Thailand Musings » Bangkok

Pathumwan Princess Hotel

Steve — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 21:19:58 +0000

As mentioned in the post Choosing Thailand Hotels for Songkran I had 6 different hotels in Bangkok that I short listed, 3 in the Siam area and 3 in the Sukhumvit area. Today’s post will take a closer look at the second hotel on my short list from the Pratunam/Siam area – the Pathumwan Princess Hotel.

The thing I really liked about this hotel is that it is literally attached to MBK. Now that might not mean much to you, but I can assure you that if you have a shopper with you this location will be awesome for them. I know Golf could spend all week shopping between MBK, Siam and Central so this location is ideal.

Getting right to the important stuff, the Pathumwan Princess is not a cheap Bangkok hotel, as you might expect given the location. Prices range from $120-154 a night, though I would say that $154 a night isn’t bad for their Executive suite given the location.

As I said, MBK is attached to the hotel and other malls are within walking distance including Siam Square (youthful and great bargains), Siam Discovery (medium price-range clothing), Siam Paragon (top-tier brand-names, aquarium, fine-dining outlets, movie theatre, opera, and bowling), and Central World Plaza (Bangkok’s largest mall). And you’re also within walking distance of the Siam BTS station so you’ll have easy access to everything else Bangkok has to offer.

While the Grande Centre Point Rachadamri Hotel was ideal for families, the Pathumwan seems ideal for the fitness oriented group boasting both an Olympic sized swimming pool and a huge 9000 square foot fitness center which includes personal trainers on staff, free weights, cardio machines and group classes in step aerobics, yoga, karate, jazz dance and other varied programs. It also has great hours being open weekdays 6am-11pm and weekends/holidays 7am-10pm.

You’ll find a full service bar at the hotel as well as 4 restaurants serving Thai, Korean and Italian menus. While this is convenient, the hotel restaurants tend to be expensive and in most cases the food is not nearly as good as what you’ll find outside the hotel. Honestly there are so many restaurants within the Siam area that you would be hard pressed to hit them all even if you were there for a month.

The hotel is recently non-smoking which could be considered either good or bad news depending on your preference. The only other consistent bad review I found is that the hotel and some of the rooms are a bit old and run down, however that is apparently being fixed as the Pathumwan Princess is currently under renovations.

Overall the Pathumwan Princess seems like a good hotel and I love the idea of the huge pool and fitness facilities. This is something I would use so it’s a definite bonus for me. The location is superb, however on the downside it is a bit pricey. Well, I have 4 more Bangkok hotels to look at still, so no decision yet, but I would love to hear everyone else’s thoughts.

Check out these similar posts:

Grande Centre Point Rachadamri Hotel

Steve — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 20:47:34 +0000

Ok, following up on my post Choosing Thailand Hotels for Songkran here’s the first of the hotels that I investigated. I am going to simply go through all the hotels first and let you know what I found and then finally will give you my choices for each location – Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Phuket. I want to thank those of you that have already emailed me with your own suggestions for hotels in Thailand as well.

So, as I said previously I am considering 6 different hotels in Bangkok, 3 in the Pratunam/Siam area and 3 in the Sukhumvit area. I’ll be looking at the Siam area hotels first and today I am going to talk about the Grande Centre Point Rachadamri Hotel which is located just off Rama I near the Chit Lom BTS station. This puts you within walking distance of the BTS and also within walking distance of Central World, Siam and MBK which is very nice, especially for you shoppers. It also puts you close to Central Chit Lom and Lumpini Park if you need a bit of greenery in Bangkok.

First off let’s get the issue of price out of the way. The Grande Centre Point Rachadamri Hotel will set you back anywhere from $117-188 per night (based on prices from http://www.agoda.com for April 2009). Yes, I know that this isn’t cheap for Bangkok, but this is a 5 star hotel located just minutes from Siam Square including all of the facilities and amenities you would expect from such. Honestly I’d expect to pay triple this price in New York, Tokyo or London.

