Category: Travel

Our meanderings

Find of the Week: Le Normandie for Lunch

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Okay, so this post is more about a nice break from your toddler(s) rather than suggestions for your time with them. Are you familiar with Le Normandie at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel?  Right.  Unrivaled French cuisine, impeccable service, beautiful views of the Chao Praya, indisputably one of the best restaurants in the city? Oh yes, and unfortunately far too expensive for a couple on a healthy budget to afford for dinner.  So, sadly, most of us have never actually eaten there.

Well, wallow in your sorrows no longer food aficionados, there is an affordable way to do this place.  A little known fact, Le Normandie offers a set lunch menu for 1050 baht/person (++).  The lunch includes a first course, a main, coffee or tea, and here is the most exciting part – two desserts (!).  Once it’s all said and done (water, a non-alcoholic drink, an optional cheese platter for two to share, VAT and service), it will cost around 1500 baht/person – by far not the best deal in the world, but definitely worth splurging on every once in awhile to get away from the chaos – I mean, excitement – at home and to enjoy the company of your partner or friend(s).  Take note that even for lunch, there is a dress code and you will need a reservation.

To entice your senses even further, I leave you with a picture of my chocolate and raspberry cake and apple strudel dessert.  The maitre d’ created the artwork table-side. Amazing.

Le Normandie dessert

Found: True Toddler Joys in Bangkok

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Time and time again, the following activities prove to be a true joy for our little one in Bangkok.  You must give them a try!

1. Siam Ocean World – At first glance, the place is pricey.  After all, it is just an aquarium in the basement of a mall . . . or is it?  If you’re a Thai resident, make sure to bring proof of residency and ask for the resident rate.  If you and your family enjoy it, splurge and become a “Siam Ocean World Member” for 1,500 baht/person/year (young children are free) and visit as many times as you like.  We’ve found the yearly membership to be especially helpful when our little guy is:  a) just up for a quick visit; b) gets cranky mid-way through and we have to bail early; and/or c) is only interested in racing to the end of the aquarium in order to drive the fish tuk-tuk.  Yes, folks, there are penguins, sharks, and stingrays, but you’ll soon see that most toddlers prefer the fish tuk-tuk to anything else.  C’est la vie.

Logan driving the toddler-captivating fish tuk-tuk

2. Sukothai Chocolate Buffet – Okay, so you can probably only indulge in something this rich once a year, but let me tell you, it is definitely worth it!  From the sushi spread on the savory side to the delectable concoctions of everything chocolate on the sweet side, there is something for everyone, trust me.

Yum! Destroying Christmas cupcakes at the chocolate buffet!

3. Concerts in the Park – From mid-December through mid-February each year, the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra holds outdoor concerts in Lumpini Park for free on Sunday evenings beginning at 5:30pm.  Bring snacks, libations, bikes, scooters, and trikes and meet up with your friends to enjoy live music from Phantom of the Opera, Indiana Jones, Chicago, the Sound of Music, and other well-known classics.  The cool weather and open space make it an ideal location for toddlers to run free, make new friends, grab snacks from nearby neighbors, and test out other childrens’ ride-on toys!

The Land of Wooden Toys

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Go wooden or go home.

If you reside in Thailand like we do, this place is a mecca for affordable, locally-made, wooden toys.  The best wooden toys are durable, chemical-free, inspire imagination, and evoke a sense of nostalgia in those of us who grew up with wooden toys ourselves.  Other than the Melissa and Doug brand, it is a rarity to find wooden toys in the U.S. anymore.   Specialty stores like The Land of Nod and Pottery Barn Kids sell beautiful wooden toys (many of which are made in Thailand), but charge exorbitant prices for them.  For example, the snail pull toy pictured below will put you out USD 21.95 plus tax and shipping if you order it in the U.S. (Land of Nod).  I bought the same toy this Christmas in Thailand for 345 baht, approximately USD 11.50.  If there is ever a time to start your child’s collection of wooden toys, Thailand is the place!

Baby Pull Toys

Wooden baby pull toys

Plan Toys (http://www.plantoys.com/home.php), PINTOY (http://www.pintoys.com/), and Wonderworld (http://www.wonderworldtoy.com/) are the most popular and reputable Thai wooden toy brands.  All of the brands are featured at upscale toy fairs across the U.S. and Europe.  Most major department stores in Bangkok, like Central Chitlom, Isetan, and the Emporium, carry the brands.

The Plan Toy Factory Store is located on Sathorn, Soi 10. Although prices at the Factory store generally parallel prices at the major department stores (a strange concept for those us from the U.S.), beautifully-made dollhouses, farm houses, train sets, drums, and trucks can be bought at a 50-70 percent discount at the Factory Store throughout the month of December every year.  Now that is an awesome sale!  The sale isn’t well advertised, but is definitely well-worth hitting in order to buy for Christmas or stock up for birthday parties.  Although we haven’t yet had the opportunity to visit,  the Plan Toy Factory, which I have been told offers excellent discounts, is located in Trang.  As a plus, street-side vendors in Trang also sell wooden toys at deep discounts.  Pair a family trip to the beaches of Krabi or Trang with a drive to the Plan Toy Factory and your kids will love you for it!

While our home certainly has its fair share of plastic toys to go along with the locally-made wooden ones, Thailand raises the bar when it comes to the availability and affordability of what now seem to be vintage relics in the U.S.  Yet one more score for those of us fortunate enough to live in the land of Smiles!