I prefer the river location. I find the river traffic endlessly fascinating. The air is also a bit less polluted (as you aren't amidst the canyons of the tall buildings) and slightly less hot because of the moderating influence of the water. You are also right on the water taxi route that will take you to some of the must-see sights like the Grand Palace/Emerald Buddha, Wat Po, and Wat Arun. So consider the Pen, The Shangri-La, or the Oriental. You really can't go wrong with any of them.

If you decide to stay somewhere away from the river, the Four Seasons and St. Regis are good options.

on the river consider:
peninsula
shangra-la
oriental

of these i prefer the penn

in town:

conrad
plaza anthanee
4 seasons
hyatt
st regis
kempenski
sheraton grande
jw marriott
intercontinental


i favor the 4 seasons and conrad because of their food options

what is your fav restaurant in grimaud??

Not sure if it is still there. It was known as Les Santons I think.

You do have some new options in Bangkok that haven't been mentioned. There is the Siam, which is right on the river, but it is a bit removed from almost everything and might not be the best option.

The Okura Prestige has an excellent location right at the Ploenchit Skytrain station (same area as the Conrad and Le Meridien Athenee, but closer to the station). The hotel occupies the upper floors of a tall building, with the lobby on the 25th Floor (you can see into the American Ambassador's front yard from the lounge).

Lastly, there's the Sofitel So, a new concept hotel from Sofitel. It has beautiful views of Lumpini Park and is close to both the subway and Skytrain. Rooms here a very distinctive.

thanks i will look for it

The Mandarin Oriental is the best by far but its also fairly expensive by Bangkok standards. A good alternative on the river is the Shangri-La.

If you do decide to stay inside the city rather than riverside, the Four Seasons is fantastic but, in my humble opinion, a bit on the pricier side for a non-riverside hotel. The Dusit Thani is a great deal inside the city.

So, if value for money is to be the criteria for the selection of the best 5 star hotel in Bangkok, then which one would you select from all those mentioned ?

Thank you

A great booking web site is kiwicollection.com and if you use a visa platinum card it will entitle you to a lot of benefits including upgrade. Most of the hotels on kiwi collection are some of the best so it will be perfect for you.

peninsula is by far the best and also value for money too...

PA 2nd

Best value for money...hmmm, tough but I'll have to go with Dusit Thani overall. You'll get it for less than 125 USD and it is still a properly good hotel.

On the river, the Oriental is everything but value for money. So the top choice here is the Shangri-La which you can get for a little less than 175 USD usually.

Greatly appreciate recommendations for Peninsula and Dusit Thani. It seems there is healthy competition in Bangkok at this end of the market.

So far we are leaning to the Peninsula. I must say that I am suprised the Meridien is not higher up the preferred list.

I also agree that the Mandarin is at a premium price over others and possibly because its reputation goes back decades.

Hello again, Will:

I've stayed at the Mandarin, the Peninsula and the Four Seasons (also others not in the same class) and when I return, which I hope will be in the not too distant future, I will probably return to the Four Seasons. (Also I am also curious about the Sukothai and might try that if I can get a decent price)

Value for money is much better at FS than at the 2 riverside hotels I mentioned but even if the prices were equal, I liked the Four Seasons better. (One plus for me was their swimming pool which might not matter to you....it was not chilled to icy temperatures like the one at the Pen and it is much larger and less crowded than at Oriental) Remember that this is Thailand where the standard is quite high at hotels of almost any stripe.

Perhaps the riverfront would be important for a first time visitor, but you will be spending time there during your stay in any case, and I did not spend much time looking out the window when I stayed at the Pen and the Oriental.
My deluxe FS room (not the highest category) cost about $214 US in high season 2010. (I wrote a trip report that offers more details bout the hotel:

http://www.fodors.com/community/asia/bangkok-burma-shanghai-hong-kong-asian-odyssey-2010.cfm

i did not find the penn pool temp too cool??

i think staying on the river makes a visit to bkk unique.. i also find the air cleaner and cooler there..

the meridien is in an awkward location and almost next to patpong which for many is a negetive..

Thank you all for your comments.

I think the pool will be important to us in September

I'm off to shop around the websites of the Peninsula, Four Seasons and Shangri La for a three night stay.

I am presuming that the hotel websites will be the best place to shop. It has been rare for me to achieve a better overall outcome from hotel booking sites.

In the case of Bangkok please let me know if I am wrong.

Hmm..

I have recently been using kiwicollection.com and you can compare their rates to those you found for yourself online, either directly with the hotels or via another booking site. With kiwi and under their Visa Platinum promotion your room will be upgraded, free continental breakfast, wi-fi, hotel credit for use with food etc ALL for the same rate as those offered by the hotels.

