Much has been talked about for the mother of all malls in Thailand and even though i am not a big fan of shopping centres (given that Singapore has so many); i decided to pay it a visit in April earlier this year.
As there's no BTS / MRT station near ICONSIAM at the moment, we took the cab route since our hotel (Prime Hotel Central Station) was in Chinatown, directly across Chao Phraya River.
We stepped in from the entrance of Siam Takashimaya and typical of the renowned department store, you can find Japanese restaurants and stores. Nothing out of the norm from what we have in Singapore.
Entering the main section of the shopping mall and boy was there a huge crowd! I thought the novelty might have worn off by then since the soft launch was about 6 months ago and my visit was on a Thursday afternoon, before dinner.
Turned out there was a Korean celebrity gracing the opening of sulwhasoo; a popular cosmetic brand from South Korea. I actually heard of it when a friend asked me to buy back an eye serum from South Korea back in 2014.
To me, a shopping centre is just an indoor facility for marketing and the key to differentiating itself from the others depends on the retail mix, the decorations, the events and whether there's any other uniqueness to it.
Let's see if ICONSIAM makes the cut. For one, the size of the mall is impressive, with "525,000 m2 of retail floor space" and wide passages able to hold huge throngs of crowds.
As a luxury shopping destination, i admit it's not really my cup of tea although i was literally blown away by the shopfronts of many retailers; many of which were imposing with high ceilings and spacious.
There's also the first Apple store in Thailand!
You can also find Singapore brands like Ya Kun Kaya Toast and Jumbo Seafood! While Singaporeans love Thai food; it's apparent that Thais love Singapore food too! Aside from the two aforementioned brands, there has also been a proliferation of other Singapore brands like Old Street Bak Kut Teh and Song Fa Bak Kut Teh.
Our visit coincided with the opening ofAvengers: Endgame and the dressed up characters (not the original) were out in full force to take pictures with shoppers outside the Icon Cineconic cinema on the 6th floor of the complex.
Did i mention that the basement floors of ICONSIAM were part of a floating market concept known as SOOK Siam? It's a superb arena that puts it apart from any other shopping centre in the country and within the mall, it's like stepping into a another world.
There were a number of eye-catching sculptures and decorative features; one of which is the beautiful, floating golden-ball sculpture as above.
Others as above and i can guarantee that there are a lot more which i didn't manage to capture in my camera. Wow, wow, wow!
My personal favourite is the above; which show the front and back of a sculpture known as expectation by artist: noppadon viroonchatapun.
Don't you just love the majestic pillars that reflect a sign of luxurious opulence?! Rightfully so as ICONSIAM will eventually be home to "two of the tallest (residential) buildings in Bangkok".
Come, let's step outside!
Facing Chao Phraya River; you would be able to soak in the sights of the urbanscape across (from the State Tower which was featured in Hangover Part 2 and the abandoned, rumoured to be haunted Sathorn Tower).
This area is known as the River Park although i thought it was more a promenade for activities rather than a park which conjures a different kind of image in my mind.
The jetty; note that this one would not be the landing / boarding point for the free shuttle ones from Saphan Taksin BTS even though they are quite close from each other.
Another pier was for those official cruises; chargeable, fanciful with likely food / drinks thrown in.
Anyway, the river park was home to a 400-meter long "ICONIC multimedia water feature" said to be "the longest in Southeast Asia" with the ability to shoot up to 35 meters high (that's the height of a typical 12-floor HDB building in Singapore.
Schedule for the light show; four timings at 4.30 pm, 6.30 pm, 8.00 pm and 9.30 pm. As it was still day time, we decided to spend some time at SOOK Siam and maybe catch the next show at 6.30 pm instead.
Random photos taken at the river park.
Night came; although we were a bit delayed in catching the show, we were actually having desserts at a restaurant facing the River Park and hence, did manage to see something.
To be honest, the show didn't wow me but to be fair, i didn't watch it from the beginning. Still, it made for a great backdrop for phototaking!
Joining the queue at Pier 1 and eventually taking the free ferry shuttle back to Saphan Taksin BTS which operated daily from 8.30 am till 11.30 pm.
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Address
299 Soi Charoen Nakhon 5 Charoen Nakhon Road, Khlong Ton Sai, Khlong San Bangkok 10600
Thailand
Website
How to Get to ICONSIAM via Ferry
There were in fact a few piers that offer free shuttle ferry service to the shopping mall but the one i am sharing here would be the most convenient for most overseas travellers; given its proximity to Saphan Taksin BTS station.
Many of you would remember the free ferry to Asiatique Night Market; same route to the pier (walk towards the river and turn left) but now, it has a sign for ICONSIAM.
Just join the correct queue!