All the reviews I read about the Grande Centre Point Rachadamri Hotel were good and many of them pointed to the excellent service as well as the “kid friendliness” of the hotel. Of course if you don’t have kids with you this won’t mean much, but if you do it’s a big selling point as hotels that are good with children can be difficult to find. Cleanliness and size of the rooms was also pointed to as a big positive of the hotel.

You’ll also find both a huge swimming pool on site as well as a gym and Jacuzzi, but be forewarned that apparently the Jacuzzi is separated by gender so you won’t be able to enjoy it with your significant other. Surprisingly there is only one small restaurant onsite, but I really don’t think that finding food will be an issue in the Siam Square area considering all of the restaurants and food courts available in the nearby shopping malls.

All things considered the Grande Centre Point Rachadamri Hotel could be a great place for you to stay if price isn’t a huge consideration and you want a great location. Additionally, if you’re traveling with children this looks to be a great hotel. Ultimately the decision is yours, but I would (and am) seriously consider trying the Grande Centre Point Rachadamri Hotel.

Check out these similar posts:

Mikes Place Patpong 2 in Bangkok

Steve — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 23:52:06 +0000

Any of you planning on visiting Bangkok in the future will be very interested in the comment left on the post Patpong Road and Patpong Bars today. Seems that Mike Jenkins from Mikes Place Patpong 2 is offering a 50% discount on drinks if you mention reading the post when you’re there. Here’s the exact quote:

Hi,

As the western manager of Mikes Place Patpong 2 I would like to invite all the readers of Thailandmusings to visit and me and mention they saw this post on
on their website and receive a 50% discount on their drinks.
best regards,
Mike Jenkins

I met Mike over 2 years ago when I was on Patpong Road and he was recently arrived from Sharkey’s Bar in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. He told me then about opening the new bar, but I had since lost touch with him. Imagine my surprise when I saw this comment on Thailand Musings. I didn’t immediately put 2 and 2 together, but once I went over to his website and saw the location of Mikes Place Patpong 2 I knew it was him. Mike is a really great guy and I think you’ll have a great time at his place and of course 1/2 price drinks are always great. So, please pay him a visit, let him know that Thailand Musings sent you and then come back here and leave us a comment about your night.

Check out these similar posts:

Retiring to Bangkok Thailand

Steve — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 17:41:06 +0000

Recently I was asked to discuss retiring in Thailand and this is the first in a series of posts answering the first question I identified – “Where will you live”. I decided to break the answer up into individual posts for each city I plan on covering rather than overwhelm everyone with a 2500 word post that includes everything. I plan on writing about Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and Pattaya as possible retirement destinations; I may add more once the series has begun based on reader feedback.

I think the first place that comes to mind when people consider retiring to Thailand is Bangkok. This is a logical thought since Bangkok is the capital of Thailand, the hub of it’s commerce and the largest city in Thailand by far. There are many positives and many negatives when you consider living in Bangkok full time. Ultimately it’s up to you what deciding factors you want to use as some people can overlook certain negatives and a positive for one person isn’t necessarily so for others.

Since Bangkok is such a large city with a huge population (over 10 million last time I checked) it comes with a lot of the same positives and negatives as other large cities. Of course in Bangkok the negatives are a bit amplified I think due to the comparative lack of infrastructure based on Western ideas.

The traffic in Bangkok is legendary and if you think you’ll go crazy after several years of sitting in traffic jams then you may need to seriously consider another destination. While taxi’s are plentiful and still cheap even after the recent hike in prices you will sit in traffic – a lot. Especially during morning and afternoon rush hours you can easily plan on a 1 ½ to 2 hour commute if you’re traveling across the city. Even at 2am you could experience gridlock in the popular nightlife areas and be stuck.

Along with the traffic you’ll experience a much higher degree of pollution than you’re used to. If you have any type of breathing ailment like asthma or bronchitis then you may want to reconsider Bangkok as a home or at least see how you react after an extended period of time there. On a good note however, air pollution in Bangkok has actually declined by 47% in the past decade thanks to more stringent emissions laws, the MRT and BTS rail systems and the use of natural gas to fuel cars.

