한국어
Last Day of Our Family Trip in Thailand –
ICONSIAM & Mega HarborLand / Swissôtel Bangkok Ratchada
Last day of our family trip in Thailand – our flight back to Korea was at 7:30 AM, so we had to leave the hotel early. Originally, we planned to have breakfast, hang out by the pool, check out of Grand Center Point Space Pattaya around noon, grab lunch at Terminal 21 Pattaya, and let Liam play at the HarborLand Kids’ Cafe. Then, we were going to head up to Bangkok in the afternoon, stay at Swissôtel Bangkok Ratchada, get some rest, and head to the airport.
However, it rained in Pattaya on our last day, so we couldn’t swim in the morning. After checking the weather the day before, we decided to change our plans. We headed straight to Bangkok in the morning and thought it would be nice to spend the day at ICONSIAM shopping center.
But when we arrived at ICONSIAM, we ended up regretting that decision a lot…
Traveling from Pattaya to Bangkok
In the morning, we left Grand Center Point Space Pattaya and headed to Swissôtel Bangkok Ratchada.
Since we planned to take it slow on our last morning in Thailand, we had breakfast and scheduled our car for 9:30 AM to pick us up at the hotel lobby.
For our car, we used the same MyRealTrip car service we’d been using throughout our trip!
After arriving at Swissôtel Bangkok Ratchada and checking in, it was already 12 PM.
By the time we got to the hotel, we were so busy with everything that I didn’t even get a single photo of the place…
I had some doubts about Swissôtel Bangkok Ratchada because there weren’t many reviews, but I loved it! Even though the hotel is a bit older, it was well-maintained, clean, and had this grand, antique charm that I really liked. The room was also pretty spacious.
We were starving by the time we got there, so we decided to grab a quick lunch at the hotel’s Japanese restaurant.
Since I’m an Accor Plus member, I got a 50% discount, but because it’s Bangkok, the food prices were still pretty high.
It took over 40 minutes by taxi from Swissôtel Bangkok Ratchada to ICONSIAM, and I realized if we ate at the shopping center, it’d be too late. So, I’m glad we decided to have lunch at the hotel instead.
After lunch, we immediately called a Grab taxi and headed to ICONSIAM. As we got closer, the traffic was absolutely horrendous. I’ve been to Bangkok a lot and taken many taxis, but I’ve never seen traffic like this before. Especially near the entrance of ICONSIAM, the cars weren’t moving at all. So, we decided to get out somewhere near the entrance and walked the rest of the way.
And there were so many people! It was so crowded, we couldn’t even enjoy the usual sightseeing at ICONSIAM, we were just trying to make our way through the masses. Our first stop was the HarborLand Kids’ Cafe on the 6th floor, which was located near the food court. Fortunately, this area wasn’t as crowded, so it was much more manageable.
Mega HarborLand
The HarborLand at ICONSIAM is actually Mega HarborLand, a huge kids’ cafe, but I think it was a bit too much for 4-year-old Liam. I feel like the HarborLand in Pattaya was better suited for younger kids.
The entry fee is split into two categories – one for the regular kids’ cafe and another for the trampoline area. If you want to do both, you have to buy separate tickets for each.
Liam loves trampolines, so we bought tickets for both, and each ticket allowed us 2.5 hours in each area, for a total of 5 hours. We only planned to stay for about 2 hours, so if we’d known it was this long, we probably could’ve come earlier and had more fun.
Entry Fees:
Children and seniors under 65 cm: Free
Children 65 cm to under 80 cm: 290 Baht
Children 80 cm to under 120 cm: 490 Baht
Children and teens over 120 cm: 590 Baht
Adult guardians: 150 Baht
Trampoline Zone (JumpZ) Fees:
Children (65 cm and over): 690 Baht
The day we went, there weren’t many people, so it was nice for playing, but Liam got a bit bored. I think he enjoys it more when there are lots of friends around and the place is lively and noisy.
Most of the usual kids’ cafe attractions were there, and now that Liam is 4, he loves challenging equipment like this, and Mega HarborLand was no exception.
There was also a rock climbing wall. We just passed by it quickly, like leaving a quick mark, and didn’t stay too long…
There was also a spot for arts and crafts at the ‘Chamsae Bangatgan’ (Sparrow Mill) – a quiet place for creative activities! At HarborLand, it’s not just about running around; there are also areas where kids can sit and do calm activities like this, as well as places to play with toys. It’s such a diverse place that you can have fun all day long. Especially when traveling, it’s rare to find time for toy play or painting activities, so it was really nice for Liam to be able to focus and play for a long time at the kids’ cafe.
