Thailand Bangkok - Things to do in Bangkok

Day 1

• Suvarnabhumi Airport
• Fraser Place Urbana Langsuan
• Central Pier
• Yok Yor River Dinner Cruise

Day 2

• Thonburi Canal Tour
• Taling Chan Floating Market
• Wat Arun
• Wat Pho
• Siam Paragon
• Secret Recipe Restaurant

Day 3

• Grand Palace
• Wat Phra Keo
• Bayoike Sky
• Pratunam Market
• Central World Mall
• Shabu Shi Restaurant
• Authentic Thai Massage

Day 4

• BTS Joy Ride
• Victory Monument
• Jim Thompson's House
• MBK
• Lumphini Park
• Emporium
• Amontre Restaurant
• Authentic Thai Massage

Day 5

• Fly back home

Go to:

• Bangkok 5D/4N Itinerary
• Day 1: Suvarnabhumi Airpot, Fraser Place Urbana Langsuan, Central Pier, Yok Yor Dinner Cruise
• Day 2: Thonburi Canals, Floating Market, Wat Arun, Wat Pho, Siam Paragon
• Day 3: Grand Palace, Wat Phra Keo, Bayoike Sky, Central World Plaza, Shabu Shi Restaurant
• Day 4: Jim Thompson's House, MBK, BTS Sky Train Joy Ride, Emporium

Bangkok Airport, Fraser Place Langsuan and Yok Yor Dinner Cruise

Bangkok Airport - Suvarnabhumi Airport

We arrived at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport at around 2:00pm and were amazed on how big it was. It is indeed Southeast Asia's biggest airport which is comparable to Hong Kong’s Chep Lap Kok airport in the north east. Everything went fine during our arrival in the new airport except in passport controls where it took us one hour to finish due to the long queue. Unfortunately, it was only later on that we realized that we are queuing up in a “trainee” immigration officer line. With nothing to do in the queue, I compared the rate of passenger turnover in trainee’s counter versus the normal counters. Rate is 1 is to 5, meaning, at the same span of time, only one passenger can get through the trainee’s counter while there can be around 5 passengers who can pass the normal counter. I know that tourist’s time are really precious, so if you don’t want to waste so much time in the airport queuing up, check the passport control’s counter first. If there is a trainee sign displayed in the counter, better choose another one.

Transportation from Suvarnabhumi Airport is a breeze as there are plenty of cabs waiting outside the arrival terminal. Most of taxi drivers do not know English but language barrier is not a problem. The taxi booth, which is just outside the arrival terminal, can help you translate your destination or hotel name in Thai in a piece of paper.

It took about 45 minutes from the airport for the taxi to reach our hotel

Fraser Place Urbana in Langsuan Road. Total taxi fare is 350 Baht which includes 225 Baht taxi meter, 75 Baht for toll fees and 50 Baht for taxi surcharge coming from airport. We experienced few traffic areas but it is bearable considering that almost all taxis in Bangkok are new and their air cons are always on a full blast.

Fraser Place Urbana Langsuan

I chose this hotel due to its good reviews in the internet, its location and availability of king size bed in all rooms. Upon arrival at the hotel, we were greeted by the very helpful bellboys who unloaded our things from taxi immediately. Lobby is of medium size but chic and bright. Check-in was quite fast. One bad thing we encountered upon check-in is that the front desk insisted to charge us for an extra person since we are a group of three and the room we booked is only for two. I told front desk that we don’t need an extra bed but she insisted otherwise. With nothing we can do, we said ok please charge our room then with an extra bed. We are supposed to pay only 2650 Baht per night for studio room but due to the extra bed, we need to pay another 820 Baht which totals to a daily rate of 3,470 Baht (approx USD95.00). But overall, this total rate is quite acceptable considering that their room size is bigger than typical hotel rooms.

 

Fraser Place is actually a serviced residence condo but many tourists stay here because of value for money especially if you are a family with little kids. The studio room we stayed is actually quite big for two people, probably around 45-50sqm in size. There is a kitchenette with hot plate, sink, complete cooking utensils, spoons, forks and chinaware. There is also a microwave and full size refrigerator where you can find complimentary bottled water daily. Bathroom is of good size with rain shower instead of a bathtub. A two-seater sofa with coffee table and plasma TV splits the kitchenette area with the king size bed. You can also find a stereo with DVD player, a working table, a make-up table, a small dining table for two, closets, umbrella which you can use rain or shine, and a safety box. The room is modern, bright and spacious with a good view of Bangkok city skyline. If you want to relax, you can go to the 33rd floor to swim or get a good tan. City view from here is fantastic day or night.

