Things to do in Lumphini Park, Bangkok and my review of Maitria Hotel Rama 9 Bangkok – A Chatrium Collection

Returning to Bangkok always feels a bit like coming home. There are so many amazing places I have already visited and yet, there still is more I want to see. On my most recent visit I finally made it to Lumphini Park.

Things to do in Lumphini Park

Bangok’s green lungs beckon with trees and palm trees that provide you shade for a nice walk.

Spot monitor lizards or other animals

If you arrive early in the day, you might be lucky to spot big monitor lizards lazying in the sun. Enjoy the pretty lake views and sit down on one of the benches.

Let the children run free on the playground

Cities are not always appropriate play areas for children. Lumphini Park provides a nice oasis for kids though. Spend time with the children on the big and modern playground. It had a sandy bottom and my daughthter loved running around barefoot.

Take a cruise with the paddle boats

You will spot the yellow duck paddle boats or the swan paddle boats from afar. It looked like a fun activity and we were even happier to find out that they are free to use. They told me that was the case every day but let me know in case this changes. They provided us with a lifejacket and off we were to paddle toward the fountain and the playground, with a view of the skyscrapers surrounding Lumphini Park.

Walk along the Green Bridge

The Green Bridge connects Lumphini Park with the newer Benchakitti Park. It’s a high line walk like the one in NYC or Paris. To access the Green Bridge you need to leave Lumphini Park in the northeastern corner (Wireless Road and Sarasin Road). There, you go up the stairway (which is a bit annoying with a stroller). Cross the bridge across the road and then continue straight (one more set of stairs) until the bridge continues toward Benchakitti Park (instead of simply going down the stairs to Wireless Road). From the Green Bridge (which has a faded, green colored underground), you can enjoy the view over an original Bangkok residential neighborhood. I am talking about wooden stilt houses from which delicious cooking smells wave up on the bridge.

It feels more like having arrived in a far away community if there weren’t Bangkok’s skyscrapers in the background. I left the bridge to access the Sky Bridge of Benchakitti Forest Park. It was a lovely ramp that descended down to Benchakitti Forest Park which is a recent addition to Benchakitti Park. This is where the locals come to have a stroll away from the city smells and noises or play sports in one of the many covered sports facilities. There also was a very awesome playground with a high, but safe slide and some wooden elements to climb around on. And there were hardly any people as opposed to the lake at Benchakitti Park.

Enjoy a concert in Benchakitti Park

Most people simply stroll around the about 2-mile course around Benchakitti Park Lake. The sun prettily reflected in the skyscrapers around the park. There is a small outdoor amphietheater where artists give free concerts, and in the park you also find two more small playgrounds and work-out stations.

How to get to Lumphini Park and Benchakitti Park

The closest metro stations to Lumphini Park are Si Lom and Lumphini. From Benchakitti Park it’s a short walk to Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre Metro Station or Asok BTS/ Sukhumvit Metro Station. And with that, you have arrived at Terminal 21 shopping mall, where you can cool down with a drink or a good meal.

On this visit to Bangkok, I stayed a 5-minute taxi ride from Terminal 21 / Benchakitti Park at Maitria Hotel Rama 9 Bangkok – A Chatrium Collection

Review of my stay at Maitria Hotel Rama 9 Bangkok – A Chatrium Collection

This hotel (908 Rim Klong Samsen Road, Bangkok, +6622031111) welcomes guests with a lovely 25m lap pool. Children can cool down at the shallow baby pool end. There also were plenty of swimming boards we could use. At Coffee & Crumble café, we enjoyed Thai staples such as stir-fried pork with Thai basil leaves or Tom yum soup, but you could also have Italian options such as lasagna, pasta, and pizza.

Breakfast had lots of Asian choices, but also eggs, fresh fruit, and delicious European pastries. Our room was clean, spacious, and modern, and we slept well on the 16th floor. The free soft drinks and coconut juice in the minibar were also a nice touch. It was only a 30-minute taxi ride to the airport, not even using the highway (avoided the tolls you usually have to pay on top of the ride fare, yay). Otherwise, Maitria Hotel Rama 9 is located too far within walking distance from any bus station or point of interest, and you will have to use a ride service to get to and from the hotel. Beware that there are two more Maitria Hotels in Bangkok, and you give the correct hotel name to your taxi driver.

Check out Maitria Hotel Rama 9 Bangkok’s Facebook Page or Instagram.

I had a collaboration with this hotel but all opinions and pictures are my own.