Happy Travel Log: Where to Shop in Bangkok

February 2016, we visited Bangkok just before Chinese New Year. Relaxed, shopped, food hunt and felt the atmosphere of Chinese festival there. Hoorai...

Tiger Air
We took Tiger Air, budget Air Singapore has Air Asia, Jet Star, Tiger Air, Scoot go over Bangkok. Basically all the prices almost the same when we checked. As Tiger and Jet Star have higher flight frequency to Bangkok so we shortlisted both. Previous trip was took Jet Star so this round we took Tiger.
Well, after the trip we realized the different is if take Tiger, passengers have to transfer by shuttle bus to the plane in Changi Airport. The air ticket plus baggage and other charges sum up as SGD 395 for 2 pax.

Wheather
According to relevant Bangkok website, the coolest months in Bangkok are December to February. Our trip there the temperature range between 18 deg C to 32 deg C which is pretty enjoyable.

Connectivity
After research, the good network coverage is Telco called DTAC. The tourist SIM card package is available at the arrival hall of Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport. Lowest cost package come with 7 days unlimited internet surfing is Happy Tourist SIM 299 cost at 299 Bath. Do note that users can enjoy maximum surfing speed up to 1.5 GB, beyond that the speed will be reduced unless pay again.

Transportation
Heard about the taxi and tuk tuk scam in Bangkok. (tuk tuk: The auto rickshaw in Bangkok. It is alternative of taxi which given better maneuver in Bangkok city with heavy traffic congestion.)
With the advice from blogs and forums, we carefully in selecting taxi / tuk tuk. At airport, went to taxi counter to get the slip then take the taxi. This is to make sure the driver is not from scam. In the city, asked the mall counter / hotel bellboy to call taxi for us. Avoid to take taxi in waiting mode at the road side. Firmed the price with driver before the ride. Took BTS / MRT as much as possible. (BTS: Bangkok's skytrain; MRT: Bangkok's subway / metro)

Accommodation
Tripadvisor is our regular site for hotel searching. As wife wanted to shop around in Pratunam area (famous in shoppers that looking for good bargain lady stuffs), we selected this hotel just right opposite of Platinum Mall, the famous one stop wholesale shopping and modern fashion mall. The hotel named GLOW Pratunam.

Hotel room is clean and modern. Staffs are friendly. No regret.
It cost us 2700 Bath each night without breakfast. Tried their paid breakfast on first morning, not bad, suitable to both of us and the spread is ok. However, in order to give more spaces in stomach for our food hunt so the following days morning all we hunted outside.

The Breakfast

Thanks GLOW Pratunam for free swan towel decor.

Day 01

After checked in to hotel, left half day, settled the late lunch then we straight to Platinum Mall. Most of the floors are lady stuffs, 1 floor for man, 1 floor for children. As the boutique owners be it local or oversea will come here to get the stock, so the more you buy the more discount. However, try ask for discount even for 1 piece, the sellers there is fine to give if he/she could. That half day really not enough for us to shop all the floors, so we decided to come again the other day.

The Platinum Fashion Mall

222 Petchburi Road,

ThanonPetchburi, Ratchthevi

Phone: +66 (0) 2-121-8000

Opening:

SAT, SUN, WED : 08.00 - 20.00

MON, TUE, THU, FRI : 09.00 - 20.00

(most of the shops close at 19.00)
Nearby BTS station: Chit Lom, Siam (need to walk about 10-20 mins)
Nearby Airport Rail Link station: Ratchaprarop (need to walk about 10-20 mins)

Let's have a look on street views:

Day 02

According to other blogs, Platinum Mall mainly is for tourist and there is another mall for locals especially students to shop. You can get good bargain there too. It called Union Mall.

Next morning after breakfast, we headed to Union Mall. It is located at MRT station Phahon Yothin. A bit distance from centre Bangkok. Not big as Platinum Mall but half day was enough for us. Wife did the manicure there, good service and nice.

Photo courtesy: Union Mall

Union Mall

Address: 54 Lat Phrao Rd, Chom Phon, Chatuchak

Bangkok, Thailand 10700

Phone: +66 (0) 2 512 5000

Opening Hours:

Mon - Fri: 11:00 am - 9:00 pm

Sat - Sun: 10:30 am - 10:00 pm

Nearby MRT station: Phahon Yothin

Normal and oversize clothes.

Wife did manicure here, followed the crowd, picked this with most customers. No regret. Shop name: More Than Nail

Higher floor at Union Mall has a lot of such shops.

Day 03
Day 3 itinerary was Hello Kitty Cafe and MBK Shopping Centre, last stop foot massage. We have been in Malaysia Johor Bharu Hello Kitty Town. This cafe is another lovely spot for girls. The coffee also quite nice, even though their selling points are not coffee but I tasted and it was good.
They are not only cafe, customers can have Kitty products at basement floor. Also there is a manicure area too.
This coffee and cake meal cost us 395 Bath.

