Read that this is a pretty garden with several traditional thai houses and a collection of old Siam prints.

Looking for rants, raves and good to know info. Anything else close by?

It's lovely and very interesting. i wouldn't put it in the top 5 spots in Bangkok but would call it a must see for repeat visitors of first timers with more than a few days.

Its very pretty and a gorgeous depiciton of Thai lacquer work. I preferred it to the Jim Thomson house personally but if you are a first timer you will feel you missed somethng if you choose this over the Jim T house as that has a huge amouont of hype.

I still prefer JT because the objects in it are , in my opinion, of a much higher quality. I could move into the JT house -- everything thing in it is "perfect" and the story behind it is fascination. I've been to SP Palac e three or four times and always enjoy it (and there are never many tourists) but I don't put it in the same league as JT or Vianamek Mansion.

If you like SP you would also like Prasart which to me is a real unknown gem.

Siam Society also has some interesting old houses and some very informative exhibits.

SP is a nice stop during touring...it can be quite quick as there is not all that much to see...the laq. house is very attractive and worth your visit...the garden area is nothing special but sort of an oasis in the city....i would plan on a 45 minute stop or less...i would not go to SP vs one of the other top venues, like JT or V-mark as noted above....

we found siam society not all that interesting..

I very much enjoyed this place. There are an interesting variety of object there in addition to the Thai houses, garden, and famous Laquer House. I actually don't remember the collection of old SIma prints, but do remember the Khmer stone sculptures and other art objects. It's worth a visit, though I also would not put it in my top 5.

Okay, its on my list for an hour or so and I'll keep my expectations low. I will be going to the JT House. Anything close by?

You can do the Suan Packard House first, then a taxi to the JT House go on the tour, eat lunch at their cafe, very nice and then walk down to MBK and Siam Discovery for an afternoon of shopping or gawking. This is easily doable and worth a day of your time.

I went today and found it a nice little place to visit. Took some good pictures of the gardens. Would only recommend it for a repeat vistor.

Glad you enjoyed it, NorthShore. Wasn't the Laquer Pavillion stunning?

Yes, it was as the light conditions kept changing and I moved around the garden looking at different angles.

I would really like to build a vacation home based on the the styles I saw today - but with screens and a little A/C!

This was a suggested stop my Mink, our guide from Ratt Service. We preferred it to JT as well. While I recognize the quality of the items at JT is higher, we are not expert enough to tell the difference. the ability to wander around on our own, the lovely grounds and atomsphere at Pakkad, and the lack of commercialism made us really comfortable and it was enjoyable. JT was hyped, Pakkad a surprising find - at least to us. Also Pakkad has some quirky exhibits and displays that we just found hysterical, making it very fun. And that's what WE travel for. To each his own, though, I agree.