First the restaurant across the street from the hotel (on the massage parlor and sweet shop side) is called The Mali. It appears to be a whole in the wall and you could actually almost miss it but it's amazing! It's where the social workers wanted to eat for our lunch with them so that's how we found it (side note here in case you miss it on the itinerary you will pay for both lunches you eat with the HSF staff). The food is the best I've tasted and all for about $3 a plate. We would usually get Kannika a full portion and saved what she didn't eat for the next day at lunch which saved us having to eat out for lunch. We had breakfast at the hotel breakfast which is free and very good with lots of options. Which meant we only needed to eat out once a day. Here is a picture of the Mali from the hotel
The next thing we learned is a tuk-tuk driver has a sponsor or 2 so if you agree to ride with them they will eventually get you to your destination but will make 2 stops on the way usually to a silk company and a jewelry company but for 20 baht (about 80 cents) to get about anywhere if you have the time it might be worth it. Also you will smell pretty heavy exhaust the whole ride so if that makes you sick skip this option. It was raining a lot while we were there so we usually skipped the tuk-tuk and used a metered taxi instead. That is when we couldn't ride the Skytrain.
Another transportation tip... the hotel has a free shuttle from the hotel to the Sala deaga skytrain station. They need an hour notice but it is a nice van that picks you up and takes you to the station. It will also take you to the metro station at Lumphini (it's about 5 minutes away by walking) which we never rode because I am slightly claustrophobic and an underground subway is a giant nightmare of mine. We usually just walked to the skytrain station (not a long walk probably about 30 minutes) because we enjoyed the exercise but occasionally we took the shuttle when Kannika wasn't up for the walk. We wished we had brought a stroller for all of the walking we wanted to do. She was to big (30 pounds) for a front carrier and to small to walk that far.
The laundry service recommended by other adoptive moms is great. It's a very short walk and a lot cheaper than at the hotel. It's just past the 7-eleven, past the Moon House and a few other restaurants. There is an alley with a lot of green plants. The first lady on the left speaks English enough to do your laundry. We didn't try anyone else. We brought enough clothes since we each got a free bag on the airplane so we only needed laundry done once during our visit.
The hotel (Pantip if your with Holt you will stay here) is great. The staff are very accommodating. They even have electric plug converters to borrow so DON'T bother buying your own to bring with you. As mentioned before the beds are firm and at first that wasn't a problem we were so tired we could have slept on the floor. After a few days once we had adjusted to the time change and were better rested we discovered it was harder to sleep. I would wake up to my whole body hurting. Bring some advil it helps you sleep better after a few nights on the hard mattresses. The only other downside is the walls are paper thin. We could hear everything going on in the room next to us, above us, and in the hallway. I am not exaggerating here we could hear the person above us showering and not just the water in the pipes. I could here their feet on the bathtub floor. We could hear the phone ringing next to us. Not a big deal when it was just us BUT when you have just gotten your 2 year old down for a nap and a door slams loudly it's enough to drive you insane. We set up the iPad and played lullabies in the room where she was sleeping to help combat that a little bit. I recommend bringing some type of noise maker to help with the sound problem.
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