Only 5 days in Bangkok
 

We're planning a trip to Bangkok but only have 5 days. What would you seasoned Bangkok travelers insist we see in that time. Would you add/subtract anything on the Fodors 3 days itinerary? Will we have enough time to get good tailored clothes? What about those movie theaters with sleeper seats? All advice appreciated.

Also, we are flying in from the Middle East so we won't need too much time to acclimate to the time or weather.

This question has been answered quite a bit. Check other post. Happy Travels!

i don't know where you find the # 3 it...

you can do clothes if you don't waste time and start out on day one with that...go immediately and order first thing...
what is it that you want/need for clothes and then some of us will tell you where we like to buy those things....
i will start with 2 places:

jack at monet il sarto at the marriott resort and spa mini mall plaza (2nd level facing parking lot) is excellent for tailored clothing for both men and women....he does all my shirts.
my wife likes JS Thai silk on the ground level of the river city shopping center, next to the sheraton orchid hotel....primarily they work in silk but do cotton and other things as well....
we have had very good luck with both of these places over a 6 or 8 year period....

sights: grand palace of course; jim thompson house; wat arun; wat po; marble wat; v-mark palace; suan packard palace (very small); klong tour of thornburi via long tail boat (boats rented from your riverside hotel or at taskim pier or in back of the river city shopping ctr); shopping (mbk, night market at corner of wireless and rama IV, silom rd, sukhumvit rd; jim thompson outlets, especially the one on soi 93, sukhumvit rd....); lots of walking around when you can stand the heat...; eating fabulous meals; boat trip on the river via chao payra express boat...

this should get you started...

The Siam Discovery movie theater right on Siam BTS station has sleeper seats - great experience, gie u blankets and socks too just like airlines - hope there is a movie playing which u want to see tho!

per Gloria you should spend one night at the Penn, one at the Oriental, one at the ShangLa, one at the Four Seasons, and finish up at the Marriott.

BillT, what's this a tour of hotels ?
Get out there and meet the people. Eat on the street, take a walk, take a boat trip, see the Grand Palace, have a massage at Wat Po, ride on a tuk-tuk, check out the Thai dance dinner at the Indra Regent, or the Calypso Cabaret at the Asia. How about Pratenum Market ? There's so much to see and do.

Seems to me that you prefer packing and unpacking to getting in there and experiencing Thai life. Very sad.

SidB- I was just poking some fun at another fodorite (actually it is Guenmai not Gloria- sorry Gloria).
Guenmai likes to move from hotel to hotel when she is in Bangkok!

Hi

Bangkok is a great city which has lots to offer when it comes to sights, food, shoppoing etc. If you want to see something weird try to check out the forensic museum...it is unlike any other museum I have ever been to :-) Of course you should visit some wats...Wat Phra Kaeo, Wat Pho, Wat Arun...but there are alos many other small wats that are beautiful...I took a walk one morning in Bangkok and it was great to just walk into wats that are not tourists attractions and watch people do their thing. Well, I have posted trip reports and pictures from my trips to Thailand on my homepage <font color="blue">gardkarlsen.com</font>. Maybe you can find some useful information there. Have a great trip

Regards
Gard
STavanger, Norway

Sid B...Is the packing and unpacking comment to me? I just happened to read your post. Yes, I do move around...but I have no problem...at all... experiencing Bangkok life...because of moving around. I've been there many times. Plus, I always take about 5 days at one hotel...the Four Seasons...and then I rotate the other hotels.Plus when friends ask me my opinion of a particular hotel, I can give them one since I've probably actually stayed at the hotel they are asking about. Most of my friends do a lot of overseas vacations, too.Also if one packs lightly, as I do, then moving is really no big deal....throw the suitcase into the taxi and go to the next place and explore a different part of town. Variety is the spice of life. So hope that subject is cleared up. Happy Travels!

Guenmai, I'm new to these forums so I take comments at face value. I would prefer not to get involved in any spats between other members.

That said I do stand by my comments about changing hotels. I think it takes too much time out of any trip to pack, book out, book in, and unpack. I think that I have a slightly different view to other members of this forum. I think of a hotel as a place to base myself and only use it to sleep and clean up after a hard days being a tourist.

Now I'm going to contradict myself here. I've been to South-East Asia twice before with my wife, and this time we're taking our kids. After two weeks in Vietnam we're taking a third week in Thailand. The hotels we've chosen to stay in are a small spa hotel in Hua Hin and a tiny hotel overlooking the river in Bangkok. Part of the reason we've gone up-market is because of the kids.

I'll have to wait and see if my view changes.

None of the comments i make on this, or any other forum, are intended to be made at the expense of other members.