Bangkok is a bustling city always peppered with excited tourists and equally eager vendors who will do everything to make a sale. Since good buys abound in this pulsating city, then you must make sure that you get your hands on some real good bargains during your visit to Bangkok. The malls would be a good place to start as these multi-storey shopaholics’ heaven can accommodate every meticulous taste and budget.

CENTRALWORLD SHOPPING COMPLEX
Ratchaprasong Intersection, Pathumwan (take the Skytrain and get off either at Chitlom or Siam stations)
10:00 am – 9:00 pm daily

The CentralWorld Shopping Complex is the newest addition to the roster of shopping malls that compete to be the best shopping mall in the land. Locals would tell you, though, that this particular mall will make other malls fade in the background now that it has its own new and rebranded look.

Its total area is 30% larger than any shopping establishment in Bangkok and all of its 550, 000 square meters of retail space is occupied by the best tenants that provide a superb collection of products and services that includes over 500 stores made up of key outlets like Zara, Timberland, Next, etc. There are also 50 restaurants, 21 cinemas, a food court and two department stores. But these stores are no ordinary stores as the CentralWorld Shopping Complex has decided to bring the shopping experience of consumers a notch higher by introducing “mega-stores.” These spacious stores measure between 2, 000 sq meters up to 8, 200 sq meters. Examples of these stores are SuperSports, B2S, Toys ‘R’ Us, the Central Food Hall, etc. One of the department stores, Zen, occupies a total of seven floors!

Since this shopping mall values its customers’ comfort, they even made sure that customers will not have any difficulty finding a parking space when they decide to bring their cars. The indoor parking lot, said to be the biggest in Thailand, measures a whopping 287, 000 square meters. It is so huge that 7, 000 vehicles can be parked here at any given time.

SIAM PARAGON SHOPPING CENTRE
Located next to the Siam Centre (take the Skytrain and get off at the Siam Station)
10:00 am – 10:00 pm daily

It has always been known that the Siam Paragon Shopping Centre must be on top of anyone’s list when it comes to luxury items. Its entire 500, 000 sq meters of retail space is occupied by high end stores including international brands like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Versace, Burberry, Prada, Hermes, etc.

It is quite possible to get lost with all the store mix that would be available to you so it is highly advisable to get a copy of the mall’s directory from the information counter located at the ground floor. This directory will help you familiarize yourself with the various sections of the mall such as the Beauty Hall, Men’s and Ladies’ Fashion, Sports Center, etc.

Hungry shoppers can relax over a delicious meal at the ground floor where the Food Hall is located. The food section alone occupies 20, 000 sq meters of space and has about 80 restaurants and food stalls. There are even sections like Take Home, Gourmet Market, Food Court, etc. My personal favorite is the Gourmet market because everything is fresh and free from preservatives and chemicals.

GAYSORN
Ratchaprasong (take the Skytrain and get off at the Chitlom Station)
10:00 am – 8:00 pm daily

Gaysorn has been around for quite a while and yet it will not disappoint anyone who is looking for the most lavish brand names and designer labels. Enter the glass doors and you’ll immediately be ‘wowed’ by the elegant displays of Prada, Hugo Boss, Louis Vuitton, etc. The creations of locally renowned designers are also available in this mall. You can check out Kloset Red Carpet, Fly Now, etc.

It is quite easy to find the mall given that its location is so near other shopping malls like CentralWorld Shopping Complex mentioned earlier.

AMARIN PLAZA BANGKOK
Ratchaprasong Square (take the Skytrain and get off at the Chidlom Station)
9:00 am – 9:00 pm daily

Another stylish mall that you must visit is the Amarin Plaza which is linked to the Erawan Bangkok. This mall is the usual hangout place of the expatriates and travelers who have sophisticated tastes.

It is made up of five floors of pure shopping bliss. You can check out famous brands like Valentino, Guy Laroche, etc. Other products that you can purchase here include the finest silk, intricate handicrafts, precious antique items, leather goods, jewelry, etc.

This mall is also a favorite stop not only because of shopping but because of its tempting food court where one can try Asian dishes that will surely tickle your taste buds.

Of course, any traveler who loves the finest things in life would surely want to stay in an elegant hotel. One good choice is the Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok and from here, one can choose to either take a taxi or ride the BTS Skytrain to reach any of these fine malls.

The luxurious malls of Bangkok will not fail to delight anyone. Come to think of it, if these malls cannot give whatever material thing your heart desires, how about trying the grand malls of Jakarta in the neighbor country of Indonesia? They might not be as luxurious but you’ll still have a lot of fun shopping.

Posted in Thailand, Things to do

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 18th, 2008 at 12:32 pm and is filed under Thailand, Things to do. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.