The Aree-Saphan Kwai area of Bangkok is one of my favorite places to pass time. It isn’t overly pretentious, nor is it lowly and seedy, like several Sukhumvit locales.
Most importantly, Aree has a natural, un-fabricated sense of ‘Thai sophistication’, making it an attractive area for many folks.
La Villa shopping complex is a three-story, open-air shopping plaza housing about 30 stores and restaurants. It opened to the public in 2006 and is conveniently located right next to Ari BTS skytrain station.
As the company responsible for Thong Lor’s ‘trendy’ J-Avenue complex, La Villa’s creators could have easily spoiled La Villa, and possibly the Aree area, by going too ‘hi-so’ or ‘trendy’ with things. But they managed to keep a nice balance with Aree’s inherent charms.
As for the crowd, weekdays you’ll usually find a mixture of university students and ‘silver’ Thais, plus a few office workers during the lunch hour. The day I went (a Thursday), roughly 30% of the visitors were foreigners.
High-brow and down-to-earth dining
Even though La Villa has a few hi-so dining outlets, such as Greyhound Cafe, it also boasts several more down-to-earth eateries. La Villa will be forgiven for having a Starbucks; it’s still somewhat of a novelty for most locals.
A personal favorite is the Falafel Wrap at Wrap-It, a small, pita-wrap fast-food restaurant on the ground floor. The Falafel Set includes a falafel pita-wrap, large criss-cut fries (fans of America’s ‘Jack-In-The-Box’ fries will be in heaven), and a beverage for 184 baht (US$5.70).
Also on the ground floor are Ka-nom, a Thai restaurant and coffeehouse which fills up during the lunch hour; and an ice cream shop called i-berry. On the same floor and located within Villa Market are Sabroso, a Mexican restaurant, which features a tasty taco salad at 75 baht, and Whatterson's, a small coffee shop with excellent teas.
Forrest, located on the second floor, has Western and Thai favorites, as well as fresh fruit smoothies, which all use organic ingredients.
Also on the second floor are plenty of Japanese food options: you’ll find the popular Thai-Japanese restaurant chain, Fuji;
Yakiniku
Yan, a Japanese barbecue restaurant; and Tazu Shabu, a shabu-shabu restaurant.
Local boutiques
La Villa has several local clothing and jewelry stores you can easily spend at least an hour browsing through. On the second floor are four small shops specializing in locally-made jewelry. One shop, U-On 5, features several Hill Tribe-influenced bracelets, necklaces, dresses and other items for women. Silver bracelets, jade bracelets, and rhinestone-clad ornaments range from 300-1,000 baht ($9-31). Dresses are priced at 850 baht. U-On 5’s friendly owner, Praiwan U-on, says foreigners are particularly fond of her shop’s wares.
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On La Villa’s ground floor are three clothing boutiques specializing in local ladies’ fashions. One shop, Petit Sae, has stylish bags priced at 2,000-4,000 baht. Two up-market fashion shops are Franco by Milano, featuring pricey high-heeled imports; and Labellist, which has genuine Chanel and Lous Vuitton bags, running at around 24,000 baht each.
Enjoy yourself, improve yourself
For those in search of beautification or a bit of relaxation, La Villa has a hair salon, nail salon, and two spas.
And on the plaza’s top third floor are Fitness World, a large, sprawling gym open daily; Six Stars Travel Agency; and a creative art school for kids.
Similar to other shopping centers sprouting up around the capital, La Villa has something for just about everyone, and for a wide variety of ends. But what sets it apart from the rest is location, location, location: Aree, and its laidback, sophisticated ambiance.
Most shops at La Villa are open from 10 am-10 pm.
Transport Connections:
Train: To reach La Villa, take Exit 4 at Ari BTS skytrain station, walk down the stairs, and you’re there.
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Lifestyle
Whether it's traversing the relatively cosmopolitan “urban free-for-all” that is Bangkok, with its trendy malls, urban wellness centers and posh fitness centers, or perhaps traversing the wild trails outside city limits, explore activities to suit your lifestyle.
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