5 Must-Dos: Bangkok

01 May 2011

The essential quick guide for discerning travellers
BY KAREN EMMONS

1. PAY SHOPPING HOMAGE

With shopping akin to a religion in Thailand, more and more temples of consumer extravagance (read: shopping malls) are filling the city centre. Yet the must-experience shoppers’ delight is still the sprawling Chatuchak weekend market (chatuchak.org). It occupies more than 10ha and sports over 15,000 booths selling a variety of items – tribal bangles and pearls; cute puppies and household goods; original art pieces and knock-off designer wear; you name it, they have it. When it gets unbearably warm and sticky, Siam Center (siamcenter.co.th) is an old favourite. Some of the best Thai designers have shops on the third floor. Look in the boutiques of brands like 27 Friday, Theatre, Greyhound and PlayHound for some very witty and distinctly Thai fashion: think fishprint blazers, cut-out dresses and groovy shoes. Want a little luxury? Gaysorn (gaysorn.com) is a quick taxi or one-stop train ride up Ploenchit Road from Siam Center, and houses the boutiques of well-known international Thai designers such as Senada Theory, Sretsis and Fly Now, along with imported brands like Prada, Emilio Pucci and La Perla.

Shop for art at Chatuchak market.

2. FLY TO THE MOON

Between the potent martinis and breathtaking view from cloud level, you’ll feel as if you’re ascending to astral dimensions from one of several rooftop bars and restaurants punctuating the Bangkok skyline. While certainly not the highest, the 56th-floor Red Sky Bar (centralhotelsresorts.com/cgcw/restaurant.asp) has, perhaps, the friendliest atmosphere – children are welcome and the bartenders can’t stop smiling. Towering above the city’s central shopping hub, the neon-pink bar has a spectacular night-time view, and martinis that are considered the best and least expensive in town. Vertigo Grill and Moon Bar on the 61st floor of the Banyan Tree Bangkok (banyantree.com/en/bangkok) is an enduring favourite for an evening cocktail, if only because it seems more intimate with the sky above, and a 360-degree view from wherever you are seated.

The Red Sky Bar offers great city views.

3. LOVE YOURSELF

Arguably, Thailand is the spa capital of the world. So how can you pass through Bangkok and not sample this divine experience? Joe Cummings, veteran travel writer and one of Thailand’s oldest hipsters, insists you’ll have a special experience at i.sawan Residential Spa & Club (isawan.hyatt.com). The spa’s name means “fifth level of heaven” and its products, treatments and think-of-everything service certainly have transporting capacities. The award-winning Healing Balance massage uses hot basalt stones to relax weary bodies and healing crystals to rejuvenate. The author of Thailand’s Luxury Spas, Chami Jotisalikorn, prefers the Divana spa (divanaspa.com) for good-value luxury. She finds many of the spa’s treatments creative and lavish, with several based on ancient Asian royal palace practices.

4. EAT NEW THAI FOOD

One of the hippest things in Bangkok right now is Thai food prepared by foreigners, says long-time American resident and popular food critic Robert Halliday (known locally by his Thai name Ung-aang Talay). The best, he proclaims, can be had at Nahm (metropolitan.bangkok.como.bz), which serves only dinner, between 7pm and 11pm daily. “He (chef-owner David Thompson) does spicy right,” says the critic. Meanwhile, for wholesome street food, head to Soul Food Mahanakorn (soulfoodmahanakorn.com), which opens from 6.30pm to 1am daily. The cocktail-bar-cum-restaurant, launched by American food writer Jarrett Wrisley, serves regional Thai dishes with many ingredients sourced from small farms in the north-east. The banana flower salad, with just a hint of tamarind and coconut, is a true treat.

5. BASK IN GREENERY

In its mad dash to be a modern city, Bangkok sometimes feels like a line out of Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi: “They paved paradise and put up a parking lot…” Thankfully, the 58ha of terra firma known as Lumpini Park will probably not be paved any time soon. It is named after Buddha’s birthplace in Nepal, Lumbini, and still houses Bangkok’s first public library. Here, you can rent paddle boats (about 40 baht for 30 minutes) and explore the man-made lake. The outdoor art is whimsical and if your timing is serendipitous, there are free street performance festivals and classical music concerts. But the quirkiest delights are the daily morning melange of tai chi, sword fighting, fan dancing or ballroom dancing enthusiasts.

Sword fighting is a popular morning activity at Lumpini Park.

• CURRENCY
  Thai Baht
• VISA
  Requirements vary. Visit www.mfa.go.th for details.
• BEST TIME TO VISIT
  Cool season, November to February, is also peak season; June to October is the rainy season but it doesn’t rain all day and hotel rates are generally lower.
• HOW TO GET THERE
  Visit singaporeair.com for schedules and fares.
• MORE INFORMATION
  tourismthailand.org