Yes, there are more negatives, but I don’t believe they are restricted to Bangkok. There are just some negatives you’ll find in many Thailand locations so I won’t stress them specifically for Bangkok. With the top two negatives out of the way I’ll focus now on the positives.

The biggest positive for many Westerners is the availability of western products in Bangkok. No they won’t always be easy to find, but if you’re looking for specific foods or larger sized shoes and clothing you’ll have a much easier time getting them in Bangkok than you would in Phitsaulok for example. There is a large number of expats based in Bangkok and there are places that cater to their needs.

The fact the there are a large number of Western expats in Bangkok is another positive for many potential retirees. Finding friends and acquaintances in Bangkok isn’t all that difficult even for the least social people. In addition, there are many expat clubs and programs (art, cooking and language type) geared towards the Western expat.

If you still love going out then the nightlife in Bangkok is legendary and unrivaled and you won’t have any problems there. Even if it’s just for a nice dinner with your family and friends you’ll be able to find a host of upscale restaurants and clubs in Bangkok to ‘discover’ for the first time.

You may or may not be interested in learning the local language (I would definitely recommend it), but I can assure you it won’t be quick or easy. In Bangkok you’ll have less trouble with the language barrier as there are many more Thai’s speaking English in Bangkok than in other areas of the country. No, it’s still not even close to perfect, but it sure beats what you’ll find in more remote areas and even at some of the tourist beach areas.

One big plus for retirees are the top notch international hospitals to be found in Bangkok. Naturally as we get older healthcare becomes more important. Bangkok has some really good hospitals catering to international patients. The doctors and staff are all highly trained and the costs are inexpensive (compared to the west). You’ll be hard pressed to find comparable healthcare outside of Bangkok.

Overall, Bangkok is a great place to retire if you like the hustle of a big city. As you might expect it has the greatest amount of convenience and infrastructure combined with the normal big city frustrations. Personally I think that a few years there would be great, but I don’t know if I could stay longer than that as I’m not really a big city guy. Nice to visit in my opinion, but not to live. Really, if you need Western conveniences and healthcare occasionally it might be better to live outside Bangkok and visit from time to time.

You can find all of the articles in the Retirement in Thailand series here

Check out these similar posts:

Bangkok This Weekend

Steve — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:41:35 +0000

If you love a party then take a look at what’s on tap at some of the hottest nightspots in Bangkok for this weekend. Everything from the best DJ’s in SE Asia to pool parties, tequila and cabarets. Bangkok’s nightlife is world renown and there is a very good reason why. If you’re looking to let loose here’s where to go this weekend.

Thursday March 27^th, 2008

Arcadia Pool Party – Live bands as usual in the main room, with our Arcadia DJ set to finish the night at 2am. Punk – Rock Karaoke, Guitar Hero Competition, Live Bands, Arcadia DJ Set. This month for part of the evening, you can sign up to sing your favourite indie song from our set list. We have all the lyrics to the best songs. Here’s your chance to sing with a live band! Meanwhile, upstairs on the roof terrace, we have a “Guitar Hero” competition throughout the night. Winner stays on, the person with the highest rank at the end of the night wins a prize.

Also, if you would like to get wet for us, feel free to use the new swimming pool! If you would like to come early, from 8pm we will be showing the new Joy Division movie on the roof. Food is available from the restaurant, with cheap drinks all night. Entrance 150 Baht with one free beer. 20 + I.D. Required. Arcadia Bay Ta Ra – Kao San Road

Friday March 28^th, 2008

Soul Central at Club Culture – Soul Central began their production career in 2000, putting out a number of releases on labels such as Soundmen On Wax, Henry Street Records and Kenlou as well and their own Clean Cut imprint. In addition to their world-beating production, Soul Central is continuing to travel the world as one of the world’s most dynamic DJ teams. Never afraid to drop peak-time anthems or soulful vocals, Soul Central are unique in their understanding of how to combine a true, underground house sound with a big room party vibe. With an adventurous sound that can be both tough and dynamic and smooth and soulful, they purvey a diversity that puts them in a league of their own. 20 + I.D. Required. Club Culture – Sri Ayudthaya Rd. (Phaya Thai BTS)

