Hi Girlingreen

I stayed on Silom Road last November though a bit further down than where you will be and I seem to remember lots of restaurants around the Holiday Inn though I can't remember any names. Silom Village is not far from your hotel and though it's a bit touristy there is a choice of restaurants in the complex. Cross the Silom Rd outside your hotel and turn right and it's just a few minutes walk.
The hotel is quite near to a Skytrain station, the Skytrain is very easy to use it's airconditioned and makes getting around the city simple.. I stayed in the Holiday Inn Silom on a previous visit some years ago and remember it as being a nice hotel with a good rooftop pool.
Are you interested in sighteeing, shoppingor both?. Bangkok has great shopping and some wonderful sights to see.

sorry- I meant to answer this last night but got sidetracked. The first time we went to Bangkok we had also just been in Hong Kong- wasn't jetlagged just exhausted after a busy time in HK No need to worry about restaurants as food is brilliant there. Will have a think and come back with a couple of must go tos re food. Thai boxing- I was dragged along to the Thai boxing in Chaweng. Then I had to be dragged out after about 3 hours I absolutely loved it - the atmosphere was great. One tip- don't go for the dear seats, its much more fun in the cheaper ones- next to locals who are fanatics.
There are so many things to see in Bangkok but, assuming you have 3 clear days, take a trip to the River Kwai- that was one of my favourite trips ever. You need a whole day and will be away early and back 6pmish. If you don't have that amount of time, spend one day on the Tourist boat route- loads of stops along the way. You get a day ticket, which is cheap and get the guide as well. A lot of the tourist attractions are on that route- Grand Palace, Temple of the Dawn, China Town, Little India to name a few.
Jim Thomsons house is also a good place to visit- interesting history behind it and I'll bet you won't manage to resist spending a fortune in the shop.
http://www.jimthompsonhouse.com/

Thank you!! We are interested in shopping and sightseeing - although I cant shop too much as will have to take it with me to New Zealand and all round Australia!! Sounds like there will be plenty for us to do in Bangkok - any recommendations for Chiang Mai or Koh Samui?

Loads of things to do in Chiang-Mai. The night market is a big draw for many to while away an evening or two. Loads of temples to see, Wat Doi Suthep is worth a trip with it fine views over the city. Then of course there's elephant rides, trekking, visiting hill tribes, river trips. Not been on it myself but Flight of the Gibbon looks like fun, with its zipline runs through the canopy. The countryside around Chaing-Mai is well worth a visit. Maybe if you have time a side trip to Mae Hong Sorn, this would involve a short flight. Or for a cooler day out try Doi Inthanon national park which has many waterfalls and Thailands highest peak.

Chiang-Mai also has a zoo with Pandas in an air conditioned enclosure, and I gather there is a night safari experience setup as well. Have seen the Pandas but not done the safari.

Thank you for the replies - have looked Flight of the Gibbon up on net and it looks very good and a fairly reasonable price, £45 approx including transport there and back and lunch, and for a 7 hour round trip thats pretty good in my book. Our hotel in CM is right on the street where the night bazaar is, so I can see us spending some time there also! And we will definitely try the zoo as we always go to a wildlife park/zoo etc when away as husband loves them! I think after all the hustle of Bangkok and lots of trips out in Chaing Mai, we will be ready just to lie on a sun lounger in Koh Samui - weather dependant - I have heard November is not the best weather there?

Wat Rong Khun,

Hi girlingreen,

As you have 5 days in Chiang Mai, you may fancy a longish trip to the Chiang Rai area. You will probably be able to organise a car and driver to take you all the way to the Golden Triangle on the Burma / Laos /Thai border (even as a day trip, if you fancy it!) but a sight that should not to be missed is Wat Rong Khun, near Chiang Rai.

Janet, my wife, says that this is one of the most memorable sights she has ever encountered.

For information see http://www.chiangmai-mail.com/015/features.shtml

Truly stunning!

Peter

** Almost forgot - you should try the Riverside Restaurant in Chiang Mai (opposite bank of the river to where you will be staying) Google "Riverside restaurant Chiang Mai", see Trip Advisor reviews or go to http://www.theriversidechiangmai.com/ for more information. The Thai food was very good, the music, exceptionally good, the atmosphere great.

I have to be honest and say that I personally would not consider KS in November. It would be very hit and miss with a good chance of a lot of rain. (might also be good of course). If you can change perhaps Phuket is the better option.

To be honest I am not really too worried as Thailand is our second stop on our world travels - we are ending up on Australia on a working visa, and we are planning on doing more travelling to Thailand while we are out there, so can always go back if the weather isn't great. If it was a 2 week holiday we were going on, I would probably change to Puket, but as it is the second stop on our 2 year travels then I am not too worried really, plus we have been in New Zealand before when it rained very heavily, and we still managed to have a good time!