Hello, I am going to be in BKK for a few days in the beginning and end of my vacation. Already booked a hotel on the river, and wondering (for a change of scene) if I should book in a different part of the city? Any recommendations--what other areas (second to the river) are nice/convenient?

as you have said above: sukhumvit/plenochit area
some like siam sq area but i think it is too removed...
silom/sathorn area is nice but quite business orientated: banyon tree, holiday inn silom, metropolitan, sukuthai (sp)...and others...

i should also add the davis hotel off of sukhumvit as a possibility..

The Four Seasons on Rajadamri Rd... my favorite area...close to shopping and the skytrain is across the street. One stop to Siam Station...the main skytrain station... where Siam Shopping Center/Siam Discovery and the new Paragon mall...which I'm not sure if it's open yet...is and near MBK...for those who like that mall...and walking distance to The World Trade Center Mall(now called Central World Center...I think), Gaysorn shopping mall, and Amarin Plaza Shopping Mall. Plus the Erawan Shrine is on the corner a block away...from the hotel... where there's Thai dancers and musicians. And you only have to go two stops to the National Stadium skytrain station and then take a short walk to Jim Thompson's house on the klong. You can also go to that same stop for MBK mall. And once you go the one stop to the Siam Station then you can tranfer and go anywhere....out Sukhumvit in one direction or in the other direction to the weekend market. Happy Travels!

Hotel Intercontinental- if your budget needs a little relief. A nice hotel that won't break the bank - right in the middle of shopping and a skytrain stop out front. This is a nice 4 star property.