Hedda Damasco

Going to the malls in Bangkok is always a fun experience. They have a lot of malls but each has something unique to bring to the table.

My favorite mall is Terminal21 which is accessible via BTS Asok. I like the around the world and airport theme of the mall. Each floor represents a country and the whole design of the floor looks like it — even the bathrooms! Of all the malls in Bangkok, I am most impressed by the Japanese toilets available in Terminal21. Their escalators have the arch saying “Departure Area” and “Arrival Area”, giving it airport feels. The design of Terminal21 is the most unique I have seen and one that I will never get tired of going back and forth to. I don’t really shop in Terminal21, but the Turkey floor has this lady that sells Pandora like bracelets and I make sure to always buy there everytime I visit. I stopped this year because my skin has been a bit more picky with bracelets/watches that I wear. Another shop that I frequent in Terminal21 is Eve and Beauty, but in my last trip, I found out that a bigger store exists in Siam Square.

My second favorite Bangkok mall is Siam Paragon because of Gourmet market (grocery store) and the food hall. I’ve only been to two groceries — Big C in Ratchatewi and Gourmet Market. I find Big C a bit more overwhelming and more suitable for people staying in Thailand long term. Gourmet Market feels a bit more tourist friendly though I can’t comment for sure if the prices are better.

The newest mall in Bangkok is IconSiam located nearby the Chao Phraya river. Compared to Terminal21, Siam Paragon, and Central World, IconSiam is not connected to the BTS station. However, it may be reached via a free bus or ferry in select pick-up points within the area.

IconSiam is a mall like no other. We rode the free bus and we were dropped off at the foodcourt. The foodcourt aims to give you a local vibe (at non-local prices) and it even boasts of an indoor floating market.

The foodcourt is overwhelming. There are so many Thai snacks that you can buy, some I’ve not seen outside. They’re all very interesting and you can already spend a good amount of time at the food court.

We didn’t have a specific place to go to so we just went around the mall. It’s kinda hard to go around with no direction but there are still a lot of stores to be opened.

We ended up going to the big Apple store. We don’t have this at home so this is completely new to me. I don’t use Apple products, but the purpose of the store seems to let people see and decide if they want to purchase an Apple product. There was also an ongoing lecture when we got there but they were speaking in Thai so I didn’t understand.

The Apple Store opens to an open area that gives you a great view of the Bangkok skyline.

We went back inside and just looked around. On the upper floor there were plenty of luxury car stores which was fun to look at. In another floor, there was a Toyota store I would say, but it features the different technologies Toyota is making in their cars. It’s very interesting to look at, I’m just not sure if it’s a permanent exhibit or a temporary one.

We went to their food court, but unfortunately I didn’t get to take any pictures. Their food court is a bit more high end, and there was a fountain show in the middle. It got me distracted so I wasn’t able to get any photos.

I tried their bathroom and while it wasn’t anything special, it was really nice and had a modern and posh feel.

I tried out this delicious looking drink at the department store. It had a small kiosk and it costs THB 90.

There was a lot of walking done but we weren’t able to go around the whole mall. We also missed the free fountain show because we didn’t know there was one and when we tried to check it, the next show was already at 8:00 PM, which is too late considering that we fly back home the next day. My friend has an early morning flight so it’s not wise to stay. Further, we didn’t really have anything else to do in the mall.

Another great thing about IconSiam is that a museum exists. We weren’t able to check it but it’s located at the top floor.

Overall, IconSiam is worth a one full day trip. There are so many things to do that would really eat up your time. Moreover, if you like to shop then you have a plethora of choices. From what I have seen they sell stuff a bit more on the upscale side and mostly international brands. I would recommend going here if you’re in Bangkok for a quick time and you find the outdoors to be too hot.

IconSiam is heavily advertised all over Bangkok. Most ads tell you how much time it takes from where you are to get there. There are also ferries and bus shuttles that will drop you off at BTS stations along the Silom line to make it easily more accessible. I’m not sure if this is a permanent thing but this was available when I went last May.