Arrival in Bangkok – Day 1

You'll probably arrive early morning, tired from your flight. Check into your villa or apartment, swim in the pool and then loosen up with a little light shopping at the World Trade Shopping Center.

The biggest shop in the city spreads out over seven floors and contains eight cinema screens, an ice rink, the Zen and Isetan department stores, and a silk shop. Best floors are the lower three where you'll find record stores designer-copy clothes, sports gear, cosmetics and 100% cashmere pashminas for an excellent price.

Boat Ride in Bangkok – Day 2

Hire a private, long-tailed boat from the River City Pier. Hurtle up through the klongs, feeding the fish and watching the water life. Spend another hour wandering the world's most exotic royal complex. Take a taxi across to Wat Pho where Thailand's largest reclining Buddha is housed and where you can have a massage like ours in an opensided pavilion in the temple. All prices are very cheap. Essential family therapy after a long flight and sightseeing.

In the afternoon, visit MBK (Mah Boon Krong) department store – our family favourite. It's got everything – at unbeatable prices.

"The world's most family-friendly cities are not always the most predictable ones."

In the evening, eat at the seafood market. Pop your live catch – jumbo prawns, scallops, mullet and vegetables – in your supermarket trolley and then return to your table to select from around ten options of how you'd like it cooked. It's pricey by Bangkok standards – around £10 a head – but the food's excellent and it's a truly memorable experience.

Later, head into Pat Pong night market – hard bargaining essential.

Serious Shopping – Day 3

Use the Skytrain, hurtling above the tailgating cars, to visit the main shopping hubs. My tips: the area round Chit Lom station. As you've done the World Trade Shopping Center already, start with some Thai arts and crafts at Narayana Phand Pavilion opposite. Round the corner, Panthip Plaza is the place for CDs, all things electrical, plus cheap sunglasses and spectacles.

In the evening, visit Khao San Road, scene of the opening sequence in the film The Beach. Travellers can still be found here amidst the scrum of tourists. Eat at any of the cheap pavement restaurants and watch the action.