Kooba,

I have stayed at the Shangri La,The 4 Seasons, The Peninsula, The Oriental, The Sheraton Grande Sukumvit and the Marriott Riverside.

For a first time visitor I would choose the Shangri La or The Peninsula(personal choice). Being on the river for your first visit to Bangkok will only enhance your stay and ,imho, make it a whole different experience.

If you love to be right in the middle of it all(and I mean all) then I would stay at the Sheraton Suk or Four Seasons.

All the above hotels I mention are great choices so just decide what and where you want to be.....you can't go wrong with any of these choices.

Aloha!

No Kooba...I haven't stayed at the Marriott, but Sukhumvit is in the heart of things and the east/west skytrain line runs right down the middle of Sukhumvit Blvd. Happy Travels!

Thanks... riverside it is. The Peninsula has a Winter Escape package running.

I am having a hard time choosing between the bonus of a one way airport transfer or a 3000 baht credit for dining at the hotel.

Would 3000 baht be enough for a nice meal for two?

We will be in Bangkok for only 3 nights (4 days) so is eating at the Peninsula a worth-it experience or should we be going out for our meals?

Airport transfer or dining credit... which would you choose?

airport transfer hands down........ooooooo your going to love the Pen!

Aloha!

airport transfer -- plenty of better places to eat.

Well, I'm not so sure.
I love the Pen btw, it's my favorite.
Taxi from airport=350 baht.
Airport "Limo"=1100 baht
So, 3000 baht for a transfer seems steep to me. Is this in the Rolls Royce?
Does your package come with breakfast? If not, use the credit for that, it's spectacular.
Even if it does, I think maybe the food credit might be a better "value". You'd probably get one high-end meal out of it at Jesters or the Thai restaurant near in the teak house the pool. Also, the buffet they do nightly in the riverside restaurant is fabulous too. Normally, I'd never recommend eating in the hotel, but sometimes one is just too tired to go out, so it's a good option then. You could use it for drinks/food by the pool too.
I wonder if you could use the credit for spa services? :-)

3000 Baht- use it for the food at the Penn - too much to waste on an airport transfer no matter what vehicle it is. The Penn has great buffet breakfasts and dinners and the Dim Sum at their Chinese restaurant is fab!