As we wrap up 2018 (can’t believe it’s over!), we take the time to reflect on everything we’ve accomplished this the year. 2018 was a year filled with travel and adventures for us – it was fast-paced and full of new discoveries. We celebrated our honeymoon, visited Asia for the first time (and ended up visiting it three times this year!), and we extended a few of my work trips to be able to take some quick weekend vacations in between working (e.g. skiing in Colorado, weekend in Las Vegas exploring the Grand Canyon). While abroad in Europe, we were also able to do a few one to two day trips to cities we’ve never been to before (Copenhagen and Barcelona).
As we look back on this past year, for 2019, I wanted to take on a new challenge, a new adventure! And that is why I decided to start The SaviTravel Journal. With The SaviTravel Journal I want to be able to share our travel experiences and help others incorporate travel into their every day busy lives. Therefore, I thought it would only be fitting to dedicate my first post to our very first trip of 2018 – Bangkok, Thailand – where we celebrated New Year’s Eve and our honeymoon! I travel with my husband, therefore, a good amount of my posts will be from a couples perspective =)
Aldo and I got married in January 2017, in Cancun, Mexico. Since we had a destination wedding, we had decided that we wanted to wait before going on our honeymoon. We finalized our honeymoon plans a few months after the wedding… and our first stop of the #honeymoonadventure would be Bangkok for New Year’s! This would be our first trip to Bangkok (and Asia) and I could not be more excited! We live in Miami and I’d say we’re “city people”, therefore, a beach/resort type of trip was not necessarily something we wanted for our honeymoon (don’t get me wrong though, I do love the beach and tropical views as well!).
We booked Bangkok for a week and stayed at the Park Hyatt Bangkok. I could not say enough good things about this hotel. The Staff was so pleasant and helpful, the room was incredible, location was amazing – everything truly was “honeymoon perfect”.
We did not have a set itinerary for the seven days that we were in Bangkok, and that made the trip that much more fun.
We made sure to do touristy things such as visiting temples, riding tuk-tuks (so much fun!), hanging at the Sky Bar, having a night out in Soi Cowboy, exploring street markets, getting Thai massages (I mean, of course, a Thai massage in Bangkok is a must!) and enjoying the Thai FOOD! There was food everywhere – and I mean everywhere – almost on every street corner you would see a food stand (the food is inexpensive but quality is very good – you can eat so well there!). There was just so much to do, see and eat – you really could not get bored in that city! Bangkok is a city where you really can get a lot of Bang(kok) for your buck! 😉
Getting Around
Getting around Bangkok was pretty easy for us since most people speak and understand English. Also, most street signs are in English as well, which made things pretty convenient for us. The currency in Bangkok is the Thai Baht. During our trip, the conversion rate was about 100 Thai Baht to $3USD.
Even though we typically don’t have a hard-set itinerary when visiting a new city, I do try to buy a DK Travel – Eyewitness Top 10 Guide (can get it cheap on Amazon). Are there any travel guides that you like to use? I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions! I found these guides to be very handy when you travel (you can put them in a purse/bag and carry them around the city with you). They also have a pull-out map of the city with many attractions pinned on it, which I find very helpful.
The Skytrain and Tuk-Tuks
The Park Hyatt Bangkok is a block away from the city’s Skytrain (Phloen Chit station) – this is probably the easiest and quickest way to get around Bangkok – and it is also a great way to explore and sight-see (since it’s above ground).
Want a bit of fun while navigating around Bangkok? Hop on one of the tuk-tuks! (*Fun fact: Tuk-tuks originated from an old-fashioned rickshaw during World War II. It is essentially a rickshaw with a small engine fitted in). It will take you longer to get to wherever you want to go in a tuk-tuk (and they cannot go on certain highways), but it is definitely worth the ride!
One thing to watch out for are the notorious Bangkok tuk-tuk scams you may have read about… We actually fell for one of these “tuk-tuk scam” – but when I say a scam, it was probably one of the most trivial scams we could have gotten ourselves into. Yes, I know – what in the world am I talking about?! Let me explain…
One of the days, we decided to go on a boat tour in Bangkok. When we got off on one of the stops, we were approached by a super friendly local man. We knew that the Thai are very friendly so we tried not to be too skeptical. The guy told us that we were very lucky because it was “Lucky Buddha Day” in Bangkok that day. And what did that mean? We were told that we could get a tuk-tuk tour of the many famous Buddha attractions around the city for a couple of dollars! Hey – sounded great to us!
We got on the tuk-tuk, I mean the guy seemed very nice, we were in public places, what could go wrong? The tuk-tuk driver was very friendly and took us all over Bangkok, stopped at different Buddha sights, we explored the new places and took pictures, and this went on for a couple of hours – and then we found out the “scam”. We had to make a pit-stop at a tailor shop during our tour. What?! That’s the scam?
We later found out that these tuk-tuk drivers get paid by tailor shops all over Bangkok to drive people around different attractions, while stopping at their tailor shops in the hopes that the tourists buy a suit (Bangkok is known for their inexpensive, but great quality suits). We made the stop, looked around the shop – stayed a max of 10mins and were back on our Lucky Buddha day scam adventure, haha!
While in the tuk-tuk, before realizing the “scam”, I did some online searches for a bit, searching for known Bangkok scams (I guess my skepticism did not go away), and I did come across articles on the Lucky Day Buddha tailor shop scam. Once I knew what it was though, I was no longer too worried (wished the guy told us about this when we got on – we still would’ve done it either way – for about $3, we basically got a half day tour around Bangkok!).
