We go to Bangkok every 2 to 3 years, so this post is a summary of sorts for the last few trips. We love Bangkok because it’s a F&B and shopping paradise, that offers more interesting options than Singapore for lower prices.
1) Oakwood Residences (https://www.oakwoodasia.com/serviced-apartments/thailand/oakwood-bangkok-sukhumvit)
Staying here cost us about 3,400 baht per night in 2018 (thanks to a friendship price), and we were generally satisfied with the location and room size. It’s only 200m away from Phrom Phong BTS station, and you can walk through Emporium mall to get to the station, which is also next to EmQuartier mall, which is very awesome.
Other hotels we’ve stayed in for previous trips:
2) Holiday Inn Express Bangkok, a no-frills hotel that is a short walk to National Stadium BTS station, but the surrounding area is not as vibrant as Oakwood Residences
3) Aloft Bangkok, a beautiful trendy hotel that’s unfortunately a long walk from Nana BTS station, that made relying on tuk tuk rides necessary at times.
True Love @ Neverland (https://www.facebook.com/neverlandsiberians)
153 Soi Ari Samphan 2, Samsen Nai, Phaya Thai, 10400 Bangkok
A popular cafe that allows guests to interact with more than 20 Siberian Huskies, which are huge and well-groomed. Generally speaking, there are 2 timeslots per day that guests can buy tickets for, either 1pm or 3.30pm. You can call the cafe (+66 90 101 9669) or visit their facebook page to confirm the timings, but note that they do not accept reservations. We suggest that you go as early as 11am to queue for tickets if you want to secure the 1pm interaction slot. From Ari BTS station, we took a cab to the place (it’s a long walk in) and arrived just before 12noon. However, we were told that tickets were already sold out for the 1pm slot, and so we had no choice but to buy tickets for the remaining 3.30pm slot and go kill time over lunch at a Greyhound cafe branch nearby. For 500 baht per ticket, you get 1 drink, 1 cake slice and 1 hour of interaction time with the dogs. Staff will help each group of guests to take a proper photo with the dogs, then you can spend the rest of the hour interacting with the dogs within the compound. The time given is more than enough, so this is quite a satisfying experience once you can secure the tickets.
Shopping Malls & Eateries
As compared to Singapore, Bangkok malls are much more distinct, and some have eateries and fashion boutiques that we have repeatedly visited. Moreover, most malls are connected to BTS stations or each other via sky bridges, which makes it very convenient for shoppers.
For future trips, we are likely to avoid going back to older malls like MBK (mainly fake branded clothes) and Platinum Mall (wholesale focus, more for female clothing), but malls we really like and recommend include:
1) Terminal 21 (BTS station: Asok)
We like how there is an entire floor dedicated to trendy male clothing, as well as how the mall is creatively themed by countries for each floor, right down to the elaborately designed toilets. Please try the amazing salted egg lava or thai tea flavoured toast/croissants at C.O.D.E, a cafe located on Level 4.
2) Siam Centre (BTS station: Siam)
A fashion mall we tend to buy clothes from as well, due to trendy clothes by brands that are quite unique to the mall, such as DA+PP and ANR Men, both on Floor 1. Please try Greyhound cafe on Floor 1 as well, if you’ve never eaten at the chain before, which now has many branches all over Bangkok. If you want affordable Japanese food in big portions, try Fuji restaurant on Floor 2, near Food Republic food court.
3) Siam Discovery (BTS station: National Stadium)
This is the place to go if you want to shop for trendy and decently priced homeware. I’ve bought stuff like plates, utensils, place mats and fake plants from it, and the mall is basically a breath of fresh air in terms of creatively designed spaces and product range. LOFT is also a lifestyle store worth visiting.
4) EmQuartier (BTS station: Phrom Phong)
A 3-year-old mall with beautiful vertical gardens. Less male clothing to buy than Terminal 21, but several notable eateries that we recommend, such as Audrey (8th floor, beautiful interior, excellent food and desserts) and Roast (1st floor of Helix Quartier wing, popular with Singaporeans, serving hearty dishes. Most people travel all the way to a place named The Commons for this, but this branch is so much more convenient to go to)
5) CentralWorld Plaza (BTS station: Chit Lom)
Huge mall near Platinum mall, mainly relevant to us due to After You (the seasonal mango sticky rice kakigori is amazing) and the glitzy new Starbucks on the 3rd floor, which is the second largest branch in the world after Shanghai.
6) Central Embassy (BTS station: Ploen Chit)
Most of this mall is high-end and underpopulated, but we love the relatively new Open House area on Level 6, a beautifully designed floor dedicated to arty books, quirky products and hip restaurants. A must-visit if you are design-conscious and love places such as Eslite bookstores in Taipei. We had good pizza at Peppina, one of several eateries in this area.
