simpsonc510

Bob,
FYI
I was just doing a search on Travelocity for a BKK ticket for next week (hubby is still saying "GO&quot... and there are some specials on United. Seats on the plane to NRT are very limited, but... anyway...
Thought you might like to see these prices.

For $3300+ I could get flight and 12 nights at the Penn.
For $3400+ I could get flight and 12 nights at the Marriott Resort/Spa (your fave)
For $1700+ I could get flight and 12 nights at Grand President apt hotel, where I stayed last summer

Still thinking about this.....
Carol

JamesA

Sure you won't mind me coming in on this one, are those 'per person or for 2 of you?

the thing always to note is that when packages 'include' the hotel you have to remember the package price is 'per person' if there are 2 of you so you need to multiply the package price by 2, then take off what the 2 air fares would be, then divide the balance between number of nights to see what you are actually paying for the hotel.

If those prices are for 2 persons .. just for real back of the envelope/ball park stuff, let's say the Marriott resort is USD 95 for a twin, x by 12 night is 1,140, divide than by 2 equals USD 570 each,

If 3,400 is for 2 of you it roughly means the air fare side is about 1,130 each, which sounds ok.

kuranosuke

carol: what is there to think about? GO!!

wonder why it cost more to stay at marirott then the penn??

simpsonc510

James
I don't mind at all when others have input. This is just ME making this trip, so I'm assuming the prices I found to be for a "single"... maybe I should read the fine print???

Kuranosuke
I was wondering the same thing! The Marriott costing more than the Pen?? I thought Bob would want to know this. Also, Travelocity places a 5-star rating on Marriott. Interesting!

I looked at Travelocity again, a little bit ago, but this time for an 11-day stay and pricing was still about the same, but the Grand President was higher for 11 days than it was for 12. Strange??

I really doubt that I can get out of town for this one, but it's fun keeping tabs on the price... just in case!! LOL

I have a friend here at home who is also anxious to get back to BKK as well. I shall have to tell him about this. We may decide it's too good to pass up... but the seats on the plane ARGHHHH are NOT good ones. I wonder if my status w/United would help me out.

You folks will be the first to know, if I am actually going to make this trip.

Carol

JamesA

Yup it's a big difference if for one or 2, we have local packages to say Singapore but they are always based on 2 and we have always managed to do a flight + our own hotel arrangements cheaper, one interesting thing was what a package wanted for the kids, but we were able to get a room in Singapore ( crown prince ) at no extra charge for the kids in our room so all we had to do was add their air fares.

simpsonc510

James, I see that DMa Pavilion is the "cheapest" option w/Travelocity. Not that I need to go "cheap"... but it also says that this hotel is located near Pratunam Market. If that is the case, that would be a very good choice. Just how close is it? Prat. Mkt and Nari Phand as well as WTC are the places where I do a lot of my shopping.
Carol

fiona

has there been a lot of work done recently to the Marriott? I was on their website today and the pool area has def. changed since I was there. Looks as if there have been changes to the Lobby and Club area as well.

OJudy

I stayed at the D'Ma Pavilion with my daughter last month. It was perfectly fine for us - clean, safe, roomy bath, attractive lobby, comfortable beds, good breakfast buffet, pleasant staff, etc. Nothing too fancy or luxurious, but we enjoyed being in the heart of the "real" Bangkok. The drawbacks of the hotel -- only one small restaurant for dinner and a view of a neighboring blank concrete wall from our room! The walk to the Pratunam shopping area takes about 5-10 minutes, and the neighboring streets are very interesting. A true slice of Thai life. If you are used to the Penn or the Marriott or other 4-5 star properties, you may be disappointed, but we liked the D'Ma quite a bit. In fact, our trip (from SFO, ten nights hotel, inc.) cost use $959 each. What a deal for such a fabulous city!

Spygirl

In answer to your question about the Marriott, I was just there in January, and it didn't look like any work had been done to it. But why is it so amazing to some that Marriott BKK Resort is a 5 star? Marriott BKK REsort has been rated a 5 star by many travel guides-Travelocity is just catching up, I guess, or was ignorant of what constitutes a 5 star in the first place! I mean, with some 6 restaurants, among other things, could it be rated any less? And as far as being rated better than the Penn, why, I'd go with that judgement any day!

orgy7

remember that stars.. forks. michalin rating and the whole lot are just arbitreraly made up by editors of mags. sometimes establishments just invent them out of thin air hell now they came out with 7 stars (where diid six go)

there is no international regulation on ratings..

I learned this litle secret of the trade back in my University day's.. maybe things have changed..

simpsonc510

ojudy
Thanks for the information on the DMa Pavilion. Sounds like the walk to Pratunam is several blocks. Is that right? I have not located the place on a map.

