SARAH O'MEARA takes her time to discover some of the exotic delights offered by a stay in Bangkok.

UNLIKE Prague, Berlin and Paris, the capital city of Thailand — Bangkok — hasn't yet made it into the city break hall of fame. However, as airlines cut long-haul fares to beat the recession, more travellers are likely to find themselves stopping off there, either as a curtain raiser to the rest of this intriguing country or breaking their journey to some far flung shore for a dose of winter sun.

Having planned a trip to Sydney, I decided to book a four-night stop-over in Bangkok to see if there is more to this city than access to its country's beaches.

Fresh off our direct Thai Airways flight from London, my boyfriend and I feared at first that we had made a bad decision.

As we sped towards the city, dirty looking concrete skyscrapers emerged from the polluted air, filling the skyline with ugly concrete, and us with slight horror.

Yet, there was also a part of me that looked on in wonder. The sight of a south-east Asian city in full urban-sprawl really does take your breath away.

Once we'd got to the hotel and had a shower, my boyfriend and I both stared out of our hotel room at the view with a genuine sense of excited, nervous anticipation. Not something I've ever experienced in Prague.

We'd wisely chosen a hotel that offered respite from the city's hub-bub, the newly opened President Place Hotel in the business area of Sukhumvit. Within easy reach of the main markets and historic centre of Bangkok, it still manages to provide luxuriously big rooms, free wi-fi and a swimming pool – all from 4,000 baht (£76) per night.

In the company of a girlfriend, we decided that before hitting the sights, including Bangkok's extraordinary Royal Palace, we needed to pay our respects to one of Bangkok's great cultural landmarks — Chatuchak market.

Open every weekend, this open-air, 5000-plus stall affair is well known among travellers as the only place to go for incredible bargains and a once-in-a-lifetime shopping experience.

Although prices have gradually crept up to match the spending capacity of the more wealthy customers, who regularly wind through its narrow passages, Chatuchak is still perfect for finding cheap clothes, jewellery and obscure presents.

Heaving with shoppers by midday, it's best to get there early (as it's a lot cooler), and accept that at one point you're bound to lose your companions. Try and get hold of a map, and locate the clock tower in the centre fairly early on, so, when your boyfriend disappears, you know he'll be safe and you won't have to interrupt your shopping flow. It's also wise to have a good sense of what you'd like to purchase.

Going in with an exact shopping list of no more than a couple of items, we still managed to clock up five dresses, a small Buddha statuette, a watch and two elastic band guns – later wondering how we'd get these through Australian customs.

There's not much haggling to be done at Chatuchak, as the stall owners are hip to our jive, but goods should always be half to a third of the price of similar products in the UK.

My final word of advice is to go on the hunt before buying. There is a great deal of repetition, and only a handful of stalls are markedly superior and definitely worth the money.

Following tourist guides will also probably be a waste of time. Any stall which has been earnestly written down by a former travel writer, will be gone. Throw your books away and get happily lost. As the second most expensive city in south- east Asia, behind Singapore, it can be easy to feel a little small in Bangkok. Edifices built with the profits of high finance soar up around you, filled with luxurious restaurants and extraordinary views.

It's easy for those with just a few baht in their pocket to wander straight past, but don't miss out on this side of the city just because you've got into the habit of spending £1 on lunch.

Find your hotel's shower, a hairbrush, and head to the bar at the top of one of the hotels. These are open to everyone and are the most perfect setting for a cocktail that man has ever invented.

Try the Banyan Tree's Moon bar, which is located on the 61st floor.

In Bangkok, after a day negotiating the heat and shopping until you drop, there's only one way to unwind — with a massage.

Of all the five-star hotels which overlook the river Chao Phraya Rivernone at the heart of the city, none sum up the feelings of old-school elegance quite like this 130-year-old hotel, which has seen Joseph Conrad and Ernest Hemingway walk through its doors.

Taking you back to a long-lost era of ceiling fans, lush indoor plants, wooden slatted windows and waiters, dinner on its charming terrace feels like an obligation, rather than a choice.