City fun in Bangkok
I didn't realise how much I was going to love Bangkok. To be honest I am usually more of a relaxed traveller, preferring quieter locations, but my husband Shawn loves exploring large cities so I've started to grow to love them too. Bangkok is perfect for foodies, those who love learning about the history and different cultures and shoppers.
We stayed in the Okura Prestige and I have to say it's one of the best hotels I've stayed in, the staff were so friendly, our room was beautiful, the food was delicious and the pool was breathtaking. After checking in we went to relax in our room, as we were there for our honeymoon they'd left a lovely chocolate gift on the side for us and also run a bath which they'd covered in rose petals to welcome us to their hotel. The view out our window was of the vast glass buildings opposite - you really are right in the heart of the city.
On our first night we'd pre-booked a table at Small Dinner Club, an experience built with excitement as upon arrival you have to ring a doorbell to get in, so it feels very exclusive. You're then escorted through a beautiful foyer and up some stairs to the chefs table which sits all 12 diners who are there for their 12 course menu that evening. The menu is an adventure in itself with each dish named and given a short description from the chef which doesn't give much away, such as "Crying Tiger" and "Duck & Hide". We had the wine flight too as we love seeing how different wines pair with our food. What really blew our minds was the fantastic flavours and the unexpected element to each dish - not everything is as it seems! I won't share more as I think the foodies among you would love to experience it for yourself.
While in Bangkok we'd booked a private tour, our tour guide was Pookie (not sure if this is how she spelled it, but she said it was like Cookie but Pookie so we'll go with this spelling!) and she was incredible. We started the day with a tour around Wat Pho and the Grand Palace, both were beautiful and it was a joy to experience them both so early in the day while crowds were lower. We then went on a food tour, our lunch was delicious, we got to try pad krapow which was Shawn's personal favourite as it was nice and spicy. Then we moved on to try their sweet rice dessert and walked around the market, collecting desserts as we went! We were so full towards the end that we couldn't eat anything else - it was brilliant!
That afternoon we also got a chance to test the infinity pool at Okura which is on their 25th floor and was it beautiful! Into the evening we decided to try out the metro and visit Asiatique The Riverfront, a riverfront open air shopping and dining mall and it was so lovely to have a relaxed walk around some shops, have fun on the Ferris wheel and enjoy some delicious food.
The next morning we tried the Japanese breakfast at Okura and it was delicious! Our tray featured lots of different dishes from salmon and soup, to fresh fruit and salad. We then took a stroll up to Lumphini Park and saw some huge monitor lizards, caught the metro and headed to Wat Arun, stopping at a supermarket for snacks and water along the way as it was a very hot day. Wat Arun was beautiful but much busier Wat Pho, although by the time we got there it was around lunchtime. We took a few photos and then decided to catch a river taxi - I would definitely do this if you get the chance as it was so nice to relax on the river and see Bangkok from a different angle.
That afternoon we had afternoon tea back at our hotel which was delicious, they were serving their Autumnal menu which was orange flavoured, it was great. We were sat opposite on of the tall glass windows so had a beautiful view outside, down towards Lumphini Park.
After a short rest in our room it was time to head out, this time catching a tuk tuk to Chinatown - it made us with we'd used a tuk tuk before this evening, it was so much fun! Chinatown was extremely busy, the hustle and bustle of all of the vendors cooking and selling food was incredible, with fire pits in the middle of the path and tuk tuks driving in and out of traffic, you really have to experience Chinatown for yourself. We decided to get a cocktail in one of the hotels in Chinatown and ended up eating there too, which was great as there was a live band playing.
We then got a tuk tuk back to our hotel and got some rest, as the next day we flew up to Chiang Rai which I'll talk about in my next blog...
