Bangkok: Insider Travel Guide

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Bangkok: Insider Travel Guide

CNN Travel staff • Updated 10th April 2017, http://www.cnn.com/travel/arti...e-bangkok/index.html

Editor's Note — CNN Insider Guides are thoroughly checked for accuracy. Given the fluid nature of the travel industry, however, some listings may fall out of date before guides can be updated. The best practice is to confirm current information on official websites before making plans to visit any business or attraction.

CNN) — So, you're in Thailand on a mission to cram the best of Bangkok into a weekend? It's a big task -- there's no city in the world like this one -- but it can be done.

With incredible street food, world-class hotels, killer nightlife, packed markets and temples so sparkly they make your eyes water, there's almost too much from which to choose.

But you're in luck. This quick guide ensures you can at least hit the highlights on your quest for the best of Bangkok.

It's worth keeping in mind that hotel prices vary dramatically depending on the time of year. High season runs from October to April, so the best bargains can be had May to September.

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Hotels

Luxury

The Siam

This stunning, antique-laced property on the Chao Praya River recalls the time of King Rama V (1853-1910), a period when Bangkok was a tranquil, smog-free riverside idyll.

Since opening in 2012 the accolades have been rolling in from travel rags around the world.

With great restaurants, a poolside bar, muay Thai gym and spa, this 39-room resort set on three acres is almost a vacation unto itself.

Though a bit of a hike from the city center, there's a regular hotel-operated ferry that shuttles guests to the Taksin pier, where they can jump on the BTS Skytrain.

The Siam, 3/2 Khao Road Vachirapayabal, Dusit, Bangkok 10300 Thailand;

7/19/1711:35 PM

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Mandarin Oriental Bangkok

This Bangkok institution is a step back to a time when luggage was carried in trunks, dinner dress was de rigueur (tropics or not) and tea on the veranda was served with a stiff G&T to ward off mosquitoes.

More than 100 years old, the Oriental's Author's Wing retains its magical aura with its picturesque parlors, each named for a scribe they once hosted, including the likes of Somerset Maugham, Joseph Conrad and Ernest Hemingway.

The Garden Wing offers similar heights of nostalgic luxury, while the modern River Wing and Tower have a more contemporary design.

And if it weren't patently obvious from the never-ending stream of awards rained upon this five-star, best of Bangkok landmark, high tea in the Mandarin Oriental's library is simply too civilized for the mere words of us regrettably non-famous authors.

Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok, 48 Oriental Avenue,Charoenkrung, Bangkok 10500 Thailand;

7/19/1711:35 PM

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St. Regis Bangkok

So Sofitel's Wood element rooms were designed by Thai architect Nithi Sthapitanonda.

Nearly a quarter of the 227 guest rooms at this elegant property are suites -- this should give an idea of the level of comfort to which the St. Regis aspires and generally attains.

A specialty is off-site activities geared toward "the artistic visionary, the epicurean voyager, the passionate connoisseur."

Care for a deep-sea fishing trip with one of the hotel's celebrated chefs?

A private Fendi shopping trip?

The hotel will arrange it.

The St. Regis Bangkok, 159, Rajadamri Road Lumpini Sub-District, Bangkok 10330 Thailand;

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7/19/1711:40 PM

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W Hotel Bangkok

Wonderful guest room.

The stylish W concept remains intact at this 407-room hotel ("chili-hot nightlife" is advertised) located on Bangkok's Embassy Row near a vibrant commercial district.

Rooms are basic but fully wired and come with good robes and a Munchie Box.

Bathrooms come with rainforest showers.

City-view room views are nice.

W Bangkok, 106 North Sathorn Road Silom, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500 Thailand;

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7/19/1711:42 PM

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Mid-range

Mode Sathorn

With the opening of Mode Sathorn, Siam@Siam gets the second design hotel in its Bangkok portfolio, which the brand is somewhat predictably characterizing as "fashionable lifestyle."

The property has 201 rooms and suites in five categories, each featuring a different design concept, plus a presidential suite on the 36th floor.

F&B offerings come in the form of three restaurants and three bars.

Theatre Bar is the standout thanks to a circular TV screen and three areas segregated by your poison of choice, be it wine, beer or cocktails.

As with its sister hotel, Mode Sathorn features a rooftop bar.

If live DJs in al fresco vogue settings aren't your thing, Secret M has a private indoor dining cove one floor below.

Mode Sathorn Hotel, 144 North Sathorn Road, Silom, Bangrak, Bangkok 10500 Thailand;

7/19/1711:42 PM

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Galleria 10 Hotel Bangkok

Formerly the Ramada Encore, the Galleria 10 is a 188-room, chrome-and-glass hotel with modern furnishings.