Friday March 28^th, 2008

Olmeca Gold Tequila Party – GLOW AND OLMECA GOLD TEQUILA PRESENT Olmeca Gold Tequila Party “Tequila Gals are Back!!!” with DJ Gaz Mel, Sexy Drinks! Sexy Girls! Sexy Music! Come prepared for a night of great music and good times and a whole lotta TEQUILA!! Come and join OLMECA GOLD and GLOW NIGHTCLUB along side Canadian DJ GazMel presents as they present to you “Tequila Girls are Back!!”. What to expect aside from a club full of sexy people: Music: Minimal, Electro and Tech House courtesy of DJ GazMel. Live Performances: Professional Dancers for your viewing pleasure. SPECIAL GAME: A CHANCE TO WIN A BOTTLE OF OLMECA.

SPECIAL PROMOTIONS:

Tequila Promotion : Olmeca Gold only 1,800 baht/ a bottle (normally 2,300 baht)
Tequila shot : 160 baht / a shot (normally 200 baht)
Tequila cocktails : 180/ a drink (normally 220 baht)
Magarita, Tequila sunrise, Tequila sunset, Maxican surfer, Tequila slammer girl (Glow’s special cocktail)
Entrance 200 baht and 1 drink (Tequila shot or Tequila cocktails only). Start 9pm till late. 20 + I.D. Required. Glow – Sukhumvit Soi 23

Saturday, 29 March 2008

Magic of Minimal at Glow – “MAGIC OF MINIMAL” with DJ E.K., DJ MAGIC MUFFIN AND DJ PLAN B. Music is minimal elecro and more electronic beats. Dancers on stage. Entrance: 200 baht + 1 drink. Start 9pm-late. 20 + I.D. Required. Glow – Sukhumvit Soi 23

Saturday, 29th March 2008

Deeper, Speed and Rome at Luminous – Luminous presents DEEPER, SPEED & ROME “TURN BACK TIME” with DJ B (hip-hop, reggae, old school on the 1st floor), DJ Night (from Rome with a ladyboy cabaret show)

Check out these similar posts:

Tawanna Square Replaces Suan Lum

Steve — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 18:26:23 +0000

Tawanna Square is a smaller, less accessible and yet still chic, trendy and well worth visiting version of Suan Lum Night Bazaar. With Bangkok boasting one of the largest concentrations of markets, malls and shopping areas in the world one might wonder why they would want to visit Tawanna and the answer is simple. Tawanna is a great experience.

Many people are familiar with the Suan Lum Night Market, however since Suan Lum is closing I think many of us will want an alternative. Tawanna Square is that alternative.

Tawanna is divided into different zones labeled A-J which makes it fairly easy to find a shop again if need be. This is a vast improvement over the king of markets – Chatuchak. Have you ever tried finding a stall again there? It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.

You’ll be able to find everything ranging from trendy clothing for both sexes, home-decor items, arts and crafts, tools, electronics and antiques to food. You can even get a manicure or tattoo here. The restaurants aren’t bad, try the spicy southern Thai food at Nang Talung or have an early cocktail at the bar called Toilet (who comes up with these names?).

You’ll find Tawanna Square located between The Mall Bangkapi and Makro Bangkapi on Lat Phrao Road between Sois 144 and 142. It is open from 2pm to 10pm daily. The easiest way to get there is to take a taxi (just tell the driver Tawanna, he’ll know). You can also take the MRT to Lad Phrao station, but you’ll still need to take a taxi from the station to Tawanna. And if you’re really adventurous and/or familiar with Bangkok you can get there by bus, the following busses go to or near Tawanna – bus 8, 22, 27, 44, 73kor, 92, 96,122, 126, 137,145, 151, 156, 178, 182, por or.22, 44, 92, 514, 545.