Location-wise, I will give Fraser Place Urbana Langsuan a 4 from a range of 5. Langsuan Road is a long street between Ploenchit and Lumphini Park and Fraser Place Urbana is somewhere in the middle. A well-lighted street which you wouldn’t be afraid to walk at night, Langsuan Road is lined with up-market residential condos and serviced residence like Marriot Mayfair Executive Residences, Centre Point Langsuan, and Natural Ville. Fraser Place Urbana is convenient with 7-11, a couple of restaurants, Thai massage parlors 5-10 minute walk from the hotel. The area has no traffic yet it has plenty of cabs. The only downside is that it is not really close to Chitlom BTS Station but is walkable in 10-15 minutes. There is also a scheduled complimentary Tuk Tuk ride to BTS if you are lazy to walk. If you are group of 3 or 4, I would suggest you take a cab (except during rush hours) instead of BTS because it will be cheaper and more convenient. From Fraser Place Urbana , cab fare to Siam Paragon is just 50 Baht, to Sathorn Pier (also known as Central Pier) for only 80 Baht and to Grand Palace area for less than 100 Baht with minimal traffic.

If you are not in tight budget, you can opt to stay in Intercontinental Hotel which is right smack in the central shopping area of Siam. Arnoma Hotel is also a good choice location-wise which is just across Central World Mall.

Central Pier and Yok Yor Marina Dinner Cruise at Chao Phraya River

After we checked-in our room, we called up Yok Yor Marina Restaurant to book dinner cruise at Chao Phraya River. Advance booking is a must because the cruise restaurant quickly fills up with Thai locals as it is the cheapest dinner cruise around. While others are charging to at least 1,200 Baht for a buffet dinner cruise, Yok Yor only charges 160 Baht boat fee with ala carte menu with dishes starting at 100 Baht.

The Yok Yor reservation staff instructed us to go to Central Pier (also known as Sathorn Pier) at around 6:00pm as there will be complimentary Yok Yor water bus every 15-20 minutes between 6:00pm to 7:00pm. We took a cab from our hotel and arrived at Central Pier early at 5pm and waited there for about an hour. For an hour we gazed at local ferries and watched the grand ferries of 5 star river hotels in envy. Central Pier along with BTS Saphan Taksin Station are main tourist hubs as they connect Chao Phraya River and Bangkok’s main tourist attractions to the city center.

Finally, at 6:15pm the Yok Yor water bus arrived and brought us to Yok Yor Marina Restaurant. The cruise ship is quite old and there is nothing fancy but food is so cheap aboard that you don’t need to think twice when ordering. After all, you get to see the same sights as you would do when you are aboard luxury dinner river cruise ships. Sight of the 2 hour Yok Yor cruise from 8pm to 10pm is amazing. The Grand Palace and other temples are well lit up and are glittering in gold at night. The cruise ship docked at Yok Yor Marina Restaurant at the end of the journey and we were taken back to Central Pier by their complimentary water bus.

Go to Day 2

Go to:

• Bangkok 5D/4N Itinerary
• Day 1: Suvarnabhumi Airpot, Fraser Place Urbana Langsuan, Central Pier, Yok Yor Dinner Cruise
• Day 2: Thonburi Canals, Floating Market, Wat Arun, Wat Pho, Siam Paragon
• Day 3: Grand Palace, Wat Phra Keo, Bayoike Sky, Central World Plaza, Shabu Shi Restaurant
• Day 4: Jim Thompson's House, MBK, BTS Sky Train Joy Ride, Emporium

Thonburi Canals, Floating Market, Wat Arun, Wat Pho, Siam Paragon

Thonburi Canals

We are supposed to visit Grand Palace, Wat Arun and Wat Pho so we purchased a one day Chao Phraya River Tourist Pass for 120 Baht in Central Pier for unlimited water taxi ride. However, when we are already aboard the tourist water bus, we learned that the floating market is only open during weekends so we made a quick change of mind to go there first since it is a Sunday. We alighted at Tha Tien Pier, wandered around and reached a smaller informal pier just across Wat Arun. Here we hired a private long tailed boat for 1,000 Baht for 1.5 hours tour to Thonburi canals and Taling Chan Floating Market. One tip is that you should bargain hard, the boatman initially want to charge us 2000 Baht for 3 people but it was brought down to just 1,000 Baht after 15 minutes of haggling.

