Neighbourhood Guide
Bang Kachao: the green lung by bicycle
How to do Bang Kachao properly: the Khlong Toei ferry, hiring a bike, the raised causeways, the weekend market, and why you go at eight and are back for lunch.
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Make the most of Bangkok and Pattaya
Neighbourhood guides, things to do and insider tips from the team that lives here.
27 guides
Neighbourhood Guide
Koh Larn from Pattaya: first boat out
How to do Koh Larn properly: Bali Hai Pier, ferry or speedboat, which beach to pick, and why the first boat out changes the whole day.
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Neighbourhood Guide
Shopping in Pattaya: which mall, and when
Terminal 21 for a cheap lunch, Central Festival when it rains, and the night markets that beat both. Which Pattaya mall to use, and how to get between them.
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Neighbourhood Guide
Phrom Phong: the Em District and the sois behind it
A Phrom Phong guide: which of the three Em malls to pick, Benjasiri and Benjakitti, the food on the residential sois, and what is still open at nine.
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Planning Your Stay
Three days in Bangkok, from one base on Sukhumvit
A three-day Bangkok plan from one Sukhumvit base: temples in the right order, Yaowarat after dark, Chatuchak or Jim Thompson, and what to leave out.
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Shopping
Where to buy fabric in Bangkok: Pahurat and Chinatown
Where to buy fabric in Pahurat and Chinatown: Fabricity on Song Wat first, then the market, ChinaWorld, Sampeng, and ENDEL or LALEDA to cut it.
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Planning Your Stay
Where to stay in Bangkok: a neighbourhood guide
Which Bangkok district to book, from eight front desks: Sukhumvit, Phrom Phong, Chinatown, Silom, Ratchada, Thonglor, and where we have nothing.
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Neighbourhood Guide
South Pattaya: what the busy end is actually for
What the south end of Pattaya is actually for: Walking Street, Koh Larn boats from Bali Hai, Jomtien for a swim, and when to stay north instead.
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Events & Festivals
Where to stay for a Bangkok festival weekend
Festival weekends in Bangkok are a transport problem. When the trains stop, how to avoid surge pricing, why the recovery day matters, and which room to book.
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Planning Your Stay
Regency Park or Express 22: same soi, two rates
Two Arawana hotels on one Bangkok soi. Same walk to the BTS, different rooms and rates. Which to book, by season, party size and how you travel.
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Events & Festivals
Chinese New Year in Bangkok: Yaowarat, and where to sleep
When Chinese New Year falls, what happens on Yaowarat, the hours that are actually walkable, how to get in by MRT, and whether to sleep in Chinatown or ride in.
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What a Booking.com Traveller Review Award actually tells you
Two Arawana properties won Traveller Review Awards 2026: how scores are calculated, which sub-scores predict a good stay, and which awards to ignore.
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Events & Festivals
Valentine’s Day in Bangkok and Pattaya
How Valentine’s Day works in Bangkok: when restaurants book out, where to buy roses, the Bang Rak marriage tradition, and what to do instead of a set menu.
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Planning Your Stay
Bangkok on a public holiday: what fills, what closes, where to stay
Thai public holidays change what you can book and what is open: which rooms sell out first, the days alcohol sales stop, how to plan a holiday weekend.
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Events & Festivals
Christmas and New Year in Bangkok
Christmas Day is a working day in Thailand. What that means for your trip, where the lights and countdowns are, and which rooms sell out first.
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Our Hotels
Why a budget bed on Silom still works
HOFT on Silom: private doubles and dorms, lockers, coin laundry, both train lines on foot. What a budget bed here buys, and who should book elsewhere.
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Planning Your Stay
Affordable hotels in Bangkok, sorted by trip type
Ten Arawana properties across Bangkok and Pattaya, sorted by what the trip actually is: two nights, a work week, a month, or a coast run.
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Group News
Arawana at the TDM Awards 2025, and what smart stay means
Arawana Group was recognised at the TDM Travel Trade Excellence Awards 2025. What a trade award signals, what it does not, and what smart stay actually means.
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Travel Guide
A Local's Guide to Chinatown Bangkok: Where to Eat, Explore & Stay Smart
Local guide to Bangkok Chinatown (Yaowarat): best street food, temples, markets and a smart stay at Arawana Express Chinatown near MRT Wat Mangkon.
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Travel Guide
Exploring North Pattaya: A Guide to the City's Calm and Convenient Side
Local guide to North Pattaya: Wong Amat Beach, Terminal 21, Naklua Fish Market, Sanctuary of Truth and where to stay at Arawana Regency North Pattaya.
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Neighbourhood Guide
You have booked. Here is your first evening
A first-evening plan for every Arawana address in Bangkok and Pattaya, plus what to skip on arrival day and why the temples have to wait until morning.
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Events & Festivals
Songkran in Bangkok: stay and enjoy it
Which Bangkok streets get wet at Songkran, what to carry, the road safety warning that matters, festival etiquette, and the hotel near the right fight.
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Shopping
How to find a trustworthy tailor in Bangkok
How to tell a real Bangkok tailor from a 24-hour shop, what to ask before you pay, and two Rama 4 ateliers for men and women, a walk from Sukhumvit 22.
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Food & Drink
8 cafes around Sukhumvit 22 worth the walk
8 cafes around Sukhumvit 22 worth the walk, from Soi 20 specialty coffee to a garden terrace on Soi 22, plus laptop rooms and a mall stop at Phrom Phong.
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Shopping
Shopping malls near Sukhumvit 22
The malls within reach of Sukhumvit 22: EmSphere, Emporium, EmQuartier, Terminal 21, K-Village, Gateway Ekamai and Donki Mall Thonglor.
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Restaurants
Exploring the 9 Best Thai Restaurants in Sukhumvit
Local guide to 9 standout Thai restaurants on Sukhumvit: Bo.Lan, Somtum Der, Soul Food, Baan Khanitha and more — with prices, BTS directions and nearby Arawana hotels.
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11 Best Things to Do Near Sukhumvit 22, Bangkok
Local guide to the 11 best things to do near Sukhumvit 22: Benjasiri Park, EmQuartier, Terminal 21, Khlong Toei Market, rooftop bars and more — all walkable from BTS Phrom Phong.
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