Sightseeing in Bangkok

[mike35]

We're booked on the 2/5/07 Nautica cruise, ending in Bangkok. We'll have one full day on the ship prior to disembarking the next morning. We've not been to Thailand, and we would like suggestions as to how many extra days one might need to experience this fascinating part of the world. Also, we welcome any post-cruise hotel suggestions. The Marriott looks quite nice, but we're open to suggestions.

 

Many thanks

 

Mike

[Druke I]

Bangkok is a great city for a visit.

 

I'd recommend at least 2 nights in the city, just to scratch the surface. We like hotels out by the river - seems quieter there, and there are some excellent restaurants in the hotels themselves.

 

Bangkok's traffic is atrocious - makes Rome look quiet! Smog there extreme. A ride in one of the motor-cycle rickshaws is a trip, but can be scary in their traffic jams, where the horn (and cajones) determines right-of-way.

 

Depending where the ship docks, you might be close to the city, or an hour and a half away!

[Fetchpeople]

If you write me at my e-mail address, I will be glad to give you some tips to your heart's content.

 

My address is : jgt1116@aol.com

[dabear]

I would recommends 2-3 days in Bangkok, especially if you want to take a trip to Auttiutca (sp?), the ancient capital and it's preferrable to have hotel on the river for ease of travel. Two of the best are the Pennensula and Oriental. I also would recommend going to Chang MAi, up north for great experiences including the hill tribes and an elephant trek. ps it's very hot and humid and the temples require long pants. I suggest that you bring pants with zippers that convert to/from shorts.

[ScootRN2]

We're booked on the 2/5/07 Nautica cruise, ending in Bangkok. We'll have one full day on the ship prior to disembarking the next morning. We've not been to Thailand, and we would like suggestions as to how many extra days one might need to experience this fascinating part of the world. Also, we welcome any post-cruise hotel suggestions. The Marriott looks quite nice, but we're open to suggestions.

 

Many thanks

 

Mike

 

HI MIKE:

I WOULD SPEND AS MUCH TIME IN THAILAND AS YOU CAN. WE WERE THERE 5 YEARS AGO & SPENT 2 WEEKS IN THAILAND, AS MY SON WAS MARRYING A GIRL FROM BANGKOK. OF COURSE YOU DONT NEED 2 WEEKS.

 

WE ARE CRUISING ASIA ON THE NAUTICA OVER CHRISTMAS & NEW YEARS OF THIS YEAR (SINGAPORE TO HONG KONG) AFTER THE CRUISE WE WILL BE SPENDING 5 EXTRA DAYS IN BANGKOK.

 

BTW WHEN WE WERE IN BANGKOK BEFORE, WE STAYED AT THE MARRIOTT AND WE WILL AGAIN AFTER THE ASIAN CRUISE. IT IS BY FAR, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL MARRIOTT I HAVE EVER SEEN.

TAKE CARE & HAPPY CRUISING :)

MYRA

[Jane110]

Mike,

 

Bangkok is a great city to visit and if time/budget allows, 4 nights would be terrific if you can swing it.

 

Yes, traffic is horrendous and I never rode in a tuk-tuk as I can't see the appeal of an open vehicle with the exaust fumes from the car in front of us in our face, especially it it's 100 degree's. I'll take an air condtioned taxi, thanks!

 

If you want to stay in the water, the Peninsula, the Shangri La and the Mandarin Oriental are excellent choices. If you want to stay in the city, I like the Erawan Grand Hyatt. Nice hotel in a convenient location. On the water, we stayed in the Shangri-La. I liked both hotels.

[cgeidl]

4 days in Bangkok and a week in the mountainside using Chiang Mai as a base. Hire a private guide and driver and enjoy. You are going in the cooler months but the weather is still very hot and sticky if you decide to go to the beaches. We went to Phuket,Phi Phi Don, Paataya and a couple other island places. Nice snorkeling but much too hot for us. Very few air conditioned places. The good thing was I had no appetite in the heat and lost weight.

One of the best things about Thailand are the very professional two hour massages for about $4. Stayon the main street in larger massage places where ther are several people in one room. There are more expensive Special massages but the disease rate is high.

We really enjoyed going to a Thai cooking school and actually had our best meal cooked by ourselves.Fresh herbs from the garden, fresh fish, and a wonderful instructor.

[Saga Ruby]

Being welcomed in the cool lobby of the Oriental with a fresh jasmine bracelet which slipped onto my wrist, the room with a magnificent view of the Chao Prya river and its constant traffic of ferries and long-tail boats, rambutan, a fresh Thai fruit, on a welcome tray to refresh me.

