We are a family of 2 adults and 2 kids and will be in Bangkok for the 1st time in Dec. We were given a choice of Bel-Aire Princess or Holiday Inn Silom. I am sure both hotels are good based on the reviews on this website. We want to be close to everything so which one is better. Holiday Inn sounds like a biz hotel.... Also, can someone share with us the best way to get from the airport to one of these hotels. Lastly, what are the main places of interests that are a ';must'; when visiting Bangkok and what are the food that we have to eat. Appreciate any suggestions.
Hotel Advice for 1st Timer to BangkokFor Thai foods, try:
- Tom Yum Koong (spicy sour soup with shrimp) or Tom Yum Pla (same Tom Yum soup but cooked with fish)
- Som Tum, Kay Yang and Laab Moo (papaya salad, grilled chicken and spicy pork salad) taking with white sticky rice (khaw neaw).
- Tsoo tsee pla nua on (deep fried nua on fish with spicy sauce). This fish is flat and very crispy after being deep fried.
- Kuay tiew rua (boat noodle) or if you go to Sukho Thai, they%26#39;re have their own style of Sukho Thai noodle.
These are found in every Thai Restaurant except the noodle which can be found in food court or kuay tiew rua restaurant.
Hotel Advice for 1st Timer to BangkokHi%26#39;
we%26#39;ve stayed at both hotels and for location we prefer Bel Aire,there%26#39;s much more to do within walking distance and the skytrain is close by.
We got a newly refurb%26#39;d and large room at the Bel Aire which was better than any room we got at Hol inn Silom.Never eat in the hotels so cannot comment,the pool area at Hol Inn is bigger but a bit scruffy,Bel Aire pool only gets sun some of the time and is quite small though a bit nicer than Hol Inn.
Bel Aire/Sukhumfit area wins for us.
H.
The Bel Aire Princess is not a bad hotel. The only complaint I really have about it is it is about 100 yards along a turning without pavements worth mentioning and you walk in the road as cars pass you. Also that part of Sukhumvit where the BAP is located is a bit like Little India and as I remember you%26#39;ll have to pass a Japanese girl bar where the girls wait outside for tourists. The Holiday Inn is at the far end of Silom from Rama 4 Road and looks to be better in that sense.
Both are about the same distance from a Skytrain (air con travel above all the traffic. The Skytrain runs along Sukhumvit and in the turning back of the Holiday Inn. The Skytrain is regular, quick and efficient and will get you most places. Taxis are metered and are a cheap way of getting around though Bangkok traffic is heavy and a nuisance.
From the airport, pick up a taxi. Every taxi driver knows Sukhumvit and Silom. They are supposed to be moving them up to the Arrivals floor but have not done so yet. Airport Limos are a major rip-off.
Bangkok is packed with markets and Malls (the latter semi-air conditioned). Try MBK (Mah Boon Krong) at the National Stadium Skytrain stop. Open 10-10, seven floors of shopping. Across the road is Siam Square with lots of shops and a few malls. In the basement of the Paragon Centre is Ocean World which is worth a visit. Chinatown has a lot to see with two large markets, one left of Yaowaraj as you face direction of traffic, the other left of Charoen Krung as you face traffic (both run parallel in opposite directions. Chatuchuk is the Weekend Market. Absolutely huge and you can get there by Skytrain (Mo Chit) or subway (Chatuchuk). Beware of pick pockets in Bangkok! If you are there Dec 25th, that%26#39;s just another day as far as everyone is concerned.
Places to see :
http://bangkok-city.com/
Don%26#39;t bother with the boring Floating Market. Take the Skytrain to Saphan Taksin (last stop) and get off at the exit in the direction of the river. Walk towards the river and just to the left is a boat service (you%26#39;ll normally see tourists waiting there). You can get on and off it where you want and for 18 baht (February price), you can spend upto 70 minutes on the boat riding along the river. It ends up at Nontaburi (north of Bangkok) where there is a market several minutes walk from the pier.
Lots of travel agents about if you fancy a trip to the River Kwai, etc.
All the western food places are in Bangkok and you can buy any kind of food there, even Thai food. If you use the BRP hotel, pop into the Nana Hotel a little distance away. They have a good restaurant there which is reasonably priced.
Silom (at the Rama 4 end) has a huge night market (starts about 8pm -ish) which also takes in Pat Pong which is also the red light district, which you%26#39;ll find full of tourists. Use the Sala Daeng Skytrain stop or get a taxi. Skytrain stops about midnight.
