Shopping in Bangkok

If your ever in the Far East and looking for somewhere to stopover for a few days to spend abit of money on yourself, or others if you’re feeling nice... Bangkok is great!

There are tons of shops and lots of shopping to be done in Bangkok. Anything from clothes to watches and handbags can be found for the collectors out there. These can be purchased in various parts of the city.

There's a bargain to be had everywhere depending on what it is that you want and how much luggage allowance you have left! A trip to the Grand Palace and the surrounding areas is fantastic and getting around here is easy on foot or by tuk tuk, which you can rent by the hour for next to nothing.

One place that is well worth a visit is MBK, which is a fantastic shopping centre for the bargain hunters! It’s full of floors and floors of merchandise from upmarket designer outlets to market-style stalls. It’s situated at the end of the skytrain line and the port for the river taxi is at the other end.

On arrival stallholders immediately begin negotiating and need no encouragement to do so. Never settle for the initial price...bartering is expected and I would always go in with at least half the marked price as my first offer (sometimes even lower if you feeling lucky!)
So whether you a first time buyer or a seasoned shopper, Bangkok is definitely a top place for shopping!


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I want a twin centre holiday in Thailand, seeing Bangkok and then relaxing on the beach, but I want to keep the flights down to a minimum?

Last time I was in Thailand I did a twin centre holiday, very similar to what you want to do. I spent 3 nights in Bangkok, which I found great fun, fantastic shopping and also plenty of sightseeing.

I then headed to the beach, going to a resort called Hua Hin. Hua Hin is only about a 2 and a half hour driver from Bangkok, so no need for any more flights.

Hua Hin is a lovely old fishing village, once favoured by the Thai Royal family as their beach retreat. Today Hua Hin still has plenty of charm as well as some lovely hotels. It has much more of a Thai feel than some of the other beach resorts such as Koh Samui or Phuket. Unlike the larger, better known resorts, Hua Hin has some lovely restaurants, low key bars and a fantastic night market. If you’re looking for wall to wall clubs and bars, or KFC on every corner then Hua Hin isn’t the ideal place for you. I’d suggest heading to Pattaya, which again can easily be reached by road from Bangkok.

I stayed in a hotel right in the centre of Hua Hin, the Hilton Hua Hin Hotel, which has plenty of shops, bars and restaurants slap bag on the door step. It had a lovely beach, good swimming pool and a great bar!

Hua Hin has plenty of other hotel options, from the stunning Evason Hua Hin, which is in a peaceful location about 30 minutes outside town, with some great pool villa rooms to the fun family Courtyard by Marriot hotel with plenty of family activated including some fun waterslides!

Hua Hin makes a great beach option from Bangkok, cutting down on the need for an extra flight.

Darren
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Latest Holiday deals - savings of up to £410 per person

Hi,

Check out some simply amazing holiday deals we have at the moment:

http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk/newsletter/quick/quickfeb12a2.html

We have some fantastic deals to Thailand at the moment, for example, 8 nights in stunning Krabi at the 4* Centara Anda Dhevi Resort from only £799 per person. That price includes all flights, private resort transfers and accommodation.

Check out more amazing holidays at http://www.escapeworldwide.co.uk

Darren
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Travel Ideas for 2012

Plan your Travel Year with the help of our Travel Calendar!

If you're looking for holiday inspiration in 2012, check out our travel ideas month by month - this week, suggestions for January, February and March, taking in the Red Sea, Thailand and Tanzania. For more details about any of the holidays we feature call us on 020 8989 0970 or e-mail us at info@escapeworldwide.co.uk

 

 

Click Here to check out our travel calendar.

JANUARY - The Red Sea is the perfect place for some winter sunshine and relaxation, without your wallet taking too much of a strain. Just a 5 hour flight away, the various resorts offer quality accommodation at excellent prices - the perfect post-Christmas break!

FEBRUARY - Having your own private pool is the ultimate romantic room, and nowhere does pool villas quite like Thailand - the perfect option for a valentines holiday. Pool villas are found in most Thai beach resorts - some are set within their own walled garden for privacy while others have spectacular views of the beach!

MARCH - March is a great time to be on the Serengeti, when the calving season is coming to an end and wildlife activity is starting to peak. Take in other areas of this wonderful country too, and follow your safari with a stay on the beautiful beaches of Mombasa or Zanzibar for the ultimate African adventure.

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Can I get married in Sri Lanka?

Mark was invited to a wedding on a recent trip to Sri Lanka...

"Sri Lanka is one of the most popular destinations we feature for overseas weddings – it’s great value, very romantic and the paperwork is minimal, and there’s a good selection of hotels that can arrange weddings, so it’s a good option overall. I was visiting the Jetwing Lighthouse Hotel, and a couple from the UK were getting married – somehow I managed to get myself an invite to the ceremony!

They’d opted to get married in traditional Sri Lankan dress, which the hotel had arranged for them, so guests were also asked to have a touch of local dress about them – I bought a sarong from the gift shop, which was ideal, although actually working out how to wear it was another story!

The wedding ceremony was taking place in the gardens of the hotel, as the couple had decided this was easier than the beach, although personally I think there’s something really special about getting married on the beach itself, and most hotels in Sri Lanka can do this. The couple arrived on the back of an elephant, who we’d nicknamed ‘Batman’ as he was dressed in a huge black cape with a mask complete with eyeholes, making him look like an elephant superhero!

The ceremony itself seemed very traditional, with candles being lit and a procession of drummers and singers, lasting about 20 minutes in all. Some of the couple’s friends and family had joined them in Sri Lanka, and also lit candles at appropriate points – I stayed a little way back, so to be honest I didn’t keep up with the intricacies of the ceremony too well! Once the ceremony itself was over, Batman The Elephant took the couple off to a wedding breakfast with their family, while we headed for the bar!
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I am family of 5, 2 adults and 3 children. Is there a hotel in Egypt that will get us all in one room?

Yes is the answer to that, Darren recently visited a lovely hotel in Makadi Bay in Egypt call the Makadi Palace Family Star which is a beautiful 5* hotel and offers a great all inclusive package.

The Makadi Palace Family Star has fantastic family rooms that sleep upto 2 adult and 4 children (11 and under) and what’s even better is that the children only pay £399 per child anytime of year, making it a great value option. The rooms are well configured with a large sofa bed, two separate single beds which are screened for the living area and a separate bedroom for the adults!

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The hotel offers a comprehensive all inclusive which allows you to dine in pretty much all of their restaurants so you’re not just stuck with the buffet. The hotel also has a good sized swimming pool, with children’s pool, various sporting activites, direct beach access, kids club even FREE wifi in the receptions.

All in all the Makadi Palace Family Star makes for a great all round family option and well worth considering for your next holiday.

Do you need a visa to visit Sri Lanka?

From the 1st January 2012 the answers is YES. Until now British Passport holders visiting on holiday didn’t need a visa to go to Sri Lanka, but unfortunately from the 1st January they do.
Having been to Sri Lanka a few times it was nice not having to worry about a visa, but I believe they have made the process pretty painless.

The Sri Lankan immigration have set up a good website with all the information you need on the new visa system - http://www.immigration.gov.lk/ though I’d probably check this from time to time as things might change as the visa system is so new!

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