Coley's Just Saying...: Bangkok Eat Shop Eat Itinerary for 1 or 2 days

We went to Bangkok last weekend because Auntie Celita wanted to go, and since we found cheap tickets that only required 1 day leave, I said why not? We left on a Thursday night (so Sofia and I took the day off on Friday) - so my parenting style might raise eyebrows, but I'm a true believer of learning through experience and from travelling the world, so one day away from the classroom is something I allow. Our flight back was nice because we were able to fly home on Sunday morning, so we had the afternoon to rest, and I didn't have to go to work directly from the airport (which I normally do).

My parents joined us this time, but my sister backed out because she just changed jobs, so I insisted that we stay at Centre Point Hotel in Pratunam. You can read my post about them here. Since we're in Bangkok quite often, we have our itinerary down to a science and I actually end up doing everything I want to do in a day. The second day is just a bonus.

1 Day Itinerary

We normally have breakfast in the room. Then start out at the hotel pool since Sofia is such a water baby.

7-11 finds for this trip. I prefer the Lay's Nori, but the cream puffs and the
Spicy Cheese Noodles are good for a change.

Sof got Lola Celita to swim with her.

Then we got Lolo to watch her once Partunam Wholesale Market opened.
Otherwise known as Magnanakaw Central, totally a good idea to shop while
Sofia is swimming because the pickpockets prey on distracted moms with kids.

I wasn't really able to buy anything from the market except for 2 tops, a pair
of pants, but I was very happy to find a tako (coconut thai dessert) vendor.

We were in a bit of a rush to get out of the hotel before noon because we were meeting my Aunt's good friend for lunch. Otherwise, we would have been more relaxed and we would have taken our time moving.

Lunch was at the Grande Centre Pointe Hotel on Ratchadamri, around 20 minutes walking distance.

You need to cross the river between Platinum and Central World.

Then you pass the famous Erawan Shrine

where we locals offer gifts to the spirits.

Pricing is standard

And you can also pay the dancers to dance for your thanks or for your
intention.

We had a really good buffet lunch with Kun Suphanee at the Mesamis Cafe at
the Grande Centre Point Hotel in Ratchadamri. More on a separate post.

We were able to do more shopping on the walk back because we were no longer rushing.

There was some sort of Motorcycle display in Central World and Sofia
insisted on taking photos with her lolo.

Then we saw the Twinings x Cath Kidston limited edition
macarons that were uber cute. More on a separate post.

I love Thai Coconut Snacks and desserts, but on previous trips, I always bought them from roving vendors, so it's been really difficult to find them in a permanent spot. I finally hit pay dirt - when we passed the eateries that line the side of Central World.

Hooray for Thai Street food!

I love these Khanom Krok (coconut pudding), which are best eaten right
after you buy them. All these for just 20 Baht!

This is what the stall looks like. You need to point to the flavor you want,
or you'll get an assortment of mystery stuff. Corn is good.

Then we also found the tako vendor. Similar to the Khanom Krok, you
also don't know what's inside until you get home. I love the water chestnuts.
Corn is good too, and Yam was just ok.

After our Central World inside and outside visit, we went to Platinum next. Every day Sofia is in Bangkok, she needs to visit her favorite store, Sun Star Wholesale Market.

You can read Sofia's blog post on it here.

I just dropped by my favorite store - Fair Lady, on Oxford 1, where I was able to buy several dresses for Ady and myself. Don't forget - the secret password for a bigger discount is - "For Business - How Much?" minimum 2 pieces required of the same style, different colors allowed.

Then they had an Indy Fair outside Platinum Mall with leather sellers.

My favorite store was the one who made personalized key chains from real
leather. 1 charm and name included. Just make sure they don't give you PVC.
Ady had one made for me before, and it's falling apart because it's not leather.

These are the ones I ordered for my friends.

Then we just headed back to the hotel to rest for a bit before dinner. This time around, we ventured farther than normal, to Siam Paragon, because Jay recommended a place that serves really good Boneless Roast Duck.

We discovered an alley beside PanTip Plaza that serves as a shortcut,
so it was probably just a 15 minute walk from our hotel to Siam Paragon.

Four Seasons restaurant is so popular, that we arrived before 7pm, and we still
had to wait for an hour to get seated. It was worth it though.
More in a separate post.

Jay also recommended a really good dessert place in Siam Paragon,
After You, which is famous for their Honey Shibuya Toast.

Since the line was so long, and Sofia was already hungry, we decided to just order the dessert from After You (which also had a long line) and eat it before dinner while waiting for our table. Yummy.

If this were a 1 day Itinerary, I would just add - buy Sticky Rice and Mango from the stall in Petchburi 30 - you can read about it here. The best time to do it would have been after Central World and before Platinum because you'd already be closer to it by then. Since we had a second day, it was the only thing left on our itinerary for Day 2.

Day 2

As usual, our day started again with breakfast in our room, and with Sofia spending time at the pool.

It was Auntie Celita's turn to stay dry.

and my turn to get wet.

But I convinced Sof to entertain herself.
See, that's what her goggles are for. The water falls.

I was very happy I got a good cup of coffee from the restaurant.

We left the hotel around lunch time, and since we were not hungry yet, we did errands first - ie Sofia's daily dose of Sun Star Wholesale Market at Platinum, and we dropped by the Local Thai Food Store in the food court level for some presents to bring home.

We discovered this Crispy Pork that's so good,
it tastes like the Crispy Pork from Macau.

Since it was our first time to try it, we normally buy 1 first, then try it if it's good, then we buy more.

Sof and Lola Celita eating the open pack while waiting
for me to claim the key chains that I had made.

Then we walked all the way to Petchburi 30, to our favorite Mango and Sticky Rice Vendor.

I even brought my own container in an attempt to bring it home, but the
mango was so ripe, it got banged up so we had to eat it as soon as we got home.

Auntie Celit saw this local starter she used to like so we also bought some
for dinner.

Then we also bought Chicken Rice from Kaiton which you can read about
here. But if you go at lunch, you can only order the lunch set for 40 Baht.

Then on our way home, we stopped by my favorite Thai Restaurant in the area, Once Upon a Time, located in Soi 17.

You can read about Once Upon a Time here, but Sofia's post on it,
coming up soon.

In the afternoon, we were just killing time and relaxing. We went to get a massage just across our hotel. They are right beside each other, but we normally go to Number One. After that, I wanted to just relax in a nice Cafe but I didn't really see any, so I just went back to Pratunam Wholesale Market to see if they have any more bargains that I missed. Hahaha.

Then I passed the back alleys on my way back so I could buy fruit from my
favorite fruit stand (half price vs the roving vendors).

It was only on my way back from the back alley, did I find this really cute
Canary Cafe across our hotel, so of course I had to try it. They serve good
breakfast too, which is an alternative to 7-11 finds that we eat in the room.

Our last dinner in Bangkok was in our room, because the parents went to Chatuchak Market to buy us food to go with the stuff we bought.