Thailand

[mary-j]

Going to Bangkok and Phuket in April and need to now look at what we should do and see when we are there. Any tips on good places for shopping and "must see" places. We are only in Bangkok for 2 nights so will try to squeeze as much in as we can. What about Phuket? We have heard about the Elephant Rehab Centre and wondered if anyone had visited it. We are staying in the Banyan Tree in Phuket. Anyone stayed here, especially in a pool villa. We have booked to stay in a pool villa but am considering upgrading to the spa pool villa. They look so lovely. Is it worth the extra money to upgrade? We are flying with Thai Airways and wondered what others thought of this airline? We are flying Orchid class. Look forward to hearing all your advice/tips on Thailand. Thank you.

[colville12]

mary-j wrote:

Going to Bangkok and Phuket in April and need to now look at what we should do and see when we are there. Any tips on good places for shopping and "must see" places. We are only in Bangkok for 2 nights so will try to squeeze as much in as we can. What about Phuket? We have heard about the Elephant Rehab Centre and wondered if anyone had visited it. We are staying in the Banyan Tree in Phuket. Anyone stayed here, especially in a pool villa. We have booked to stay in a pool villa but am considering upgrading to the spa pool villa. They look so lovely. Is it worth the extra money to upgrade? We are flying with Thai Airways and wondered what others thought of this airline? We are flying Orchid class. Look forward to hearing all your advice/tips on Thailand. Thank you.

Hi Mary. I have been to Bangkok many times - and like the good things in life. Go to the open air bar at the top of the State Tower - fantastic views (see Dome - State Tower on the internet). However, don't eat there as they rely on their view - so the food is .... Also, the Bed Supper Club is a once in a lifetime class experience with great food and show. Very upmarket. Both of these are on the web to look at - but have your hotel concierge book well in advance AND confirm. The Grand Erawan Tea Rooms in the middle of town have a very civilised and yummy lunch (Thai - small dishes) and a FAB afternoon tea. Then there is the street food and markets - you must try both. Beware Tuk Tuk drivers as they will offer you rides / deals and then take you to all (and I mean all) their friends shops. Your hotel can advise you on this.

In Bangkok they have a great air conditioned no graffiti very clean above the ground mass rail system - use it for an easy local experience to get around. It is much better than taxis - especially during rush hour when traffic gets horrific and street level.

Re Phuket, I have stayed at Amanpuri and Twin Palms - both nice although the first a tad above the latter. Anyway, a gr4eat out-of-hotel dining experience is Silk in Surin Beach - near where you are staying (a taxi ride) - their menu is on the web and should make your mouth water.

Finally re Thai, they are better than Guruda but not quite up there with other major Asian airlines - prob a B+.

Have a great trip - and take a few tummy bug pills because 90% chance you will get something mild - and better the pills than a few days...

Cheers
Stu

[mary-j]

Thanks Stu for all that info, much appreciated. I will go and check out all these places on the web and make sureI take the details with me when we go.IfI have any more questions(which I probably will), is it OK tobother you again? Thanks.

[veikkola]

colville12



I like the info in your post about Bangkok and Phuket. Am sure mary-j will find it useful.



Why do you copy what she said in her post into yours? It's right there above yours. Easy to see. No need to waste so much space. I find this annoying. Too much to read.



veikkola

[claassenam]

Veikkola, I just noticed another post of yours making the exact same complaint, it prodded me to jump in here. Copying and pasting previous posts into your own and referencing them exactly is a pretty standard practice on internet message boards. You can tell it is a copy because of the lines above and below and the previous poster's name. You don't have to read it again if you don't want to, but it can be handy especially once the message boards grow fairly large to the point people begin using the search function, which brings up one message at a time.

[cruisinred]

Sounds like a great trip you have planned Mary-J. How long are you going for? If you can, I might suggest another day in Bangkok...it is a fascinating city. Do stay in a hotel on the river such as the Peninsula or the Oriental, instead of in the city center. Watching the river go by from your hotel room is a quintessential Bangkok experience. Although the city is easy to get around with the skytrain, I found it more relaxing to arrange for a guide with airconditioned car to take us around. She was very knowledgeable about the sights such as the palace and the wats, and it was lovely to get right back into the airconditioned car and be offered a cold bottle of water. Also try to do a klong (canal) tour in a long tail boat. This can be arranged from the pier at the major riverside hotels....the tour/boat ride is an interesting glimpse into how people live in Bangkok and the history of the city.



Have a great trip.

[omegaet]

veikkola wrote:

colville12



I like the info in your post about Bangkok and Phuket. Am sure mary-j will find it useful.



Why do you copy what she said in her post into yours? It's right there above yours. Easy to see. No need to waste so much space. I find this annoying. Too much to read.



veikkola

veikkola....why does this feature annoy you? You seem to point this outevery time you post a comment. It is actually a very helpful way to know what post you are responding to....that's why we use it.

[mary-j]

We are only staying for the 2 nights in Bangkok although we are staying on the river in the Royal Orchid Sheraton.I have read that all the rooms have views of the river and we have booked into the higher floor rooms.I like the suggestion of hiring a driver as we are only there for the 2 days then a driver would be able to advise us and take us to the best places. How did you book this driver? Would the hotel have details of drivers and shouldI wait until we arrive there or book before we go? Thanks

[cruisinred]

I haven't stayed there but the Royal Orchid Sheraton is said to be very nice.


As for a guide/driver, I can highly recommend the charming women we used named Tong. She is a licensed guide and very knowledgeable about Thai history and Buddhism. Here car/mini-van is new and the air conditioningwas awelcome relief between visits to the wats and palaces. We also took a canal/klong tour with her. I can't recall her exact rates for the entire day, but it was quite reasonable. Highly recommended: [email protected]

[shark485]

My wife and I love Bangkok, 2 days is probably not enough.

If you're there for the weekend and enjoy shopping, i suggest the weekend market. Also, for dining variety, i suggest the food court (bottom floor) of the Siam Paragon Shopping Mall. It is reachable from skytrain. The Lonely Planet book on Bangkok is actually a great reference with amps, and some walking tours.