After about 3-4 hours of driving around and sight-seeing, we asked the tuk-tuk driver to leave us by the Bangkok National Museum, and we were on our way to continue the day. Our scam adventure was over, and I can’t say it really was all that bad (I’m not recommending you do what we did, as we may have just been very lucky – so be cautious when you are exploring around Bangkok and get approached with “unbelievable deals”.)
Walking
Walking around Bangkok is also a great way to see the City. You can discover little street markets, specialty stores, and hidden food stands that you wouldn’t have otherwise!
Bangkok Chao Phraya Express Boat
My favorite way of getting around (besides enjoying the crazy tuk-tuk rides) was via the Express Boat. A lot of the City’s life takes place on the water. The canals connect all different parts and neighborhoods of the City. Jumping in one of these is one of the more convenient ways to get around!
Things to See and Do
During our one week honeymoon in Bangkok, we did and saw a lot (a week is a good amount of time to get familiar with the city, but definitely not enough time to really get to know it).
We love exploring cities, but we are not the kind of people that will visit every temple and museum in a city. We’ll visit a few, of course, but after a while, they all begin to feel and seem very similar (if you’re the type of person who loves going to every temple, that’s great too! It’s just not for us.)
Below are a few of my favorite things to do and see in Bangkok:
Bangkok Chao Phraya Express Boat
As I mentioned above, getting around Bangkok’s canals by boat was one of my favorite things to do! The Chao Phraya Express Boat is a great way to see some of the major attractions in Bangkok, while also experiencing some of the less developed parts of the city. It’s a very pleasant and beautiful way to see Bangkok, also known as Krung Thep (City of Angels).
Chatuchak Weekend Market in Bangkok
Since our trip to Bangkok included a weekend, a visit to the Chatuchak Weekend Market was a definite on our list. There are so many stalls (clothes, food, art, animals – yes, live animals!), souvenirs and so much more), that you could spend a whole day there! The market is open on some week days too, however, if you end up going on a week day, make sure to check the hours.
Nightlife in Bangkok
Bangkok is famous for its party and nightlife – and there is a reason for that! Bangkok felt very safe even late at night and there were plenty of bars, lounges and my favorite – rooftops! However, we learned that Bangkok has a very restrictive alcohol ban – while we were there, we were only able to buy alcohol between 11am and 2pm, and then again between 5pm and midnight on any day, including weekends!
A few places we visited for Bangkok nightlife:
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- Soi Cowboy
- The Sky Bar (Yes, the Hangover 2 bar! Perfect rooftop to see a sunset and wonderful views of Bangkok)
- Khao San Road (this is where many backpackers go; it is a great place to visit during the day as well!)
- Night Food Markets – we passed a few, they are all beautifully lit up … and the food is just amazing!
Our New Years in Bangkok
We started off our New Years in Bangkok celebrations at our hotel since there was a NYE pre-fixe dinner at the Park Hyatt Bangkok Penthouse Bar + Grill. The food was amazing – but definitely not cheap. You have to remember that you can eat really well and have an amazing time in Bangkok without spending a lot of money – this is not the case if you decide to dine at a place like the Penthouse Bar + Grill. After the dinner, we went up to the The Bar at the hotel for the countdown and the champagne toast. The Bar had music and areas to watch fireworks. Afterwards, we went out into the streets of Bangkok to welcome 2018 at some local bars.
As a side note, the Thai celebrate their own New Year, Songkran, on April 13th. And even though there are events and parties hosted on December 31st throughout the City, I’m sure that they don’t compare to the Songkran celebrations!
The Grand Palace in Bangkok
Since it was our first time in Bangkok, a visit to the Grand Palace was on our list (and should be on yours too!) It is a beautiful complex of buildings at the heart of the city. You can easily get there taking the Chao Phraya Express Boat. You can also get some great photos of the Grand Palace from the boat. Within the Grand Palace, you will see the Wat Phra Kaew “Temple of the Emerald Buddha”. This temple is known as the most important Buddhist temple in Thailand, so if you’re going to go to only one temple in Bangkok, I would highly recommend this one! Remember that you are required to take off your shoes when entering the temples (wear socks or bring socks if going barefoot is not your thing).
Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho)
Another must-see in Bangkok is the Wat Pho – this is a famous Reclining Buddha and can be found behind the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The Reclining Buddha is truly an impressive sight. Also, as you walk around the temple complex, you will pass Thailand’s leading school of massage where you can get a traditional Thai massage (I did not get one there, but I hear these are amazing!).
Traditional Thai Massages in Bangkok
After a day of exploring Bangkok, it was time to unwind and relax with a traditional Thai-massage. We got couples massages twice while in Bangkok – we went to a spa near our hotel, it was called The Thai Massage & Spa (we paid approx. $30pp for a 2 hour massage). You can find little salons/spas all over Bangkok for probably way less, but we were not very adventurous in that area! But the Thai massage – omg, if you enjoy massages, you have to get one in Bangkok!
The Verdict
Bangkok is a beautiful, vibrant city with some of the most friendly people we have ever met. If you want to visit a city that truly has its own identity, you are not afraid to be adventurous in trying different types of foods, want unlimited amount of things to do and see, and are willing to explore a city’s many different neighborhoods – Bangkok is for you! I can say that our honeymoon in Bangkok was truly an unforgettable trip and I can’t wait to go back!
And now it’s time for some pictures! =)
Our hotel views
New Year’s in Bangkok
Chatuchak Weekend Market
The Sky Bar
Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho)
All the FOOD!!
Chao Phraya Express Boat
Tuk-tuks!
Nights out in Bangkok— and Goodnight!
Hope you enjoyed re-creating the Bangkok adventure with me! Are you planning a visit to Bangkok? Is there something you’d like to know that I didn’t address?
Please reach out with any questions or suggestions! Would love to hear from all the travel seekers out there!