Now, Ben Franklin didn't have refrigeration, so we'll cut him some slack. What I've found to be helpful in hosting guests is to start asking questions from the second you know they are coming. What one person expects from a trip to Bangkok certainly doesn't align with another person's expectations. Anyone who is smart enough to avoid package tours which tout the highlights of Bangkok probably has something in mind, and it is much better to understand that desire than to have it surprise you. This might not seem like rocket science, but trust me, not many people think this through.
For example, we've had 2 sets of visitors pass through here recently and neither of them wanted to see the Grand Palace or Wat Pho, Wat Arun, etc., etc. These are all major highlights of Bangkok, but in both cases, these were not destinations that would have made sense for our guests.
I could make a fancy matrix based on age, whether children are present, religion, etc., but in general, here are a couple of things to think about when visiting Bangkok (or anywhere, really).
1. How much time do you have?
This might seem obvious, but it's the first thing to think about (even before you ask the #2 question "where should we go?"). In bangkok, if you only have 2 days, then I'd say that you absolutely need to go to the Grand Palace, preferably by water taxi from Saphin Taksin, Jim Thompson House, sample the street food, and if you don't have children, catch the sunset at one of the Skybars, then hit the Suan Lum night bazaar. if you have another day, then add in Chatuchuk weekend market, and hang out at MBK and Siam Paragon malls (just to see how much the Thais love consumerism). 4 days gets a little tricky, as you could easily head up to Kanchanaburi for an overnight adventure, but that really depends on how ambitious one is. The other complicating factor is children. actually, it's not complicating, as traveling in Thailand (or most of asia for that matter) with children is SUPER easy. With kids, I'd definitely add in the Red Cross Snake farm, as it's a great show, and you will also learn a ton. If you are in your 20s and you don't give a crap about the buddhism stuff, then just spend your weekend on Sukhumvit... the party never stops.
2. Where should you go?
This really depends on how much time you have and really gets into the important questions: #3
3. What interests you?
I've got a single friend who couldn't give a crap about temples, so i would never say that he should go, even though it's a uniquely Thai experience, and learning about Thai buddhism is pretty interesting. he likes bars, so we go to bars. same goes for my friend Dietmar, who is married and has 2 little girls. temples are mildly interesting, but by noon, the girls are fried, so they just want a pool to relax in. So, the important thing is to remember that no matter what the lonely Planet tells you in interesting... if you don't inherently care, then you're not going to have a good time.
4. How much money do you want to spend?
I can have a lot of fun at a 2 starred michelin restaurant, or i can take that money and spend a week camping.
