Bangkok Trip 2.0 - Hotel review and where what when~

So during the short 2 weeks October school holidays, I went on a trip to BANGKOK!!!

YES BANGKOK! Been planning and waiting for this trip for 5 months(Since May!). And well it was worth it. My last semester in school was super cray cray, been way too busy with projects and exams... and I almost forgot my birthday. (Yes, it was that busy..)

But lucky enough after all that chaos in school, I was able to look forward to my trip with my bf and my bestie, Hazel, and her bf.  Funny story but well its a double date trip. Hahaha. 

Anyway, this time round we decided to take up my sisters recommendation and book a hotel at

   The Residence Rajatavee

Well... Firstly this hotel has a super good location. It's a 5 min walk away from Siam Paragon and a 5-10 mins walk away from Platinum mall. Location is superb. Cos everything is of walking distance (which also means you get to save on transport *wink*). 

Secondly, the service staff is really nice and prompt too. Which is good.... But the bad thing is when we were there, the water heater in the hotel was spoilt so everyone had to shower in cold water. EVERYONE. Which was kinda stupid and irritating... (I really wanted to have as much tub time as i could but.. sadly i can't)  ):

Third, the hotel isn't well known by many taxi drivers or tuk tuk drivers making it hard to tell them where to go, especially when we are flagging for a cab and there is a jam or fast traffic.
But I would totally recommend the pick-up taxi service that hotel provides, the services is good and you don't have to worry about getting a cab on time for your flight.
It usually cost about 700-750 if you get a big cab from the airport to any hotel and around the same price back. So the total would take about 1400bhat or so. We decided to hire a cab by the hotel which cost us 800bhat, it was for a mini van but it was definitely worth it, no worries just a smooth ride to the airport.

Fourth, and also one of the most important thing is a 7-11 which is just in front of our hotel, approximately 30-40 steps away. Which I might add is a really important thing, cos we need late night snacks and water.. so the nearer it is, the better hehe.

Lastly... and also the major thing that makes all of us decided NOT to go back was that it freaking flooded right in front of our hotel... only our hotel.. The main road was fine but the alley leading to our hotel was flooded. And put in mind Bangkok roads are not the cleanest, and boy was the water cold and black. (Although it was at night but... you can definitely see it was black.)  

But to be fair.. It was the raining season in Thailand.  So it rained every night when we were there... but it was no excuse. It's just bad.  Bad bad bad.

Next SHOPPING!!!

Platinum Mall

#ootd
Crop top and High waisted floral shorts from Cotton On

Of course Breakfast at Soi 19 before going to platinum mall 

As usual, Platinum Mall is a must go for both Hazel and I.
1. Its to buy Contact lenses
2. to buy clothes and accessories
LOL

The poor boys didn't stay with us cos.. well the mall.. is mainly catered to girls.
Although there's a guys section... but honestly there isn't much.
But of course don't miss out a chance of finding something nice.. walk the whole level at least once!

A huge tip when shopping there is to take note of the places that you have walked before..
it can be confusing. But try to remember so you don't get lost or waste time walking the same place twice! Also start from the top and work your way down.. and don't rush to buy something immediately.. there can be shops selling the same things at a wayyyyy cheaper price.


Chaktuchak Market

Coconut, Mango and Thai Iced Tea Ice Cream

So ONE of the main attractions in BKK is to go to CHAKTUCHAK WEEKEND MARKET.
I always try to make sure that the trip falls near or on the weekend so I get to go over to get so cheap deals.

Yes, Chaktuchak can be dirty.. it is a market after all...it ain't no shopping centre.
But rest assured! Be adventurous here, be prepared to walk and shop till you drop.

I've been to BKK many many times before the last two years and yes I did find CTC quite intimidating at first... not being used to the environment of hot and sweaty people, squeezy rows and rows of shops and alleys. But! don't go with that mindset!

Be ready to tackle all of that, go with :
1. Wet tissues (Not only for your hands but for your face and body to wipe of dirt and sweat)
2. Umbrella (extra cover from the heat, sun and rain)
3. Sunglasses! (Those eyes need protection from that hot sun too!)
4. Re-usable bags (those fold-able bags that you can get from supermarkets, to put your shopping into, I bring this everywhere in bkk it helps to have lesser things on your hand when browsing.)
5. BUY WATER THERE!! (No need to carry 2 bottles in your bag.. buy them there!)
6. Sweets (in-case like me.. we don't stop for food.. so sweets is a good idea...)
7. Money (of course! don't forget to bring enough money to shop! if not if won't be fun walking around with and empty wallet)
8. Map of CTC! (We found this.. very very important. travelling in groups means splitting up and meeting each other later.. so this definitely helped alot.. plus if u need to go back to somewhere mark a huge X on it)

Things at CTC are far much cheaper than malls in the city area, So be sure to make this your first pit stop of the trip so that you get an idea of how much things really are.
BARGAIN as much as you can.. Nowadays some shops don't do bargaining.. but don't fret if you really like it buy it.. you may not see it again so get it.. unless its too expensive den think and think again before buying it.

