Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts

Thursday, June 4, 2026

[Travel] Chill Chill @ Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort

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I had enjoyed the previous stay at Anantara Siam Bangkok, so this time round, will be trying out Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort.

The travel time from Suvarnabhumi Airport to the resort was an hour and taxi fare was ฿800 inclusive of highway tolls.

First impression, there was no one at the resort's car drop off point. There was one staff nearby but he was on the phone and does not appear to be working.

Walked to the receptionist counter and was greeted by the tour staff. Read about the welcome ceremony for resort's guests from past reviews but there was none on my day of visit. Though, I did see those golden bowls on my check-out date.

hotel lobby


Anyways, got my room fairly quickly thanks to Pepe. The intern walked with me to the room as the compound is quite large and one needs to get the bearings to know which building is housing which facility.


mini map of the resort

Was allocated the Junior Suite River View, thanks to the double upgrade from GHA Discovery Titanium membership. As this was a room-only upgrade, it does not include the Kasara Lounge Benefits and the room mini bar items are chargeable. It does come with a complimentary breakfast though. The building across the resort, the Riverside Plaza has a small Tops supermarket, hence one could get some snacks and drinks from there as well.


walking to Riverside Plaza

a glimpse of Luang Pu Thuat statue as seen when walking towards Riverside Plaza


Junior River View Suite


Room is located at Level 5 and there is a direct lift down to The Market for breakfast. The Market and Sala Lakorn is the same place, serving guests at different timings of the day.

spacious room @46 sqm


more space

King sized bed

thank you Housekeeping team for the cute mini elephant towel~

balcony

view from balcony

Asiatique (zoomed in view)

Anantara shuttle boat


It was cool to have a balcony with the river view but remember to keep the balcony door closed to keep the humidity and insects outside.

admiring the room from all angles

bathroom




bathtub

Let's have a coffee-break in the room!

all the flavours were nice



Welcome Amenity


welcome amenity

colourful luk chup ลูกชุบ


au lua อาลัว

foi thong ฝอยทอง

Thai pineapple biscuits


candy looking sweets similar to khanom alua?

Had to Google to find out more on the sweets. Sugar level must have spiked by quite a bit that day!

if you're looking for the DND button~


Sunrise


sunrise observed from balcony

Sunrise in Bangkok was at 540am, hence woke up early to take some photos. Headed towards Anantara Pier to see if can get any nice shots.

546am at Anantara Pier




a lone stream gauge perhaps?


552am - the sun is up


shuttle boat at the pier

beautiful morning



Elephant Statue




its trunk hugging the lamp post






Swimming Pool








Other Nooks and Cranny in the Resort


if lost, just look at the signboard

BYOB (bring your own pingpong ball to play?)

see if you can spot this

water feature



An enjoyable exploration within the resort's vicinity. Stay tuned for other experiences!



Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort

อนันตรา ริเวอร์ไซด์ กรุงเทพฯ รีสอร์ท

Address: 257/1-3 Charoennakorn Road Samrae Thon Buri, Bangkok 10600, Thailand

Websitehttps://www.anantara.com/riverside-bangkok








Tuesday, June 10, 2025

[Travel] Exploring Chiang Mai & Chiang Rai - Quick Breakfast at Nai To Congee, Private Van Travel to White Temple, Blue Temple and Lunch at Lulum Restaurant

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We had a full day of travelling ahead, so we started early at 8am. Our transport was ready to take us for a quick breakfast then head up north to Chiang Rai to visit the White Temple (Wat Rong Khun) and Blue Temple (Rong Suea Ten Temple).

Arrived at Nai To Congee around 830am and managed to secure the last available table.

Nai To Congee shopfront

retro feels

order chit (with English menu)

multi-language menu

I didn't dare to drink since we will be on the road for the next 2 to 3 hours. Indicate your table number, mark the orders in the order chit and pass to the staff at the counter. Payment is after meal.

The place is self-serve style and staff would call out your table number if there's any dish that is ready for pick-up.

iced coffee @฿40


Dipping custard @฿50



pork congee with boiled egg @฿45



The congee is similar to Cantonese style where it has a drizzle of soy, sesame oil and some shredded ginger. Served with a soft boiled egg and yummy meatballs. The flavour is light so feel free to add more seasoning (available at the table) for stronger taste. It was unfortunate that the temperature of the porridge was just lukewarm.

Egg Pan @฿55

stir fried pork with holy basil fried noodles @฿65

stewed chicken feet @฿55


Fried rice with sausage @฿50



seats

Totally recommend the stir fried pork with holy basil on fried noodles, fried rice and the stewed chicken feet. So good!

We spent about SGD5 each for breakfast. 


Nai To Congee Shop ร้านโจ๊กนายโต

Address: Ragang 2 Ko Alley, Tambon Hai Ya, Mueang Chiang Mai District, Chiang Mai 50100, Thailand

Business Hours: 
Closed on Sun.

Mon - Sat: Monday, 7 AM–2 PM





It was a long long journey to Chiang Rai and we reached Wat Rong Khun (White Temple) at around 1215 pm. The toilet at this temple was impressive with its high number of cubicles and the cleanliness.




a surprise find

map of White Temple

















There are places where one could explore if one does not wish to get the ticket to enter to the inner compounds of the temple.

entrance ticket










The bridge was the most congested when we visited as there were tourists blocking the space as they were busy taking photos of themselves posing at the bridge. One could hear instructions/warnings from nearby speakers in multi-language urging tourists to not stop at the bridge, and to walk quickly so as not to block others.

After wandering around for sometime, my mobile phone had overheated. It was indeed a super hot day. However, on hindsight, the hot weather was a blessing otherwise if it is raining then this trip might not be possible.
 
Here is wiki link to White Temple for more information.

Wat Rong Khun วัดร่องขุ่น


Address: Pa O Don Chai, Mueang Chiang Rai District, Chiang Rai 57000, Thailand


Business Hours:
Daily: Friday, 8 AM–5 PM






It was time for lunch, so we head off to Lulum which is near the Blue Temple.



signboard


interior

floating platform section


menu

this, and this


coconut smoothie

grilled northern style sausages @ ฿149

fried small shrimps



deep fried vege

minced pork salad

grilled pork @฿149

Northern style appetisers @฿199

green pepper (not spicy, smokey)



shrimp fried rice @฿99

Steamed Tilapia with tom yum herbs @฿279


We didn't expect the portion of the dishes here to be so generous. Nevertheless, majority of the dishes were enjoyable. Loved the shrimp fried rice but the shrimp/prawns were blanched separately hence, not much taste on the shrimp. Fried rice was tasty. Steamed fish was good with tangy sauce and firm flesh.



super crispy pork rind, lovely sausages


It was a very filling lunch and we spent about SGD26 each for this meal.


Lulum Restaurant Chiang Rai ร้านอาหาร​ หลู้ลำ เชียงราย


Address: เลขที่ 188/8 หมู่ที่ 20 Kwae Wai Rd, Mueang Chiang Rai District, Chiang Rai 57000, Thailand
Business Hours:
Daily: Monday, 10:30 AM–8:15 PM







Next stop, Blue Temple.










Here is the wiki link to more information on Blue Temple.


Rong Suea Ten Temple วัดร่องเสือเต้น


Address: 306 หมู่ที่ 2 Maekok Rd, Tambon Rim Kok, Mueang Chiang Rai District, Chiang Rai 57100, Thailand

Business Hours:
Daily: Friday, 7 AM–8 PM





 
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