Bangkok is famous for beautiful sky bars overlooking the city, and we have mainly 2 to recommend:
1) Red Sky Bar - at the top of Centara Grand at Central World Mall, Bangkok (established and popular, reservations needed)
2) Yao Rooftop Bar on the 33rd floor of the relatively new Bangkok Marriott Hotel Suranwongse (relatively undiscovered and empty for now, due to it being new)
Erawan Shrine is an iconic spot in Bangkok, where Thais and tourists pay respects to the four faced buddha. We come here whenever we’re in Bangkok to pray and give thanks. The process of praying usually doesn’t take more than 10min before we move on to the nearby malls. Nearest BTS station is Chit Lom.
A friend recommended Alex Fashion within Amari Hotel, which is walking distance from Platinum Mall. We did not tailor anything on this trip, but this is for future reference.
A doctor friend recommended this pharmacy, which sells a wide range of medication for good prices. It’s named SC Drugstore, and is beside Crowne Plaza Lumpini Park Hotel, about a 5min walk from Sala Deng BTS station. I bought boxes of probiotics, and each box of 16 capsules cost only 180baht. (https://www.facebook.com/pages/SC-Drug-Store/167524303420047)
The Health Land chain is popular with Singaporeans, and we’ve gone to the Asoke branch a few times. The chain has several branches, which are clean, large and very professionally managed. However, for this 2018 trip, we actually paid SGD$60 for a 1.5hr massage, a significant increase in price from previous years that is inching towards massage rates in Singapore. Thus, we are unlikely to return in future.
The Prime Massage is a new option we visited twice on this trip, thanks to a friend’s recommendation. It’s nowhere as big and glam as the Asoke Healthland branch, but the environment is clean and functional, and in terms of having skilled male masseurs in a LGBT-friendly environment, this met our needs. You can have foot massage, Thai massage (in pyjamas) or aroma therapy oil massage. Located at Silom Soi 6, and their telephone number is +66 2 634 2078. After getting a massage here, you can eat at Mango Tree, a well-known Thai cuisine restaurant that’s rather high-end, located right next door.
Note: Bringing a passport is not necessary to get into clubs, but at least bring your driving licence or IC. We usually take taxis back to our hotel after partying.
DJ Station is an institution when it comes to LGBT partying in Bangkok. We come here to dance whenever we visit Bangkok, and have noticed how the place is constantly improving and becoming more popular. Located at Silom Soi 2 | Suriya Wong, Bang Rak, Bangkok 10500, the main dance club is at the end of a corridor of bars, each of which can be jam packed with party people.
Fake Club The Next Gen is an incredible establishment we were introduced to on this trip. It’s very impressive in terms of floor space, sound system and performers. Located at Ratchadaphisek Soi 14-16, Bangkok, the place requires guests to book tables, stand around and drink alcohol while watching performances by bands and muscular dancers. There’s no dance floor per se, but after the impressive performances are over, partygoers can dance on the runway stage if they want to. We got a table due to a friend’s contacts, and only ended up paying about SGD$24 despite opening a bottle and receiving good service from staff, who would come around to pour our drinks and mingle with us. The contact number is 091-724-2999. Highly recommended.
Jupiter is one of several gogo bars, located at 92 Silom Road, Soi 4. We didn’t manage to go to this one, which is known for relatively better shows by gogo dancers. Instead, we went to Dreamboyz, which was disappointing in terms of the production values and overall taste of the establishment. Note that such gogo bars are not for the faint-hearted, as performances can be raunchy =)
Some info about other places we have visited on previous trips:
1) Chatuchak - Iconic weekend market, worth visiting at least once if you have never been. But be prepared to sweat a lot and set aside a few hours for it, due to how the place is basically a massive bazaar with huge sections dedicated to everything from food, clothes, animals and plants.
2) Asiatique The Riverfront - Rather out of the way, but worth going if you’ve never been and like the idea of a much bigger Clarke Quay of sorts. Prices of clothes can be very attractive, and availability of air-conditioning in some areas and eateries makes the place more attractive than Chatuchak to me actually.
3) Thong Lor - a hipster area that has interesting cafes that we want to go back to. We had lovely cakes designed to look like durians and mangosteens at Rosemary by Madam Tuang (Thong Lor Soi 11), but have yet to check out The Bookshop Bar at Ashton Condominium.
4) Rot Fai Market Ratchada was a very disappointing experience, probably due to how it was drizzling when we visited. Rather pointless compared to Asiatique. Other night markets popular with tourists that we have yet to go to include JJ Green and ChangChui, both popular with hipsters and tourists.
