this month I had the absolute pleasure of travelling to Thailand for the first
time to experience a stay in Bangkok thanks to Holiday Inn Express! I had 48
hours and a jam packed itinerary so location of my hotel was of optimum
importance! Luckily Holiday Inn Express Siam had me covered being situated
right next to a sky-train station and only a short taxi ride away from both the
old quarter and the major shopping districts!
what Holiday Inn Express is about is providing a comfortable and convenient
stay without all the extras you don’t necessarily need removed in order to
reduce the cost for travellers. They have free breakfast, fast internet and,
probably my favourite thing, your choice of (firm or soft) pillows!
what did I get up to in 48hours in Bangkok? Of course, I started with the ‘Must
Dos’ for Bangkok and took a taxi out to the Grand Palace & Wat Pho (Temple
of the Reclining Buddha). I would definitely recommend visiting both of these
spots – the detail in the temples is beautiful! Although it can get VERY hot
and crowded here so I would recommend heading out there first thing in the
morning. After a quick lunch by the river I visited the Snake Farm at the Queen
Saovabha Memorial Institute. I arrived in time for the handling demonstration
which was very interesting – it was a little worrying to see some of the more
dangerous snakes had been defanged in order to be handled however that was my
only issue and I was delighted to be able to cuddle a python after the
demonstration – holding a massive snake was on my 2016 bucket list!
That
night I took the sky-train from just outside the hotel to catch the sunset at
Sky Bar (aka The Hangover 2 bar & the most expensive beer I’ve ever had)
before catching a free ferry to the Asiatique night markets for a bite to eat
and a little shopping!
The next day I started Day 2 with a visit to the Jim Thompson House which is
located right behind the hotel. Jim Thompson was an American businessman who
helped revive the silk industry in Thailand before his mysterious disappearance
in 1967. At the house you are offered information about Thompson’s work as well
as a tour of his stunning house – I was so captivated there and left wanting to
actually live in that beautiful house. I then took a short walk across the canal to have
lunch at the Caturday Cat Café! I’m going to let the photos & video speak for
themselves with this one – all I’m saying is that they are so so cute and well
cared for at Caturday! I spent my afternoon exploring the extensive shopping
district in Bangkok – some of the malls there are just like eBay in real life!
Pretty much anything you can imagine, you can find in these massive shopping
centers.
had a massive 2 days in Bangkok thanks to Holiday Inn Express and IHG and I
would have not changed a thing – what an amazing city! I thought I would also
mention that Holiday Inn Express will be opening it’s doors to Sydney in
Maquarie Park this April and will launch the brand in Australia! Holiday
Inn Express Sydney Macquarie Park provides guests with everything they need and
nothing they don’t for a smart and convenient stay, including free and fast
Wi-Fi and free Express Start™ Breakfast or Grab & Go. You’re able to book a
stay now at http://www.ihg.com/holidayinnexpress/hotels/us/en/sydney/sydmp/hoteldetail
emma