Activities in Bangkok?

[megan2008]

Myself,husband and 30 month old daughter will be traveling to Bangkok shortly and I was wondering if anybody could offer any advice on activities there? Or what their experiences have been when visiting there? Thanks so much in advance. Take care.

[carang]

i took my 5 yr old to bkk for 11 days last august/september. this is what we did:

1) ocean world @ siam paragon (he LOVED IT!) we paid for the whole package so that we could go on the boat ride, behind the scenes, see the short movie etc. we spent about 2-3 hours there. also, inside is a small playground that is included in the price as is a free popcorn and drink.

2) safari world: this was a bit of a trip from downtown bkk, but my son LOVED IT! they had chimpanzee shows, crocodile shows etc plus a safari (to me this was the best part) in a bus through the enclosures. would do it again.

3) night safari: wouldn't spend the money to do it again, although we enjoyed it when we did it.

4) day trip to pattaya: would definitely do this again. took a tour that included a submarine ride (my son totally loved it!) and made a stop for "parachuting behind a speedboat". we didn't do that, my son was scared and i didn't want to leave him by himself while i did it. also spent time at a beach.

5) FUNARIUM: an indoor playground for rainy/hot days. my son LOVED it so much, we went back 3 times. it's similar to playtown but they have story/songs, bikes/roller blades, craft room AND mummy can book a foot massage while kids play. also, it is right across from CARREFOUR which i loved and i did some shopping there. they had fantastic kids' clothes for dirt cheap... great quality, too!

6) we tried the science museum and i would NOT recommend it. it was hard to find, everything in thai and most things were broken. it was a total waste of time.

7) floating market: we did a day tour of the floating market, a cultural show, crocodile & elephant show.... we enjoyed it a lot. my son and i took an elephant ride for about 30 minutes which he still talks about.

we stayed at the ADELPHI SUITES and i could not recommend them highly enough. it was about $471hkd/night including buffet breakfast. it also had a microwave and full size fridge so we could buy a few groceries and cook at home if we didn't feel up for going out.

also, they have foodbyphone delivery which is great! you can order online and they deliver to your hotel room. it really hit the spot after a long hot day out!

[megan2008]

I was so worried we wouldn't have anything to do. Now, I am very excited to go!! We are still researching hotels, so we will definatly look at that one as a possibility. I can't thank you enough!

[MommyTo3]

We went in May 2009. The oldest was 5 and the twins were 2 1/2. We went to a lot of temples, on the river boat, walked around, drove a tuk tuk, Lumpini park and the paddling boats ... nothing specificly or kids and the kids loved all the temples. Honestly, I don't travel to do things that I can do here too ... like Playtown, OP, Disney, etc. unless it's very special and/or we're there for a long time (like Carang for 11 days, you'd probably need other things too). My kids have been to many places and we never do something super child-friendly but include things like boat trips, elephant rides, plenty of time to relax in the pool, etc. Never had any complaints. They love climbing temples, watching large buddhas, driving tuk tuks, etc. We stayed in the Mariott Executive Suites on Sathorn, was about $1500 for 3-bedroom suite including living room, full kitchen, washer / dryer, pool, babysitting, etc. Brand new (early 2009), super friendly, quite good location and plenty of space for a family of 5. Hope that helps!

[carang]

the only difference between what i did with my son and what i'd do without him? i would not have booked tours... i HATE them, but with a young child on your own, it was so much simpler that i did it and he had a great time! as a matter of fact on EVERY tour we took, he was the ONLY kid!