http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30211 Opposite this mall is the Siam Center which has more high street clothes shops.
The Suan Lum night bazaar (nearest station Lumphini) has a great atmosphere with open-air bars and live music, definitely for tourists not locals but you can haggle and there are some good quality stalls and little boutiques run by small local designers and artists among the tat and souvenirs so you can find some unusual crafts and clothes. You can also get a foot massage or a fish spa and get a good cheap meal in the central food court. The night market at Patpong is not as seedy as you might think but only really sells the tourist tat like logo T-shirts and fake watches. You will be offered entry to a ping-pong show several times but the touts don’t hassle you much and there is nothing offensive on the street it’s all behind closed doors so you might just see a glimpse of a girl in a bikini. There are a couple of good shops offering the better standard of copy if you’re in the market for a fake handbag but they’re fairly arrogant about the value of their merchandise and start negotiations at inflated prices so it can be hard to make them budge enough to really get a real deal.
The main market experience in Bangkok is undoubtedly Chatuchak (also called JJ’s) which is only on at weekends. You can get the Skytrain to Mo Chit or use the Metro. It is an amazing sight to behold and hard work on a hot day but there is so much to see and Thai families come for a day out so it’s not just for tourists. There are plenty of weird and wonderful things to buy and eat. The fresh coconut icecream is delicious! Another place you can buy anything and everything but with aircon is MBK which is a huge shopping centre not far from the others at Siam but in a very different style. It is set over seven enormous floors and is more like an indoor market with hundreds of small shops and stalls and although you can get a map to help you navigate it would still be easy to lose track of time or the will to live if you’re not a hardcore bargain hunter. If you want to get round a few of these shopping areas, it is definitely worth getting to grips with the Skytrain system to avoid the traffic but the taxis outside the rush hour are fairly cheap as long as you make sure they use the meter which some drivers refuse to and quote a set rate upfront.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30211 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/26988 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/26988 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21585 For what it's worth, I wanted a dark pinstriped suit, and they had lots of material to offer. B]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21585 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21199 The suit's workmanship is wonderful - the fabric is superb and the tailoring is of utmost quality. As a repeat customer, I've come to expect nothing less from Savilerow. Past orders have exhibited the same craftsmanship shown in my most recent order.
Once again, Savilerow is to be commended for their outstanding service and speed of delivery. They have exceeded my expectations on more than one occasion and I would highly recommend them to all who are seeking customized tailoring at a modest cost.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21199 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21173 Tailors in the west will only tailor clothes for you from fabric that you purchased from them. In the east some tailors would accept fabrics. It is recommended you buy the whole suit from your tailor including the fabric.
You must ask them to recommend something that they would say would tailor nicely, not just blindly get the highest count that you can afford.
Get a wool suit while in Bangkok. Wool generally makes a good suit. It drapes nicely, tailors well and looks formal and nice. Contrary to popular belief, light weight wool is even good for the summer and in most cases better than polyester blended fabrics.
In Bangkok the famous among the local expats would be Excelsior tailor.
A must visit shop by the delegates and embassy staff in Bangkok.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21173 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19251
The Siam Heritage exceeded our expectations. The service was just touching and the rooms are spacious and well-appointed.

The bed was very comfortable and the bathroom was lovely with a good hot shower.

The shuttle boat was fantastic. Navigating Bangkok by foot, train, boat or tuk-tuk is a dizzying experience whichever way you slice it. There is so much going on that you soon succumb to stimulation overload. It was so nice to get on our private boat at the end of an excursion for a leisurely cruise back to the hotel.

The hotel is near all the good shopping areas.

Recommended things to do in Bangkok

- Visit the Grand Palace
- Ride the public river boats
- Dine at The Mango Tree (also Vertigo is amazing but very expensive)
- Shop for trinkets, clothing and fake everything at Night bazaar Lumphini and Patpong (the Exotic one)
- Ride the Skytrain
- Visit the rooftop Sirocco bar on the 76th floor at The State towers. A drink would cost you around eight dollars and the Bangkok view is free.
- Get tired at the biggest weekend market in the world - the Chatuchak market.
- Get a good body massage. The genuine Thai massage and spa.

If you must go to MBK shopping centre do NOT take a taxi or tuk-tuk, take the skytrain. The traffic light to enter the mall stays red for 15 min and then is green for 30 seconds (no exaggeration; we waited 45 min at that light).]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19251 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19088
I have had a bad experience with other tailors and this is the only place I can recommend.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19088 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18974 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18974 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18770
In the end I visited Savile Row fashion as they often had dresses in the window that I liked. I made an appointment to go in and the two assistants spent an hour showing me nearly every dress in the shop. They were all reasonable price and as they were nice I felt that I could be honest with them.

The shop that I went to was called Savile Row Fashion in Suriwong Street in Bangkok, and I would highly recommend it.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18770 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18536
And they make damn fine suits and custom shoes. They even fit them to better conceal whatever weapon you may be carrying.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18536 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18527
Thankfully, there is an antidote to the Bangkok ripoff tourist tailor. I was recommended this place by an AAAC member. It's far away from the Sukhumvit Road tailors and really a world apart. I imagine this guy could hold his own against the best of the UK or Italy.

This is the tailor shop that the highest echelons of Thai society use.

I had a midnight blue tuxedo made there and it turned out beautifully. I probably broke some rules with the burgundy lining but I couldn't resist
the color when I was given the lining samples.

I had an initial fabric selection and then three fittings as the garments progressed. His fabric selections are limited but are of the highest quality.

A suit from July Tailor will cost 4000 - 12000 baht.

I have always seen another Farang (foreigner) in there. His work is in the upper echelons and his prices are much more reasonable than even the best tourist tailors. That being said, they are still lower than a good canvassed off-the-rack suit in the USA.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/18527 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17407 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/17407 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/13717
The crowd is more residential, international, professional thirtysomething than the teens and tourists around Siam and MBK.

Couples can easily spend a whole day in Thonglor. For the morning get a coffee and up to date with emails at True Life. Relax into a half-day "Ecstasy Time" spa package in a double room at Leyana Spa. Then have an illuminated evening meal outside at To Die For restaurant in H1 - Thonglor's design HQ. And finally, discover some Bangkok trends inside the Playground mall and rub shoulders with Thai celebrities unwinding at Starbucks. If one of you is starting to tire, take an aircon taxi back to BTS Thong Lo for 35 Baht and on to your hotel in air-conditioned, speedy Skytrain comfort.

Alternatively, if you feel yourselves becoming part Thonglor, you may stay late and never want to go back ...]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/13717 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10825 It is available from major bookstores in Bangkok. In the UK I found it difficult to obtain. The only website I have found is www.tripneeds.com]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/10825 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3958
Ask local Thais about this. Be warned, though, the prices are a lot higher than other parts of Bangkok and Thailand.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3958 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3903 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3903 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3771 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3771 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3764 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3764 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3757
The biggest market I have ever come across, most Thais know it as Jay-Jay market.

The market contains everything you could ever wish for, from trainers and jeans (all fake but as good as the real thing) to furniture, plants, decorations, T-shirts, rucksacks and suitcases. There's also a great food area, so you can make a day of it.

A must go place, all the Thais shop here, as should you.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3757 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3754
It's a major university and the streets around it are thronged with market stalls for great food and 'alternative' goodies.

There are a few cafe/bars with live music and the students will be keen to practise their English on you!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/3754