We'll be arriving in Bangkok at 10am after flying from New York. After checking in at the hotel, what should we do that afternoon and evening?

You'll likely want to take the first day pretty easy...it's a long trip from New York. I might hang around pool in the hotel, visit the Grand Palace maybe, or take a klong tour (hire your own boat). Have an early dinner and sleep. If you are anything like me, you will be very sleepy come 6 PM or so. When I return to Japan from the US east coast, the first few nights I'm asleep 7...and Japan is two hours later than Thailand. Yes, lay low the first day.

My plane always gets in around midnight, and because of the time chane I'm up early. So my first day in Bangkok, I always schedule a morning spa appointment. A couple hours of pampering and I feel great!

I too, enjoy a spa treatment on my first day. It's a great way to get rid of any stiffness from the flight and helps shake off the jet lag. It also reminds me that I am truly on vacation!!

I would go and buy jewellery from a reputable store and then go to the tailors where my husband would choose material for shirts and suits and get measured up!
Get driven back to the hotel. get changed and go for a nice Thai dinner!
Hope you enjoy!

You'd be able to do that after flying from New York? While I do rather well with the jet lag, I wouldn't want to be making large purchases the afternoon after arriving from a 17 hour flight in the morning! Even if you feel ok, decision making is generally impaired (harder to make a decision, less able to hold as many options in one's mind) with that kind of day for night shift.

Nah! Just a 12hr flight from the UK.
I find that eating something when I get there always picks me up.

If your plane arrives at 10:00 a.m, you won't be done checking in and stuff until 12:30 or so. I would take a walk around your hotel to get a sense of location and then take a klong tour. Being on the water in the afternoon is relatively cool. When you return to the hotel, arrange for a massage. You can do this through the hotel (probably expensive), a spa, or calling Wat Pho School of Massage. The massage will do wonder s for jet lag.

I did something just the opposite on my first trip. After all the effort made in getting there, I really wanted to jump right in and explore the city. So I checked in to my hotel, then went walking though Chinatown. It was nuts!

But I knew I was in Bangkok.

best advice is to lay low...hopefully our hotel has a nice pool or restaurant that you could laze around in.....by 6PM you will looking for a bed....try to stay up until at least 9 or 10 to adjust to the new time...

pool, spa/massage, dinneer, zzzzzz

We'll be staying at the centre point Silom. Spa/massage and dinner sounds good. The problem is the teenagers-I didn't have my first massage until age 48. My 16 y/o daughter in particular will be asking for massages when we return home!

Since we're not staying at a hotel, can anyone recommend a spa/massage place nearby? And also some good restaurants in the area.

As far as the shopping, I'm not much of a shopper (and know nothing about jewelry) and my husband doesn't wear suits or nice shirts to work (he's a readiologist, so who sees him?), so I think we'll skip shopping.

Thanks.

Ellen

there may be massage at CP silom...i can't remember, but there are many in that area...harmonique and tongue thai restaurants are not far from you....good places both with the kids...also there is mcdonalds right next door at the shopping center/robinsons and a good grocery store in the basement... there are tons of massage places in the sois...

thai massage is generally pretty rough...are you aware of that...its not like massage at home...