🌏 Our Thailand trip started right here — in the chaos, color, and calm of Bangkok

Bangkok is the perfect first stop. It’s fast, flavorful, and just disorienting enough to make you realize you’re on the other side of the world — but also full of comfort once you settle in.
We spent four nights here, which ended up being the perfect amount of time to explore, adjust, and eat way too much.

🏨 Where we stayed

Four Points by Sheraton Sukhumvit 22

We stayed at Four Points Sukhumvit 22, a newer property that still feels brand new — spotless, modern, and sleek.
It’s located in a busy local neighborhood that might look a little rough around the edges, but we always felt completely safe and comfortable walking around.

It had a rooftop pool that gave us those “Bangkok luxury” moments without the luxury price tag.
Our room was under $100/night, and they even accommodated free early check-in — a huge win after 20 hours of travel.

Breakfast was surprisingly impressive: a mix of Western and Thai options, fresh fruit, pastries, and coffee strong enough to fight off the jet lag.

We booked directly with our Marriott card, which earned us both points and elite night credits toward our Gold status perks — an easy way to make your money work harder when you travel often.

🛕 What we did in Bangkok

Wat Pho (The Reclining Buddha)

One of the most famous temples in Thailand — and for good reason. The sheer size of the reclining Buddha is jaw-dropping.
Entry was around $12, and the complex is beautiful to wander through.

If you visit, go all the way to the back of the grounds to find the Wat Pho School of Thai Massage — one of our favorite experiences in the city.
You’ll change into a cotton outfit and get stretched, pulled, and kneaded by the pros. It’s open-room style (so not private luxury), but for the price, it’s authentic, traditional, and so worth it.

Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)

It’s stunning and feels very sacred — kind of like Thailand’s version of the Vatican.
Photos aren’t allowed, and after a few temple stops we were definitely getting “templed out,” but it’s still worth seeing once.

🛍️ Malls and food

Bangkok’s malls are an experience, not a chore.
ICONSIAM was a highlight — a riverfront luxury mall with incredible design and an indoor floating market replica called Sook Siam, where we spent hours wandering, shopping, and snacking.

We also loved the “airport-themed” Terminal 21 mall — each floor designed after a different city.
The food court there was out of control (in the best way): you load money onto a small card, then swipe to pay at each stall.
We ate smoothies, curries, mango sticky rice, and snacks — all for a few dollars total.

👉 We’ll share a full list of our favorite food finds across Thailand soon — trust us, you’ll want it.

🌇 Rooftops and views

We had a drink at Tichuca, a popular rooftop bar known for its glowing light display and skyline views.
Expect American prices for drinks, but the atmosphere and view are worth it at least once.

We also went up the King Power Mahanakhon SkyWalk, Thailand’s tallest building.
There’s a glass floor (take the shoes-off photo moment, you won’t regret it), and the rooftop bar is a perfect place to watch the sunset with snacks and a drink.

🚇 Getting around Bangkok

Bangkok traffic is no joke. If you can, use the BTS Skytrain — it’s clean, cheap, and efficient, though it doesn’t reach every area.

When the Skytrain couldn’t get us there, we used the Grab app (Thailand’s version of Uber).
Most rides cost $1–$5, even when traffic turned a 15-minute drive into 45.
The drivers were always kind, and even when we felt guilty about the low fare, they seemed genuinely happy to help.

We skipped the river cruise once we saw the color of the water (let’s just say… not inviting), but if you’re more adventurous, it could be a fun add-on.

Our one regret: we didn’t make it to a real floating market.
We’d read mixed reviews about crowds and distance, so we decided against it — though we got a taste of it through the replica inside ICONSIAM’s Sook Siam, which was honestly pretty great for souvenirs and snacks.

💬 Final thoughts

Four nights in Bangkok was perfect for us. Long enough to see everything, eat everything, and still have time to rest.
It’s a city of extremes — noisy streets next to calm temples, skyscrapers above quiet alleys — and somehow, it all works.

If you plan it right, it’s the best first chapter to any Thailand trip.

Next in our Thailand series:
Our full Chiang Mai itinerary — elephant sanctuaries, jungle hikes, and our favorite stay in Northern Thailand.