I personally go there to get jeans shorts.. cos its really cheap.. like...150BHAT = SGD$8 a pair so I mean why not right~ hahaha

(PS: How to measure the if shorts/skirts are right size for you?The size of your waist can be measured with your neck.. but to be safe get a size bigger (if you wanna).. and always measure the circumference of the widest point i.e. your butt.. cos that thing... takes up the most space.. so be sure to get the right size )

Siam

But first lemme take a selfie 

Siam was mainly for the boys.. they have many thing to see there actually..
For us girls after shopping at platinum and CTC, Siam can be wayyyy out of your price range but they have really nice and unique things there. so take a look and walk!
H&M, F21 and High end brands are located at Siam Paragon, Siam Square and etc all around that area. So walk! or take the train~

Shopping centres to me are reserved to buy make up hahah! or things from oversea brands like H&M.. but sometimes it can be much cheaper then the ones at home so no harm to walk one round!

Terminal 21

#ootd
Black dress bought from Platinum mall
Bag bought last year from Pratunam market 

So on the previous trip, I missed out on going to terminal 21. So it was definitely a must-go this time round. Hazel and I was definitely not disappointed... hahaha! I mean there is H&M there and there was this little store which we bought bracelets from (which we loveeee) so we were definitely satisfied. Not forgetting the boys of course, they were able to look around too!

PS: There is a really cool denim shop that sells jeans so if guys are looking to buy jeans you could go and have a look~ the price is that much cheaper so think before you buy!!

PPS: Don't forget to take photos there! Terminal 21 has many of these cool locations where you can take photos! Every floor is a different country!~

I don't have much else to talk about cos we were focusing on shopping and eating hahaha! sooo.. NEXT POST! FOOD!

... To Be Continued....
*just keep scrolling scrolling scrolling scrolling~*

Bangkok Trip~

Hi guys,
Recently I went to Bangkok with my beloved bbg.
(i.e. baby girl, also my best friend and also like a sister to me, Hazel).
So the both of us, with a group of guy friends, we booked our tickets and our hotel rooms and off we went!

I have been to Bangkok quite a few times (4-6 times) in the past with my mom and have fond memories there. So going back to Bangkok for the first time with no parental guidance and with friends that haven't gone back in at least 5 years, I was nervous but excited to see what has changed.

Plus it was my first trip so far with no adult help.. made things a'lil bit more adventurous :D

Flew by : Scoot Airlines

Upon arrival, one thing you might want to consider getting would be a Hi-card.
They sell ones with the travel packages and has 3G with them so you can contact your friends and family on the go~ super convenient! Plus it was only 299 bhat ( < SGD$8) has unlimited data and 100 bhat available in  your hi-card to make calls and text messages.

Also when you arrive you might wan to get a taxi from the airport taxi stand.. cos its a'lil cheaper.
The stand is a level below the store where you get your hi-card from.

Get a receipt from the lady at the stand there and there will be a cab driver ready to drive you to your destination at the stated price. It's about 400 - 550 bhat (around SGD$16 - SGD$25-30 )from the airport to the city. 

But it also depends on the number of people taking the cab.
In my case we had 5 people, so we took a big cab and paid 700 baht for the 5 of us, pretty affordable! ^^

Stayed at : First House Hotel

That's how the front of the hotel looked like.

If you haven't heard of First House Hotel before, its actually located next to Pratunam market. Like literally next door!
Plus if you are intending to spend most of your time at Platinum Fashion Mall, which is only a 3-5 min walk away! It'll be ideal if your buying in bulk and don't want to stay too far b'cos it''ll be heavy for you to carry your shopping around.

To be honest, when girls go to Bangkok it only basically means one thing... SHOPPING..

So, the hotel room would be a nice place to rest and be a safe location to put or luggage and shopping. Also it has to look pretty and comfy also CLEAN. (well.. at least for me I know I would like that) Plus it's cheap.. well cheap considering a 4 day 4 night stay there.

The hotel provides two bottles of water everyday, so every day they will replace two glass bottles of water in the room. (It's considering tap water is advised NOT to be drank)
And 7-11 is just across the road 1-3 mins away! Super convenient to get late night snacks and buy back big bottles of water.

Oh plus there is this really good wanton noodle store/restaurant down the road where the hotel is and it opens from 9 am-4 pm so get your breakfast or lunch or early dinner there. Portions are small but really yummy. If you don't speak Thai not to worry as well. The staff is really nice, friendly and one of them speaks Chinese! which.. does wonders to language barriers.

