Bangkok: Looking Up at Wat Arun, a Mango Shop, and the Pool at the St. Regis

One day in Bangkok. A tower in the morning, mango at midday, and a hotel pool by the end of the afternoon.

Looking up at Wat Arun, then a mango shop

I had not eaten much mango living in Japan. So what I ate on this day became my baseline for what mango is.

Off the boat, walking the river

We were off the ferry a little after nine and started along the riverside walkway. Blue parasols standing up, signboards in a row.

Just before ten we came out in front of Wat Arun. The prang I had been looking at from the boat, seen this time from underneath. Fine ornament is fixed across the whole surface, and the closer you get the denser it becomes.

From there we turned into the streets. Shops in a row, signs hung low.

A white-tiled shop, ordering nothing but mango

What we went into was a mango specialist. White tile inside, pendant lights hanging, a staircase running up at the back. Closer to a nicely done café than a fruit shop.

I ordered the mango and sweet sticky rice.

Sweet, and soft

It came on a wooden tray. The mango is halved and cut into cubes, still held in the skin. Beside it, dark sweet sticky rice.

Eating it: sweet. And soft. There is no fibre catching anywhere — it collapses in the mouth. Having barely eaten mango in Japan I have nothing to compare it against, but I could tell that this was good. Taken together with the sweetness of the rice, the flavours run on rather than stacking up.

Eating a single plate of fruit in the middle of sightseeing turned out to work well on this trip. We had been on a boat and on our feet since morning, and it was exactly the point at which you want to sit down.

Notes from this visit

• A mango specialist within walking distance of Wat Arun
• We ordered the mango with sweet sticky rice
• The mango arrives halved and cubed in the skin — sweet, and soft with no fibre catching
• White-tiled interior, built more like a café than a fruit shop
• We went in around 10:30 in the morning
• Menu, prices and hours change. Confirm locally

Visited August 2025. Prices and opening details are as they were at the time of the visit.

How we got there: the Chao Phraya ferry.

The outdoor pool at the St. Regis

A little after three in the afternoon, my daughter and I got into the pool. We had eaten lunch at ICONSIAM and come back to the hotel for a while.

A long, narrow outdoor pool along the glass

The pool is outdoors. It runs long and narrow alongside a glass-fronted building, with pebbles set into the edge. Planters stand at even intervals and the building sits reflected in the surface. A clear August afternoon in Bangkok.

In one corner of the poolside there is a stone basin with greenery around it. For a while I forgot this was a hotel in the middle of a city.

Get out, and you can lie down immediately

What impressed me was what came after. Climb out of the pool and there are cushioned chairs under a roof. A few steps away — close enough to lie down still wet.

They bring you a fresh towel. They bring water. What you need is at hand before you ask for it. The thing that made me think “yes, this is a hotel pool” was the choreography of it.

We took turns swimming, climbing out, getting back in. About forty minutes of that. We had been on a Chao Phraya ferry that morning and walked all over ICONSIAM, so our bodies were reasonably tired. Floating in the water, that came undone.

Notes from this visit

• The pool at The St. Regis Bangkok is outdoors, long and narrow, running alongside a glass building
• Roofed deck chairs line the poolside, so you can lie down as soon as you get out
• Fresh towels are provided, and drinking water is brought to you
• We used it from a little after 3pm for about forty minutes
• Opening times and facilities change. Confirm during your stay

Visited August 2025. Facilities and operating details are as they were at the time of the visit.

The stay itself is covered in four nights at The St. Regis Bangkok.