wkwb42a

My husband and I are off to SE Asia in about 2 weeks. Many thanks to all of you for your help; I could not have planned this trip without your expertise. We will be in BKK for our first 5 nights. We are staying at the ROS.

Do you recommend going for tea in BKK? If so, which hotel and why?

I read here on Fodor's about Samphran Elephant Park. Is that a good place to visit the elies and perhaps take a ride? If not, where (near BKK)? We will be taking a full day trip to Kanchanaburi - any place in that area?

Any restaurants n BKK which are outstanding?

Of course any other info will be greatly appreciated!

Again, many thanks for your advice.

rhkkmk

tea??? its nice across the river at the peninsula....get a penn boat at river city hourly..

restaurants---gallery cafe...out your front door, turn right, go to end of street, turn left... on right 1/2 way down block---good, moderate, thai

harmonique---same directions as above, but continue to new rd (the main drag). walk along until you come to the general post office---now under reconstruction....walk a bit further till the next soi---the one with the fancy gate overhead.. turn right and its 200 feet down on right... thai... excellent...closed sundays

himili cha cha--indian... further down new road on other side of street... down soi 47/1 i think... small sign on new rd.. excellent....moderate..

tongue thai...in back of oriental hotel and OP Place, the sm mall... try chicken cashew... small, moderate..

fab lunch buffet... lord jim in oriental...expensive but fab.. res necessary. take your boat and switch to oriental boat... same for tongue thai.. dress decently

i find the sheraton food to be not that good...

breakfast stuff... turn left out of hotel lobby... go down side of hotel and there is a coffee/bakery shop there...

our most favorite rest. is biscotti in the 4 seasons hotel...expensive...res... italian


there is at least one elephant place near Kan...

rhkkmk

harmonique... turn rt when you get to new rd---sorry

Kathie

I don't think of Bangkok as especially a place to have afternoon tea. But if you love afternoon teas, there are places that have very good ones, The Pen (as Bob said), The Oriental, Four seasons.

Bob has given you some good ideas for places to eat that are moderately priced and close by the ROS. (Lord Jim's is excellent and expensive, the others are all moderately priced, but none of them are exceptional, IMO.)

I wouldn't go to the elephant parks near Bangkok if you care how the elephants are treated. There are two places I recommend near Chiang Mai but none near Bangkok nor Kanchanburi.

For exceptional food in Bangkok, there are quite a number of places. We love Lana Thai at Face (www.facebars.com). They also have a charming spa.

For molecular cuisine, Gaggan. Bob's favorite Italian, Biscotti, is very good, indeed, and has a lovely lunch as well as dinners.

There are plenty of other favorites. I'll have to think of more for you.

BTW, if you are interested in SE Asian arts and antiques, you might consider making reservations at the Prasart Museum, a private museum just outside of Bangkok. Figure a half day for getting to and from and at least 2 hours at the Museum (you'll have a private guide).

wkwb42a

Thank you rhkkmk and Kathie for your restaurant recommendations
(& directions too)! We may pass on the tea. Still trying to figure out where to see elephants; we're not going to Chiang Mai. We really like elies and we do care about their treatment.

BTW, I plan on wearing capris in BKK. But what do men generally wear during the day for sightseeing? Thanx.

We are pretty much set for our next stop, Siem Reap. Then we go to Hanoi and then HCMC. Do you have any dining recommendations?

Again, many thanks for your detailed and enthusiastic replies. I appreciate your advice, which I know is based on your love of BKK and your many visits there.

lcuy

I love doing afternoon tea, and the Peninsula has a very nice one in the lobby. You will be able to watch the river as you eat.

A friend had tea at the Siam Kempinski recently and said it was wonderful too.

simpsonc510

You'll be fine in capris. Women also wear loose fitting dresses and shorts. Men wear cotton pants, but also shorts. If you are sight-seeing, probably long cotton pants and light weight cotton shirt for him and capris and light weight cotton (think gauze) shirt/top with something to cover your shoulders.

Even though you are coming here in January, it will still be hot. I'm here right now, in Bangkok, for 3 weeks, and it can be pretty HOT some days when I'm out and about. But the humidity is low, so not really an issue.

yestravel

We really enjoyed our meals at Tongue Thai and Harmonique.

If you do a search you should find a great thread on restaurants in Hanoi. Places I liked were Green Tangerine, Madam Hein, Quan An Ngon. a dive but great bun Chau is at Bun Cha Dac Kim.

Have a great trip.

rhkkmk

i (man) wear mostly chinos in bkk, but this fall i wore long shorts quite a bit too, but not to nurants... avoid T shirts for men

rhkkmk

"but not to restaurants.."

wkwb42a

Thank you very much! This really helps, and we are starting to think about packing today.

As far as footwear goes, can one wear sandals (BKK, and Hanoi and HCMC)? Or do we need to protect ourselves from "rough or rugged" streets, and do we need to wear more supportive, closed walking shoes? (We usually don't wear sneakers when traveling, except maybe this time in SR).

Also, we of course love your restaurants recommendations!

Marija

Any more exceptional Bangkok restaurant recommendations?

yestravel

I wore sandals in BKK, SR and HCMC. We had cool weather in Hanoi so didn't wear sandals, but certainly would have if it was warm enough.

wkwb42a

Happy New Year 2013 to all! Now I can actually say that we are going to SE Asia this year! Hooray!

Thanx again for your prompt replies. Probably will just wear capris and sandals; I guess the streets won't be too difficult to navigate. Is it necessary to remove footwear in order to enter any places (BKK, SR, VN)?

We have noted your restaurant recommendations. Thank you very much - they sound yummy.

I am hoping to maybe see elephants in Kanchanaburi, or even in Siem Reap?

Kathie

Yes, you must take off you shoes to enter wats (temples). The wats that are ruins at Angkor, you do not need to remove your shoes.

onetwothreefourfive

I thought it was hot but nice in BKK this week. I'd love to be there in the humid time.

I wore clogs all week, wished I had sandals at times. DH wore sandals. He was fine and happy.

I am a walker, but felt the traffic was an issue to cross. For me, it wasn't pleasant.

Are you going to Seven Candles in Siem Riep? (ponheary ly foundation guest house) Check it out. It is on my agenda for next time: OR just donate the dough required for a flight there. They could benefit from it.

Now that I've been to BKK, I 'get it' and am more eager to read and learn about it. Before, it was a Farong to me. Now, not as much.

simpsonc510

wkwb42a
You will be fine in sandals/flip flops (I like FIT Flops), but do keep your eyes on the pavement. I got a badly sprained ankle the very first day in Bangkok (30 trips ago) because I was not watching where I put me feet down! The pavement is broken and has holes and loose cement, etc. DO keep watch!

Traffic in Bangkok IS an issue. That's why I really prefer travelling by sky train. Taxis can sit and sit and sit in a traffic nightmare during some "rush" hours. The sky train and the subway are both good options.

I'm in Bangkok right now, but will probably leave before you are arriving??? I leave for FRA and then on to ORD on January 7 (late evening flight).

wkwb42a

We arrive on the evening of Jan. 11. Sorry that we'll miss you, simpsonc510. Thank you so much for all your great advice, including restaurants! We'll wear sandals, and we understand that we need to remove them for the wats.

Do you have any restaurant recs. for Hanoi & HCMC?

Thanx so much! Enjoy your travels!!

simpsonc510

No recs for Hanoi or HCMC from me as I've never been there. Maybe we'll link up in Bangkok another time since our dates do not coincide this time. I hope you enjoy Bangkok even HALF as much as I do. This city is very special!