Ratchaprasong District

Highlighting the Cultural and Luxurious Lifestyle of Bangkok‘s Best Offerings

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A place of fetid canals and monsoonal rains, Ratchaprasong in Bangkok managed to get the top spot as the most visited city in the world in 2013.

Therefore, the drawbacks of visiting Bangkok have been highly overshadowed by what it has to offer.

Although the glittering temples and spicy cuisine are a major force that draws tourists, another factor to consider is shopping.

According to the Thai-Chinese Tourism Alliance, Chinese tourists in Bangkok cough up more than a thousand dollars each, most of which is spent in shopping while staying in the city.

LOCATION

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Situated in the world’s most famous tourist hub, the Ratchaprasong District in the city of Bangkok boasts fifty years of history in its roughly one square mile of land area.

Stretching from Siam to The Emporium, this district contains the best offerings for luxury living in Bangkok, from five-star hotels and fine dining restaurants to glorious shrines and shopping centers.

Connected through the Skytrain from the areas of Silom and Sukhumvit Road, anyone would find it easily accessible

CLIMATE

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Visiting Ratchaprasong would be best when the weather is cool and dry. This happens between the months of November and February, a time when you can avoid the sweltering heat at the start of the summer months and the humidity of the rainy season.

Although you are not going to be exposed to much of the outdoors while visiting Ratchaprasong, having to know that cool, crisp climate and clear skies could add to a more enjoyable experience.

TRANSPORTATION

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If your accommodations are outside the district of Ratchaprasong, you can use taxis or hop into the Skytrain to reach the shopping centers.

Ask the taxi driver to drop you off at the Erawa Shrine, or if you choose the Skytrain, exit at the Chidlom or Rajadamri BTS Stations.

However, if you are staying within the district, you can walk to reach the different malls from your hotel. Just avoid people offering “last day sales” or drivers who do not use meters.

ATTRACTION

Shopping Centers Catering To Cultural Highlights

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The Ratchaprasong District has become a battleground of malls. This gave rise to unique key features in every mall erected in the district to set them apart from each other.

Among these shopping centers is the Isetan Mall, a mall chain originating from Japan that highlights many Japanese products as well as authentic cuisine straight from the Land of the Rising Sun.

Apart from Japanese products, there are also international brands, particularly Louis Vuitton, since the brand is an icon for its high desirability in Japanese social circles.

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Apart from Isetan, anyone who visits the district will not miss the CentralWorld mall. With an area of 830,000 square meters, its incredible size offers an extremely wide range of activities, having 15 cinemas, 100 cafes and restaurants, and 500 stores.

What makes the CentralWorld mall stand out is its architecture inspired by a street-shopping concept. It uses natural light as much as possible through its open wells, and displays sculptures made by different artists.

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Visiting shopping centers highlighting culture would not be complete without visiting the Amarin Plaza. The Amarin Plaza is a five-storey shopping mall that draws in mixed crowds from affluent to simple tourists.

It offers highly acclaimed brands such as Valentino, as well as other local names. However, the feature that draws a stream of shoppers to the Amarin Plaza is its unique offerings.

Each floors focuses on certain specialties. Thai and Asian Cuisine, spas, and health centers flock the fourth floor, while rare and antique Thai collections are located in the third floor.

On the two lower floors are flagship brands in cosmetics and clothing. The top floor, however, is a unique spot devoted to creativity, such as learning to play instruments, dance salsa, and practice cosmetics to name a few.

From Exclusive Malls to All-Around Shopping Centers

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Apart from the featured malls above, there are also shopping locations in the Ratchaprasong District that thrive in catering to a more exclusive clientele, while others focus on having cheaper products.

The malls that cater to only the affluent are the Gaysorn shopping mall and the Erawan Bangkok.

Brands such as Ermenegildo Zegna, Emilio Pucci, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada and Hugo Boss are among the international names found in these malls.

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On the other hand, those who are on a limited budget will not miss the fun in malls like Cental Chidlom and Big C Superstore.

From fresh produce, discounted clothing stores, and home appliances, there are a variety of offerings in these shopping centers.

While most of the restaurants in these malls do not provide fine dining, the food is still great and there is an assurance that you’ll be fully satisfied.

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Images:

(1.) http://static.asiawebdirect.com/m/bangkok/portals/bangkok-com/homepage/magazine/5-hotels-in-shopping-malls/pagePropertiesImage/bangkok_21.jpg
(2.) https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR25IzgdcPbMhhdqoc4huvNZkYODN9j0sP4XMFnC-z_1j_w3gGVyocMHSu0c_zSD3GZs5kCVKiXWL93z2RYnU65QgxyCY__b1uqQuJz9FsCz3sFndTzUIaOlrMmE774edymZ33W4l-j4g/s1600/bangkok_map_new.jpg
(3.) http://static.asiawebdirect.com/m/bangkok/portals/bangkok-com/homepage/ratchaprasong/what-to-see-and-do/pagePropertiesImage/erawan-shrine.jpg
(4.) http://aey.somsawat.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/BTS-SkyWalk-Ratchaprasong.jpg
(5.) https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Isetan_@_CTW.jpg
(6.) http://tourist.cpn.co.th/data-file/province/background/file20150811131009.jpg
(7.) http://static.panoramio.com/photos/large/45080690.jpg
(8.) http://www.d103group.com/files/cache/a97deb21705c81fdfe75fb46b8fa9c24_f372.jpg
(9.) http://pattayaplaza.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/DSC00064.jpg