 

Dinner at Sala Rim Naam - a launch took me from the dock at the Oriental to the restaurant across the river. We sat at low tables which had "basements" for our feet, ate multiple delicious courses, and watched fascinating Thai cultural performances.

 

Going out to Rose Garden Resort, a tourist spot north of the city, where in the noonday sun, we see women crouching at open fires, slowly unspooling the silk from the worm's cocoon in heat that was already sweltering.

 

Sitting on the second floor of a small enclosed stadium, and in comes the largest elephant I have ever seen or knew existed. The elephant gently turns its head slightly upward and stares me in the eye. The howdah on its back towers over me.

 

Indian temples, the funny awful smell of durian fruit, the consistent gentility and hospitality of the people, the magnificent Temple of the Emerald Buddha on the grounds of the royal palace where the Buddha's clothes are changed three times a year by the season, the tuk-tuks pushing their way through standstill traffic.

 

Realizing I could buy paperback bestsellers in the hotel gift shop that wouldn't be available in the States for months.

 

Enjoying the offerings of the floating market, 62 miles southwest of Bangkok. The vendors shout prices marked on their hands, if you shake your head no, they wash off the price and write another more agreeable one. A slow sail in a long-tail boat yields fascinating insights into the ordinary Thai's life in houses on stilts with water underneath their homes. Everything is done in that water.

 

Offerings in the market of souvenirs and food, watching multiple species of butterflies at the Butterfly Garden, learning how salt is rendered out of ocean water in open pits, passing stand after stand of roasted chicken or goose on rural roads.

 

Driving for three hours in that horrid traffic to get from the city to the port of Laem Chabang.

 

The beautiful sparkling twinkling lights of Laem Chabang at twilight as we sailed majestically out to sea.

[mike35]

Wow, Saga Ruby - what an incredible review, and thanks so much to all whom have replied thus far! We have decided to "jump ship" when it arrives in Laem Chabang early on 2/19, rather than fight traffic both ways into Bangkok just so we can spend that night back on the Nautica. We'll be staying at the Peninsula Hotel in Bangkok.

 

We're dealing with a husband and wife team who will be our guides; he's Israeli and she is Thai, and they sound very interesting and knowledgeable. Our flight back to the U.S. leaves at 4:30 p.m. on 2/22, so we'll have most of the day on 2/19, all day on 2/20 and 2/21, and a half day on 2/22 to get in as much exploring as possible.

 

It appears that we won't have time to do both the "Bridge over the River Kwai" tour and Ayuthaya, so we'll probably opt for Ayuthaya, with a river ride back to Bangkok for one of the "full days". Unfortunately, we won't have time to see Chiang Mai or Phuket - we'll have to save those for another time.

 

Any other advice or suggestions will certainly be appreciated.

 

Mike

[Saga Ruby]

Howdy. One comment - I had scheduled a car and driver to pick me up in Laem Chabang then drive me to the Bridge on the River Kwai. It was March. When I got off the ship and found my guide, she said she was ready to take me to the bridge but she had a strange look on her face.

 

I asked if she had other thoughts about the Kwai and she said, "The river is dry, the trees rattle in drought, it is a very long and hot drive, and it will be a disappointment to you." So we spun on our heels at the end of the gangway and went into town straightaway. We visited several versions of Buddha - reclining, upright, national treasure. I think - think - that it is appreciated if we donate pocket change at the temple door as a gesture of respect to the country and its people. When I asked my guide if a donation would be appropriate, she said it would be very appreciated. Perhaps it gives her "face" if her client is sensitive to the situations presented.

 

You will have ideas about sights to see - just watch the guide's face and make adjustments from there. I appreciated her honesty and I know that flexibility in traveling can turn a bud into a full, beautiful flower.

 

What fascinated me is that there are drivers who drive you in Bangkok, there are other drivers who take you to areas outside of the city, the car air conditioning is mostly a suggestion, not so much a reality. In the 2.5 days I was in Bangkok, I think I rode in several cars and had many drivers, two different guides on two different days. No worries - it's just Thailand.

 

Once upon a time, I stayed for a week at Mother Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong - it is still, in a walkaway, my favorite hotel of all time. You will love the Peninsula in Bangkok.

