single woman in BKK
Feb 22nd, 2005, 03:15 PM
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single woman in BKK
...for 24 hours. what to do, where to eat and where to shop? will have other days to do the "tourist sightseeing" circuit. SInce my daughter isn't interested in these ki nds of things, I'd like to know where to go for a de-jet-lag message, where to find Thai handcrafts, where to have an interesting Thai meal, etc. staying at the RO Sheraton. thanks
Feb 22nd, 2005, 04:12 PM
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Is this your first day in Bangkok? If so, you can do all of those things without leaving the air-conditioned comfort of your hotel and the adjacent shopping center.
The RO has a Mandara spa that is wonderful. And there is nothing that matched the convenience of leaving the spa and only having to push the right elevator button to get "home." If you want something less expensive, you can arrange for someone from Wat Po to come to your room and give you a massage.
The River City shopping center next door has great arts and crafts shops. While some are very expensive, there are plenty of reasonably priced crafts available. Do bargain!
The RO has a lovely Thai restaurant on the first floor. They have excellent food. Or, a short walk away is Harmonique, which gets good reviews on this board (and which I visit each trip to Bangkok.)
The RO has a Mandara spa that is wonderful. And there is nothing that matched the convenience of leaving the spa and only having to push the right elevator button to get "home." If you want something less expensive, you can arrange for someone from Wat Po to come to your room and give you a massage.
The River City shopping center next door has great arts and crafts shops. While some are very expensive, there are plenty of reasonably priced crafts available. Do bargain!
The RO has a lovely Thai restaurant on the first floor. They have excellent food. Or, a short walk away is Harmonique, which gets good reviews on this board (and which I visit each trip to Bangkok.)
Feb 22nd, 2005, 05:30 PM
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I am not a "single" woman, however I am on my own, day after day, in BKK for shopping and dining. I ride the sky train with no fear, walk the streets and markets with no fear, and dine by myself for lunch all the time!
I would suggest you check Nari Phand for great crafts! You can bargain for a good price, and probably pay about half the asking price on so many items. Nari Phand is located "behind" Gaysorn Plaza (an upscale mall) at Chit Lom skytrain station.
If the R.O. Sheraton can get you to the skytrain station at the river, you can ride to Siam Center, Siam Discovery station and start your shopping there, or at the next stop, National Stadium, where you will find the much talked about MBK mall. MBK is quite an experience! There is nothing like it anywhere else that I've found, and I've shopped my way around 5 continents.
Nari Phand is on the "other" skytrain route, at Chit Lom stop. Just transfer skytrains at the Siam station. Walk through Gaysorn Plaza, go to the door at the back of the first floor, and exit to the right, onto a very busy street. Nari Phand is the very next bldg. Very easy to find. LOTS of Thai goods there.
Also at Chit Lom station is the wonderful "Central" Dept. store. They have a terrific "Food Loft" on the 7th floor that is a food court to end all food courts. You will find items from Thai, Italian, Japanese, Malay, Chinese... I'm sure others are there too. You get a barcode card when you enter the food loft area. Just select the foods you want, give them your barcode card, they put in the prices, and you pay when you leave the area. It's so easy!
Central Store also has a good sit down restaurant on the 3rd floor called Greyhound. They have many Thai items on the menu. I've eaten there many times and always enjoy it. I will admit that I'm stuck on the "Sandwich in a bowl" and not a Thai entree. But everything I've seen being eaten there looks great!
Enjoy your day as a "single" in BKK! I always do. I just returned last night from two weeks in BKK, so all the memories are very fresh in my mind.
Carol
I would suggest you check Nari Phand for great crafts! You can bargain for a good price, and probably pay about half the asking price on so many items. Nari Phand is located "behind" Gaysorn Plaza (an upscale mall) at Chit Lom skytrain station.
If the R.O. Sheraton can get you to the skytrain station at the river, you can ride to Siam Center, Siam Discovery station and start your shopping there, or at the next stop, National Stadium, where you will find the much talked about MBK mall. MBK is quite an experience! There is nothing like it anywhere else that I've found, and I've shopped my way around 5 continents.
