We (family of 4)are heading off on a five-week trip to Thailand (Chaing Rai, Mae Hong Son, Bangkok and Koh Pha Ngan), Cambodia (Siem Reap) and Laos (Mekong to Luang Prabang). Everyone is excited about the temples, beaches, elephants, river cruise, etc. We also want to shop for different items. My two teenagers have saved up for brand names clothes and purses, CDs, and perhaps an iPod. I love the textiles (Loatian, although last time I bought them in Chaing Mai) and tribal jewelry. My husband needs shirts made in Bangkok. I'm just checking in with you savvy shoppers. It seems that the weekend market, MBK and Siam Square should be on our list. Any other tips? We might need to pick up an extra piece of luggage. Thanks for your tips.

If you are talking real purses and not copies (MBK), you'll need to include Gaysorn Plaza and maybe the Emporium. I also enjoy "Central..Chitlom" which is a very nice department store right at the Chitlom skytrain station. My all time favorite is already on your list though. MBK! I also enjoy Chatuchuk weekend market and Suanlum night bazaar.

Siam Square is connected to Siam Center and Siam Discovery, making this a really huge shopping complex. It is catty-corner across the street from MBK. You can use the walkways over the very busy streets below to go from one place to the other.

Your teenages would LOVE to see a movie at the Gold Class Theater, so would you, I'd bet. It is on the top floor at Siam. There are only about 30 seats in the theater and each one is a lazy boy rocker (the first row is vibrating massage chairs) and you get pillow/blanket/footies, etc. Talk about comfort. It's just like watching a movie at home in your comfy chair! You'll LOVE it! I have no idea what is playing, but do check it out. It's on the top floor at Siam. You'll see the sign from the street, and there is an outside elevator that carries you to that top floor.

For things electronic, you must visit 7th floor at MBK and also go to Pantip. Pantip is an electronics MALL.
They sell everything for computers, CD's, DVD's, phones, TV's, they have it all!

I'm leaving on Monday for BKK myself. My hubby is on his way today, in about 6 hours. I'm jealous!!! Wish I could go right now, but I've got things to do here at home. (sigh)

Have a great trip!

Carol

If you are from the US, electronics will NOT be cheaper in Bangkok. People from Europe do find better prices on electronics in Bangkok.

If you want lovely Laotion silk weavings, there is a silk-weaving village with a co-op for the women to sell their weavings just outside Luang Prabang. (Note that is is NOT the LaoLao village you can stop at on your way to/from the Pak Ou caves). There are several nice shops in LP that have tribal jewelry. You'll also find Khmer silk weavings in Siem Reap.

Thanks so much Carol for your tips. We'll have to go to the movies, no matter what's playing! I guess we'll shop and then drop into those cushy seats. Kathie, the weaving village is on my list. Thanks.

Read my post on Shopping Guides in Southeast Asia where I list some excellent shopping guides.Happy travels!

Apple has an official shop in discovery siam. and you can find some Ipods in small stores at Phantip.. But they are super expensive over $500 if your from american don't bother buying any electonics here.. name brand lux clothes are the same your Pradas and Burrbury (SP) will cost you more in asia then just about anywhere. but you will get some good deals on local asian (hong KONG) mid tier disigner brands like Bossini and U2 especially in department stores like Central chit lom.

TIP.... if your kids have some CD's that they don't much care for the can go too CD warehouse. (located in many malls) and get some money for them. then buy some CD's which run for about $9 US. NOT a good deal and the titles suck... BKK (thialand) really dosn't have a good selection of international CD's as does Japan and the Philiapines. if your eurpean I've heard that prices of cd's will be a bargain here.

if they are looking for BOOTLEG computer software then Pantip is 7 stories of computer and pirated goods heaven.