Check out these similar posts:

Goodbye Suan Lum Night Bazaar

Steve — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 23:24:37 +0000

For those of you that love Suan Lum Night Bazaar like I do take note. Looks like they are finally going to enforce the closing that was supposed to take effect last April. I wonder if this has anything to do with the legalization of gambling? Where else in Bangkok would you find enough open space to put a casino/entertainment complex?

Bangkok’s popular Suan Lum Night Bazaar is to finally close, with its hundreds of tenants moving out to make way for a mall and hotel complex.

“It is the intention of Crown Property Bureau to comply with the court order and to carry out this order as stated,” said the Crown Property Bureau in a statement printed in Thai language newspapers.

Tenants refusing to leave could face “seizure, arrest or imprisonment,” warned the agency.

Check out these similar posts:

Mobile Advertising in Bangkok – And I Don’t Mean Cell Phones

Steve — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 17:23:46 +0000

Here’s a new advertising twist. Put large LCD screens and electronic boards on top of small trucks and then park them at major intersections. Plus you have the bonus of being able to move them throughout the day based on traffic patterns.

That’s exactly what the Hello Bangkok agency has been doing in Bangkok since December and people are now complaining about the new advertising saying that it is distracting to drivers and causes traffic jams.

If it is effective advertising of course it is distracting, that’s the point. As far as creating traffic jams I can’t imagine how much worse things can be in a city that regularly sees gridlock everyday. Have you ever tried to get through Chinatown, Khao San Road or Sukhumvit between the hours of 5pm and 8pm? The roads are so clogged already that it’s almost better to walk.

The CEO of Hello Bangkok claims ”Mobile outdoor advertising is a new development in Thailand’s ad industry. They could help overcome the BMA’s possible ban on oversized billboards, which can be fatally dangerous during heavy storms,” Mr Kitichai said.

Yes, but what about distracting motorists with these new billboards that can be fatally dangerous at any time Khun Kitichai? Last week, a man claimed that he was hit by a mobile unit of Hello Bangkok, further complicating the difficulties already faced by the company.

Wannee Ruttanaphon, chairman of the media buying agency Initiative, said she found the new medium ”interesting” and might introduce it to her clients.

”It’s quite flexible and can reach a target group easily since it is movable. The advertisers can choose locations that are right for their target groups,” Ms Wannee said.

Currently Hello Bangkok has 700 of the mobile units, but can you imagine if this takes off in a big way? Thousands of small trucks with glittering neon all vying for your attention while you’re trying to drive does not sound like a safe scenario to me.

I know America has Times Square and Las Vegas and similar areas, but at least these glitzy areas are stationary. I can only imaging what traffic would like in Manhattan with these distractions. Of course if you’ve been to Bangkok you know that Thai’s love the neon lights. Simply look at the clubs, pubs and restaurants to see that. Or take a look at a Thai website like TeeNee, all flash and glitz galore.

Has anyone seen these mobile ad units in Bangkok? What do you think about them? Will they take off and turn Bangkok’s streets into parking lots during rush hour or will Bangkok clamp down on this type of advertising and remove it from the streets?

Check out these similar posts:

Clubbing in Bangkok

Steve — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 00:37:44 +0000

Today I have another entry from Richard of richardelliots blogspot and it is in my opinion the best he’s written yet. If you like clubbing in the west you will love clubbing in Bangkok. Listen to what Richard has to say because he is right, these clubs have great music, atmosphere and tons of beautiful people.

Bangkok has some of the best nightclubs in the world, fantastic music, stylish interiors and lots and lots of very beautiful boys and girls. As if the locals weren’t beautiful enough, they offer free drinks to models on certain nights of the week to make sure the ultra-glamorous are there. It is my favourite place to go clubbing of anywhere I have visited across the globe! Bangkok ’s clubs can easily rival those from London and New York .