Nari Phand is on the "other" skytrain route, at Chit Lom stop. Just transfer skytrains at the Siam station. Walk through Gaysorn Plaza, go to the door at the back of the first floor, and exit to the right, onto a very busy street. Nari Phand is the very next bldg. Very easy to find. LOTS of Thai goods there.
Also at Chit Lom station is the wonderful "Central" Dept. store. They have a terrific "Food Loft" on the 7th floor that is a food court to end all food courts. You will find items from Thai, Italian, Japanese, Malay, Chinese... I'm sure others are there too. You get a barcode card when you enter the food loft area. Just select the foods you want, give them your barcode card, they put in the prices, and you pay when you leave the area. It's so easy!
Central Store also has a good sit down restaurant on the 3rd floor called Greyhound. They have many Thai items on the menu. I've eaten there many times and always enjoy it. I will admit that I'm stuck on the "Sandwich in a bowl" and not a Thai entree. But everything I've seen being eaten there looks great!
Enjoy your day as a "single" in BKK! I always do. I just returned last night from two weeks in BKK, so all the memories are very fresh in my mind.
Carol
Feb 23rd, 2005, 03:04 AM
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thank you Carol & Kathie..btw, I've read all of your postings..incl. usng Kathie's name if I go to the jeweler at the Nara and Carol: of all your pre-trip plans. I'm very interested in reading your postings of your trip. You both offer enough to do in 24 that I would enjoy. Now, what to do with my daughter as she will have spent4 days in BKK prior to my arrival. thouhgt of Jim Thompsom's house for lunch, Wat Po, a night market (but which one?), the Calypso cabaret (Or do you recommend another drag show?) and where to eat? We prefer as "local" as local gets when it comes to restaurants, but I also read here about a bar on top of one of the river view hotels??? off-the-beaten-trail neighborhoods to wander around/explore? we probably won't have time for a day to Arruytha. thanks and looking forward to reading, Carol. Jan
Feb 23rd, 2005, 04:33 AM
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Janak626
Jim Thompson house for lunch is a great idea! I had lunch there twice on my trip. The Thai food there is very good, as are the salads and sandwiches. The house is located very close to the National Stadium skytrain station (as is my tailor). Just take exit #1 stairway down, and walk to the very next alley, or soi as it is called(Soi Khasemsan). Take a right on the soi and walk to the end of the alley and the house is on the left. It is adjacent to the canal.
I've never seen the cabaret show, but I hear good things about it. As far as a tall building, YES go to the top of State Tower!! Sky Bar is positively gorgeous, and the view from 65 floors up is awesome. It's an outdoor bar, plus restaurant (Siroco). Just a word of caution.. no flip floppy sandals or shorts allowed. But you don't want to dress that way in the evening in BKK anyway!
Go to Sky Bar for the view and then go to Suan Lum Night Bazaar! I wish I'd had time to return to Suan Lum one last time, but alas... not this trip. This night bazaar is very well organized with aisles and rows; the other well recognized night bazaar at Patpong is a street bazaar. You have to watch for uneven sidewalks and can get crowded. Suan Lum is like the weekend market in its design. It has a huge food court with great live entertainment. I think your daughter would enjoy it. You did not say her age, but the three girls aged mid-20's that we just took there two weeks ago today LOVED the place. They were filling their arms with packages and having fun bargaining.
Wat Pho is the home of the massage school, so of course it is the best place to go for a treatment. But you will find massage parlors everywhere. I had a foot massage at MBK and it also included legs, arms, back, neck.. guess I have BIG FEET...LOL! The price was 300 baht for one hour. I think Wat Po costs less.
Did you read my posting (I'm back in BKK) about the Karnmanee Palace Hotel where we ate dinner on a rooftop two weeks ago? It was as true a Thai place you will ever find, and yes, it is off the beaten path. #1 Pradiphat Rd. (get taxi at Saphan Kwai skytrain station) A very unique experience, but they also speak very little English. If you read my posting, we did NOT eat off the menu as the listings were a little too Thai... so son ordered us a more traditional meal in Thai and it was excellent. For true Thai, and off the beaten path, I recommend Karnmanee Palace Hotel's rooftop!!
