[Day 1] 6D5N Trip to Bangkok (BKK), Thailand

Hello everyone, it had being more than a month since my last post in August. Just a quick update, we had a great trip to Bangkok (BKK) during September school holidays; exploring the beautiful city, shopping, food hunt as well as catching up with friends. Besides that our main aim is to visit my brother who went over recently for his new job posting at the Singapore International School.

Being more than two years since our last visit to Bangkok and this round I have to handle all the necessary bookings like air-tickets, hotel accommodation as well as itinerary planning (usually my brother is the one who organise and plan the trip).

After comparing a few airlines against their the timing and rates, we managed to grab a good deal from Thai Airways by paying SG$258.90 (inclusive tax) for a two-way ticket through their special fares promotion (ending 15 October 2015) using Master Card. If you are interested you can click here to find out more details on their website.

We have planned to travel light with half-filled luggage (Thai Airways allows 30kg baggage weight per person) in order to save space for the goodies that we are planning to loot back. Furthermore to have a relax vacation I entrust our trip photos and videos to my iPhone 6 plus instead of dslr camera plus comfort clothing such as short, tees and slipper to beat the heat.

Thai Airways check-in counter at Changi Airport Terminal 1.

[Tips] For your convenience Check-in can be made via iCHECK-IN (no physical boarding pass will be issued) 24-1 hour prior to scheduled flight. Or alternatively you can head down to their Check-in counter (stated on the e-ticket) at the airport at least 2 hours before departure to deposit your luggage and exchange the boarding pass.

Quick lunch @ Wang Cafe, Changi Airport Terminal 1

Clearing the immigration is a breeze since we were early and after which mum suggests to have a quick lunch at one of the cafe in the departure hall since we still have more than an hour and the half before boarding. We ordered some local delights with kaya toast, macaroni soup and mee rebus from Wang Cafe as well as some coffee to help us stay awake till late tonight for shopping spree.

Our flight; Thai Airway TG414

We always has mix feeling while in the departure gate waiting to board the aircraft. Excited and yet filled with hidden fear....

It took us just a few seconds to locate our seats since the aircraft was quite empty due to the recent city bomb in Bangkok which happened in mid August 2015. We often request a row that is nearer to the toilet and if possible window seat for the boy when we travel as a family with old and young.

Thai Airways TG414 - Economy Class

Thai Airways TG414 - Economy Class

This round even though the flight number is still TG414 like the previous one that we took two years back but somehow the in-flight facilities are slightly different without the USB Port which is available for charging purposes. The hand-held controller which located below the screen was also relocated beside the arm rest of the chair.

As for in-flight entertainment it was more or less the same with latest multi-language hit movies, classic oldies, popular TV programmes as well as news, travel destination and interactive games and kids cartoons.

[Thai Airways In-Flight Menu] Child Meal

[Thai Airways In-Flight Menu] Kid's menu is available for age 11 and below so this will be the last year for my boy to enjoy his favourite child meal before he turns twelve in 2016. To be honest I actually looking forward to child meal rather than adult meal due to its variety of sides and dessert.  Like what shown above the set consists of Main Course, bun, snack, beverages and fresh fruit.

[Thai Airways In-Flight Menu] Child Meal Main Course - Spinach Ravioli with Bolognese Sauce

Surprisingly the ravioli was tender and smooth to bite without being over or under cooked and the spinach fillings also goes well with the bologness sauce.

[Thai Airways In-Flight Menu] Fried Rice with Shrimps

[Thai Airways In-Flight Menu] Generally most airlines serve two selections of in-flight meal to all passengers unless special request (gluten free, seafood, vegetarian, infant/baby food and etc) is made in advance when purchasing the air-tickets. For economy flight menu passengers get to choose either rice or noodle for main course and the rest of the sides will be similar.

Mum had rice set serve with tasty fragrant fried rice that were flavoured with hint of Thai fish sauce together with fresh and succulent shrimps on the side.

[Thai Airways In-Flight Menu] Seafood Meal (Special Order)

[Thai Airways In-Flight Menu] I had "seafood meal" which I requested in advance which consists of steamed vegetables such as french bean, carrot and baby potato together with pan-fried fish fillet served with tomato base sauce. 

[Thai Airways In-Flight Menu] Seafood Meal (Special Order)

There were a few side dishes such as apple & smoke salmon salad, tiramisu and bun with butter to go with the main course. To go with your meal, you can request for coffee/tea, soda, juice or even wine (if it is available in the flight menu) depending on your preference.

[Tips] Just to share a small tip here; book your seats on the right-side of the aircraft in order to get an aerial view of Bangkok city when the flight is approaching Suvarnabhumi Airport.

TrueMove mobile outlet at Suvarnabhumi Airport

[Stay Connect] After clearing the custom immigration at Suvarnabhumi Airport, we collected our baggages and head out to the arrival hall to meet my brother who is fetching us to the hotel. Oh not to forget if you need to stay connect with your family or love ones back home, you can consider to get a Thailand local mobile SIM card from any of their mobile service providers at the airport or major shopping malls.

We bought the 4G Tourist Inter SIM from TrueMove mobile which are available for both iPhone and iPad.  The friendly staffs at the service counter help to set up our SIM cards and there is also an user-friendly English & Chinese instructions booklet which list down other beneficial services customized for both leisure and business travelers visiting Thailand.

We bought the 4G data plan with 2GB for iPad Mini and 4GB for iPhone 6+ for our 6 days trip as follow:
- 2GB Data Plan @ 299 Baht (SG$11.70)
- 4GB Data Plan @ 499 Baht (SG$19.50)

Connection wise it was pretty fast with good coverage even at their underground train ride. Besides that at time when 4G is not available at certain area, 3G network will automatically be replaced without any interruptions.

