Bangkok: Shopping Haven (Part 1)

I recently just got back from Bangkok. It was rather peaceful there. According to the taxi drivers, they have lifted the curfews. I even stalked the streets of the Patpong Night Market  way past midnight.  No coup in Bangkok. No sight of soldiers. Everything was back to normal.

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/04/travel/thailand-tourist-update-june/

I was so worried initially and I thought I had to cancel my trip to Bangkok.
Thank goodness we went ahead as planned. 

When coming out from the airport, go straight to the public cab area which charges only 500 Baht vs the nicely dressed guys in suits after you keluar from airport selepas mendarat which charges at 700 Baht! Some more can tell me it costs more because it takes an hour to my hotel, traffic jam....blah blah..blah...
I took the public cab (just walk outside) and within less than 35 min's I'm at my hotel already.

I stayed at  Four Points Hotel in Bangkok

Here's a view from the outside. 

Generally it was a convenient location at Sukhumvit Soi 15 and located in between ASOK and NANA BTS Station. A walk to the new TERMINAL 21 shopping mall was a breeze, less than 10 mins' walk. I am going to cover one blogpost on Terminal 21 alone later. So right now, a simple introduction to the hotel where I stay. 

We were greeted with a warm and friendly smile by their helpful staff from the hotel.

Everytime our taxi arrives at the hotel's doorstep (after every shopping trip), tentu ada staff dari hotel yang help us with the luggage or buka pintu for us from the cab. They even double check if we have any left behind belongings inside the cab! What customer service! 

The lobby looks spacious and contemporary.

 Love the artistic feel and space!

Green lungs. Lush greenery outside the hotel.

The makan place. Tapi I tak makan disini cause Bangkok terlalu banyak street food. 

Cari makanan di tempat lain. 

The check in counters. 

To see other's point of view, read the review of others on Trip Advisor here

I know you may be eager to view the rooms. 

Here's a quick look at my room and bathroom. Splendid I must say!

 Yay! There's a bathtub. 

In every hotel, I will usually check out their pool area. This is how awesome their pool area is. The pool is not very big, but the sun bathing and chilling area is pretty cool. I was too busy shopping. Did not go in for a dip. However saw some mat salleh sun bathing on the couches.

Sunny Days are here to stay

 Nice place to chill

It was mom's first experience in Bangkok and my third.
The weather was kind to us. No rain. Just hot. It was bearable with the constant mall hopping with air conditioner.

Everywhere you turn, you will see street stalls and shopping malls, encouraging you to shop and spend. Stalls setting up selling clothes.

Shopping haven for clothes. But I must say, the best place to buy clothes  is still at Platinum Mall  in Pratunam where it's wholesale price if you get more than 2-3 pieces and prices are relatively cheaper. Tak payah bargain there. Prices of clothes are so affordable. 

About RM20 - RM35 a piece. A T-shirt can range from RM10- RM25. An XXL size T-shirt will usually cost more. So size does matter!

Walkway full of people selling and buying. Full of activities.

There are many cable wires hanging just about everywhere because they do not have underground areas to hold them. Initially I thought they were kind of messy. 

But it's very normal there.

What I love about Bangkok most is the town planning. I love all the connecting elevated walkways above ground level which connects malls and BTS without having pedestrians run across the busy streets. Plus it's shaded. Super convenient.

Cabs are aplenty on the streets. Just hail them. 
All malls and hotels have at least 2-3 people attending to customers and assisting them for cab rides. Sometimes taking a cab is more justifiable than the BTS. 

A simple ride within Pratunam and back to my hotel at Sukhumvit Soi 15 is about 150-200 Baht. It's very reasonable to travel in cabs around Bangkok. If 3 orang take BTS back is also about the price of a cab. Cabs to/from airport is about 500 Baht.

So much more to share. Stay tuned for part 2.