12 June 2007

Dine, Shop & Spa Indulgence in Bangkok - May/Jun 07

Gosh! I have totally neglected my blog for 2 weeks! So sad -_-
Have been busy with work and chores since I came back from my 4D3N Bangkok Extravaganza over the Vesak Day holiday. To begin with, it wasn’t an easily conceived holiday, took quite a while to plan. I knew that I wanted to get out of Singapore (for the sake of it) but was procrastinating and couldn’t decide where to go. By the time I made up my mind, lots of destinations were fully booked. Didn’t want to spend too much as we are saving for our dive equipment and Sipadan trip. Was contemplating diving at Phuket, Bali, Koh Samui, Krabi … or what about Cambodia…Bintan...I digress.
Well, ended up choosing Bangkok. Boring? Yes. Good choice? Definitely. I call it the 'Eat, Shop & Spa Indulgence Vacation'.
30 May, Wed
Took an afternoon flight on Thai Airways, was quite surprised that there isn’t any personal inflight entertainment system. What, no movie after paying so much for a ticket? (relatively higher ticket price as the cheaper options were sold out and this is not a budget airline). I think I must be too pampered? Anyway, fell asleep out of sheer boredom.
Reached Bangkok in the evening and took a cab to our chosen accommodation – Emporium Suites, located at Sukhumvit Road, adjacent to Emporium Shopping Mall and BTS Phrom Phong BTS Skytrain station. Quite a good location although it is 4 or 5 BTS stops from Siam Square area.
Emporium Suites is actually more of a service apartment but it is not much different from the regular business hotels. In fact, the elegant decoration, contemporary style and professional service is rather impressive. And I definitely like the way the lobby smells; care is taken to burn aromatherapy oil in the main lobby areas everyday. I felt relaxed already!
We've got a Studio Suite on the 35th level which offered a stunning view of the city area. Room was really spacious and even came with a kitchenette (not that we have much use for it). Hubby was impressed with the Sony flat screen TV. For me, I was happy to get free broadband access. Goodness gracious, I certainly am obsessed with the internet and email!

Decided to check out Emporium next door and hopped into Park Food Hall at Level 5 for dinner. We were given a card for placing orders, concept similar to Marche except that the individual stalls offered different cuisines; some of which are relatively big names like Whittard of Chelsea and Crystal Jade. Ordered some Vietnamese snacks and ice-blended drinks. Ambience was nice; food was passable. The food hall had a similar concept to Siam Paragon but on a smaller scale.
I was more than eager to start shopping. Emporium Department Store is quite similar to Central Chitlom but again on the smaller scale. The cinema - Emporium SFX looked quite impressive, so we decided to catch Pirates of The Caribbean 3 in English but with Thai sub-titles and in digital. Each ticket was 160 baht (around S$7) and seats were more spacious and comfortable (slightly reclined) than those in Singapore. Not bad at all. Movie ended nearly 3am and we hit the bed the moment we got back to our room.
31 May, Thu
Woke up quite late. (We were on holiday and had a late night!) Decided to check out one of the spas I had my eye on - Divana nurture spa, located in one of the soi opposite Emporium Suites. Shall blog about it in another entry.
After a rejuvenating massage therapy, we strolled along Sukhumvit Road looking for lunch place and came across this quaint eatery that sells authentic hawker fare. The food displayed at shopfront certainly looked tantalising enough to lure us into the shop. Ordered a thai noodle soup which came with a chicken drumstick and coagulated pig's blood and a braised pig hind rice. These were yummy! I miss coagulated pig's blood as it is no longer available in Singapore. Remember the fond old days where it was found in Pig Innards Soup 猪什汤. These 2 dishes, 1 mineral water and 1 ice-blended lime juice cost only 100 baht (S$4.40).

The stall owners were really friendly and kept telling us to try the Pad Thai. Looked and smelled good but we were already quite full. Next time!

After the satisfying meal, we went to Erawan Shrine to pray and then to the newly renovated Central World. The mall is huge! But concept similar to that of Siam Paragon and Central Chitlom.
Tired with shopping and the unbearable heat, we checked into Erawan Tea Room for the much raved about Afternoon Tea which is offered daily from 2.30pm to 6pm at 199 baht nett per person. It was really value-for-money and the thai snacks and desserts served were of quality!
  • "Kanom Pang Na Goong" - Deep-fried Shrimp Toast with Cucumber Dip
  • "Woo Ping" - Barbecued Pork Skewers
  • "Chor Muang Sai Poo" - Steamed Flower-shaped Dumpling Filled with Crab Meat
  • "Saikrok Issan" - Deep-fried Sour Sausage
  • "Kari Puff Sai Gai" - Thai Style Chicken Curry Puff
  • "Larb Gai" - Spicy Minced Chicken Salad with Mint Leaves in Cucumber Cup
  • "Polamai Ruam" - Seasonal Fresh Fruit Skewer
  • "Khao Niew Mamuang" - Mango with Sticky Rice
  • "Kanom Pang Sangkaya" - Steamed Bread with Pandan Custard Dip
  • "Kanom Krok" - Crispy Rice Pudding with Taro, Corn, Pumpkin or Spring Onion
  • "Look Chub" - Sweet Bean Paste Fruit Shapes
  • "Thong Muan" - Crispy Sesame Rolls
  • Scones with Chiang Mai Strawberry Jam
  • Mini Soft centred Chocolate Puddings
  • A Fine Selection of Coffee or Tea

After the satisfying afternoon tea, we went back to our studio suite for a short break and quick swim in the swimming pool. Then hopped to Central Chitlom for more shopping. Did I mention that this was an eat-and-shop-all-we-can vacation? For dinner, we had a simple thai noodle soup at Foodloft before heading back to our suite.
1 Jun, FriThe very next day was spent shopping at Siam Paragon. Didn't spend much time at Siam Paragon previously so decided to devote a full day here this time. We started with hotpot lunch at MK Gold Restaurant. Remember we were quite fond of this restaurant the last trip. Ordered the succulent duck meat again, along with many vegetable for the hotpot. And this time, we ordered the green noodles which were indeed springy and yummy. Not to forget the special dipping sauce which I loved to bits!

While I was strolling in the mall, discovered a number of day spas like Harnn & Thann and Pranali Spa. Couldn't resist to try Pranali Spa as I was really attracted to the ambience. Who says I can't have spa therapy 2 days in a roll? Shall blog about it in another entry.
So after all the shopping and spa indulgence, it was time for dinner and we opted for Jap food at Nippon Kai located at the Gourmet Food Hall. Surprisingly the seafood was really fresh. We loved the Ikura! Yet another satisfying meal for our last night in Bangkok.
2 Jun, Sat
Spent my last morning doing last minute shopping at Emporium and Boots! And before long, it was time to check out and to the airport.
Well, story was not over yet. As we had a lot of spare time before boarding the plane, we decided to do a 45min head and shoulder massage at one of the massage salons. Talk about over-indulgence! Other than that, it was an uneventful flight back to Singapore. I always hate the going home part -_-
P.S. Shall blog about my loot in another entry :p

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