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The first stop on our incredible Thailand trip was Bangkok. This was the perfect place to start and get a taste of Thai culture. We landed on Friday morning and ran around all day Friday and Saturday. It was a brief stop but it’s easy to get around the city and we saw a lot. Let’s dive into this Bangkok travel guide!
Where To Stay
Joe and I stayed at SO Sofitel Bangkok and absolutely loved it. I found the hotel online when researching options in the area. It honestly looked too good to be true so I was a little nervous. Fortunately, every aspect of our stay was executed beautifully by their staff. There were greeters and doormen by the entrance. The hotel was pristine. They offered several dining options, an infinity pool, gym, spa, and a sky bar. The hotel is inspired by different elements (water, earth, fire and metal) and the decor reflects that throughout the building.
Upon our arrival, we were brought up to the lobby and served welcome drinks (tea that changes color with the addition of lemon juice) next to a stunning view of Lumpini park. Even though we arrived at 11AM (check in is at 3PM), they had a room ready for us. We were given a room on the 16th floor that was part of the metal element – our room was white with marble all over the bathroom, metal decor above the bed and a city view.
Everything in the mini bar was included (four waters, two sparkling waters, three juices and three snacks), which was replenished daily. We were also brought an edible plant treat and a tea to our room as we settled in. My favorite aspects were the huge tub (the bathroom had curtains that could be opened to the rest of the room) and the chaise lounge with a city view.
We also had breakfast included with our room. We got to visit the huge buffet at Red Oven [6AM – 10:30AM (or 11AM on weekends)]. The buffet was incredible – hot noodle bar, cheeses, juice and boba station, fresh made crepes, baked goods, eggs, yogurt, donut wall and more. The restaurant also features a stunning view of Lumpini Park. We had dinner here on our first night and really enjoyed it – they have Thai and Western cuisine. I chose the Pad Thai and Joe got curry. We both got the fruit mojito and enjoyed them.
While we could only stay for two nights, I genuinely wish we’d added another day to our Bangkok portion so we could have relaxed and enjoyed the hotel longer. I would have loved to spend more time in the pool and taken a truffle class at their chocolate lab!
Transportation
We opted for the private car to and from the airport. This service was available through our hotel and we paid 4800 THB round trip. The car was stocked with refreshments: water bottles, coffee, and croissants to enjoy on the drive.
Around the city, we mainly used the Grab app. Grab is Thailand’s version of Uber/Lyft and offers a ton of additional features (food delivery, grocery services and more). You can select a car or taxi. We found that most of the cars on the app are actually just taxis that do Grab as well. Taxis and cars are often the same price. Riders pay for tolls within the app (often 29-50 THB). We found prices be really reasonable and we could get across town (20-30 minutes) for under $5. On our last day in Thailand, I found a promo code for five free rides (wish we’d been able to use it!) – try the code: GRAB5FREERIDES 🙂
Taxis and tuk tuks are the next best options. We took taxis (without using Grab) twice. The first time we had to negotiate a price – drivers will sometimes refuse to start the meter and try to over charge you at the end. When we negotiated a price, we knew it was more than it would cost with a meter or Grab but it was commute time and the closest Grab driver was far away. It was worth it to us. We took one tuk tuk and negotiated a price before getting in. It was easy to haggle and still a bit more expensive than a taxi but it’s a fun experience and I recommend doing it at least once!
Temples
We visited Wat Pho and the Grand Palace, which are very close to each other. We started at Wat Pho and they have an entrance fee of 200 THB (~$6). This temple is huge and has the largest collection of Buddhas in Thailand! It is also home to the Reclining Buddha. You will need to take your shoes off to enter the room with the reclining Buddha so make sure you wear something that slips on/off easily.
The Grand Palace is a little pricier at 500 THB for admission (~$20). Also note that while visiting hours end at 4:30PM, ticketing closes at 3:30PM. Also, some people might tell you the palace is closed to try to get you to take their tour instead – it’s usually not so check on the palace’s website to confirm!
