Booking a hotel in Ratchada is a great option for savvy travelers visiting Bangkok these days. It used to be that you had to stay in the central business district to access Bangkok’s best shops and facilities. The business district and Sukhumvit area had all the trendiest restaurants, high-quality shopping, and exciting entertainment attractions. But the hotels in these areas of Bangkok were often overpriced because of their desirable location.
But that’s all changed as the city is slowly spreading outwards. Several of the city’s neighborhoods are developing in a way that offers real alternatives to staying in the heart of the city.
Growth of Ratchada
Fifteen years ago, Ratchada Avenue was little more than a wide road for commuters getting into and out of the city. It had some small apartment houses along the length of it, a few small shopping malls and little else.
But then, two major developments occurred in Bangkok at about the same time. The building boom started to change the skyline as high-rise apartments began to spring up all over the city, including along Ratchada. And the MRT started construction of its first two lines, one of which runs right up Ratchada.
Together these two events transformed the neighborhood from vacant lots interspersed with buildings to a colorful and vibrant area of Bangkok with it’s night market right near your Ratchada hotel.
Tech and Fashion in Ratchada
There is a large but unassuming shopping mall at the corner of Phraram 9 and Ratchada Avenue. The mall predates most of the developments around it, including the MRT. But this shopping mall is well-known to everyone in the city as one of only two tech hubs in Bangkok where you can find anything tech-related you need. The mall is called Fortune Town.
If you want to buy the latest computer or need to get an older computer fixed by professional technicians, bring it to Fortune Town. There you’ll have your pick of four floors of shops supplying new computers and computer repair services. And the same goes for TVs, smartphones, cameras, video equipment, and high-end stereo equipment.
The Central Rama 9 Shopping Mall soon opened right on the other side of Ratchada from Fortune Town. It made the corner of Rama 9 and Ratchada one of the most popular areas of the city for both tech-seekers and the fashion-conscious.
Central Rama 9 outperforms its tech partner across the road by offering seven floors of shopping, including some of the most popular fashion shops in Bangkok.
These days the Ratchada area is buzzing with people who travel on the MRT from all over the city to shop at both Central Rama 9 and Fortune Town.
Convenience of Rail Travel in Bangkok
The MRT and its sister transit systems, the BTS Skytrain and the Airport Express, have forever changed the travel habits of Bangkok residents. Bangkok’s rail systems have redefined where people work and live in the city, and made travel easier and faster for everyone.
They have also made some neighborhoods more chic and popular purely because of their proximity to a rail station.
Shop around to find a great affordable hotel in a neighborhood out of the city center that offers attractions of its own, such as the Ratchada area with its twin attractions of tech and fashion.
Book a Room at the Amanta Hotel and Residence
The Amanta Hotel and Residence offers spacious rooms, relaxing tropical grounds, and The Breeze Restaurant serving both Asian and international cuisines beside the pool. Plus, the Amanta hotel is right in the heart of Ratchada and is conveniently close to The Thailand Cultural Center MRT stop.
Explore the new attractions and vibrancy of Ratchada and discover Bangkok by rail transit when you book a room at the convenient Amanta Hotel and Residence.
