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What is up everyone! Please enjoy our Bangkok trip report and numerous pictures. Bangkok is quite a ways away from home, but we made the trip happen when we burned our Alaska Airline miles. For 50K miles one way per person, we flew business class from the US to Bangkok and took advantage of a 3 day stopover in Hong Kong. So after staying in Hong Kong for a few days, we took a 3 hour flight on Cathay Pacific to finish off the rest of that award flight. I’m so glad we visited Bangkok! Let’s start our Bangkok trip report.
BANGKOK TRIP REPORT: ARRIVING AT THE AIRPORT
After getting off the plane, we headed towards immigration and got in line. The wait was roughly 30-40 minutes so not terribly bad. I’m a very impatient person and I want to get out of the airport as soon as possible to enjoy my destination, but again the wait wasn’t too bad. After immigration we pulled some cash from an ATM, using our Charles Schwab debit card to avoid fees, picked up our bags then headed towards the train.
Bangkok offers a super cheap and convenient airport rail link to take you from Suvarnabhumi airport to the middle of Bangkok. For my wife and I it cost 90 baht, roughly $3 USD at the time, to get from the airport to Phaya Thai Station. Not only is it cheap, but super efficient. Bangkok traffic can be a nightmare and depending on the time of day, you could be in for a LONG car ride to/from the airport.
ARRIVING IN THE CITY
Once in Phaya Thai Station you can then use the BTS, Bangkok’s Skytrain, to get to where you need to go in the city. For another couple of bucks, Adriana and I took the Sukhumvit line and got to Phrom Phong station. This is the stop where our hotel was close by. We walked a few blocks and got to our Hyatt Place hotel.
I really liked this hotel! For under $90 a night we were in a good, convenient part of the city, close to the BTS station, had a pretty cool rooftop bar and breakfast was included for all World of Hyatt members regardless of status! Oh, and the breakfast was outstanding. It wasn’t just a piece of toast and coffee! You had a bunch of Western and Asian options to choose from and it was a great way to start your day. The rooms were modern, clean and a great place to shower and rest your head for the night. Since we don’t typically spend a lot of time in our hotel rooms, we don’t ask for much, but this hotel provided a lot of bang for our buck!
GETTING AROUND
As mentioned, the BTS is super cheap and efficient. The train cars are very clean and the maps are easy to use. It’s definitely my first choice when trying to get around Bangkok. We didn’t figure out how to get a reloadable card, so we paid for every ride when we took it. While the stations may not be in the exact locations you’re going to, the BTS will get you close and then you can get a card to take you where you need to go. Using this method could save you some cash to be better used for street food!!!
Which brings me to the next transportation option. Grab is another option that we used when we didn’t take the BTS. Grab is South Asia’s Uber, and it’s an amazing app! GPS locations were precise and we never had an issue with a driver not meeting us at the pickup point. Although it’s more expensive than the BTS, it’s still a very affordable option to get around the city.
Tuk tuks are another option to get around the city. We rode a couple while in Bangkok and it’s a cool experience. They turned out to be the more expensive option, but it’s one of those “must try at least once” experiences.
THE FOOD
A lot of people I know LOVE Thai food, including us. It was a must that we include the food in our Bangkok trip report. When we decided to go to Thailand, tasting the street food was a major part of the agenda. I’m sure you couldn’t tell by my girlish figure… 😉 Bangkok is especially known for all of its street food stalls and people from the world over come to get their Thai food fix. Once we tasted our first street food dish, we were hooked!
Thai food is very cheap for Western visitors and that’s part of what makes it so appealing. The different variations of pad thai is next level yummy and the Tom Yum soup was delicious and spicy enough to put hair on your chest, just ask Adriana! The grilled skewers of chicken and pork are an awesome snack to hold you over until you get to the next food stall.
For your sweet tooth you have to try the mango sticky rice. Trust me, you’ll love it. I don’t like mango, but I loved it in Thailand. Also, there are numerous food carts selling banana pancakes. They’re like crepes and you choose the goodies to put on it. Also, the coconut ice cream in Thailand is delish!
