The Sheraton Royal Orchid Hotel
It’s not the cheapest place in town to stay, but it’s not the most expensive, either. If you can fit it into your budget, and can put up with a little bit of comfort and pampering at the expense of a more “authentic” Thai experience, I’d recommend the Sheraton Royal Orchid. Here’s what I like about it:
It’s centrally located on the Chao Phraya river. Having river access is key. All the rooms, (at least as far as I can tell), have an amazing view of the river.
The hotel has it’s own shuttle boat that goes from the hotel to the Hua Lampong MRT Station. The boat is complimentary for hotel guests, and it’s really nice.
Next to the hotel’s dock, there’s a public dock where Chao Phraya River ferries make regular stops.
The outside lounging area by the river is a great place to have a cocktail and watch the Thai world go by.
The breakfast buffet is amazing. Beyond amazing, actually.
Here’s their website: Sheraton Royal Orchid Hotel
IFC, the International Fashion Center
I don’t know about you, but custom-tailored clothes aren’t normally a part of my world. But there are so many tailor shops in Bangkok, and I think, in Asia in general. I have to guess that the rest of the world is wearing tailored clothes a lot more than people in the US. Too bad for us.
I have nothing but good things to say about IFC. Our experience there was special. We spent an hour with someone who knew more about clothes and fabrics than I had ever even thought about. Our travelling companions had a similar experience.
The fabrics you select are sent upstairs to people who turn them into shirts, pants, suits, or dresses within a day or so. The next day, you go back for a fitting. The next day, your items are delivered to your hotel – or wherever you like. Yes, you’ll pay a little bit more than what you probably would have paid back home, (wherever home is), but perhaps not for the same quality. And if the price is too high, just order more — the price drops drastically with quantity.
So if you’re in Bangkok, and you’re noticing tailor shops that seem to be on every block, thinking to yourself, “maybe I’ll see what they can do,” my suggestion would be to give IFC a try. That is, if haven’t already been taken there by a tuk tuk driver because your intended destination turned out to be unexpectedly “closed.” Here’s the IFC website.
Perception Blind Massage
I’d recommend Perception Blind Massage to anyone who is visiting Bangkok and thinking about getting a massage. Even if, or maybe especially if, you’re not normally a “massage” person, think about giving it a try. Here’s a site that does a nice job providing additional details: Thaizer Thailand Travel Guide. And here’s the Perception Blind Massage website.
Midnight Food Tour by Tuk Tuk
We totally enjoyed this foodie tour. The food was spectacular, the tuk tuks were fun, and our guide was excellent. I don’t remember our guide’s name, but here’s a photo of her. The company that provides this particular tour is Bangkok Food Tours. Here’s their website.
We got that amazing Guay Tiew Ku Gai — Chicken-Fried Noodles – at Ann Guay Tiew Ku Gai. They don’t have a website, but here’s their address in Bangkok: 419 Luang Rd, Khwaeng Wat Thepsirin, Khet Pom Prap Sattru Phai.
The place where we had pad thai, Thipsamai, has a nice website, here. For a lot more information about Thipsamai pad thai, (and a lot of other Thai dishes), check out this website/blog: eating thaifood.com.
Mahachai Market Tour
We signed up for the tour offered by “Go Beyond – Asia.” As noted in the post, there isn’t anything particularly spectacular on this tour. Judging by the crowd at the Folding Umbrella Market, I’d say it might be a bit over-hyped. However, we totally enjoyed the tour, the train ride, the experiences, and our guide. Here’s the tour on the “Go Beyond” website: Mahachai Train Spotting Beyond Bangkok
Bang Rak
The area we walked through to get to the BTS Station is called “Bang Rak.” This is an interesting part of town, but many of the places of interest are tucked away pretty well. If you want to find out more, I like these two sources:
Discovering how Bangkok Blossomed – History, culture and great food abound in Bang Rak. This is an article in the Bangkok Post, written by Pichaya Svasti.
“I found some pretty awesome things to do in Bang Rak.” This is a post about Bang Rak on a blog called XPATMATT. THe post on Bang Rak is good, but it’s kworth visiting this site just for the photography. Some amazing shots there.
Long-Tail Boat Ride
To be more specific about where we went to take the ride on a long-tail boat, it was at the Sathorn Pier on the Chao Phraya river. (I’ve seen it spelled “Sathon” and “Sathorn”).
To get there, we took the free Royal Orchid Sheraton shuttle boat from the pier at the hotel. The Saphan Taksin BTS Station is at the same location. There’s a kiosk there where tickets for various river excursions can be purchased.
