LA_FadeAway

We are staying at the Marriott on the river for three nights and want to see many of the main sites of Bangkok, since this is our first trip there. So, my question is...
would it be better/easier for us to use river transport to get to a lot of things or would we be better off with a car and driver for at least one day? Which sites are best via river vs. car from the Marriott?

Craig

From the Marriott you can do the Grand Palace, Wat Arun and a klong tour. The Jim Thompson house you can do via skytrain (Marriott has a boat to the station). Other sites such as Marble Wat and Teak Palace are best visited by car and driver. You can easily fill up a day with siteseeing by car.

rhkkmk

car and driver or taxi....for the other sites...sometimes a trip up the river and then a taxi works well too....also skytrain and then a taxi is my usualy way.....taxis can get hung up in traffic and skytrain only goes to certain limited areas...

koala

Hey LA FadeAway,

You asked the question I really want to know too. I know some things are accessible by riverboat, (wat arun and royal barges) and probably will save those for a day without a guide. But I still don't know what things are most helpful to go see with a guide other than the Teak Mansion and Marble temple. I am beginning to wonder if this is all I really need a guide for. How would one best get to the Jim Thompson outlet, or the floating market?

Bella_Bluebell

The floating market is outside of Bangkok and you can get there with a tour or with a driver and car. From my reading (haven't been there), if you go by driver and car you will get there ahead of all the tour buses and have a much better experience.

LA_FadeAway

Okay, thanks for the info everyone! Bob, do you think using your "new" guides for one of our two full days in BKK would be a good idea then?

koala

OK, I think I have finally decided what to do with my two full days in BKK.

24th- Grand Palace - Wat Phra Kaew & Wat Pho- afternoon klong tour to Wat Arun and maybe the flower market
25th Floating market- Jim Thompson House and outlet, other?

I thought I'd do the 24th on our own, and then use the guide on the 25th since the floating market is farther away. Also I figured if I failed to get to everthing on the 24th then I could do the left-over things on the 25th with the guide. Any thoughts?

rhkkmk

LA---i think you would be very happy with them if they are available....they would totally customise to your desires...remember cherry is a licensed guide, unlike ratt, who is just a driver, albeit a wonderful interesting lady who provides much more than driving skill, so costs will be slightly more...

give them a try and let fodorites know what you think of them....

i feel quite confident that you will be pleased with their services..

cherry and gal telephoned me on saturday nite and i got to speak to her for quite a while.....her english is excellent and there was no hesitation for translating that you get with many thai guides and drivers....100% understanding and responses were immediate...

we can't wait to use them in november....my american friend in pattaya has met gal and was quite impressed with him as well...

i think that they provide a new level of tourism service for fodorites..

as a reminder you can reach them at:

[email protected]

bob

LA_FadeAway

Thanks Bob, I'll probably be contacting them soon.

clear

Bob, please tell me more about Marriott, I looked at the website and the grounds seem beafutiful, What do you like about Marriott, I read some reviews about the junior suite bathroom being old and etc. Do they have a nice spa and gym? Thank you.

Kathie

clear, Bob will give you lots of details on the rooms, etc. Note that the spa at the Marriott is a Mandara Spa, so it has Mandara prices, but the reviews of the spa are quite poor. The Mandara spa at teh Sheraton Royal Orchid is very nice, but I'd recommend an out-of-hotel spa expereince like Face. Prices are much lower and it's a more "Thai" experience.

rhkkmk

what do we like about the marriott...several and many things...

we like that it is slightly removed from the main stream...sort of an oasis amidst chaos...

i like that it is not a high rise...

the grounds and pool are are the best in bkk, imo

it is more reasonable than most of the other riverside places...

it is not as formal as the penn, oriental or shangri-la

the rooms have a thai flair

the decorations around on the property are lovely thai things...

the breakfast is exceptional...

the pool is the best in bangkok and has both shade and sun and is quite large...

the restaurants are diverse, but expensive and only mediocre however, imo...

there is a mini mall attached with lots of services: drug store, bank, mcdonalds and the like, shopping, private restaurants, bakery, ice cream, etc...

there is easy access to the main part of the city by taxi, river boat taxi and skytrain

the hotel runs large boats every 15 minutes to taskim pier for free---that is the skytrain termunus...

the staff are friendly and do an excellent job....

we have been staying there for 10 years...

the bathrooms are not ancient, nor are they the most modern...i would call them large standard western bathrooms like in most full service usa marriotts...the suite bathrooms are more extensive with private toilet room and shower stalls and two sinks...
they are perfectly adequate but not elaborate....there are tons of wonderful heavy towels...

room decor is a simple thai look with western furniture..

the beds are marriott quality....the kings are the biggest i have ever seen

it is perfect...

the spa and gym are new but i have not heard good things about them....not really bad, just not raves...

rhkkmk

ttt

TracyB

Wow, you make it sound real nice..Can't wait to see it for myself later on this month!! Ever since i have been on this forum you have been talking about it!!!

offwego

LA

I used Tong on a recent trip. She is a licensed guide, rather than driver and her English is flawless. In addition, she's a wonderful person, can speak with you at length about Buddhist/Thai culture and is an insatiable gourmand! She took us to some great places to eat.

You can contact her at
[email protected]

Kippy

If it wasn't for Bob's postings I probably wouldn't even have considered staying at the Marriott Spa because I would tend towards smaller hotels or guesthouses.

Now I can't wait to go back!

I can't imagine a better start to the day in Bangkok than having breakfast on the huge terrace watching all the boats and barges going past.

LA_FadeAway

Thanks for the info Offwego. I've read a lot of feedback about Tong and she sounds wonderful too.

rhkkmk

kippy, so glad you liked it....it is special and still affordable for almost everyone...its a true oasis