Wow - Thank you Kaneda for the whole full page of information to keep me going. I will certainly look a those places you mentioned. Thanks SuanLum for the positive remarks on Bel-aire. I have booked 4 nights with them and I cannot wait to try all the yummy food recommended by Land-Premier. It certainly makes planning for a trip so easy when we have great people like you guys to assist. SuanLum, Our room rate doesn%26#39;t come with breakfast and having 2 young children and being 1st timer in Bangkok, is it safe to have breakfast out of the hotel. Having stayed there, would you recommend the breakfast at the hotel if not, is there a place where you would recommend. Thanks again, guys
I am back again with another question on taxi from the airport. We are arriving into Bangkok at 12.05pm and to get a taxi from the airport to Bel-aire, how long does it take and how much does it costs for the 4 of us. Also, is there a counter at the airport where we could purchase pre-paid tickets with a reliable taxi company. This way, we know who we are dealing with and that we are not ripped off. As I mentioned, I am travelling with 2 young children, so I want to be extremely careful in a foreign land. Thanks in advance.
We stayed at BAP in February. We didn%26#39;t have breakfast in the hotel as it was expensive and dull looking. If your children are old enough to sit on stools you could try breakfast at the food counter inside the Foodlands supermarket on the corner of Soi 5. It is very cheap, very cheerful, and open 24 hours. You sit up at the counter on stools and have a good view of what%26#39;s happening in the kitchen and out on the street. They serve European food as well as Thai.
The Food Courts in shopping centres would be suitable for family meals. It%26#39;s easiest to get tables if you go there slightly out of standard meal times, e.g. 11.45am or after 2pm for lunch, but it%26#39;s not usually a problem to find a table. The food is very good, very cheap, and you can see exactly what you are ordering. There are very good food courts in Emporium and Siam Paragon, but pretty well every shoppping centre has at least one. If your children don%26#39;t eat chilli-hot food look for the Chinese stalls, where you will find great braised pork, roasted chicken and steamed gai lan.
Don%26#39;t be nervous about taxis from the airport. When you come through to the arrivals area turn right and look for the big escalators that take you down one floor to the taxi stand. Ignore all the touts who will ask you if it%26#39;s your first visit and will try to sell you an expensive and unnecessary limo ride. At the bottom of the escalator you will see outside on the pavement a desk where you queue up for a taxi slip. You tell the person at the desk where you want to go and he or she will write it in Thai on a piece of paper, with the cost. (From memory it cost us 300B plus toll fee 65B). You give this to the taxi driver and that%26#39;s it. All of the taxis at this departure point are regulated and they won%26#39;t try to rip you off.
There are certainly plenty of taxi scams but not from the airport - search this forum for more information.
What happens is that you pick up your bags, and then look for the taxi area. When you are walking through the arrivals hall, you will be accosted by illegal taxi touts wearing impressive looking badges. Do not talk to these people (other than to tell them to go away!). In this area, you will also see little booths - these are the limo hire people that you also don%26#39;t want. (They are a bit nicer, but quite expensive - but if you have upset screaming children and can%26#39;t be bothered they are safe and reliable, just more expensive).
Once you go out of the terminal following the taxi signs, you will see a taxi booth, probably with a queue. You tell the staff at the taxi booth where you want to go (their English is very, very good) and they will give you a chit and point you to a taxi.
Off you go! Clean run at that kind of time so I would guess about 40 mins? Remember you pay the tolls for the taxi driver - someone else might be able to tell you these costs as I am still a bit hazy on the new airport.
Thank you everyone for sharing the transport from the airport to the hotel. Much appreciated.
BSQUARED,
Q:SuanLum, Our room rate doesn%26#39;t come with breakfast and having 2 young children and being 1st timer in Bangkok, is it safe to have breakfast out of the hotel. Having stayed there, would you recommend the breakfast at the hotel if not, is there a place where you would recommend. Thanks again, guys:Q
We never had b%26#39;fast in the hotel (8 night stay last Christmas) we went to a small hotel half way down Soi 5(maybe called Fortune?will try to find it%26#39;s name and add another post) other side to Bel Aire,all you can eat for about 120 baht which was ok for us (did try foodland 1st day but not impressed)
I think Bel Aire b%26#39;fast was slightly better looking but far more expensive?
Harry
Hi me again,
It%26#39;s called the FORTUNA hotel! give Gullivers a try for something close to the hotel(not b%26#39;fast)
http://www.cityphotoguide.com/image/tid/16
this is a useful web site in case you%26#39;ve not found it yet.
Harry
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