 

I thought traffic in Rome was killer until I went to Rio and watched four taxis occupy 3 lanes at the same time. Bangkok traffic is not so Wild West as it is at a standstill at all times, day and night. Both of my guides told me that they had left their homes at 3:30am to get to my ship by 10:00am, then back to my hotel by 9:00am. It can take 45 minutes to reach and cross a four-way intersection. So you might want to take all this into account for your sightseeing altho' your guides will plan ahead. There is an elevated rail system that can pop you over the crowded streets to shopping areas - check it out.

 

Mind you, this was only 2.5 days and look at what happy experiences and sightseeing I had. When people ask "how long" in Bangkok, I don't know how to answer that question.

 

I am thrilled to pass along these few reminiscences - you will never forget your time in Bangkok.

 

Ruby

[Jayayeff]

Bangkok is a regular get-way break location for me and I wouldn't stay anywhere other than by the river. The Shangri-la is my usual choice so can't comment on the Penninsula. However, if you have time for any relaxation after all the sightseeing and shopping, the Shangri-la (which is directly across the river from the Penninsula) has a wonderful upscale Italian restaurant - Angelini - that is well worth a visit for a nice dinner treat. The decor, food, service, etc. are all fantastic. All the hotels located by the river have their own small piers with courtesy shuttle boats for guests to cross from one side of the river to the other or to go up/down the river to the River City mall, etc. etc. and they will also arrange sightseeing trips by boat for their guests directly from their piers. Again, don't know about the Penninsula but the Shangri-la has a beautiful spa which is available for guests or non-guests and I can highly recommend a visit for one of their body wrap treatments - so relaxing I actually fell asleep!!!

 

If you'd like to email me your email address I can forward you a couple of photos I took when I was there in January - I had a room on the 17th floor, directly across from the Penninsula Hotel. My email is jannefas@hotmail.com

 

Anne

[LKJ]

It sounds like quite an adventure to visit Thailand. Our son has lived in Bangkok for several years now and always tells us how beautiful and interesting the country is. I've checked out cruises and wondered if that would allow enough time in Bangkok and the surrounding area. Now I can see from these comments that we should focus on a trip with plenty of time in Thailand. Thanks for all the information.

 

cgeidi, we'll definitely talk to you more about Thailand when we meet you for our upcoming Baltic cruise in August on Regatta/ + while touring with you in St Petersburg for 3 days.

 

Saga Ruby, your comments leave almost a visual image of the country. Enjoyed your trip details. Sounds very appealing. Really want to plan a trip there as soon as possible.

 

Thanks to everyone who has posted.

[JoePDX]

Mike,

 

We stayed at the Peninsula for five nights post Nautica cruise last February. Incredible place, outstanding service with wonderful location on the River. Travel + Leisure just rated it the fourth best hotel in the world - it's deserved! A lot is written about the Peninsula being on the "wrong side" of the river. I wholeheartedly disagree. The trip across on the Peninsula boats are fast and efficient and the views looking back to the city at night from the hotel are magnificent. Plus, you wind up in your own quiet private oasis. Be sure your rate includes breakfast - it's an incredible setup and will leave you well fortified for the days adventures. Also the Thai restaurant on site is pretty magical with excellent food, although be warned, all seating is outside.

 

We very much enjoyed Ayuthaya - so much incredible history - and architechture. In Bangkok be sure and see the Royal Palace - so over the top - all that glitters is gold here! Also Wat Arun (wish we had spent more time here - plus didn't make it back at sunset as is recommended) and the Reclining Buddha. The History Museum was also fascinating - especially as a primer to learn more about the Thai people, plus the funeral carriages are magnificent. If time allows, have a foot massage (about $8 US or so for an hour) - I've become hooked, although can't afford them regularly at the $80 an hour charged here at home! :eek:

 

The Klong tour was nice - but I think could be deferred to another visit since your time is so short. It's interesting to see life along the canals, but after 2 hours becomes pretty redundant.

 

I concur with your decision to leave the ship early in Leam Chabang. Laem Chabang is a container port with really nothing close - definitely nothing to explore in the evening. We toured the Tiger Zoo (run down in a word), Nongnook (sp?) Cultural Village (pretty with amazing cultural and elephant show) and Pattaya (touristy and trashy) the first day off the ship. I can say I've been there, but would have preferred more time in Bangkok.

 

Have a grand time.

 

Joe

[mike35]

Many thanks, Joe. Our 23-year old son recently returned home from three months trekking all over Southeast Asia, and he has given us many hints as well - most of them congruent with yours.

 

Counting the days....

 

Mike