My experiences with kiwi so far are for top of the range hotels in the USA and Macau and I can vouch for the fact that both the hotels and kiwi will honor all the perks as advertise.

What I meant is that with kiwicollection.com you are paying the same rates as what the hotels are offering and if you use the Visa promotion or the Kiwi promotion you will receive all the benefits at no extra cost.

For luxury hotels, a Virtuoso member agent often has better rates and more perks than anywhere else. As a customer, you do not need to join anything or pay anything (or if the agent does ask you to pay a fee just find a different agent). Virtuoso is a consortium of luxury travel providers.

For Four Seasons, a FS Preferred Agent has access to rates with perks that the mass market can not access. Many top tier agents are both Virtuoso and FS Preferred.

Is the Royal Orchid Sheraton still very good? After reading some recommendations on this site, we booked it for late October. Are some of the others better quality now?

would a FS Preferred Agent be willing to work with someone for reserving only ONE night at a Four Season's hotel (the FS Bangkok)?

You may have to ask a couple if you are reserving only one night at a single hotel, but the agent gets commission and making a booking is very simple, so it shouldn't be too tough to find.

The Royal Orchid is fine. It's not Peninsula or Four Seasons level, but it's totally fine.

Thanks for the tip on Kiwi Collection, Agent Hanuman!

Are there ever any deals on Sukothai?.

I am taking a bit of time with this reservation because it is the last destination in a 7 week itinerary to celebrate some very special occasions and for he fact that we havent had a holiday in four years.

As you all know, Australia is a long way from everywhere and so when we take a holiday to Europe we should always enjoy Asia enroute.

When I saw Hanuman's post on the Kiwicollection I decided to take a look at Platinum and Diamond Awards benefits with Amex and Mastercard here in Australia.

Diamond cards are being handed out like confetti here nowadays.

I have found some of the same style of upgrade offers with Amex platinum and Diamond that are featured in the Kiwicollections, eg. room upgrade and breakfasts etc at the Peninsula.

I will do a little more research and let you know what I propose to do. Thanks again for all your help.

Amex fine hotels and resorts program Offers benefits to platinum. Ardholders or higher.

Kiwi collection sells visa signature program.

Just want to add that apart from the Visa perks at Kiwi they also have the "Kiwi Advantage" perks as well.

I find that with AMEX the best offerings are when they offer a buy one get one free promo for plane tickets. With my recent experiences with Kiwi I was upgraded more than 1 tier for hotel rooms or suites. In one case 3 tiers above the room that I booked and the hotel was quite full.

Example from recent reservations, in June of 2012, I was upgraded from a $1,400 a night room to a $2,100 a night room at one resort. The next resort I was upgraded from a $215 a night room to a $300 a night room. Apart from the mentioned or advertised perks I was given free lunches and chilled champange waiting in our room.

I normally enjoyed very good corporate rates but with Kiwi I seem to be getting more and they do follow up on your stay as well. Very fast responses with emails but I've not used their phone services.

I'm going to take a look at the kiwi collection for our Singapore stay in November. Thanks for the tip, Hanuman.

Will, I have found no consistent pattern with hotels in SE Asia. Sometimes the hotel's own website has the best offers, sometimes the hotel booking sites like agoda (or sawasdee for Thailand) have the best offers. I usually check all of the options.

Also, make sure you are comparing apples to apples (or mangoes to mangoes for Bangkok). Some sites quote prices including breakfast (worth about US$20 per person at the properties you are considering), some quote including tax and service (17.7% in Bangkok). So if a price looks low, make sure they are including breakfast, tax and service.

Good_Will, We got an incredible rate, double upgrade and bonuses for the Peninsula using the Amex Platinum - early check in, late check out, breakfast, four spa treatments, etc. But we had friends who were at the Oriental at the same time and we preferred that location for walkability.

Check out trivago.com I found an UNBELIVABLE rate for the Peninsula in September.

Trivago rates seem fantastic. Has anyone actually used the site to book hotel rooms with success before?

Trivago seems to be a search engine for discount hotel sites. The places I looked at were booked through agoda, otel or expedia, for instance.

Yes Kathie that is exactly what it is, just a very handy site to do all the searching for you. It's advertised heavily here in the UK . Rate of £115 for the Peninsula ( although i cant remember which company it was and if it included tax) but that aside I still think its a good rate . First time I stayed at the Pen nearly 10 years ago I got a rate on Asia rooms incl breakfast for £138 which I thought amazing then. I had planned to stay in town again when I go this September but if I can get a good deal like that at the Peninsula ( which I love) I may reconsider!

Ok just did a search on trivago and the site with the good deal with the Pen is Splendia. You pay a small deposit to them and the balance is paid to the hotel on check out ( and you can cancel!) however price quoted does not include tax so you will need to read the small print as I think some sites do and some don't.

Here is a list of my favorite hotels in Bangkok: http://milepoint.com/forums/threads/which-hilton-property-in-bangkok.32636/#post-1320371

Thank you all for your comments.

We have chosen The Peninsula for 3 nights. While having visited Hong Kong and Singapore many times we have not spent time in Bangkok before so I will move on to a new thread for restaurants soon

The deal at The Peninsula was booked with the assistance of the concierge service for Platinum/Diamond American Express Cards here in Sydney.

By entering the promotion code ENTRE the cost is BHT 6,200 per night with an upgrade from Deluxe King Room to a Grand Deluxe Room, Buffet Breakfast, Late Check Out, WiFi, Fitness Centre, Fruit and Flowers, Newspaper, Boat transfer to Skytrain Station etc.

I will take whatever I can get in this day and age when I find that British Airways even charges Business Class travelers on a Qantas ticket with a further fee of 80 Pounds per seat per sector for a seat allocation issued more than 24 hours prior to departure. Disgraceful

Will, I hope that you have a wonderful time..enjoy!!

you will love the penn.. all rooms face the river...

don't get used to the silk lined undies drawers

>>>We have chosen The Peninsula for 3 nights.<<<


Warm greetings Will and fine choice of hotel. Most recent stay at the Peninsula was this past Valentine's Day; memorable as ever. Some very special friends and staff at the property; my review doesn't begin to do her justice. Savour your riverside times.

Now, will give a heartfelt promotion of an exquisite riverside place called The Siam. Left the resort about eight hours ago, after a two night stay in a pool villa. (Before Friday check-in, had completed a three night stay at my primary Bangkok business travel hotel, the St. Regis; the SR remains perfect for my work purposes.) At The Siam, took advantage of a half-off, soft opening tariff. Still rather pricey, yes, but you only live once and all that. Will do a more in-depth review at a later time, as I'm presently in transit at the Hong Kong airport. Some truly gracious individuals at The Siam, particularly a few managers I've been in contact with over the past several months.

As of this past weekend, The Siam was operating a most efficient and enjoyable shuttle service between the resort and the Saphan Taksin pier. And, I'm not a 'foodie' (well, with the exception of Book the Cook at 36,000 feet with Singapore Airlines), but I thought The Siam's signature restaurant, Chon Thai, was most acceptable. Perhaps Will and other fine fodorites will venture to The Siam for drinks and dining; it is rather unique. I (we) certainly plan on returning for same.

Finally, will give unsolicited praise to Thai Airways, specifically TG 606 F-class service from Bangkok to Hong Kong not too many moments back. Singapore Airlines is my primary business travel carrier, but will say TG continues to provide a great first class lounge and spa at Suvarnabhumi.

Have fun at the Peninsula, Will. Signing off from HKG, soon to fly SQ 2 to SFO for meetings, then returning home to Singapore later in the week. A good week of flights and work to all,

macintosh (robert)


... Singapore Airlines, You're a Great Way to Fly ...

robert, tell us more about siam--give specifics..

Siam sounds great. Value at Bangkok hotels seems wonderful as I try to figure out where to stay in Zurich for a night in September Awful value there.

As for airlines, I like SQ and Thai too. I have watched Qantas slowly degenerate as a business and culture since the 1970's.

An insider told me last week that Qantas will soon stop flying to London. Thereafter it will probably merge with that other horrible airline that charges business class passengers for seat allocations in advance of 24 hours before departure.

Back to the subject, it would seem worthwhile for us to visit a few of the Bangkok hotels (lunch, brunch, dinner, coffee) as there seems to be a lot of great architecture there and distinct service cultures.

We have stopped briefly at Bangkok Airport - old and new, over many years and look forward to our first real visit.

Now I need to find the best espresso machine, operator and freshly roasted beans in Bangkok ?

kuppa off of sukhumvit rd.. starbucks is everywhere as well as some other chains..

visit the four seasons for a lovely lobby and fantastic food and shopping options..

the lobby bar of the jw marriott is very nice

the banyon tree on sathorn is an interesting bldg and has a great rooftop bar and restaurants

360 bar at the hilton on the river is very lovely with great views

riding the sky train from end to end allows you to see many interesting bldgs..