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Staying in Bangkok
By the time you arrive in Bangkok you've probably been travelling for some time already, and you'll be grateful for a break. Bangkok is an amazing city with plenty to see and do. We assume this isn't the focus of your holiday though, so this short guide is aimed at those wishing to enjoy a short stay in the city and break up their journey.
Leaving Suvarnabhumi Airport
Suvarnabhumi is a new airport opened in late 2006, some 30 miles from the city centre. It's wonderfully modern, air conditioned throughout, and absolutely enormous. Be prepared for a potentially long wait at immigration, as large queues form here at busy times and it can take hours to get through to baggage handling. You can avoid this by ignoring the first immigration counter and walking onwards to the end of the building - use the last counter, and you'll be through in a few minutes. Immigration staff here haven't heard that they are in the Land of Smiles and they are uniformly sullen, but don't let this less than ideal welcome to the country get you down.
Once you are through customs you pass through to a lobby area. Exactly opposite you, you'll find a counter selling food and drinks. A large cup of sweet iced tea here is a worthy investment which you can take with you into the heat outside, and you have the opportunity to get some small change which will be useful in the taxi to the centre. Push politely past the insistent touts in official looking uniforms trying to shepherd you to minibuses, taxis, hotels, etc. all of which are considerably overpriced, and exit the airport at the first opportunity. When the heat hits you, step aside out of the way of those ina bigger hurry than you, and take refreshing sips of your iced tea.
You'll see an official taxi rank outside, normally with a fairly long queue next to it. Join the queue and wade forward to the desk where you will be asked your destination, then handed a stamped piece of paper which you need to get a taxi. A taxi driver will normally shadow you from here and usher you to your air-conditioned transport. Ensure they use the meter in the taxi. For most city destinations you will start off the same way, and you have a choice of taking an overpass - your driver should ask you. Definitely take it, it saves plenty of time, but you'll have to pay the two tolls along this route separately to your fare for the journey - your change from the iced tea comes in here.
It takes some time to get to the centre, but it's not too expensive. Sit back, enjoy the air conditioning and the views of the city, and listen to your taxi driver talk to you about English football and everyone he knows that's ever been to England.
Where to Stay in Bangkok
The options available are far too numerous to list here. Assuming you're on a short visit, we recommend heading to the Banglamphu district, home of the famous Khao San Road. You absolutely have to visit this area anyway, and you'll find some excellent accommodation at low prices. It's also an excellent place to be to arrange your onward travel.
It will help you to book your accommodation before you arrive in Bangkok, or you'll find yourself in the miserable situation of marching from hotel to guest house with all your luggage hunting for a place to stay, and you'll almost certainly end up somewhere less than ideal (by which time you might not care). Make sure you have your reservation details with you, and advise the hotel in advance if expect to arrive late - people frequently fail to turn up for their reservations, so they may be tempted to let your room go to someone else. make sure you have a piece of paper with the name and address of your hotel in large friendly letters that you can hand over to the taxi driver at the airport, and he'll drop you off as close as possible to the hotel.
Banglamphu is dotted with cheap and cheerless accommodations (like the 18 "Sawasdee Inns" chain), but as you've just arrived we think you'll want something nicer to make your transition to Thailand as easy as possible. The options listed here are a cut above and still very reasonably priced for a short stay.
If you don't already have a guidebook for Thailand, you can easily pick one up second-hand in Khao San Road - check the publication dates though - some can be years out of date, a lifetime in terms of accommodation recommendations, especially in Khao San and other parts of the country experiencing rapid economic growth. Worth buying if you plan to spend more time in bangkok, or if you are planning to explore more of Thailand before or after your trip to Koh Tao, otherwise you can manage without.
Rambuttri Village Inn
95 Soi Ram Buttri
Chakkra Phong Road
Phra Nakorn
Bangkok
10200 Thailand
tel: +66 (0) 228 29162, +66 (0) 228 29163
email: info@khaosan-hotels.com
web: http://www.khaosan-hotels.com
What to See in Bangkok
A few suggestions for a short stay. There are a great many more fascinating sights in Bangkok so if time allows, explore at your leisure.Khao San Road
Khao San Road, Banglamphu
Everything you need. And some things you really don't want which just might haunt your dreams for some time. Hotels, restaurants, bars, street food, clothes, books, shoes, ladyboys, home furnishings, fake IDs and ladies wot does fings with ping pong balls.
Khao San Road's unique charm has to be experienced by both day and night to really get a feel for it. Take time to wander through the side passages and explore the whole area, it's utterly fascinating.
It starts to get interesting (busy) from about 10:00 and keeps going 'til the wee small hours.
The Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaeo
Na Phra Lan Road, Old City (Rattanakosin)
An absolute "must see", you can easily spend a whole day here, during which you'll get a feel for Thai art, architecture and religion. The Grand Palace is simply breathtaking.
Wat Phra Kaeo, the temple within the palace grounds, is the home of the Emerald Buddha, Thailand's most important religious relic. Fashioned from a single piece of Jade, it's decked in intricately designed clothing fashioned from purest gold. The coin museum is worth a look only to see the Buddha's two other seasonal costumes up close. The king personally changes his costumes each season.
Entrance is possible between 08:30 and 15:30 and costs 200 Baht.
The Floating Markets
Noi-Khlong Om-Bang Khu Wiang Floating Market
Bangkok has three floating markets, the best of which is Bang Khu Wiang as is it's less touristy. It's open from 04:00 to 07:00 every day and you'll need to get there early to see orange-robed monks on boats accepting alms in the form of fresh fruit and vegetables.
Take a boat from Wat Chalo Pier to Bang Kruai, running every 15 minutes from 05:00. It takes about 45 minutes and costs 5 Baht, and it's another 10 minute boat ride from there to the market. Alternatively take a tuk-tuk or taxi.
Shopping
Panthip Plaza, Phetburi Road, Pratunam
Geeks and nerds rejoice, this shopping centre is just for you. All the computer equipment and software you could possibly want; some genuine, some not so genuine, all cheap. Also a good place to pick up a wide selection of CDs and DVDs.
Suan Lum Night Bazaar, next to Lumpini Park
A better option than the famous Patpong night market which is seriously sleazy and heaving with tourists, here you can buy pretty much anything you might want. There's often live music and plenty of food stalls selling snacks and meals making for a pleasant evening
