I decided to join a friend on a holiday to Bangkok and apart from planning our flight and hotel a month before, little else was done on what we were going to do once we arrived. My itinerary was as simple as checking out Central Embassy and have brunch at Roast Coffee and Eatery in Thonglor. It was challenging planning a trip as I wanted to include something new that I had not done before to keep the experience fresh so that this short holiday weekend in Bangkok was worth its while.
Day 1 Thursday - Central Embassy, Bangkok
Thai Airways was offering a flights to Bangkok at S$250 which is probably S$70 more that a budget airline, so we decided to travel in greater comfort with a 30kg baggage allowance for our shopping needs. We took the past noon flight and arrived in time for regular hotel check in. As a friend had recently stayed in Courtyard at Mariott Bangkok, I decided to stay there as well, as it was offering slightly under S$120 a night. It is not the fanciest of hotels with a 10 minutes walk out to the main road, but good enough to suit our needs of a central location within walking distance of Centralworld and Siam Paragon. I make it a point to stay at different hotels and slightly different locations at Bangkok each time for variety and an opportunity to explore the area.
After check in and washing up, we headed out to Central Embassy. The hotel's Tuk Tuk stopped us at Amarin Plaza and from there it was a 5 minutes walk to the nearest BTS Chidlom and 10 minutes to Central Embassy. Central Embassy is connected to Central Chidom and is the latest addition to the luxury shopping scene in Bangkok. The mall does not have a department store and focuses primarily on branded retail goods. It has a spaceship like design and with all the space around you, it makes you wonder where everyone is.
What I like about Central Embassy is the basement Eat Thai food court which is beautifully designed, offering food choices from all parts of Thailand. It is not bustling compared to food courts like Siam Paragon or Terminal 21 hence great if you like to avoid the crowds and want some peace in Bangkok. The place has also seating that caters to large groups of family or friends traveling together. Lunch was a taste of Oyster Omelette vegetarian style i.e with mushrooms. Very well done, but all that deep frying kinda scared me off. We also had the largest plate of local Thai salad which was a mix of greens, bee hoon, sausages, fish cake, prawns, squid, egg, and topped of with fried pork skin.
Eat Thai also sells an extensive and well stocked selection of Thai condiments and Thai snacks and this is definitely a great place to shop for the kitchen and gifts for family and friends.
Give a Singaporean a mall and they can surely find things to shop, eat and spend the afternoon away. After our goodies shopping we found Boots toiletries store just next door. It is so new and clean I had a great time stocking up on No. 7.
After all that shopping so early in our trip, we decided on desserts at Coffee Beans by Dao. It is a pretty place designed as if you were seated at the patio. The cafe serves Thai and Western food as well as fantastic cheesecakes. Still full from our earlier meal, we each had our cakes and a Pomelo Prawn Salad. This cafe is perfect for a meal with your girlfriends, they even have another section that could possibly be closed off for private functions.
The Central Embassy has such beautifully designed shops and restaurants that you can't help but pause and admire the decor.
When we finally went to the fifth floor of Central Embassy we all had the wow look on our face. It is the restaurant floor, with a couple of food places that I wanted to try out like Audrey and Somboon Seafood. If only we had stomach space we would have definitely tried some of the restaurants here.
Day 2 Friday - Thonglor, Platinum Fashion Mall, Centralworld, Siam Center, Siam Discovery
I can't believe I woke up at 6.30am. As a result, we had an early morning workout at the hotel gym. By the time it was 8.30am, we were all showered with no place to go since most shops open at 10am. Good thing I found out that Roast Coffee and Eatery at Thonglor was opened on Fridays at 9am and we make our way there by cab. I ordered Piccolo Latte and Crab Cake Egg Benedict and was very pleased with my meal, though a tiny portion, it was superbly done. The tomato soup is also one of the best I have tasted. With the rustic industrial cafe concept, you could literally spend a few hours here reading a book and simply chilling out.