It's geared toward "always-on-the-go" business travelers, with high-speed Internet access included in the room rate, 40-inch LCD TV with satellite channels, good-sized working areas, direct dial telephones and HDMI easy plug-in.

There are some nice outdoor spaces for drinks around the pool.

Galleria 10 Hotel, 21 Sukhumvit Soi 10, Bangkok 10110 Thailand;

7/19/1711:43 PM

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Bangkok Treehouse

Bangkok Treehouse's "View with a Room."

Inspired by Henry David Thoreau's "Walden," the 12-suite Bangkok Treehouse allows guests to get back to nature in Bang Krajao, the "green lungs of Bangkok."

Guests arrive via a dedicated shuttle boat across the Chao Phraya, disembarking onto a floating pontoon overlooked by the hotel's gourmet organic restaurant.

Each standard suite is divided into three levels (living room, bedroom and roof deck), offering views of the surrounding river, mangroves and coconut plantations.

Inside, the rooms are comfortable and cozy, with all the expected features (TV, DVD, Wi-Fi) and optional air-conditioning.

Bangkok Tree House, 60 Moo 1, Petch Cha Hueng Road, Phra Pradaeng 10260 Thailand;

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7/19/1711:44 PM

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Loy La Long

Quirky and comfy, the seven color-coded rooms at this two-story wood property on the edge of Chinatown range from a four-bedroom family dorm (guests pay per bed) to the river-view suite that allows you to wake up to the sight of barges floating past -- along with the occasional roaring longtail engine.

There's a fantastic "living room," where guests can park on a floor cushion and watch the life on the river pass by.

Near Tha Tien Pier, Loy La Long is hidden behind a temple complex right on the edge of Chinatown.

Not easy to find, but the payoff is worth it.

Loy La Long Hotel, 1620/2 (inside Patum

7/19/1711:45 PM

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Budget

Lub D

Lub D proves that being on a budget doesn't have to mean losing out on style or location.

There are two Lub D "hostels" in Bangkok, both rocking an industrial chic design.

The original is on Decho Road, off Silom.

The newer Siam location is opposite National Stadium, close to the BTS SkyTrain and a short walk to Siam Square and the malls of Rajaprasong.

It has four-bed dorms, economy twin rooms, doubles and, our favorite, a queen-bed suite with a private bathroom and LCD TV.

The Wi-Fi is free and the beer cheap.

You won't find those attributes in too many five-star establishments.

Lub d Bangkok - Siam Square, 925 / 9 Rama 1 Road Wang Mai, Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330 Thailand;

Lub d Bangkok - Silom, 4 Decho Road Suriyawong, Bangrak, Bangkok 10900 Thailand;

7/19/1711:45 PM

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Dining

Nahm

Offering Thai fine dining with exquisite attention to detail, the best ingredients and authenticity, Nahm provides the best of Bangkok culinary experiences.

Head Chef David Thompson, who received a Michelin star for his London-based Thai restaurant of the same name, opened this branch in the Metropolitan Hotel in 2010.

If that doesn't sell you, perhaps the fact it's the only Thai restaurant to crack the top 10 of the world's 50 best restaurants list will.

Through recipes based on archaic Siamese cookbooks and other dishes passed down in "funeral books," you'll receive both perfect renditions of Thai classics such as tom yum goong, as well as fresh surprises difficult to find outside the Thai home.

Nahm Restaurant, 27 S Sathorn Rd Hotel Metropolitan by COMO, Bangkok 10120 Thailand;

7/19/1711:46 PM

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Issaya Siamese Club

Issaya Siamese Club is set in a beautifully restored Thai colonial house.

The menu in this beautifully restored colonial house features traditional Thai cuisine combined with modern cooking methods.

There a few misses but for the most part everything on the menu is unique, delicious and oh-so-pretty.

We recommend the banana blossom Thai salad, chili-glazed baby back ribs and massaman lamb.

Issaya Siamese Club, 4 Soi Sri Aksorn, Chue Ploeng Thung Mahamek, Bangkok 10120 Thailand;

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7/19/1711:47 PM

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Bo.Lan

Bo.Lan has been making waves in Bangkok's culinary scene since it opened in 2009.

Serving hard-to-find Thai dishes in an upscale, hip atmosphere, the restaurant is true to Thai cuisine's roots, yet still manages to add a special twist.

Located on Sukhumvit Soi 24, Bo.Lan stars include the smoked Chiang Mai river trout salad, green curry stuffed egg yolks and stir-fried beef with dried shrimp paste.

This place is good for a romantic dinner or a work meeting with colleagues who appreciate fine food.