Sorry for the mess, but we just came back from 7-11 and have not unpacked yet.

But with Pros, there are also Cons.. and yes this hotel has its cons too.
1. Inconvenient
   If you are looking to spend a lot of time at MBK or at Siam.
   Well basically the city area its no way near there at all. Its actually 20-30 mins walk away from the Ratchadawi BTS station, which is far.
   (Well far if you are considering how tired you will be after shopping for hours at some place and only have to walk 30 more mins just to get back to your hotel room. Plus its hot.. *like hey~ sun is shining and its humid and all you wanna do is hide in a air-con room* kinda hot. )
   Than you'll most likely end up having to spend money on tuk-tuks or cab just to get back to the hotel.

2. Only one card key
   I think if you're only travelling in pairs there isn't actually a need for another key card.
   But if you travel in a group and especially if you end up splitting up into different groups from your room-mate, den you will need that extra key card which they do not provide.
   Also say if you or your roomy is feeling down and wanna stay in, that key card will be in that slot that           activates the electricity and the lights in the room. So whoever is out shopping or walking, will have no key to open the door also the one inside has to wait for the roomy to come back so that they can open the door for them.

3. No safe in the room

   We all need a safe.. for your valuables that you don't wanna bring around with you. So yeah. But they do have safes at the front desk. so you can use those.

4. Tiny lift
   They have a small and med sized lift. so if u have huge luggages, it'll be hard to fit more that 3 into one lift :/

5. No flask to cook hot water and no hair dryer
   If you need your morning hot coffee or tea there is NO hot water.. but you can actually get it from room service so its alright~
   Plus if you are like me, you need to blow your hair after you shower or use it to style your hair.. Than.. u have got to bring your own.

6. THE WALLS ARE THIN!
   Okay! Listen up rowdy people! hahaha!
   My dear roomy and I love talking out loud! Laughing is a form of happiness for us and so is chattering, gossiping, singing and shouting.
   We did a tiny experiment and well.. she could hear me laughing from the outside of the room.. so like wise we could also hear when people walking and chattering outside. But luckily we couldn't hear what was going on in the rooms beside us.. so well.. 3 out of 4 walls are definitely sound proof. :D


Overall... the hotel was not bad~ hahaha it was good if you are on a budget. And I kinda enjoyed my stay there too no complains about that.(:

I really like my corner of the room~ the light makes it so cozy!

Next!
SHOPPING AND PLACES TO SHOP!

Our first day there a Sunday, we went to Chaktuchak.
Chaktuchak is a well known location for both locals and tourist to get cheap deals and do tons and tons of shopping! With endless rows and rows of shops that goes on and on!
But one thing about Chaktuchak is that its a weekend market. So its only opened on Saturdays and Sundays! So make sure to have your holiday booked over the weekends so that you can enjoy the full experience!
Tips: Go there early! the later it gets the hotter its gets. Plus the afternoon crowds are crazy! so make sure you start early!

Escaping from the mid afternoon sun and crowd! 

On our second day~
We went to Siam.(Didn't have the mood of strength to take photos so.. yeah)
Places you HAVE to visit is Siam Square and Siam Paragon!
So don't miss out!

We had dinner at MBK, one of my absolute favourite places and a must go every time I'm at Bangkok.
Mt Fuji.
They serve really yummy and reasonable prices for good Japanese food.

Mt Fuji Dinner at MBK!

Day Three~
We spend most of the day at Platinum malls on the third day so, naturally we had lunch at the food court!
One thing I love about these shopping malls is that the food court have really nice food, super convenient and clean! Plus it's CHEAP! our meal only cost us about 70 bhat each! (around SGD $2 < $3)

Our Lunch at Platinum Mall!
- char siew rice (top)
- Tom yam soup (middle)
-Pork trotter rice with egg (below)
-Thai ice tea (cup) and oishi green tea (bottle)

And then back to MBK for dinner again.~
This time we had a feel for curry so... hehehehe

Curry dinner at MBK!

So to sum it up.
I had fun shopping and eating on this trip.
Although this 4 days and 4 nights is really way too short for hazel and I, but we enjoyed ourselves and came back home with tons of shopping.

All my fav food!
1. Phad Thai 2. Bananaooyoo's banana milk & Matcha green tea
3. Mister doughnut and banana strawberry smoothie
4. Tea Story's strawberry smoothie and milk tea
5. Banana Nutella crepe 6. Coconut Ice cream!

Hi Hazel~
Follow me on Instagram @ cherishurself

My loots!! Shop till you drop!

So~
I hope I was able to help out a'lil.. well at least on hotel and some shopping areas.
If you are going to BKK soon I hope this help and hope that you will have as much of a good time as I did.

That's it for my trip to Bangkok~
Till the next post.
Cheers~
-Cheris:)