MICHELIN STAR STREET FOOD
If you’re a Netflix junkie like Adriana and I, then you may have watched a series called Street Food. One of their episodes features Jay Fai. She is the Michelin Starred Street Food Queen. The food is more expensive here compared to other street food stalls in Bangkok and that’s to be expected. The food is amazing, and in my opinion, worth the long wait.
To avoid the long wait, I highly suggest making a reservation prior to coming to Bangkok. I’m talking about making it months before coming to Bangkok. She’s booked for months so you must plan ahead. If you’re like us though and didn’t make a reservation, there’s still hope. You can go to the restaurant around 11am where they leave a sign up sheet for you to write your name. You’ll see people waiting around to put their name on the list. Once you put your name on the list, remember your number and wait for it to be called. Depending on where you’re at on the list, it could be HOURS before getting seated.
SIGNING UP ON THE LIST
When we signed up around noon, we were number 41 on the list. Jay Fai starts cooking at 2pm where you can take some pics or shoot some clips. Until then, we ate some pad thai at a place a couple of doors down since it was a little after lunchtime. After that, we walked around the area for a while to check out the sites. Adriana and I came back to Jay Fai’s around 5pm and they were on number 25. We were a little tired so we found a hostel across the street that had a seating area and a small bar. We had a beer there while we waited. Here’s where we made out mistake!
We assumed that there was still a lot of time left for our number to be called but we were SO WRONG. We were across the street for about 40 minutes before we decided to go and check our number. They were on number 42!! The thing is, when they call your number you must be right outside the restaurant to hear them call it. They’ll call it 2 to 3 times and if you’re not there they go on to the next one.
It turns out that several numbers were skipped which is why they jumped from 25 to 42 in a short amount of time. When we went and told them we were 41, they said sorry and suggested that we sign up again. Their policy is that if you’re skipped, too bad. While we weren’t happy with that, it was our own fault for being skipped. So we signed up again at number 68!
WORTH THE WAIT???
This time we sat there and didn’t move until our number was called. As we waited, we saw several others who were skipped and were told the same thing as us. I’m glad they enforced that policy to everyone. Eventually our number was called and we were ready! At 8:30 pm we were seated! When they call your number, they give you a menu before you’re seated so that you can take your order. Once you’re seated, they take your drink order and you wait for your food.
The food was amazing and worth the wait in my opinion. We both ordered her famous crab omelet, then I ordered the Tom Yum Soup and Adriana ordered the Thai curry. We were happily stuffed when we finished! For the food plus 3 large beers that we shared it cost around $120. I’d eat there again, but with a reservation!!
THINGS TO DO
There are so many things to do in Bangkok. We spent a few short days there and we didn’t have nearly enough time to see everything that we wanted, especially since we spent so much time waiting for a table at Jay Fai. Aside from feasting on street food, we visited the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market. It wasn’t my favorite experience because it was catered towards tourism. I was expecting to see locals buying and selling their goods there. This market is the most popular market, but it’s a borderline tourist trap in my opinion.
WHEN we go back to Bangkok, I’d like to visit the Amphawa Floating market instead. It’s 90km from Bangkok and a bit touristy, but it’s still a legit market where locals go to buy goods. Speaking of markets, Chatuchak Market is a place I’d visit as well. Also on the list for when we go back is visiting the Grand Palace. It used to be the king’s home so it would be cool to see how the royal folks used to live.
One thing that I really wish we would’ve done is take a boat trip on the Chao Phraya River. It’s a neat way to check out some different angles of the city and the little canals that feed off from the river. Also, trying to squeeze in a workout while on vacation is tough to do, so to knock out 2 birds with one stone, I’d climb the Sathorn Unique Tower. It’s just a big abandoned tower that you can climb to the top and take some epic shots of the city.
CONCLUSION
Our Bangkok trip was very fun and very short. It left us wanting more. I need to find a way to work in Bangkok on another one of our trips as I feel that we missed out on so so much. The nice thing is that many Asian and European cities connect in Bangkok so finding a one way route won’t be difficult or expensive. I hope you enjoyed our Bangkok trip report and found it useful. Have you been to Bangkok?
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