For the especially ravenous, there's a large set menu

Bo.Lan, 24 Soi Sukhumvit 53 Klongtonnua, Wattana, Bangkok 10110 Thailand;

7/19/1711:48 PM

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Gaggan

Earning first place on the latest "Asia's 50 best restaurants" list, progressive Indian restaurant Gaggan is one of the most exciting venues to arrive in Bangkok in recent years.

But don't go into this place thinking you're going to be enjoying the usual Indian dishes like butter chicken or mutton biryani.

El-Bulli-trained chef Gaggan Anand uses molecular technology to put a funky twist on classic dishes from his native India, rendering many of them unrecognizable while giving you that "a-ha!" moment as the connection hits your taste buds.

The best table in this two-story colonial Thai home offers a window right into the kitchen, where you can see Gaggan and his staff in action.

Culinary theater at its best.

GAGGAN, 68/1 Soi Langsuan Ploenchit Road Lumpini, Bangkok 10330 Thailand;

7/19/1711:48 PM

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Supanniga Eating Room

If you want more from Thai cuisine than green curry, pad Thai and papaya salad Supanniga Eating Room is a great new Bangkok option.

It's located in a narrow, three-story Thonglor shophouse, decked out with raw cement walls, yellow booths and outdoor sofas on the top floor.

Inspired by Trat province on Thailand's southeastern coast and the northeast Isaan region, the menu has rewards for the uninitiated.

Highlights include yam pla salid thod krob (sweet and sour salad with crispy fish) and sweet and herbal moo chor muang (fatty chunks of pork in an earthy curry of sour leaves).

Almost every dish here is colorful -- yes, you'll be taking pictures of it before you eat -- and the mood is casual.

Supanniga Eating Room, 160/11, Soi Sukhumvit 55, Bangkok 10110 Thailand;

7/19/1711:48 PM

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Somtum Der

At this little eatery you get personal service and authentic Isaan-style street food without the street.

The restaurant is air-conditioned, which is a good thing since dishes have plenty of spice.

Chicken, pork and seafood are grilled nicely and come with sticky rice. Veggies are fresh and crisp.

A great quick, flip-flop-friendly pit stop.

Somtum Der, Sala Daeng, 5/5 Sala Daeng Road Silom, Bangkok 10500 Thailand;

7/19/1711:49 PM

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Soul Food Mahanakorn

An expat favorite, low-key lighting and wood finishing define the cozy interior of this three-floor shop house.

Soul Food Mahanakorn's kitchen revolves around what's fresh in the markets -- seafood from Sam Yan one day or meat from Or Tor Kor another.

Healthy organic foods, such as rice, meats and some vegetables, are sourced from organic farmers in the northeast.

Recommended dishes: everything. It's all good here.

The cocktails are fantastic, too, especially the "Bangkok Bastard," a mojito-like drink with a Thai-style twist.

Soul Food Mahanakorn, 56/10 Sukhumvit Soi 55 (Thong Lor), Bangkok 10110 Thailand;

7/19/1711:49 PM

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Shop houses and street food

Stir-fried pork and basil topped with a fried egg. So simple, so wonderful.

Bangkok is famous for its street food and shop-house restaurants, which makes picking just one vendor difficult.

To experience the best of Bangkok street food, we advise hitting some of the more famous eating neighborhoods and start sampling.

Most shop houses or street vendors specialize in one dish, whether it's duck noodles, pad Thai or red pork on rice.

Some of the best Bangkok street food zones to hit include Bang Rak (between Taksin BTS station and the junction of Charoen Krung and Silom Road), Victory Monument (BTS: Victory Monument), Soi Ari (BTS: Ari), Chinatown, Wongwian Yai and Ratchawat.

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7/19/1711:50 PM

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Nightlife

The Speakeasy

An upmarket bar with great views, The Speakeasy at Hotel Muse is set in a beautiful space on the 24th and 25th floors.

Designed to bring back some Prohibition Era nostalgia, it consists of two bars, a cigar lounge, private salas and a boardroo.

The Speakeasy, 55/555 Soi Langsuan Lumpini,, Bangkok 10330 Thailand;

7/19/1711:51 PM

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Sukhumvit Soi 11

In recent years, this busy Bangkok street in the city's Nana area has been pumped full of hotels, tourist-friendly pubs, nightclubs and restaurants.

Soi 11 newcomers worth checking out include Apoteka -- great live music, stiff drinks and craft beer -- and Levels, an enormous, high-ceilinged room whose centerpiece is a circular, glowing bar with a jazzy LED chandelier overhead.

The latter has house-heavy DJs every night, with the occasional visiting big deal international act.

Sukhumvit, Bangkok Thailand;

7/19/1711:51 PM

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Bangkok: Insider Travel Guide

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