May 2 – 12, 2018
Bangkok has a plethora of malls and if you are an American that has never been to Asia before then you probably think this just means something to avoid visiting because it is a boring, depressing place to shop but malls in Asia are very different. Take Central World for an example. It is the 10th largest shopping complex in the world with 500 stores and 100 restaurants and cafes. It is filled with clothing stores, restaurants, food hall (aka food court), grocery store, ice skating rink, cinema, toy stores, electronic stores, accessory shops, hotel, offices, free children’s playground, other children’s activities such as cooking classes, creating clay sculptures, ballet class, english class, along with a rotation of special events like athletic competitions or toy shows. In addition to all of these amenities, the ambience itself encourages you to want to spend time there. The building and facilities are clean, modern, and beautifully decorated with easy access to the BTS (sky train). I have frequented this mall primarily because of the free indoor playground. It is so convenient on a hot day to take the baby there to play in the morning, have lunch and head home for the baby’s nap time. It is so nice to be able to do all of this without getting into a car and be surrounded by adults in an adult environment.
Another mall that I am drawn to because of kid friendliness is Emporium mall. Although it does have an indoor playground that you have to pay to get into, I am not mentioning it for this reason. Instead I am mentioning it because it is next to Benchasiri park which I love to visit with the baby because it has 2 playgrounds, a small man made lake, outdoor exercise equipment, basketball court, a small skate park and beautiful open green space to walk around. An easy, fun morning is to eat breakfast at home, take the sky train 1 stop then a quick walk to the park to play for an hour or so. It is setup perfectly for kids because the playgrounds are separated into 2 different age groups, one for 1-4 year olds and a second for the older kids. John loves the freedom to run and play with the other kids as well as chase the birds! When we are done, Emporium mall is on our way to the sky train so we sometimes stop for lunch and quick access to air conditioning.
Of course another reason to go to the mall is to shop. If you are looking for shopping that will not break the bank (although they may not be authentic) and to shop with the locals, MBK mall is a great choice! This mall has around 2,000 shops and is also easily accessible via the BTS. Everything is for sale here, clothing, shoes, accessories, jewelry, electronics plus it has amenities like restaurants, food hall, cinema, 3D art gallery, and bowling alley. Here you can also try out your bargaining skills at most of the shops but some of the nicer ones, such as the department store have fixed prices.
Eating is another reason why people go to the mall. Terminal 21 is a perfect mall for that! If you want tasty, cheap international food then head to the food court where you can literally eat a delicious meal for $1 US dollar! If you don’t find anything in the food court then you have your choice of tons of sit down restaurants that are spread across 3 floors and you can even find a couple with1 Michelin star. We are lucky enough to be next to this mall so we have frequently eaten here. But, if you are not in Asok, don’t worry this is also right next to the sky train so it is easily accessible!
Life in Bangkok is made very convenient with all of the malls along the sky train. It is astonishing how many there are, I only mentioned 4 but there are more!
