Bangkok - Where to stay?
 

What area of Bangkok should we stay in? We want to be as close as possible to all the wats and shopping...any suggestions? This is also our honeymoon so we will be staying in 4-5* hotels.

Start by doing a search on this topic. This question gets asked several times a week.

You'll find that the advice is to stay along the river. Do a bit of reading - you may get your question answered by reading all the good-natured bickering about the "best" hotel in Bangkok. If you have other questions after you've read a number of the threads, do ask.

Do a SEARCH on this topic. This topic was just discussed to death. Scroll down and go past the first 50 Threads into the next section and contiunue. Someone asked the same question a few weeks ago. Happy Travels!

Save all the time researching this forum- just book yourselves into the Penninsula!

If it is your first trip to Bangkok, then you owe it to yourselves to stay at one of the fine hotels along the river. The Peninsula, Oriental, Shangri La, Marriott are among those that get discussed a lot on this board.

I am a serious shopper in BKK and find the river location to be too far away, and a bit unhandy when I have loads of bags to carry. In that case, I like a hotel that is connected directly to the skytrain in the Siam area. The Intercontinental comes to mind, as does Grand Hyatt.

Hotels in BKK provide excellent service and are a value for the money. You could not begin to get the same in other big cities like NYC or Paris.

Will you be visiting any of the beach areas?

Carol

Carol, where do you shop? We were in Thailand 4 yrs ago for our honeymoon, but didn't know about travel forums then, so were very ill-prepared. I'd love to know a few places for souvenirs, good quality fake purses, etc...just fun stuff, no serious merchandise, for next time. Thanks.

MBK and the night market- skip the weekend market - its a zoo and very hot/humid.

Paige--i'll beat carol out....mbk near to siam is great for fakes and tons of other stuff....the nite market for thai stuff...jim thompson outlet soi 93, suh=khumvit rd for general jt merchandise at big discounts....

3rd floor gaysorn plaza for nice stuff of thai origin...next door at the thai handicraft center--N.P. is as good as mbk but smaller and more specialized...

pratunam market near amari watergate is interesting....

Zam---i love the river also and prefer the marriott as a general all round good hotel...there are not great hotels near to any of the major sites really...i also like the sukhumvit/wireless/plenochit rds area: jw marriott, westin, sheraton grande, intercontinental, new holiday inn, conrad, hyatt, 4 seasons, plaza anthanee all come to mind in that area...

a good hotel site that includes breakfast and the huge 17.7% tax/service charges is:
www.huahin.20m.com

i used them successfully this spring and was very pleased with 5 res. i did with them...

i have sent at least 2 other couples to the marriott resort and spa who were on honeymoons and they loved it...i also like the peninsula for sheer lux and comfort....all rooms face directly on the river...

Favorite shopping haunts???
MBK mall!!! as has been mentioned already. They have what I refer to as the "catacombs" on the second and third floors, where individuals set up shop, selling clothing, purses, crafts, etc. You can negotiate on prices (and they expect you to). There are lots of luggage stores at MBK that have fake purses in their suitcases, if you ask! Sometimes they will offer them to you, without your mentioning anything. They might ask, do you want LV or Gucci? Again, you can negotiate the price.

Another favorite is Nari Phand, a Thai craft market, located right behind the upscale Gaysorn Plaza mall. There is a basement with better prices on Thai goods of all kinds.

I also like Pratunam market, which is a big area beyond Nari Phand, and over the klong (canal). You will find some of the same things with good prices there also.

The SuanLum night bazaar is a lot of fun. There are many many shops there, open in the evening, and there is also a big entertainment and food court area. A big stage with continuous live entertainment (usually music) which is very lively and fun. Good cheap eats and cold beer...

For more traditional shopping, I like the Central Chitlom department store and any Jim Thompson store. JT silk purses are really special!! I get so many compliments on every one of my Jim Thompson purses. The quality is excellent!

MBK, Nari Phand, Gaysorn Plaza, Pratunam Market and Central Chitlom, are all within easy access of one another at either the Chitlom skytrain station, or at Siam Central station and National Stadium stop.

Enjoy your BKK shopping. It's fantastic!!! I hardly care to do any shopping anywhere else anymore.

Carol

Thank you everyone so much for all the good info! I wish I knew about this forum 4 yrs ago when we went to Thailand for our honeymoon. We're planning to go back this December. Is this a good time for BKK, Chiang Mai, and Samui?

Sorry...what I meant was weather wise.

Weatherwise December is a fabulous month in Thailand.

Gloria is right on with that reply. The weather in BKK and Samui and CM is at its best in December.
Carol

I love December,too.But, the hotel prices will be a bit higher. Happy Travels!

Just to give you an idea of service quality between Oriental and Penn, at Penn we were upgraded to balcony suite on the 14th floor by just asking and after a couple days later we went to the Oriental and they will not even change rooms for us even when our bathtub water came out YELLOW! Go figure. This was last year.

Bob,I'm staying at the marriott resort in Oct for six nights with my wife and kids based on your recomendation.We've booked a junior suite and i cant wait to get there.You have mentioned on some previous posts of some photo's of the marriott that you dont mind emailing to interested parties.I would love to see them if you didn't mind sending them to me at [email protected].I will post our report on the marriott when we return.It will be our 9th trip to thailand from melb australia but our first extended stay in Bangkok.Your posts have really roused my interest in bkk and i am more excited about exploring the city than the other legs of our trip.

Bottom line on upgrading at the Oriental and the Penn is that they both do it if 1) You are a regular or 2) If you are a new client and they have rooms available. The Penn tends to be less full than the Oriental and also has more deluxe rooms (it's also a bigger hotel) so upgrades happen more often. It's not unlike what happens with airlines. So if you want a better chance of getting a free upgrade I would 1) Always pick the Peninsula over the Oriental and 2) Go off season (March thru April) 3) Become a repeat customer as Bob is at the marriott, guen is at the Four Seasons. kathy is at the Royal Orchid.

I have heard that complaint a number of times on this forum (yellow water) about the Oriental- unacceptable for a 5 star property and for the rates that they charge. My guess is that its an old (ok Historic) hotel and they may have some old pipes where there are leaks of some sort.

shanek
Happy SNOW in Melb this morning! It was on the news that you have snow, closed roads, closed schools, etc. today. (welcome to the club... we get that all the time in Illinois)

We have friends who really like the suites at Marriott. They travel with two daughters. I'm sure Bob has given you good advice.

You will soon become one of the regular BKK lovers who post here! Enjoy your trip.

Carol

(p.s. I've made 6 trips to OZ and really enjoy your country)

Hi carol,the snow wasn't quite as dramatic as they made out,only in isolated areas and more like sleet that melted as soon as it hit the ground.We live in the dandenong ranges,about 35k east of melb and didn't see any snow but it was very very cold.Looking forward to three weeks in the tropics.Thank you for all your advice as well.I have been an avid reader of this as well as other forums but have only just started regular posts.I tend to search this forum continually and my questions already seem to be answered with-out me having to post.