As for shopping in Bangkok...There's great shopping there...that's the main reason I go...along with great hotels...When I go to the weekend market, I like to buy Indonesian Batik which is very inexpensive...about $4.00 for a big enough piece to use as a sarong...these are pieces that cost $15.00 in L.A. There are usually vendors with stands with tons of beautiful pieces. Plus, I love to buy flatware. My room at the Four Seasons had some beautiful bronze flatware, with wooden handles... sitting on my counter. I went out to search for the pieces and went to Sogo Amarin shopping center...down the street...to find them. I found them, bargained and then decided to wait until I checked the weekend market. Well, I found them there...bought 36 pieces of bronze flatware with wooden handles for 1200Baht($28.44)! Dec 2002. Then I bought gorgeous modern,Thai style stainless steel flatware...24 pieces for 2600 Baht. I got home and found(bad) copies of the stainless steel ones at Cost Plus World Market for almost double. The price at the Sogo Amarin shopping center was also almost double. They are made of nickel bronze which doesn't oxidize and is a complete alloy not plated. The name of the shop at the weekend market is...P.L.Bronze Co.,LTD Market Project 25, Soi 4...Soi means...Lane. They also have a location in Bangkok...7/2 Soi Bumrungsook, Hathairaj Road, Minburi, Bangkok 10510 Tel. 517-1533-4. My bronze flatware makes my table look like a million bucks. Folks love it. Oh,...for your teens...there's a movie theater in Bangkok that's an indoor drive-in theater. There are fake cars inside the theater that you sit in to make you feel like you're at the drive in. I can't remember where it is and last night I went through all my stuff to find the info, but haven't found it yet. Also, at the weekend market, in the Dreamland section,behind the Bangkok bank, there's a woman who does those gorgeous, black, heavy cotton Thai jackets...half sleeve... with small round (real) silver buttons down the front. I had one custom made in less than 24-hours.She also has them already made. They cost 1800 Baht...around $43.00. She said the silver buttons are expensive. They make great gifts and I wear mine all the time.Happy travels!

Oh, I forgot to add...for textiles in Bangkok...there's a shop I just happened to stumble upon called,"Come Thai", which is in the Sogo Amarin shopping center, on the 3rd. floor, near the Four Seasons and Erawan Shrine.Fabulous pieces...thousands of pieces...and very reasonable...lots of silk pieces and pieces that can be used as table runners...along with that Thai, bronze flatware... Absoultely order Nancy Chandler's map before you leave home. The malls,restaurants,hotels,etc... are drawn in on that map. It's nancychandler.net I believe or either nancychandler.org...One or the other, I can't remember which. And Emporium and Gaysorn malls are great...If you're interested in fabulous, bronze, modern-Thai vases by the leading florist in Bangkok (Sakul I.), let me know and I'll look up the info. His vases are available in the Siam Discovery Center mall. He does the floral arrangements and bronze vases at the Sukothai Hotel in the Celadon restaurant. I don't have the info on me right now.

Guenmi, you could actually buy that same flat ware you saw at the four seasons from the HOTel itself. Peter Greensburge (SP) a famouse USA travel jernalist. noted in a interview that he basically remodled half his house by buying items from the Bangkok Four seasons and other hotels around the world. just about everything in any hotel is up for sale just ask the front desk...

Thanks for the generous and detailed responses. I'll have to buy luggage to cart home the goodies.

Any recommendations re: tailors? I've noted a few from previous posts: Mr. Jit at Siam Emporium, Raja's Fashions on Sukhumvit near Soi 4, and Nickerman's in the Landmark Hotel. Does anyone have experience with these or other tailors? Thanks again.

Orgy 7- I'm sure I could have bought the same flatware at the Four Seasons. But,if the cost was double at the local mall, then it would probably have been triple at the Four Seasons...I'm not one for wasting money. I've bought many hotel items from hotels around the world, but tend to buy items(like monogrammed hotel bathrobes, towels, etc...) that I'm NOT going to find at local markets.Happy travels!

Orgy 7- I forgot to add...remember, I stated in my previous post,that I had bought the flatware at the weekend market. I had already checked the local mall...Sogo Amarin... where it was nearly double the cost for the exact same flatware...and I wasn't going to pay that price unless it was the last resort.I'm a professional shopper on the side of my regular profession, so I usually know where to look for things and am good at pricing systems. Happy travels!

If u want to get soem shirts made to a copy is a good tailor at Asok, Sukhumvit Soi 12, Jimman. On main Sukhumvit Rd. For formal dresses u cud try NY Silk behind the Oriental Hotel - they both also keep material. In Lp there is a lovely textile studio just off the main rd behind the Blue something restaurant (sounds like u will never find it but LP is very small), one lane before Villa Santi. Oo Pop Tock. Carol cassidy also has a studio in LP. in Camb sure u will be taken to the Artisans d' Angkor silk weaving farm. Great textiles. Def add the Night Bazaar to your list in Bkk - fun as well as good shopping.