanting, plus other unique Thai-made items. Places like Paragon and Central World Plaza and Siam Discovery are the more typical mall experiences we are used to in the States. But if you can, take a walk through them anyway. I need to dredge up my "shopping street" notes and post them here.

I know you are going to have a great time in Bangkok!!!

Carol

Sophia- There's a street food area at Silom road and soi convent that is really great at night. I'm sure there are others, but this one is in a cute area right across from Patpong.

Tha Siam (Boat soup noodles) in MBK, ground-level.

V9 wine lounge in the Sofitel Silom has a nice A/C'ed atmosphere and very scenic with large windows to see the cityscape at night.

You may like the shopping at Tokyu, a large department store. My wife (and I)go here every time.

Cuppa is a nice non-Thai western restaurant somewhere on Sukhumvit(sorry).

Pattaya? If you MUST go, make sure you see the katoey show. I personally don't recommend Pattaya even for the day. You are better off going to Hua Hin or Koh Samet. Otherwise, your itinerary sounds great!

"Kuppa", actually!

Forget Pattaya. That's 4 hours of driving that is a waste of time. You would be much better off spending more time in BKK. Plus, go to the fishing village with Tong or an associate of hers. You won't be disappointed.

I have re-typed my shopping in Bangkok information. It's long but very informative (IMHO). I'll paste it here.

Bangkok Shopping:
I like to begin my shopping at MBK. The location of this very unusual Thai mall is at National Stadium skytrain station. There is one major department store (Tokyu) and many small vendor shops. There is an area I call the catacombs, that is at the opposite end from the Tokyu store on about the 2nd/3rd floors. There, you will find vendors who are willing to bargain on their prices. Much of the stuff here is junk but you will also find some interesting handmade items. Oh, and the 4th floor of this mall is all about cell phones! Buy your phone here; buy your phone service here; sell your used phone here; buy your cell phone accessories here! Always very busy!

From MBK, you can take the over-the-traffic walkway across the busy intersection, diagonally, to Siam Discovery. This mall is more typical of malls in the USA; although there are some very nice Thai shops mixed in with some familiar stores/brands. On the top floor of this mall is the Gold Class movie theater. A great place to catch a movie!! You get to sit in a comfy Lazyboy style recliner chair, and you get a pillow, blanket, footies. It really doesn’t matter if the movie is any good… just go to sleep!! Haha

Siam Center is attached to Siam Discovery. There is a connecting walkway on about the 4th floor, or you can walk outside, across the courtyard. Brands here are basically Thai. Not a lot of selection for a person who is “Western” sized, but worth a look. There are lots of food options in this mall.

Leave Siam Center and walk across the courtyard, past the fountains, and into Siam Paragon. This is the newest and most upscale mall in the area. You’ll find Gucci, Prada, LV, and even shops selling exotic cars in this mall. There is one large department store, Paragon, that has typical department store goods. You can find Western sizes in this mall. There is a nice Jim Thompson store in this mall, I think on the first floor. On the 4th or 5th floor, next to Paragon (on the back side) is a store called Exotic Thai. You can find some really lovely Thai made souvenirs to take home. Excellent quality. A lot more expensive than what you see on the street, but you get what you pay for…….

Leave Siam Paragon and take the skytrain to the next station (Chitlom). Or, you can walk if you aren’t too tired yet. You can walk along UNDERNEATH the skytrain route. Very convenient, nicely paved walkway. Sometimes there are vendors selling goods along this walkway. You will see the mega mall, Central World Plaza. This place is one of my favorites! It is another of the more typical malls in the USA, but minus the really expensive stuff. There are two large department stores (Zen and Isetan), one at each end of the mall. Many many food options in this mall, including a Jim Thompson lunch place located inside Isetan department store. I love shopping in a store called NaRaYa. It is on the first floor, near Isetan. This store sells cosmetic bags, purses, and purse accessories, done in colorful cotton and satin fabrics. It’s always a busy place! Oh, and I love to stop on the 3rd floor (in the central area of the mall) for a Hagen Dazs sundae.

Leave Central World, walking along and underneath the skytrain again. If you want more expensive shopping, stop at Gaysorn Plaza. I rarely go into this mall, but have a look if you are interested. There are some Thai-made goods for sale on the top floor. On the other side of the street from Gaysorn, is an interesting shopping venue called Amarin Plaza. You will find some nice Thai made items in here, as well as fabric selections for tailor made clothing.

Back to your walk… you are almost done. At the farthest end of the Chitlom skytrain station is the Central Department Store. You have to walk along the sidewalk to get here, past the Holiday Inn, unless you go THROUGH the skytrain station, using your BTS ticket ($)… The sidewalk is a bit uneven so watch your step. This is my favorite department store in Bangkok. You’ll find a nice selection of brands, both Thai and the more familiar ones in the USA. The 7th floor “FOOD LOFT” is an excellent place to have lunch! Great selection of foods from around the world. You get a barcoded card upon entering the food area. When you order food, your barcode card acts as your “bill”… and you pay when you leave the eating area. Sit at a table by the window if you can, and watch the skytrain and activity outside.

The next skytrain shopping stop is Asok. It is three stops down from Central Department Store at Chilom. There is a Robinsons Department Store at Asok, as well as a smaller shopping center called Times Square. Stop if you like. The Robinsons is OK, but not much in the way of Western sizes. But jewelry and cosmetics are plentiful and reasonable. Times Square has some Thai-made goods on the first floor, at a small kiosk. Other shops here include barber shops and salons. You might be able to get your nails done here.

The next mall is called Emporium. It is located at the Phrom Pong skytrain station, which is the next stop after Asok, or four stops from the Central Department store… best to skytrain it as it’s a very long walk!! The Emporium is a very nice mall, similar to Paragon as it has one major department store, but Emporium is smaller and does not have the really expensive brand stores. The top floor of the Emporium Department Store has a really nice food court area. There is a nice Jim Thompson store in this mall also.

You can see that Bangkok offers lots of shopping options! And I haven’t even touched on the “market” type of shopping you can do. Places such as Pratunam and Platinum, located one street behind the back side of Central World Plaza and across the canal, sell clothing and Thai made goods. You can bargain here. Name your price and go from there.

And then there’s the Weekend Market, which is a very unique experience indeed. It is located at the Mo Chit end of the skytrain route. You can find anything and everything at this market. If you get tired of the heat, you can go the air conditioned JJ Mall, which is right next door. JJ Mall is another MBK sort of place… but there is no big department store. Prices are all negotiable here. Bargain, bargain, bargain!

Thanks, Michael, for clarifying the location of the hotel.

Cutting Pattaya will allow you to visit the places on your must-see list and add in a few other things. You'll also be able to arrange your schedule so you can takes advantage of the less blazingly hot parts of the day. You are visiting at the hottest part of the year. One of our regular posters, who is from Pasadena refers to two seasons in Bangkok: "hot and hell-hot."

I don't know that any restaurants are a "must." There are, of course, thousands of restaurants that are excellent - we all have our favorites. Tell us what you are looking for: Thai or other types of food, a foodie experience or atmosphere, etc.

Shopping: I can't advise you on knock-offs, but listen to Carol, she knows. What kinds of unique things are you looking for?

Nice post, Carol! One of my favorite areas