Lets be clear at the start, I’m not talking about any of the venues where you can pick up a bargirl in Nana Plaza or Patpong. These are also not the back packer tourist traps of the Khoa San Road . We’re talking about the Bangkok Super Clubs where middle and upper class Thais hang out. The music scene is mainly hip-hop. There is also almost always a stage or separate room where a live band will play some more rocky numbers during the night.

You actually see comparatively few farrangs in the clubs and I think this is because to unlock their full potential you need to understand a little bit about Thai culture. Lots of travelers arrive with a Western attitude and completely the wrong approach. Let’s be honest, most of us go to nightclubs to have a good time and meet and dance with gorgeous members of the opposite sex. So how do you succeed? Steve has a number of good pieces on the blog about Thai dating and Thai culture. Hopefully this article below will also give you some advice and the inspiration to visit one of the exceptional nightclubs.

Make sure you go with at least one other friend and take some ID even if you look well over the legal drinking age. (If you don’t want to carry your passport around, a colour photocopy will be accepted almost everywhere.) Entry is usually free. When you arrive don’t just buy a drink from the bar, ask for a table. Where you get your table can make or break your night. It is important to get the choice right! Pick a table with a good view over the stage and the rest of the club, more importantly make sure it is near other tables containing hot boys / girls depending on your persuasion. Make sure they are not ladyboys as there will certainly be a couple of tables of katoeys in the club (check the size of their hands ).

At your table the norm is to order a whole bottle of whiskey or vodka and some mixers depending on what you like. If you haven’t finished it by the end of the evening you can hand it back to your waiter and they will give you a ticket identifying your bottle. Next time you go to the club you can drink the remainder for free.

You are at your table and surrounded by beautiful people, now for the flirting! Pale skin is seen as attractive in Thailand and you will be one of the few Westerners in the club so you will stand out. Both good starts. Thai men don’t seem to dance much, so even if you have two left feet, but are prepared to give it a go, you will be one of the best male dancers in the club. Sadly ladies, Thai girls are excellent dancers in my experience.

If you see someone you like, make eye contact and smile. If they make eye contact back and return a smile it is a good sign. The tables are always pretty tightly packed, so start talking to your neighbours. If you didn’t get the position of your table quite right and are making reciprocal eye contact with someone a little further away, ask your waiter to take them a note asking for their phone number. Might sound a bit forward, but it is quite common. If you don’t believe me just watch the waiters and waitresses for a bit! Your waiter will happily do it for a small tip. If they give you their number go over and say hello.

A key piece of advice is don’t overcook it. The worst thing that can happen, is if you are called Choa Shoo or Butterfly. In a country where face is important no one wants to be seen with someone who is choa shoo. If one person calls you chao shoo others will be thinking it and you should change your focus to enjoying the music and club atmosphere for the rest of the night.

What can result in you being called Chao Shoo? Too much physical contact, being obviously drunk or being seen to talk / dance with lots of people who obviously aren’t the friends that you came to the club with. Your flirting needs to be discreet or concentrated on just one person.

So you have met your perfect boy / girl, what do you do next? Public displays of affection are not at all common in Thailand . Kissing in clubs is virtually unheard of. You’ll know if they like you from how closely they dance with you. There may also be a discreet peck on the cheek when they think no one is looking. Ask for their phone number and if they call you the next day they definitely like you, so make sure you ask for a second date when they call!

The clubs are full most nights of the week, being busier at the weekend. The craziest time of all is Songkran when you need to go armed with a water pistol and expecting to get soaked to the skin.

Finally, where are these places? Try four of my personal favourites: SLIM and Route 66 at RCA or Santika and Bed Supperclub (the only club to charge an entry fee) in Sukhumvit.

P.S. The concept that drink driving is a bad idea clearly hasn’t reached Thailand yet and lots of people drive home from the clubs. Be careful on the roads as you jump in a taxi!

Check out these similar posts:

Clothes from the Tailors of Bangkok

Steve — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 03:00:34 +0000

Here’s another wonderful post from Richard of Richard Elliot’s blog about tailors in Bangkok. It’s great that Richard wrote this for us because it’s not a subject I would have touched on since I’m not really a suit and tie kinda guy. Thanks again Richard and all my readers drop by his blog and say hi won’t you?