Passing through Thonburi canals is an interesting way to see how normal Thai people live. You can see children swimming and playing, people fishing and housewives doing household chores in their backyard. You can also see mansions, dilapidated houses, museums and temples built along the canal. At the middle of the trip, the boatman dropped us at Taling Chan Floating Market for 30 minutes.

Taling Chan Floating Market

Unlike Damnoen Saduak Floating Market which sells mostly fruits and vegetables, Taling Chan Floating Market sells cooked food and prices are really cheap. Aside from the floating boats, there are also stalls which sell a hodgepodge of things – clothes, trinkets, grilled food, dimsum, fruit shakes, Thai delicacies, fruits and vegetables.


After our stop in Taling Chan Floating Market, we continued our journey in Thonburi Canals and the boatman brought us to Wat Arun, our last stop as agreed.

Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn)

People say that Wat Arun is like the sister of Ankor Wat. The temple has very intricate design from the outside. Entrance fee to climb up the temple is just 50 Baht. But take note that the stairs to go up are so steep, definitely not for the faint hearted like me.

From Wat Arun, we boarded the river bus to Tha Thien Pier where the Wat Pho is for just 3 Baht per person.

Wat Pho (Wat Po)

Wat Pho is the home of the largest reclining Buddha. Entrance fee is 50 Baht per person. After touring Wat Pho, we went back to Tha Tien pier and boarded a river bus back to Central Pier.

Siam Paragon and Secret Recipe Restaurant

Located just next to BTS Siam Station, Siam Paragon is a shopper’s heaven! It is the best mall in Bangkok, with elegant atmosphere, right size and right prices. Branded clothing, bags, and shoes here has much more variety and much cheaper compared to Singapore and Hong Kong. As an added bonus for tourists, when you shop and have combined purchase amount of 2,000 Baht in one day in their department store, they can fill up the 7% VAT Refund Form for you. All you need to do is to present this in the airport and claim your VAT refund in cash.

Secret Recipe is a popular restaurant-chain in South East Asia famous for their cheesecakes. So when we spotted this restaurant in the food hall of Siam Paragon, we didn’t think twice. Prices are very reasonable and servings are huge. I ordered their raspberry cheesecake which tasted so heavenly from the first bite.

Go to Day 3 

Go to:

• Bangkok 5D/4N Itinerary
• Day 1: Suvarnabhumi Airpot, Fraser Place Urbana Langsuan, Central Pier, Yok Yor Dinner Cruise
• Day 2: Thonburi Canals, Floating Market, Wat Arun, Wat Pho, Siam Paragon
• Day 3: Grand Palace, Wat Phra Keo, Bayoike Sky, Central World Plaza, Shabu Shi Restaurant
• Day 4: Jim Thompson's House, MBK, BTS Sky Train Joy Ride, Emporium

Thailand Bangkok: Grand Palace, Wat Phra Keo, Bayoike Sky, Pratunam, Central World Plaza, Shabu Shi Restaurant

Grand Palace and Wat Phra Keo
From our hotel, we took a cab to Grand Palace. Our agenda for the day is to visit Grand Palace and Wat Phra Keo but unfortunately the guard refused to let us enter because we are not wearing long pants. We were instructed to go to the cloth borrowing booth which we need to deposit 100 Baht per item. All they have is a man’s polo shirt even for ladies and wrap skirts. We borrowed some items but felt that they are so unfashionable and felt that they are so sticky to wear. The clothes have not been washed. So, we decided not to enter the palace because we can not bear to wear the dirty borrowed clothes. We just took photos outside the palace. Lesson learned: Do not visit palaces and temples in sleeveless shirts and in shorts. By the way, Grand Palace entrance fee has increased to 350 Baht from 200 Baht.

The Grand Palace has many gates but only one is open which is the main entrance. This is the gate opposite to Au Bon Pain Bake Shop. You need to be careful because there are so many scam artists lurking around the other gates which are closed, waiting for tourists looking for the palace’s entrance. These scam artists would normally approach you and say that the Grand Palace is closed for the day because it is Buddha day or whatever holiday, and will convince you that it is better if you go to visit another temple and go to the shop of the king. Eventually, the scam artist will offer you a cheap Tuk Tuk ride. DO NOT BELIEVE THEM! They are just luring you to go to the Royal Gem Factory which is one of Bangkok’s tourist traps. To be safe, do not entertain any strangers in the Grand Palace area.Bayoike Sky and Pratunam
It was already noon time and we can not find a good restaurant near the Grand Palace. So we hailed a cab to go to Bangkok’s tallest tower – Bayoike Sky. I was surprised to see that the location of this famous tower is right in the middle of a very busy market in a very crowded street. Anyway, outside the hotel, there is an information booth where you can pay 200 Baht to go observation deck. We are so hungry that our first question is where the restaurant is and were instructed to go to 18th floor.