I'm not really "used to" the Penn or Oriental or Royal Meridien, but I've stayed at all of them, some more than others. I've also stayed at serviced apartments. Each of the places I've tried have their ups and downs.

IF I manage to make this spur of the moment trip, I just might have to give DMa a try.

Carol

rhkkmk

ok this is going to be a shock, but i don't feel that the marriott is 5* by any measure that i am familiar with....it is however a strong 4*....certainly the penn, oriental, sh-la, and sukathai (sp) are 5*....if marriott is 5*, then the others must be 6*....a new rating, except for that hotel in dubai....

i got a travelocity posting for bos-bkk from JAL today for $670...when you try to do it, it fails...i hate travelocity for making reservations...its great for research but rarely can i ever make res. with them....

carol...the chili will still be hot when i get there on the 19th?????
orgy will wear his red T-shirt so when he spills on his front it won't show....

can't believe the cheap penn price...wonder if it is a mistake as penn is always just about twice the price of marriott...

simpsonc510

Son and hubby are sitting here with me as I'm reading your reply, Bob. Son asked if you said anything about the chili!! LOL

I wanted to tell you, I've used Travelocity to book at least two or three cruises, a hotel room in Lucerne, and often to do research on airfares. It has proven to be a helpful site for me.

It's gettin' right down to the wire as far as flyin' off to BKK at the end of this week. It just "ain't" gonna happen folks. I sure wish there was a way, but... Son and I are working everyday cranking out this book of his... if I leave, the project comes to a halt! I can't do that to him at this point. We'll both be ready for a getaway when the book is done.

Keep the chili hot until..... maybe August!!

Carol

rhkkmk

ok carol....i have made dates at all the bookstores in new england for son to come and sign his book, with his chief editor---you....the dates start in august....i wrote into the contract that you could have time off from the book tour for only one thing---trips, that plural, to bkk....the tour will last one year....it is sure to lead to another edition....we will arrange hotels for you: peninsula in new york, oriental in boston, president apts in manchester, nh, marriott in portland, me, etc....

spygirl1

I think I can judge a 5 star hotel, and by ANY measure, the Bangkok Marriott Resort qualifies. Fodor's itself I believe rates it as a luxury hotel (or some travel guide I read recently does). Perhaps the online search engines have just got around to upgrading their hotel ratings in that regard.

simpsonc510

Thanks, Bob. You're toooooo kind.

(However... the final editing will be done in about Aug, we HOPE. Then with publisher set-up, printing, etc. the book should come out in maybe OCT so we won't be signing any autographs quite as early as you're planning)

Carol

Oh, btw, this is his 3rd edition now, so we already anticipate a 4th in about 3 years or so.

rhkkmk

what happens if pool cues are replaced by some as yet unthought up entity??

rhkkmk

ok now i have to get tough...stop everything you do and that includes fodors and put in the work necessary to finish this "blue" book....the public appearance dates can not be changed as michael jackson and oj will be appearing right after you about the new book on the american legal system that they have written together...and i come in after that with my fodors chat line book....we all want the scoop on jamesA, orgy, carol, gpanda, craig, kathie, guanchai (sp), lyndie, etc....its a scoop and cannot wait...

orgy7

kuranasuke and I already had the chilli.. I'd write a report but it wasn't my trip and I'm afraid that i might get kuranasuke's wife upset with my colorfull comentery...

I will give ya my opinion on the chlli itself.. right off the bat I have too say I'm a New Englander I know chowda not chilli. the last chilli I had I think was at Windy's back in 1981..

OK here it is... The color seemed too be corect. the texture was bumpy and soupy beouse it had a good deal of pieces of meat and that special liquid that makes chilli chilli. the spice- O -meter was a litle less then Ned Flanders chilli hot. (the typical thai would be pounding on the chilli souse botle too make it spicier)..

overall I liked the chilli verry much and also recomend it .. then again I'm the guy that eats 10 baht stall food and washes it down with tap water..

simpsonc510

orgy7
Thanks for the chunky chili report. I'm glad you and kuranosuke enjoyed it. (tap water!!!????? ARRRRGHHHH)

Bob
The line up of authors at your book store sounds amazing. I'm really sorry we're not going to go to print early enough to join OJ and Michael and yourself. I'm sure we would all have best sellers and lines of autograph seekers out the door and down the block! (cues of some sort have been around for centuries, so the possibility of being replaced is quite slim... LOL)

A travel note here... remember that I took the hotel shuttle to the Marriott when I was in BKK in February. I found it to be a lovely hotel. The grounds are certainly lovely, Bob. It could rate 4 or 5 stars in my book. I didn't see any rooms, and I only had a small lunch in one of the many places, but it was pleasant enough. I just don't, personally, want to be that far away from shopping!

Carol