I so wish I were still in BKK, but alas I'm back home in small town USA. I hope you have a wonderful time in Thailand. Ask as many questions as you want. I'll try my best to give you honest answers from my own experiences.
Carol
Jim Thompson house for lunch is a great idea! I had lunch there twice on my trip. The Thai food there is very good, as are the salads and sandwiches. The house is located very close to the National Stadium skytrain station (as is my tailor). Just take exit #1 stairway down, and walk to the very next alley, or soi as it is called(Soi Khasemsan). Take a right on the soi and walk to the end of the alley and the house is on the left. It is adjacent to the canal.
I've never seen the cabaret show, but I hear good things about it. As far as a tall building, YES go to the top of State Tower!! Sky Bar is positively gorgeous, and the view from 65 floors up is awesome. It's an outdoor bar, plus restaurant (Siroco). Just a word of caution.. no flip floppy sandals or shorts allowed. But you don't want to dress that way in the evening in BKK anyway!
Go to Sky Bar for the view and then go to Suan Lum Night Bazaar! I wish I'd had time to return to Suan Lum one last time, but alas... not this trip. This night bazaar is very well organized with aisles and rows; the other well recognized night bazaar at Patpong is a street bazaar. You have to watch for uneven sidewalks and can get crowded. Suan Lum is like the weekend market in its design. It has a huge food court with great live entertainment. I think your daughter would enjoy it. You did not say her age, but the three girls aged mid-20's that we just took there two weeks ago today LOVED the place. They were filling their arms with packages and having fun bargaining.
Wat Pho is the home of the massage school, so of course it is the best place to go for a treatment. But you will find massage parlors everywhere. I had a foot massage at MBK and it also included legs, arms, back, neck.. guess I have BIG FEET...LOL! The price was 300 baht for one hour. I think Wat Po costs less.
Did you read my posting (I'm back in BKK) about the Karnmanee Palace Hotel where we ate dinner on a rooftop two weeks ago? It was as true a Thai place you will ever find, and yes, it is off the beaten path. #1 Pradiphat Rd. (get taxi at Saphan Kwai skytrain station) A very unique experience, but they also speak very little English. If you read my posting, we did NOT eat off the menu as the listings were a little too Thai... so son ordered us a more traditional meal in Thai and it was excellent. For true Thai, and off the beaten path, I recommend Karnmanee Palace Hotel's rooftop!!
I so wish I were still in BKK, but alas I'm back home in small town USA. I hope you have a wonderful time in Thailand. Ask as many questions as you want. I'll try my best to give you honest answers from my own experiences.
Carol
Feb 23rd, 2005, 04:57 AM
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i'm not fully sure but when you come down from the national stadium stop, you go to the soi to your right?? from the stairs and then it is on your left, the actual soi...its then a 5-8 minute walk down the soi...i now feel that this is the #1 or 2 most important tourist destination in bkk..
Feb 23rd, 2005, 06:57 AM
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When you get to the bottom of the stairs you go straight ahead, down the sidewalk, until you come to the first soi, and then turn RIGHT onto that soi and walk to the end. JT house is on the LEFT side of the soi, by the canal.
Feb 23rd, 2005, 03:58 PM
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you all are wonderful for the time you've given to all the writing to help travelers like me.......and others. I realize that after a while all the ??? begin to sound the same. Carol; I've read your postings and in fact have printed out so much from here...and am about to do so again and begin to organize a black and white marble book with what to do where. my daughter is 17 and in CM now. She wants to stay several more mo nths and work with an international aid org. or NGO. Anyone have any suggestions? preferably arpund CM. thanks again..jan
Feb 24th, 2005, 12:06 PM
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I've been a single woman traveling around the world alone, annually, since I was 17 and I'm in my late 40s now.Have done every continent except Antartica.Asia, and especially Thailand, I've found very easy. Just go with the flow. Pick up a good guide book, circle what interests you and do it.Happy Travels!
