Our first stop:  Bangkok, end June 2018

I’ve always loved this city even with the heat, the odors on the streets, the dirt and the scooter noise, or more likely because of it.  It’s sensory overload all day every day.  It’s understandable that many people choose to skip it altogether when visiting Thailand but I think that robs you of the core of the country.  The juxtapositionof high rises and high-end restaurants with the food stalls and road-side stands selling anything and everything can be charming and maddening at the same time.  I wanted to soak it all in, but we only had a little over two days here with much too few hours to truly experience it.  When traveling with kids, doing a speed version of the city can work but it comes at the expense of truly getting to know the history, culture, and people.  That said, even in a short amount of time that we did have we managed to see the floating market, the train market, the Grand Palace, Wat Arun and Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Budha).  That mixed in with many markets, boat and tuk-tuk rides felt like a good intro to Thailand.

The kids were troopers for the most part.  They loved the night markets, ice cream and smoothie treats, and afternoons spent at the pool.  One of the highlights was receiving a blessing from a Monk at Wat Arun.  Not surprisingly, heat is not their best friend and walking for long distances while drenched was not their favorite. They did love all the gold at the Palace and Ella in particular was curious to understand the religion, the Emerald Budha, and the Thai monarchy.  She likely asked most questions of our guide (who told us that it’s the first time that he has given a tour with more kids than adults!).  We’re on this adventure with Leah and Rob Rothman and their three lovely kiddos, which essentially means that it often feels like we’re a traveling pre-school.  If you want to see details of what we did, where we stayed, and what we ate, see below.

Itinerary:

Hotel: Chatrium Hotel Riverside Bangkok
What I loved:  The on-the-river location was fantastic including the free and frequent long-boat rides to the sky train. It was easy to get on and off and use it as basis to explore the city. The pool was also fabulous and large (perhaps not super clean) with a great view over the river and the city. The food was standard hotel fare with multiple restaurants and choices, none of it amazing nor bad. We stayed in a two-bedroom suite which was large and comfortable for a family of five, though the furnishings were quite sparse. The beds were comfortable with nice white sheets.  Staff was also great – we arranged a fantastic babysitter through the hotel one night without any issues. Generally, I find Thai hospitality to be warm and welcoming and the Chatrium did not disappoint.

Things I would improve:  these are picky items but worth mentioning.  The bathrooms and furnishings in the rooms could have been more updated and design-focused.  This certainly was not the Ritz, nor did I expect it to be, still, the suite could have been not only more functional, but also generally in better shape.  

Restaurants:

We often ate at the hotel (sadly) simply to give the kids a break from the city and the heat, but there are a few spots that we liked.  Prices of a meal at a restaurant ranged between 50 Baht ($1.80) to 400+ Baht per person.  We spent accordingly.  Bangkok has hundreds of amazing restaurants though – it’s not hard to get amazing food for a reasonable price.

Baan Khanitha by the River:  this place is right at Asiatique on the river.  The food is outstanding, but so is the price.  It was a nice and easy way to settle into Thailand – the meals have definitely been somewhat westernized for our palettes and you won’t find that many Thais here.

Somtum Der:  serving northern Thai food, this small place didn’t disappoint.  We were also sans kids having a great conversation with an old friend who runs Agoda – so I’m sure this added to the charm of the place.  Still, food was excellent, unique, and of course super spicy.

Things do to / see:  Mae Klong Train Market.  It’s an hour outside of Bangkok and you have to leave town early if you want to see the actual train passing by, but it’s fun to experience since it’s one of only three in the world.  It was also the first market that the kids got to see so the smells, sights, and sounds were fun to experience.

We combined this excursion with a visit to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market nearby which is definitely worth a stop.  There are others closer to Bangkok so unless you’re going to the train market first, it’s likely not worth the drive to see this specific one.  We used this opportunity to teach the kids negotiation skills.  They each brought their own money from the US (I knew that markets were going to be a big hit), decided how much they will spend at the floating market, and then went to town on buying cheap Chinese knock-offs of tuk-tuks, scarfs, and other memorabilia.

Temples:  We did a bunch of cultural stuff as well – including visiting the  Grand Palace, Wat Arun and  Wat Pho, as well as the  flower market.

The flower market is open 24/7 so you can go anytime, but it’s good to go to the temples in the morning before major heat sets in. The temples are unique to visit with a family – the architecture and decorations are extravagant colored in gold with fascinating stories and symbolism behind all of them. Using a good guide is key as walking around reading may get exhausting quickly and a knowledgable guide can help to keep kids’ attention with fun games and clues throughout the visit. We used Tour with Tong and really enjoyed our guide Jerry.There are many other attractions in Bangkok, including hundreds of temples that we did not have a chance to visit…they can start looking the same after a while, though I’m certain that locals would strongly disagree with me.For an evening market, we went to Asiatique market on the waterfront.  It’s Disney-like which includes a big Ferris wheel, fireworks, and carousel, but honestly kids loved it and at some point we have to compromise.  There are several more authentic night markets in the center of town which I would also recommend to visit.

Getting around:We used the hotel boat (highly recommended), Sky Train, taxis, and tuk tuks. I did download the Grab app (equivalent of Uber) but did not find the need to use it – taxis were readily available and cheap. Also, you can easily get around by boat to visit the main attractions although these can get crowded and often may require long distances to walk which can get tiring with small kiddos in tow.