Spa
I knew I absolutely wanted to have a spa day during our stay. We found Infinity Spa online and were intrigued by the positive reviews. It’s a higher end spa but doesn’t have the sky high prices you will see at the hotels. Joe and I got the three hour package with a 30 body scrub, 90 minute massage and 60 minute facial. We both selected the signature massage and jet lag facial. The experience was absolutely lovely and worth including in my Bangkok travel guide!
First of all, the spa is stunning. It’s sleek, modern, and elegant. Staff greeted us and gave us a welcome drink (more butterfly tea!) and watermelon. Our greeter tried different scrubs and oils on our hands so we could choose one for our services. Then they brought us upstairs where our massage therapists washed our feet and gave us slippers. We moved up to the next level and were led to our treatment rooms. It was great to be in the same spot the entire time, especially since we needed to shower after the scrub and we had showers in our treatment rooms.
One thing that surprised me is that masseuses in Thailand get on the table while giving massages (I experienced this in Phuket and Chiang Mai too). It makes sense but also caught me off guard. After our treatments, they brought us downstairs for tea and a traditional Thai dessert: mango with sticky rice. Everyone was extremely pleasant and we thoroughly enjoyed our experience!
Shopping
We visited a few different places to pick up souvenirs. On our first day, we visited MBK Center – I was told this is huge and a must see. Honestly we felt jet lagged and only visited a couple levels. We checked out the food court, picked up a new GoPro Mount and I grabbed a face mask. This is definitely a great place to find inexpensive gifts. If we’d had more energy, we absolutely would have stuck around longer.
On our second day, we visited the Chatuchak Weekend Market and Siam Paragon. The weekend market was fantastic. It’s 10,000 stalls of trinkets, food, massages and clothes. We picked up the bulk of our souvenirs here and got foot massages (of course we had to get a 30 minute massage for $5!). Joe really liked all the Thai tea – one of his favorite drinks. Although the market was hot, a lot of the stalls had fans or AC so it is easy to spend hours there.
After the market, we had some time to kill and visited Siam Paragon. This is a high end mall with luxury brands. It’s beautifully designed and I wish we’d had more time to walk around. Truthfully, we only managed to get lunch and headed out (for our spa appointment!).
Sky Bars
This is our only “regrettable” moment. Everyone told us to visit a sky bar and if we had only been a little more careful, this would have been a great experience. We went to Sky Bar from the Hangover. While it was nice, we couldn’t go to the main area (dining only) but we still had a nice view and watched the sunset. Here’s where things went downhill: they rushed us to order and we misread the prices (well miscalculated the exchange rate) and paid $200 for two glasses of champagne. You read that right. It was a bummer and we left wishing we’d gone elsewhere. I guess we all make mistakes!
Our hotel has a really nice sky bar (with reasonably priced drinks) so that’s another great option if you’re looking for a good view and drink. I’ve also heard that Octave, Red Sky, and Vertigo are lovely sky bars as well and worth mentioning in this Bangkok travel guide.
Dining
Honestly we ate most of our meals at our hotel (see photos above). Breakfast comes with your room. We were exhausted our first night and headed to one of their restaurants for dinner. On our second night, we visited the highly acclaimed Thipsamai. This restaurant supposedly has the best pad Thai ever. The downside: the line to be seated is horrendous. We noticed there was a to-go option and it didn’t require any waiting! We picked up pad Thai and orange juice (they are strangely known for it) and took it back to our hotel. While it was lukewarm by the time we got there, it was still really good and affordable (~$4) so it’s definitely worth including in my Bangkok travel guide. Also, the orange juice was terrific too – go figure!
Lumpini Park
I couldn’t end this Bangkok travel guide without mentioning Lumpini Park. This spot is referred to as the Central Park of Thailand. It isn’t nearly as big and grand as Central Park but it’s worth checking out. Lumpini Park has a large community of monitor lizards. These creatures are huge and tend to be closer to the ponds within the park. I recommend visiting this park early in the morning, as there isn’t a ton of shade and it gets hot!
Well that’s all, folks. This was a long one so if you’re still here, thank you! I hope this Bangkok travel guide helps anyone planning a trip to Thailand. I’ll be sharing my Phuket and Chiang Mai travels guides soon as well as a video of our trip! If you have any specific questions, please leave a comment down below. Until next time!
