Best Places to Stay in BKK
So you’re planning to head to Thailand and you’ve decided to spend more than just transit time in Bangkok, where should you stay? This is one of the most important questions you will have to ask and answer before you take on the city of angels, great city of immortals, magnificent city of the nine gems, seat of the king, city of royal palaces, home of gods incarnate, erected by Visvakarman at Indra’s behest. Some people just call it Krungthep, others call it Bangkok.
As a result of Thailand’s open culture and openness to visitors from so many countries, Bangkok is an incredibly diverse metropolitan city. With more districts and sub-districts than can be easily counted, and each one offering a distinct flavor and set of amenities and attractions, and the middle class booming to the tune of shiny new automobiles, traffic and desire to experience the city can smack into each other in the nastiest ways. This is why choosing where you will be staying is so important, and the first step in picking a good place is not, as you might expect, budget; it is sights and attractions of interest.
Maybe you were interested in doing a bit of shopping, and that makes a lot of sense. Bangkok is one of the biggest open markets on the planet, maybe the biggest. And I don’t mean it has the biggest market or the most markets, while both of those statements may also be close enough to the truth. I mean the whole city, or at least huge swaths of it (anywhere there are people) is a market place. The front of houses become shops and restaurants, the sidewalk fills up with food carts and vendors of everything you could possibly imagine. But, some regions are better than others.
There are two distinctively different shopping experiences to be had in Bangkok, and entire days (more than one day) can be spent pursuing either one – malls or street markets. So here are the two easiest areas to start with and base yourself – Chidlom and Sukhumvit. Sukhumvit is lined with shops and stalls of an incredibly eclectic variety. In one city block you’ll be measured for some clothes, get a massage, have the cuisine of at least 3 continents, buy some new luggage, and pick up a phrase book; but only if you don’t stop at the tea shop, herbalist, fortune teller, acupuncturist, or guitar shop. Just not enough time.
Parts of Sukhumvit have different characteristics and different groups of tourists and expats tend to congregate in them. Some areas are full of halal restaurants and mosques, others are full of Indian travelers and smell like curry, and there are lodgings to fit any budget in there from the kingliest palace to the most humble of hovels.
The BTS is the sky train rapid transport system in Bangkok, and if you can it is something you want to have your hotel close to. If you get off the BTS in Chidlom, or perhaps stay in there to begin with and just leave the hotel, you are in the middle of some of the most exquisite world class shopping malls anywhere. Central World, Central Chidlom, Gaysorn, Erawan in the Ratchaprasong shopping district, as well as Platinum Fashion Mall, and Pantip Plaza towards Pratunam are all within walking distance and the super cool Terminal 21, sort of a tour of the world in a single building, is on Sukhumvit near the Chidlom BTS, so after a bite to eat on the fisherman’s wharf in San Francisco you can step back out on to the street and right back into what is undeniably a very Thai shopping strip. Check out some of our articles that take a closer look at these malls to see which ones you’ll have time for too, because they are also huge.
The shopping districts near the Chidlom BTS terminal is a great place to start your search for the ideal place to set up HQ in BKK, but maybe you want to see some particular temples, or maybe you want a quieter, more local experience, or maybe you came for Muay Thai (Thai kickboxing) whatever your travel desire is, you are sure to find it in this great city.
I really hope this article helped you with your choice of stay. We wish you an adventurous and wonderfully cultural time ahead, traveler!
If you want a transfer from the airport to one of these hotels let us know. We can arrange a private transport for you.