Sanrio Hello Kitty House Bangkok

Address: Siam Square 1 Shopping Mall, LG FL – 2nd FL

Open daily 10 am – 10 pm
Nearby BTS station: Siam

MBK Shopping Centre has eight floors with about 2,000 shops that sell clothing, fashion accessories, handbags, leather products, luggage, furniture, mobile phones, electric appliances, stationery and DVDs. So we could not finish it for half day but we managed to buy some stuffs there.

Tops Market the supermarket there located at ground floor also a good place to visit to get some local products as gift or own used. We got below items from Bangkok which they are famous in Thailand.

MBK Center

Open Daily 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Address : 444 MBK Center Phayathai Rd., Pathumwan Bangkok 10330

Phone: +66 (0) 2620 9000

Nearby BTS station: National Stadium

Photo courtesy: chathai.herokuapp.com

Local tea leave. (Brand Name: Number One Brand) Spotted it at most of the beverage stalls that sell iced milk tea. The milk tea has special fragrance that suit to me.

Photo courtesy: tknclub.com

Fried seaweed, taste different to those seaweed i got it from Japan / Korea. Nice, I like it.

Photo courtesy: latitudes.nu

After 3 days of walking, it is the time to pamper our feet. With the recommendation of other blogs, we went to this Number One Massage & Spa. Well, Thai like to use 'Number One', Number One Brand tea, Number One massage, haha.

Skills were good, after done, our feet did not feel tired anymore. Their foot massage come with head and neck massage as well. As we went at non peak hour, we enjoyed discounted 'happy hour' rate.

Number One Massage, Bangkok

Petchburi Soi 15 (opposite Platinum Mall with short distance walk)

Contact: +66 (0) 2-653-9967 / (0) 85-999-3347

Operating Hours: 09:00 – 01:00 hr

Day 04
Day 4 we headed to Pratunam Market and EmQuartier. Pratunam Market is for us to look for good bargain, conversely EmQuartier will be place to look for luxury goods.
Pratunam Market is a wholesale market that sell clothes, shoes, fashion accessories. Same like Platinum Mall, the more you buy you get better prices. The difference is market does not have air condition. To avoid the heat, we visited it early morning and left by 1000 hr.

Location:

Intersection of Ratchaprop and Petchburi roads (next to Amari Watergate Hotel).

The shops and tiny stalls flowing over to the sidewalks and extending all the way to Baiyoke Towers I and Baiyoke Towers II on Ratchaprarop Soi 3.

Opening: 24 hrs

Backed to hotel to shower and put down those shopped items we went for lunch. Next we headed to EmQuartier. After few days of good bargain shopping (low cost), we wanted to look at Bangkok's luxury shopping district. EmQuartier is new with nice design, no intention to buy luxury items, but have an eye-opening walk also not a bad choice.
It opened in March 2015. EmQuartier is under EM District group that owning Emporium too. Both malls located at both sides of BTS station Phrom Phong.

EmQuartier Bangkok has nice design with dozens of restaurants, offices, event halls and a cool atrium garden with a waterfall.

You can get luxury items like Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Chanel, etc. Then climb to higher floors you can get affordable brands like Zara, Uniqlo, H&M, etc. Also Thai homegrown brands are available there like Fly Now, Greyhound, Kloset and Soda.

The design is nice, plenty of grass, plants and trees at each level. The mall has 3 different zones, They are ‘The Glass Quartier’, ‘The Helix Quartier’ (where you will find many restaurants by heading up a spiral walkway) and ‘The Waterfall Quartier’. The Waterfall Quartier has a waterfall at central atrium area, good place for photo taking. At fifth floor, there is an open air garden with almost 360 degree overlook the Phrom Phong area.

EM District group will complete this project by adding the last mall call EmSphere which will be completed in 2016. A mall with spherical design. This will be one of the spots to visit when we come again.

EmQuartier Bangkok

Opening Hours: 10:00-22:00 daily

Location: 637 Sukhumvit Road, Bangkok

Nearby BTS station: Phrom Phong

The Waterfall Quartier

Chinese New Year Market at EmQuartier

The Fifth Floor Garden

The Helix Quartier

Emporium Mall

Day 05

Last day before head back Singapore, we went to Terminal 21. This shopping mall placed various countries theme as its interior design at every level. You can find Tokyo theme at 1st floor, London theme at 2nd floor so on and so forth. Even its toilet also no left out, you can see distinct design on each level toilet. We realised some shops their clothes came from Pratunam area. The difference is Pratunam like Platinum Mall you can get better price but can't try and no refund whereas Terminal 21 shops you can try till satisfied then decide. Ask for discount from those small shop owners, they are fine to bargain.

Terminal 21

Opening Hours: 10:00-22:00

Location: Sukhumvit Road (between Soi 19 and 21)

Nearby MRT station: Sukhumvit

Nearby BTS station: Asok