The Bayoike Café has huge serving and very affordable. Steak meal for just 350 Baht, roast duck meal for only 150 Baht, it is so cheap yet very delicious. For 3 people, we only spent 1,000 Baht including fruit shakes. This is definitely a good restaurant I would recommend.
After our lunch, we wandered just for a short while in Pratunam area. Pratunam is not really a touristy area but if you are a bargain hunter, this is the place to be. Also, a gentle warning to tourists, there are also a lot of scam artists lurking around Pratunam who will lure you to go to Thailand Export Factory. A typical conversation with a scam artist will be like this.

Scene: Tourist wandering around Pratunam, looks like lost.
Scam Artist: Hi! Where are you going?
Tourist: I’m looking for XYZ place.
Scam Artist: Oh, that place is closed today. Today is a national holiday. Why don’t you go to Thailand Export Center? It is so much cheaper than here. Can I have your map? I will write down the direction for you. Where are you from?
Tourist: I’m from ABC country. Where are you from?
Scam Artist: I’m from Brunei. I’m a doctor attending a conference here in Bangkok. Yesterday, my wife and daughter went to Thailand Export Center. They bought a watch yesterday for just USD2,000 when price is normally USD6,000 in our country. My wife and daughter are very very happy. You are very very lucky, Export Center is only open 7 days a year, so you have to take opportunity to go there now. (Draws in your map) You just walk straight, turn left and cross the railway station, and the export center is there. Go now before it closes!

Thai people normally do not know how to speak English, some only speak a few English words. These scam artists speak fluent English and are extremely friendly. Take note that normal guys do not bring a pen in their pockets, but I see a trend that these scam artists always bring a pen with them and always ask for your map for them to write the direction. I wonder why Thai government is not doing something about this given that tourism comprises a chunk of their economy. Anyway, if you meet these people, just do not mind them. Central World Mall and Shabu Shi Restaurant.

We did not enjoy walking around Pratunam as there are no walkable side walks and the streets are extremely crowded with vendors and bargain hunters. Our next destination for the day is Central World Mall, I know it is just walking distance from Pratunam, but we are lost and want to get out of this place as soon as possible. So, we just took a cab and the driver smiled and told us that Central World Mall is just 5 minutes walk from here.

Central World Mall is one of the biggest malls in South East Asia but it lacks the appeal of Siam Paragon. It has huge and empty hallways making you feel bored and sleepy. But in the mall’s 6th floor, there is a very good restaurant which I would highly recommend – Shabu Shi by Oishi. Shabu Shi is a Japanese restaurant which offers eat-all-you-can Shabu Shabu (hot pot cooking) and Sushi for just 220++ Baht (+10% service charge and +7% VAT). Eating time is restricted to 1 hour and 15 minutes. There is a conveyor belt in the middle where you can get sushi and shabu shabu ingredients all you want. Not only that, you also get to have unlimited tempura, drinks, fruits, deserts and ice cream. This restaurant is so popular that it is always jam packed with local Thais and queue is quite long. So, better be there early. For those going to Bangkok, this restaurant should not be missed!

After a long day, we are so tired and we wanted to go home but the taxis here are very choosy because of bad traffic. Imagine, one cab driver trying to charge us 150 Baht back to hotel when normal metered rate will cost only 50 Baht. We turned down the offer and walked back home. Thanks to the elevated walkway just below BTS Siam and BTS Chitlom, walking is a breeze and we arrived in Fraser Place Langsuan in 30 minutes.

  

Authentic Thai Massage

Just 5 minutes walk fromraser Place Langsuan, you can find a couple of Thai Massage Parlors. We entered one and had a 1 our foot massage for only 250 Baht. For this price, expect nothing fancy but the massage is really great. It made us feel ready for our adventure next day.

Go to Day 4

Go to:

• Bangkok 5D/4N Itinerary
• Day 1: Suvarnabhumi Airpot, Fraser Place Urbana Langsuan, Central Pier, Yok Yor Dinner Cruise
• Day 2: Thonburi Canals, Floating Market, Wat Arun, Wat Pho, Siam Paragon
• Day 3: Grand Palace, Wat Phra Keo, Bayoike Sky, Central World Plaza, Shabu Shi Restaurant
• Day 4: Jim Thompson's House, MBK, BTS Sky Train Joy Ride, Emporium