Since HarborLand is usually located inside a shopping center, it’s perfect for rainy days when you can spend the whole day indoors having fun.
There were so many toys like cars, trains, and kitchen sets, but Liam, as usual, got totally hooked on the building blocks and spent at least an hour playing with them ><
I didn’t know what those blocks were at first, but recently, Liam brought home some from activities at his kindergarten in Korea, and he played with them so well that I ended up getting him more pieces.
Now that I look back, it turns out that the same set of blocks was the one he played with for a long time at Mega HarborLand too!
JUMBO Seafood ICONSIAM
Five years ago, I went on a trip to Thailand with my mom, younger sibling, and nephew. I still remember the delicious chili crab we had back then, so on Last day of our family trip in Thailand , we decided to stop by ICONSIAM and have it again. The seafood here is priced by weight, not set prices, and unfortunately, we had a bad experience with some staff members trying to trick us and overcharge. Although the food tasted great, dealing with the hassle of avoiding being scammed made the meal unpleasant. I just wanted to enjoy a peaceful meal, but dealing with these issues left me with a bad memory, and I don’t think I’d want to go back again in the future.
We ordered chili crab, fried rice, and cereal shrimp, and it was just the right amount for the two adults and one child.
On the Way Back to the Hotel
After we finished eating, it was already past 7 PM, and we headed out of the restaurant to catch a taxi back to the hotel.
For some reason, both the inside and outside of the shopping center were packed with people, making it difficult to even leave. Since I didn’t know the way, and the place was so crowded, I had no idea where to go. I just walked towards the exit next to Jumbo Seafood and went outside. It seemed like there was some kind of event going on, and it was noisy with so many people.
We had been waiting for the water show, but it looked like it wasn’t happening that day. We were right in front of the boat dock, so our plan was to take a boat across the street to a quieter spot where we could catch a taxi. But the line for the boat was ridiculously long, so that plan quickly fell through.
That’s when I started to get really stressed. I had no idea how we were going to get back to the hotel. I finally managed to squeeze back into the shopping center, following the signs to the taxi area, and made it there after a lot of pushing through the crowd. I thought we were almost there… but there were no taxis!
I had received a ticket through a QR code on my phone to wait for a taxi, and there were only five people in front of me, but after 30 minutes, the line hadn’t moved at all. Across the road, there were taxis, but they were three times the price.
Since it was the last day of our trip, I didn’t have enough cash for the higher price. I also tried to call a Grab taxi, but due to the traffic, the drivers kept canceling the ride, so I gave up on that too.
With Liam with me, the tension and stress were through the roof.
After over an hour, we finally managed to catch a taxi back to the hotel. On the way, I asked the driver what was going on, and he told me it was the day of the Loy Krathong festival. He said it was the biggest festival in Thailand, and I couldn’t believe that the day we chose to visit the shopping center just happened to be the day of such a huge festival. It was the last day of our trip, and it ended up being such a stressful and exhausting day.
Loy Krathong Festival
In November, Thailand hosts several big events, and the most famous is the Loy Krathong festival. This traditional festival takes place on the full moon of the 12th month of the lunar calendar (which usually falls in November). People float small banana leaf boats, called ‘krathongs,’ in the water to wash away bad luck and sins. At night, thousands of krathongs float along rivers, lakes, and canals, creating a beautiful sight.
From the Hotel in Bangkok to the Airport
We woke up at 4 AM the next day to get ready and took the car we had booked in advance at 4:30 AM to Don Mueang Airport.
When we arrived at Don Mueang Airport around 5 AM, it was much busier than I expected, with tons of people, so it didn’t feel like the early morning at all. After checking in, we went into the duty-free area and found a Starbucks. We had a quick breakfast there and, thankfully, boarded our flight on time to head back to Korea.
When we arrived at Incheon Airport, I took an Incheon Airport Taxi to get home. Since I’ve used it several times before, it was a smooth and easy ride. I met the driver at the airport and headed straight home.
The fare from Incheon Airport to Gwangmyeong was 55,000 KRW
Incheon Airport Taxi : 1551-2004