[Pullman King Power Hotel] Deluxe Room with king size bed

We took a taxi (less than 200 Thai Bhat which is around SG$8) instead of the Airport Rail Link from airport to Pullman King Power Hotel since there are four of us plus 3 medium size luggage bags. This was our second time staying in Pullman hotel because we love their security measure, friendly staffs, spacious room, breakfast selection, duty free mall (just right beside the hotel) as well as complimentary tuk tuk service to the nearest BTS.

During our 5 nights stay, we book a Deluxe Room which included a king size bed, free Wi-Fi in room and 15% discount card for shopping at the Duty free for 20909 Thai Bhat (SG$820) nett including daily breakfast for 2 Adults and 1 Child (below 12).

[Pullman King Power Hotel] Deluxe Room

The bathroom was specious with separate bath tube and rain shower; complimentary toiletries (toothbrush, shower cream, shampoo, body lotion), bathrobes and bedroom slipper. 

[Pullman King Power Hotel] Deluxe Room

As a gesture of appreciation to their guests omplimentary fresh fruits and macarons were placed on the coffee desk when we check-in to the room.

[Pullman King Power Hotel] Deluxe Room

Above were some of the in-room services such as coffee and tea making facilities, mini bar with liquor, beer, soft drink, juice and snacks (charges applied). As a Deluxe room guests, we are entitled 2 complimentary soft drinks per day from the mini bar which we totally forgotten about it (facepalm).

Tuk Tuk Shuttle Service (7:00am - 11:00pm) from hotel to the back entrance of Century Movie Plaza (located beside Victory Monument BTS Station) is another voting point for us to choose this hotel.

[Accommodation] Pullman King Power Hotel, Ratchathewi

Pullman King Power Hotel, Bangkok
8-2 Rangnam Road
Thanon Phayathai Ratchathewi
Bangkok 10400, Thailand
Telephone: (+66) 2 680 9999
Website:www.pullmanbangkokkingpower.com/

We took the Tuk Tuk service to the nearest BTS for a train ride (less than 10 minutes) to Siam Paragon for dinner.

[Siam Square One] Dinner @ OOTOYA

There are a few shopping malls around Siam BTS that packed with list of cafes and restaurants serving variety of food from Thai to International cuisines. After surveying the eateries around we decided to have bento from OOTAYO Japanese Restaurant at Siam Square One since there were no queues over there as compared to Siam Paragon outlet. 

This restaurant offers authentic Japanese cuisines such as tempura, sashimi, sushi, teppanyaki dishes, fried & grilled dishes. We ordered four set meals including drinks at around $1280 Baht (SG$50) with the following items:

1. Saba Set ($299 Baht - SG$11.70)
2. Rice with charcoal grilled chicken ($249 Baht - SG$9.70)
3. Deep-fried pork cutlet set ($269 Baht - SG$10.50)
4. Fried white fish with black vinegar set ($319 Baht - SG$12.50)

Verdict: We are satisfy with the quality as well as quantity and the price is definitely much cheaper when compared to the outlet in Singapore. So if you are looking for some decent Japanese food in Bangkok, I will recommend you to try Ootoya.

For those how loves fish remember to order OOTOYA signature dish; Charcoal Grilled Fish which is slightly salty in taste with hint of lemon in it. In addition to their main course, desserts pair with green tea ice cream, azuki beans and jelly are pretty good too.

Ootoya Japanese Restaurant - 大戸屋
Siam Square One 3rd Floor
Pathum Wan
Bangkok 10330, Thailand
Website: http://www.ootoya.co.th/

Opening Hours:
10:00am - 10:00pm (daily)

Price Range:
100 - 500 Baht (SG$4 - SG$20)

As it was still early after our dinner we decided to explore around the malls and get familiar with the locations before venture into our food hunt and shopping spree for the next few days. During the walk, we saw one of the Daiso outlets at ground level of Siam Square One which consists similar items as well as a few exclusive ones which we might not have in Singapore. More outlets are available at Terminal 21 (basement), Central Plaza Grand Rama 9 (basement) and etc.

Hello Kitty Cafe @ Siam Square One, Bangkok

While planning the itinerary for our Bangkok trip I have included a few "must try" cafes and restaurants on our list and "Sanrio Hello Kitty House" is one those too.

[Hello Kitty Cafe] Array of hello kitty theme cakes

Hello Kitty House in Bangkok offers 3-in-1 store concept with: café, souvenir shop and spa, extravagantly decorated in Hello Kitty themes. Therefore look out for our upcoming reviews on "5 Must Visit Cafes in Bangkok" for more details.




Above is a short video and photo clips of our Day 1 Bangkok Trip featuring Thai Airways economy class in-flight menu, our hotel room at Pullman King Power Hotel, Hello Kitty Cafe and etc.

Itinerary for 6D5N Bangkok Trip (September 2015) travelogue are as follow:-
~ [Day 1] 6D5N Trip to Bangkok, Thailand
~ Getting Around in Bangkok with BTS, MRT, Tuk Tuk, Taxi & River Boat
~ [Day 2] Chatuchak Weekend Market and Street Food
~ Popular Thai Street Food
~ [Day 3] Bangkok Chinatown & SabX2 Wanton Noodles

Upcoming Posts:
~ [Day 4] Root Garden Cafe & White Flower Factory Thai Food
~ [Day 5] Platinum Fashion Mall & Blue Spice and Herbs
~ [Day 6] Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK)
~ 5 Must Visit Cafes In Siam, Bangkok