Bangkok..Suvarnabhumi Airport and Baiyoke Sky (Day 1)

Bangkok:  The Land of Legendary Street food / Venice of Southeast Asia

In the 90's my parents went to Bangkok on an organized tour.  They came back unimpressed, forever comparing the city to Manila.  My folks would say: "Bangkok is chaotic, dirty, has fewer malls, fewer sights and dangerous. Mas maganda pa ang Maynila diyan".  Fast forward to 2011, Bangkok has just been named the World's Best City by Travel & Leisure Magazine and Manila is not even on the list, so naturally, I became intrigued.  Could it be that Bangkok has rapidly progressed past Manila over the last decade, or were my parents unable to see the real beauty of Bangkok in an organized tour, or maybe the magazine got it wrong?  Whatever it was, I was going to find out and I was going to do it my way DIY!

Wat Arun

The travel date was from September 29 to Ocotober 3, 2011, my brother JC was my travel companion, and we arrived in the afternoon at Suvarnabhumi Airport courtesy of Cebu Pacific.  Filipinos can enter Thailand visa free for 30 days.  I was very impressed with their airport, it's sleek, modern, massive, new, elegant and uniquely Thai.  It's complete with amenities such as money changers, sofa beds, restaurants, retail shops, lounges, spa center, and information area.  This is an airport that I would be comfortable and safe sleeping in; an airport the Thais should be proud of. 

To get from Suvarnabhumi Airport to the city center, you can either take (a) the Airport Rail Link (fastest) to Phaya Thai Station where you can connect to the BTS (Bangkok Mass Transit System) and onwards to your destination for 45 baht, or (b) you can follow the "Public Taxi" sign just outside the airport and take an ordinary metered taxi.  Upon boarding, you will be given a ticket for your safety and for complaints.  The fare should not exceed 400 baht plus two toll fees of 25 and 45 baht respectively.  Fortunately for us, a driver was already waiting for us at the arrival area because we availed of the free pick-up from our hotel.

Touchdown!

Suvarnabhumi Airport

Traffic parang EDSA

We stayed at Bangkok Loft Inn for 1,300 baht per night.  In all of the hotels I've ever stayed at, I got the best value for money here.  The rooms are spacious, new and clean, wifi is fast and free, you also get fabulous amenities like split level aircon, a ref, flatscreen TV, a safe, a desk with a chair, soft beds, and a large bathroom. They provide free airport pick-up, free set breakfast, free use of desktop PC & printer, and free use of some board games & DVD player.  You can also borrow books from their mini library.  All these seem great but what I like most is the excellent service and hospitality of the staff from the driver, waitress, bell boys & housekeeping, to the front desk.

Here's a list of stuff that I remembered about them: We were always greeted warmly by the staff; they gave me useful travel tips on what to see and where to eat; they told us where to get the best exchange rates (Thonburi Exchange, even accept Philippine Pesos); on a day that we were out early for a tour they packed breakfast for us;  I saw them give a hotel guest a complimentary cake upon knowing it was her birthday; and on our return to the airport, they got us a metered taxi.

The only drawback I can think of is the location.  There isn't much to do at night and it takes 25 minutes to get to the city center.  The nearest BTS stop is Wong Wian Yai Station; an eight minute walk from the hotel.

Hotels in Bangkok are very cheap, offer lots of perks, and Thai service is almost always outstanding.

Here are the hotels which I recommend:

- Bangkok Loft Inn (Thonburi)

- Wendy House (cheap, basic, but in a great location) (Siam)

- Hansar Bangkok (Siam)

- The LIT (Siam)

- Sivatel  (Value for money) (2 Station from Siam)

- Citypoint (Value for money) (2 Station from Siam)

* There are too many good hotels to list, it's just a matter of preference whether you want to be close to shopping (Siam) or streetfood and nightlife (Khao San Road)

Our Hotel

Traffic is always terrible in Bangkok, and it was rush hour, so it took us 2 hours to get to the hotel.  After checking-in, we decided to have buffet dinner at the revolving restaurant at Baiyoke Sky Hotel, the tallest building in Bangkok.  Located at the Pratunam area, you will pass by a lot of sidewalk vendors, smelly, polluted streets, and dark alleys to get here.  The international buffet restaurant is located at the 78th floor and costs 800 baht inclusive of admission to the revolving roof deck at the 84th floor.  The food is mediocre, stations are not refilled regularly, the food is cold and bland and the spread is generic.  All this, makes me believe that I paid for the panoramic views instead of the buffet.

The observatory includes a mini-museum, a bar, an amusement center and an open air section which is both very cool and vertigo inducing.  There isn't much to see at the top, as the buildings aren't snap worthy, not even close to what you see in Hong Kong or Shanghai, but it's a good way to familiarize yourself with the city's layout.

To get here, you can take the Airport Rail Link to Ratchaprarop Station then walk for 2 minutes to the tallest building you can see which you won't miss.  And while I don't recommend going to the Baiyoke Sky, I implore you to continue reading to day 2 where our fun in Bangkok starts!

Round 1

Round 2

Dessert

Mini museum at the observatory

Open air view up top