Bangkok’s Tailors – Where to Go and Where to Avoid

There is no comparison between wearing a beautifully tailored suit that fits you like a glove and a lumpy ill fitting off the peg suit that still seems to cost a small fortune back home. Wearing a perfectly fitted suit makes you feel special, more confident and helps you to walk taller. It can also be very exciting having a suit made while on holiday. Being measured up, describing exactly what you want, choosing the right fabric and attending fittings can be fantastic fun. The tailor is likely to treat you like a king. That might be because he wants your money, but it still makes me feel a bit special! Lucky for us that Bangkok has some great tailors where we can get clothes made for a fraction of the price back home!

Over half of my work / formal wardrobe is from tailors in Asia. I’ve got suits, dinner jackets, trousers and shirts. I’ve also got some tailored casual clothes too.

However, if you have never been into a tailors before it can be a bit daunting, especially in a strange city. How do I get want I want? Will I choose the right tailors? How do I make sure I am not ripped off? Hopefully the below will give you a few pointers to set you off in the right direction.

Most of the tailors in Bangkok are actually just fabric sellers. They sell you some fabric, take your measurements and pass them onto a workshop where you suit is actually made. Your suit will almost certainly been machine sown was well. What you are actually getting is a made-to-measure suit and not the bespoke one advertised in the window. Don’t let this put you off, a made-to-measure suit can still look and feel great and some nice detailed finishes can add a lot of style and distinction to the finished article.

Make sure you choose a good fabric. You will only be able to make a good-looking suit out of 100% high quality wool. Thailand is famous for its silk and cotton, but not wool. The best quality wool’s come from Europe and Japan, I usually buy English wool and that is not just because I am British! In virtually every shop you go to, cheaper fabrics and some mid range ones too will be polyester or wool and polyester mixes, even if the band sown onto the edge of the fabric says “100% Wool, Made in England”. The tailor I visit is open enough to admit what is real wool and what isn’t. If you are not sure ask for a small sample. If it rips easily and melts like plastic with a horrible smell, when you hold a match to it, then it is probably a man made fibre. If it is difficult to tear and burns more slowly with an organic smell, it is probably wool.

Make sure you specify exactly what want. Single breasted? Double breasted? Side vents? Button hole? How many pockets? Real buttons on the sleeve? The list is almost endless. If you are not confident at doing this and have an existing suit that you like, take it along and most tailors will be able to copy it for you. Otherwise get on the internet and do some research or take along a picture of that Hugo Boss suit you want copied.

Next you need to avoid Bangkok Shoulders, as my Australian friend calls them. The Thais seem to love large should pads. Unless you are going for a retro 80’s style jacket, make sure you ask for small shoulder pads.

It takes time to make a decent suit. You will need to find a tailor you are happy with, choose the fabric and have all of your measurements taken. You will then need several fittings. If you are only in Bangkok for 2/3 days then it is probably not worth it, you should allow at least a week.

I hope that all of the above hasn’t put you off! You can still get some great clothes made for you in Bangkok, with a little of bit of care and effort, that will cost you a fraction of what you would pay on Saville Row. The main area in Bangkok is on Sukhumvit road around Nana and Asok Sky Train stations. You’ll need to do a bit of research to find the right place. Don’t be afraid to go in and ask to see some examples of their work, speak to the owner and any other customers in the shop. You get what you pay for, and should budget on spending $300 – $400 USD, after any discounts, for a good suit. In my experience you would expect to get a 30 – 50% discount on the price first quoted to you.

I use Royal Tailors near Nana BTS, opposite the Nana Shopping Centre. I have heard good things about Narin Couture as well.

At completely the other end of the spectrum, if I want the fake jeans I have just bought altered I use the denim shop in the basement of Central shopping centre in Lad Prao. Or for minor repairs you see girls sitting at the side of the road with a sewing machine all over the city.

Check out these similar posts: