Junejuly

Hello Fodorites!

First and foremost, I want to say THANK YOU for all of your advice. You (Bob, Andy, JamesA, KimJapan, Scotters, Kathie) really helped us make good decisions.
For those of you who are just looking for the nitty-gritty on tailors, I must say that the very best for women is Cotton House, and for men, Jack from Monet il Sarto. I (like most women) have some difficult curves that never quite fit rack clothing... when I met Mrs. Reed at Cotton House, I thought I would only have 2 suits made, but once I saw how good she was, I ended up with 2 suits, 2 additional trousers, a skirt, jeans, a jacket, and 2 evening dresses (financed by my parents as a early graduation from residency present)... a little over $1000. My bf had first rate suits made by Jack, and I can't even begin to tell you how impressed we were by his service. We both look like we lost about 10 lbs with our new, well fitting clothes.
Now, on to the rest of our trip....

We started in Phnom Pehn, staying at the FCC. It was worth the 1 whole day (2 nights), but no more. We really loved the FCC, though... it felt somehow very Casablanca-ish (I know, wrong Continent, but still...), with a modern twist. As I get car sick, we took the boat to Siem Reap, sitting on top of the ship to get the fresh air. It was interesting for about 30 min, then boring when we were in the middle of the Tonle Sap lake. Good choice for us, but for others I would recommend taking the bus.
We stayed in the Bopha Angkor in Siem Reap. Despite good reviews, I didn't like it... it was filled with mosquitos and quite dark in the room. Next time, I'll splurge for the FCC. Ponheary was booked so we used one of her other guides. He was great the first day, but the second day I felt we could have just used the driver and didn't necessarily need the guide. It was, however, interesting to hear what his childhood was like, growing up during the reign of terror of the Khmer Rouge. It was also really nice to see how Ponheary works so hard to help educate the youth of Cambodia... turns out she used to be a teacher before she was a guide. For me, Angkor Thom (Bayan Temple) was the most amazing experience of the whole trip. For those going to Angkor Wat, I suggest reading the Ramayan before going.
We left Siem Reap for Phuket, where my boyfriend had his favorite experience of the whole trip... Hong by Starlight by the John Grey Seacanoe group. I'll post my pictures so you can all take a look. We stayed at the Old Phuket. The hotel was very average, but we didn't have the funds to go for anything more extravagent. We also did the speedboat tour to PhiPhi Island, but I wasn't impressed.
Next, we were off to Chiang Rai. We had a blast at the Night Market, where I bought most of my souvenirs and my boyfriend insisted on eating every night. It was wonderful to sit with the community of Chiang Rai and try all of the delicious foods. We stayed at Laluna hotel, which was quite nice, especially considering the price (about $45). The tours offered by the hotel were very expensive, so we went into town where we were able to get the very same tour at about half price (we used Eagle Tours, located behind the middle eastern food restaraunt). We had so much fun riding elephants, then trekking through the hills to see some of the hill tribes. They can also arrange for you to stay WITH the tribes and do many days of trekking there.
In BKK, we treated ourselves to the Shangri-La hotel, as they had a web rate of $185/night. It was a gorgeous hotel, and we were really happy about our splurge. Tong was busy, so we tried to book with Cherry, who at the last minute switched us to one of her colleagues. Though he was great in the morning (we did Wat Po/Royal Residences, then lunch and Canal Tour), he wanted us to either go to a factory in the afternoon or go back to the hotel. At $135, I found that disappointing, and will definitely send friends to Tong and her associates in the future. BKK is actually very easy to get around, and if you have a few days there, a guide may not be necessary at all.
We LOVED the entire trip, and can't wait to go back. I've already started planning a trip for my parents next year.
My favorite restaraunts were:
Siem Reap - Tell (german/swiss, I know, but my "malaroned" stomache couldn't handle spice... the Zurich-style veal was as good as any I've had in Switzerland)
Phuket- Red Onion
Chiang Rai - Night Market
BKK- Baan Khanita.

For all of those planning your trips now... I'm envious!
I'll be happy to answer any questions anyone might have, and will try to post my pictures soon (on snapfish.com).

Junejuly

Here is (I think) the link to our pictures... hope it works...

http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=473...=SYE/otsi=SALB

rhkkmk

could not get the pics to work with that address??

glad all worked out for you pretty well

bob

Junejuly

Hi Bob

You can copy and paste the whole address (just clicking doesn't work), or e-mail me at [email protected], and I can send the link in an easier format. I know I really appreciated seeing your pictures in order to know what to expect, so I want these to be available to everyone.
We fell in love with Thailand and hope to go back.

Juline

JamesA

Glad you managed to eat at Red Onion, when Gpanda was down there they couldn't get a table, that's the trouble, food is nice but busy season not easy to get a table.

mdn

To add a bit more to Julejuly's trip report (I was the other person on that trip --
We took the Thai Airways flight from JFK-BKK. The best economy flight I've taken in many years. They really exceeded every expectation, plenty of room, entertainment overload, food was great & so were the drinks. I wouldn't fly anything else to Thailand from NY.

When we reached Phnom Penh after nearly 24 hours of leaving NY, we got a light meal at the FCC Bar. Their wine selection is immaculate & cocktails & food wonderful. Then we got a massage from a place run by the blind right next to the FCC. Massage was ok but the place itself wasn't pleasing to the senses. But it was very convenient & just what we needed before crashing for the evening. Our lunch at Khmer Surin the next day stood out because it was our first real meal on our trip. Very good combo of Khmer dishes (fish amok is great) as well as Thai food.
On to Siam Reap -- On our second day, we had lunch at Cafe Moi Moi near Angkor Wat. Simply amazing. It's run by a Japanese person and although the prices are very reasonable, one can tell that the food is made with a lot of care & attention. I highly recommend it. Food at the Bopha Angkor wasn't bad either but the room we got disappointed us. Based on reviews here, I suspect there are far better rooms in the hotel... ours was in a far corner on the ground/first floor with the window opening into some plants.
One recommendation if you use a tour guide is to ask them to take you to a specific restaurant for lunch. Otherwise, they tend to take you to generic places where the food isn't very good. So plan ahead for lunch. We also went to the Red Piano & the FCC for dinners, both of which were good.

Phuket -- The Old Phuket was a nice hotel for the price. Thanks to GPanda & others. Unfortunately, the lady who was checking us in when we arrived seemed to be having a bad day & was downright rude from the get go--put us in a 2 bed room & refused to change it etc. Only after we complained the next day did things improve, but the original problem person continued to have a bad attitude until our departure. Our best meal was at the Red Onion (the duck is outstanding!!!), but tiger prawns at Karon Seafood restaurant & the whole experience at Mom Tri's Boathouse were very fulfilling, though a bit expensive. Phuket was my favorite destination of the trip. Will have to go back one day & find a hotel that has a room that juts into the water where one rolls off the bed & dips into the limpid waters. Phi phi, I thought, was also an amazing place but we were there for such a short time because we just did the 1 day excursion including snorkelling etc., that we couldn't do it justice. We took the fast boat to Phi phi. Word of caution- a few people on our boat got sea sick on the way to Phi Phi. The waters get quite choppy in some parts of the 2 hour journey. So, if you have a tendency to get sea sick, the slower boats may be a better option. But we were told that the number of stops for snorkelling &other stuff is limited on the slower boats because more time is needed for the journey itself.

Chiang Rai- I was pleased that we chose this over Chiang Mai despite all the advertisements that we saw for the flora festival in Chiang Mai. The 1 hour trip up the river to the elephant camp was more scenic than any stretch of the Phnom Penh-Siam Reap river journey. We didn't have time to do an overnight in the hills with the tribes but it's something that everyone I talked to over there recommended highly. But our trip into the hills to see the waterfalls, after we'd finished riding the elephants , was exhilarating. We'd heard a lot about how N. Thai food is so fifferent from BKK food & southern food that I made it a point to eat at Rattanakosin, righ in the night market's food court area. We ordered plenty of the northern thai dishes like Nam Prik, Laab Khua etc. Basically, N. Thai = super spicy!!

Finally, BKK. Shangri La was simply amazing & we were lucky to get a corner room with a balcony overlooking the river. We also went to the Oriental for afternoon tea & that too was amazing.
Dinner at Tongue Thai was good but Harmonique was better. Baan Kanitha was outstanding. We also at the food stalls at the wkend market which had their own flair.
I tried to go to Tramp, the tailor next to Cotton House where my gf was getting her clothes stitched, but he came across as eccentric & moody. His shop was also found to be closed during hours of operation & so on & he refused to show me any fabric saying he was too busy. Hence, I went to Monet il Sarto, located in the shopping mall in front of the Marriott Spa. Jack did a perfect job on all my suits and punctually came to the hotel with his tailor for various fittings after the first meeting.
Well, those are my initial recollections. Looking fwd to another trip to that part of the world already... maybe Vietnam will be part of the itinerary next time. Thank you to all of you for all the recommendations & suggestions. One final tip - to those of you who know the destinations well, you may want to consider adding suggestions to www.wikitravel.org (search by name of city like Phuket or Chiang Rai). Another source that can become very useful with contributions from knowledgable folk.

rhkkmk

a couple of other places that you might like to try are myanmar (burma) and laos....bali is also a wonderful place...

glad things worked out well for you

zengeos

Bob,

I'm looking into both Myanmar, nd Laos..just short visits (Bagan in Myanmar, and Luang Prabang in Laos)

Do you have any suggestions for guides in those areas? Feel free to e-mail me at [email protected]

Thanks-

mark-

Junejuly

James A, we really loved the Red Onion, and as my bf mentioned, the duck was superb.... we got lucky to get in, and had to share a table with another couple (but had a great conversation with them and didn't mind at all)... I recommend reservations for those of you on your way to Phuket.

Gpanda

JJ-glad you had a good time. I agree that the JFK-BKK economy class is the best. The Old Phuket Hotel was a good value. JamesA deserves the credit for this recommendation. We just blindly followed his advice and were pleased. We were sorry the Red Onion was full when we were there, but glad to hear that it was good. Penalty avoided.

Junejuly

So, Gpanda... what is this penalty we've avoided? I've seen that written before. Are we talking a tongue lashing, or something more serious (like flying an american airline the whole way to BKK next time)?
ThaiAir really was great, though... we didn't even envy the buisness class people.

Gpanda

The penalty is mostly a figment of my overly fertile imagination. It's rarely been assessed and is mostly avoided (by diligent prompt posters or waived due to some sob story from the poster why it took so long to post the report). If memory serves, Offwego (Lori) was one of the few against whom it has been assessed. It was payable in Cambodian currncy to the PLF, so I never saw a dime.

swinggal

Hi Fodorites,

I need some help on the issue of tailors. Both I and my fiance want to get tailored suits while in BKK. It seems that Cotton house is the place to go for women. But for men I have seen both Monet il Sarto and Rajawongse Clothiers recommended. Any opinion on who is best for us to use if we want suits and shirts, and a tux for my man?

Also, how much time do we need to allow for this? And should we arrange appointments in advance if we definitely know we want to do this?

We were only going to spend 2 days in BKK at the beginning of the trip and 1 day at the end. But is that not enough time to do the proper fittings?

Thank you all in advance for your help!

Craig

swinggal - it is usually better to start a new thread rather than tack on to an old one.

I have used Rajawongse twice in the past two years. They make shirts, suits and tuxes for men only. Since your time is limited though, I would pick the place that is closest to where you are staying. It doesn't hurt to call first but it is not completely necessary. Rajawongse has a small seating area where you may have to wait while enjoying a cold drink if they are busy.

Since you only have a total of 3 days, you will be spending much of your time in Bangkok going back and forth between tailors. Cotton house and Rajawongse are not near each other and Monet il Sarto is on the "other" side of the river near the Marriott. If you can arrange for fabric selection and measurements the first day and a trial fitting on the second day there will be plenty of time before your final fittings when you return to Bangkok.

If it were me and it was my first time in Bangkok, I would skip the tailors - you won't have much time to do anything else.

swinggal

Craig - thank you for the advise. It's a good idea to start a new thread indeed...

As for your suggestions..I do see that we will be mostly spending time in the shops this way. But i really want to make clothing so not sure what to do. Do you think it's worth our time considering the quality of tailors and price? How much is a good men's suit in BKK? I am in NY but I have never made a suit here...although I hear it's possible to get a men's suit tailored for as little as 300 if there is a promotion. How much is a good suit in BKK?

Also, if we are planning to stay at the Sukhothai, is that close to any of these places?

Lastly, is there one place that is good for both men and women so that we aren't running around to 2 shops?

Craig

The Sukhothai is not well-situated for anything. You will have to rely on taxis to get around. This is not a problem if it is not rush hour but a hotel near the skytrain would be so much better for you.

I have been paying $300 at Rajawongse. They have told us that due to the weakness of the dollar that they are starting to charge in Baht so it might be slightly more. The suits at Rajawongse are good enough for President Bush (the elder) and thus are good enough for me. Whether you want to skip the major tourist attractions in Bangkok to get suits done is up to you. It's all a matter of what your priorities are. The suits and materials are of very high quality - I don't think you could get the same thing for the price in NYC.

I don't know about Monet Il Sarto but most places do not do both men and women. By the way, if Cotton House does not suit your needs, my wife uses T Silk Place which is also in OP Place where Cotton House is located.

swinggal

Craig - I just realized from your suggestions that I had not only previously read your trip report but cut and paste it for the various suggestions - so thank you for contributing so much to my trip!

As for suits and hotel locations...I know that Sukhothai is away from things but I was told that taxis are cheap and easy to come by. Is that not true? What would your hotel reco be in terms of optimal convenience? Are the river hotels best for that? I don't mind paying for Peninsula but was hoping to pay less since we are thinking of splurging at the end on a beach hotel. I know you stayed at Pen, but do you have any other recos of 4-5 star hotel that's convenient and a bit cheaper?

It's kind of annoying that we will have to use two shops for tailoring..makes the whole plan even less feasible...not sure what to do.

Craig

swinggal - yes, taxis are cheap and easy to come by. They are not particularly useful during morning and evening rush hours where you will sit in traffic and not move at all.

For your situation, you could either stay near Cotton House (Oriental Hotel or Penn are the best options) or near the skytrain central shopping district: Plaza Athenee or Holiday Inn Chitlom - Ploenchit are reasonably priced options.

The skytrain will get you to Rajawongse (Nana station) but you will have to take the Oriental boat from Taksin station to get to Cotton House. The Penn boat will take you to Oriental Pier which is near Cotton House. It will also take you to the skytrain at Taksin. Thus the Penn is the best place to stay - worth the extra $$ in your situation - you won't regret staying there either.

swinggal

Thank you for the details. You have changed my mind... I guess we will stay at the Pen after all! Funny how I started out asking about suits and ended up with a hotel!

rhkkmk

the jw marriott is almost next door to Raj...the 4 seasons and conrad are not far....

penn. is good for monet---5 minute taxi ride at any time of day...

no question but to stay at peninsula for any trip to bkk...!!!