After Roast we tried to grab a cab to Platinum Fashion Mall but of no avail. Guess the taxi drivers did not want to deal with the traffic jam there. We ended walking a good 20 minutes to the Thonglor BTS and saw quite a few food and massage places along the way. Thonglor is one place to stay if you are into cafes and massages. I saw Centerpoint Thonglor and Somerset Thonglor quite well situated along the main road potential for future stays.
Finally, I am back at Platinum Fashion Mall. This is the mall every girl must come when in Bangkok, just to pick up new clothes, accessories, shoes and bags at a steal. We started shopping at the new wing (below Novotel Bangkok Platinum Pratunam), where you can find plenty of bag and shoes choices, and it is also quieter and neater compared to the old wing.
After a couple of hours of checking out both Platinum Fashion Mall new and old wings, we headed to Centralworld to rest our feet and have a late lunch. Most of the restaurants at Centralworld are located on the 6th and 7th floor. We started with desserts at After You where the Shibuya Toast came highly recommended. It is simply toast with maple syrup and ice cream. Just a simple dessert yet so beautifully prepared made us so thoroughly satisfied. Best eaten hungry and you will appreciate it more.
After all that sweetness we decided on something spicy and headed to Nara Thai Cuisine just a few steps away. We ordered the Kung Oap Woon Sen which is Steamed Tiger Prawns with Seasoned Vermicelli. The vermicelli was a little soggy though the dish was just as yummy. And of course we did have to have a bowl of Tom Yum Kung which is Tiger Prawns in Spicy Lemongrass and Lime Soup. The prawns are so large, fresh and juicy and if you are a fan of prawns, Nara Thai Cuisine serves up some of the best. Though the tom yum soup was not too spicy and geared more towards the sour side, it was just as well as you get to enjoy the sourness without being caught up to deal with spiciness. I think what makes the Nara Thai Cuisine top of class is the quality of ingredients used yet still being very affordable.
After our late lunch we went to Naraya Centralworld which is the best place to buy gifts for friends. This is a local retail shop that sells bags, wallets, pouches made out of cloth. Though I preferred to have shopped at the Siam Discovery outlet where it is less crowded, Naraya was our last stop before heading back to our hotel for a rest, hence we braved the crowds. Our evening trip was to Siam Center and Siam Discovery. Siam Center has been renovated in recent years. I enjoyed the art element in the mall, fancy lighting, stairs that make sounds when you step on it, and very industrial style seating area.
After checking out Siam Centre we walked over to Siam Discovery initially with the intention to look for discounted Melissa shoes, but since nothing met my fancy, we ended up spending most of our time at the Loft which is a quirky cute stationery shop that comes from Japan. On the way out of Siam Discovery we saw a massage place called Napaspa and decided to try the local Thai massage. The skill was good, as with the pricing, though I am not so confident of the cleanliness of the place.
Day 3 Saturday - Or Tor Kor Market, Centralworld, Asiatique
I was up early again today and with a little bit of research we decided to check out Or Tor Kor Market which is their local fresh market selling fresh and cooked food and fruits. Reviews say it is the 4th Best Fresh Market, and with such an accolade, you do have to check it out right? Being located at the same station as Chatuchak Market (Kamphaeng Phet station) made it easy to figure where this was located, and since it was still early in the morning at 9am, we decided to take a cab there in time for breakfast.
Or Tor Kor Market is the best place to have your breakfast and try out the local food just because the market is so much cleaner than that you see at the streets. The market serves local food like - fish ball noodles, pork with rice, dishes with rice, desserts, BBQ salted fish, crabs, prawns. Be sure to walk the market before deciding on what to eat. After your meal that you can explore and purchase items like spices, salted dried foods, and fresh fruits. In fact, I would actually eat here before going to Chatujak Market or come here as a last stop to pick up food to eat back at the hotel. I like this market very much because it's airy and spacious and it's all about food. With such friendly stall attendants who are probably owners themselves, they have no issue that you are taking pictures as long as you don't interrupt with their business.
After the market exploration we took the train back to Centralworld Zen department store to pick up some items and explore the home and lifestyle floor. I like the home furnishings in Bangkok as there is so much variety to add accents to the house, and at a much cheaper price than in Singapore. Though our initial intent was to explore Siam Paragon, but passing by the mall the day before and seeing the relentless crowds had lost its appeal to us.
After a short rest in the afternoon, I went to explore Central Chidlom before heading out to Asiatique. This mall has an even better home and furnishings floor compared to Zen at Centralworld, and with such bright and bold designs I wish I had enough arm power to carry everything back.
As evening approached, we moved on to the touristy outing of the night, a trip to Asiatique, which is a night market and dining spot, located at the riverside. Give time to travel there as you need to take a train to Saphan Taksin BTS and then hop on the free shuttle boat ride. I recommend being at Saphan Taksin BTS at 5pm in order to see the river in the day as it's a different scene when night falls.
With more time to explore Asiatique compared to my last trip, I would say the shopping experience is much better than at Chatuchak Market with all the spaciousness and orderliness to walk around freely without fear of claustrophobia. Initially, I thought everything at Asiatique would be overpriced but upon checking the prices I realize things were actually affordable with quite a number of local designers opening shop here. This makes it a plus to be able to support the local designers and find interesting and unique shopping buys like clothes, household items, and accessories.
Day 4 Sunday - Bangkok-Singapore
Since our flight was mid morning, there was nothing much we could do except to wake up late and have a leisurely breakfast at the hotel. Indeed this trip to Bangkok though simple, was relatively unhurried and relaxing. We got to try out new food places and visited Or Tor Lok Market, which to me was the highlight the trip. I am looking forward to come back again to Bangkok again in the near future.
More articles which I have written on trips to Bangkok:
Since so many friends have asked me what to do when in Bangkok, here's my latest itinerary on what to do for an average 4 day 3 nights trip to Bangkok.
Day 1 Bangkok
- Check into hotel have have a short rest
- Terminal 21 (Asoke BTS) for Thai food at food court or MIX restaurant
- Shop at Terminal 21 and be sure to check out each floor that has a different theme including the toliets
- Head back to hotel to rest before dinner or directly to Asiatique
- Asiatique Night Market (be at Sapan Thaksin BTS at 5pm so that you can take the free ferry in the day and return at night, enjoy the different scenes of the river). Some of my friends don't like this market but for me I like it for the local designers and still reasonably priced items.
- Still have energy to burn? Head to Sirroco at Lebua State Tower for a view of the city and enjoy jazz in the sky.
Day 2 Bangkok
- Depending if you arrive on a Fri or Sat, this is a day devoted to Bangkok markets. Start of with breakfast at Or Tor Kor Market which is also a wet and dry market where you can pick up spices, dried food, and fresh fruits. Afraid of street food, here's where you can eat them in relative cleanliness since this market is super clean and well maintained. The market is at the same station as Chatujak Market - Kamphaeng Phet Station. I would prefer to take a cab here in the morning so I save time and try to cover both markets before noon where it gets really hot and you want to hide in the mall.
- Back to hotel to rest before dinner
- Dinner at Central Embassy at 5/F. Try Sombon Seafood, Nara Thai, Audrey, Coffee Beans by Dao or at Eat Thai.
- Buy Thai snacks at Eat Thai
- Feel adventurous? Check out Bangkok's vintage night market at Talad Rot Fai
Day 3 Bangkok
- Brunch at Roast @ Thonglor
- Take a cab to Centralworld and from there walk over to Platinum Mall
- Shop at Platinum Mall starting with the new wing
- Head to Centralworld for your meal. Have more Thai food at Taling Pling, Nara Thai, Laem Char-oen Seafood. Desserts at After You for Shibuya Thick Toast. Or check out the new food wing at Centralworld called Groove.
- You deserve a massage after all that walking ....
Day 4 Bangkok - Home
- Leisurely breakfast at hotel (finally)
- Home sweet home
If you are like me who likes to shop for household stuff be sure to head down to
- Emporium
- Central Chidlom
