travelmug

We spent 5 fabulous days in Bangkok last week. Thanks to Bob and everyone's who contributed to this forum. It made our trip so much better!

We booked AAClimo via email and were quoted 1440 baht for round trip from the airport to Bangkok Marriott Resort & Spa. First toll was 60 baht, second toll was 40 baht. On the way back to the airport, first toll was 40 baht, second was 20 baht. The ride took just under 1 hour.

Booked Marriott Resort & Spa for $90/night including breakfast & tax. River view room wasn't available but that was ok since we would ride the free shuttle anyway. We arrived at 4pm but our room wasn't ready for at least another hour. I thought that was strange but we weren't the only ones waiting. The room was good, definitely worth the price we paid. The only problems we had were the bathroom. The glass door on the shower/tub only covered halfway so water splashed out easily. The tub was also impossible for me to climb in/out without using both my hands to straddle the tub edge. (I'm 5ft tall.) Service was prompt. Breakfast wasn’t special but it was good. The water shuttle leaves every 15 minutes and very on time!

Had dinner at Biscontti and loved it! The squid ink pasta with seafood was great and so was the soft shell crab. After stuffing ourselves we took taxi to nearby Suan Lum night bazaar for some shopping. This market was larger than I expected. Much better than Patong IMO, plus no one hassling you to buy dvd porn. We bought some lovely handmade flowers, candle holders and earrings. Prices were reasonable so I didn't bargain too much. We left at around 11pm. A few shops started to close at that time but there were plenty more still opened.

CFW

You're bringing back wonderful memories. Hope you'll continue with more!

Hanuman

Regarding the toll, there are no 60 baht toll in Bangkok. You either mistype or the driver cheated. From the airport it's 20 baht for the first toll(elevated toll way) and another 40 baht for the old expressway/toll way.

jvrab12

travelmug-

who did you go thru to book the Marriott?
Thanks

rhkkmk

i think the toll is 70B total after having done it dozens of times...doesn't really matter as the alternative is a very long drive...the best $2 you will ever spend...

looking forward to more reports from you on your bkk activities...

we have never had to wait for our marriott rooms but of course we usually arrive at mid night...doesn't seem like you should have waited at 4PM but maybe they were particularily busy that day...glad you liked the hotel...

Hanuman

Rhkkmk,
Currently the toll is a total of 60 baht(20+40) travelling from the airport to the central Bangkok. There's a special discount for a limited time and you save 10 baht, you can buy your self a coke!

rhkkmk

can't drink coke can i put it towards the taxi fare?? funny i always pay 70B and have checked the signs?????????

travelmug

Hanuman, thanks for the correction. I reconfirmed with my husband and he said it was 60 baht total from airport to hotel. The driver didn't cheat us. As we approached the toll booth, the driver asked us to pay the fee. I thought we would pay everything at the end and didn't expect that. I'm glad we changed our money at the aiport.

travelmug

We made huge mistake of going to Jim Thompson's House on a Saturday. Too many tourists and tour groups. Our guided tour was too crowded and lots of details were left out as we were rushed through the house. Lunch at the JT Restaurant & bar was very good as recommended by others on this forum. The JT outlet on soi 93 was well worth the visit. We got two sets of pillowcases with duvet cover (KS), cotton for just 4300 baht, and silk for 6000 baht. Square silk cushion covers were 300 baht each. Opening hrs were 9am-6pm, but they told us we had to ring up all our purchases by 5:40pm if we wanted to get VAT back. They said their machine would shutdown at that time but it wasn't really true. They wanted us to ring up early so they could process the VAT forms and have you out of the store by 6pm.

Closing on time seemed to be priority in Bangkok. At the food court in MBK, most stalls were closing around 8:15pm although the food court hours were till 9pm. I was queuing to buy fruit juice but there were many people so I went to the next stall to buy something else for just a couple minutes, when I returned the juice place said they've already closed! We saw quite a few tourists (hauling luggage) who bought cash coupons only to find out 99% of the stalls were closed. Other malls and department stores gave us similar experiences. Most staffers began to relax and talk amongst themselves around 45 minutes before closing time. Go early!

Janak626

travelmug: what is the site you booked the marriott on? thanks

travelmug

jvrab12, Janak626, I used a travel company located in Hong Kong but their website and services are in Chinese. There is a similar company named Wing On Travel, also in Hong Kong, with English partially on their website. http://www.wingontravel.com/eng/hoteleofe/start_e.asp
If you are looking for something simple and flexible like Expedia.com, then this is NOT for you. I used Wing On Travel while I was in HK, but never used their online services. Prices are competitive but some rates are only available for HK ID/passport holders. Prices are listed in HK$. If your hotel is available, you must prepay for your entire stay. Once confirmed, no changes (names, dates…etc.) can be made, and no refund. Understand all the terms & conditions before you proceed!

Janak626

thank you. have found zillions of discount hotel web sites and alwasy insterested when someone comes up with something new. I'll find the balance bet. expedia and negotiating in HK$.

rhkkmk

if you worked the hours that these people work, you too would be ready to close exactly on the hour, otherwise how would you ever get out of there???

travelmug

Bob, you're right about that. I would probably feel the same way if I worked there. What I wanted to say though, was we never felt rushed in other places like Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, or Japan, where you could really shop till the last minute. Just wanted to warn other visitors to go early so they won't miss out after flying all the way out to Thailand.

rhkkmk

i remember from my days in banking that everyday at closing all of the retired people came in to do their bangking....where the hell had they been for the last 6 hours or so that they waited until the bank was closing....it never was a work-a-bee who arrived at that hour...only retirees...

travelmug

We love seafood. Went to two seafood restaurants, Somboon Seafood on Chulalongkorn and Yok Yor 21. Food at both were about the same but you get a nice river view at Yok Yor and they would take you by boat to/from Taksin pier. We tried the famous curry crab at Somboon. The sauce was delicious but the crab itself was just ok. Oysters were huge! The fish with spicy lemon sauce at Yok Yor tasted great but it was really spicy. I had to down two Thai ice teas to put out the fire!

Booked the Ayuthaya tour by Grand Pearl through the tour desk at hotel lobby. 1600 baht each. Took the bus in the morning and back by river cruise in the afternoon. We had a guide named Pun, but he didn’t give us much background on the sites we visited. There was very little to see at Ayuthaya. The cruise back took over 3 hrs. I felt that was too long. You could only admire the scenery for so long before getting bored. Most people were taking naps in their chairs. The lunch provided onboard was not bad though considering it was included in the package. I had lots of their famous mango and sticky rice! The best part of the cruise back was a good view the Grand Palace and Wat Arun for photos. The tour was only mediocre, a bit expensive, and time consuming.