Bangkok - Peninsula or Four Seasons?
 

For around the same price, we can have a suite at the Peninsula or a Cabana Suite at the Four Seasons.

Peninsula Suite rate includes round trip airport transfer, breakfast, complimentary mini bar consumption, one dinner for 2 at Jesters (which we probably won't use since children under 12 are not allowed in Jesters), complimentary Skytrain passes each day, late checkout.

Four Seasons Cabana Suite rate includes breakfast.

Pros for the Peninsula - river location that we like, we know we like the hotel, pool is very good.

Cons for Peninsula - won't use the included dinner and they won't allow us to use it in another restaurant; the reply I got requesting to use the dinner in another restaurant got me an unfriendly reply.

Pros for Four Seasons - location is good for skytrain, restaurants are nice, phone rep was excellent and friendly, cabana suite is unique and very cool

Cons for Four Seasons - it's not on the river and we really missed the river last trip staying at the Conrad, it's not on the river...

Other choices...Oriental, doesn't suit our style really, suites are out of our price range.

Shangri-La - we just don't like this place for some reason...feels generic, many tour groups stay there.

Hilton - sterile, it's built in an abandoned building, pool area is tiny and looks unwelcoming in photos. Boats across the river are infrequent.

Marriott Resort and Spa - price is very good, but the 15 minute ride to the Skytrain and infrequent boats put us off. We also tend to eat dinner in the hotel sometimes, and reports of low quality in-house dining worry us.

So, really, I think it's either the FS or the Pen for us.

And the whole purpose of writing this post was to ask for help deciding...so can you help me?

I'm bias I guess but I do love the Pen and we usually manage to get a suite upgrade - they are really nice.

Personally I'd opt for the Pen just on the inclusions for the same price - late checkout, transfers etc would be great. Even if you don't use the dinner!!!! -- I can't believe the Pen were so off about you changing restaurants - Jesters is the most expensive so really I can't see why they couldn't change it for you. I'd be tempted to have another go or if you opt for the Pen try when you get there. I know you have a little girl but perhaps for the one night you could leave her with a lovely room service dinner and go to Jesters yourselves. The suites have a table for 4 in the lounge so she could set herself up there nicely (and safely) and use the minibar (softies of course). Hope that helps a bit.

Hey Kim, Teaghan can pass for 12 years old. She certainly behaves better than most 12 year old girls. I can't believe that the the greeter at Jesters would stop and question you about the age of your daughter. I could see it if she were 5 years old, but a well behaved young lady...they would not dare! Anyway....it's so good to be on the river. I still think the club floor of the Shang was the best we stayed. Of course it had just been redone then and they were trying very hard.

I, too, would opt for the Peninsula, given all the "pros" with it. There is nothing quite like looking out on the river and seeing the city come alive.

That said, the location of the Four Seasons is much closer to shopping and the places I spend my time visiting while in BKK. I haven't stayed on the river for a couple of years now.

Kim, I'd vote for the Pen. I'll bet when you are there in person they will make some arrangement for your dinner. And so many extras are included in the Pen price, it sounds like a great deal.

Thank you for the input so far. Right after I posted this I decided to call and ask about the dinner thing...because it just bugs me that they sent me such an unfriendly no answer. The person on the phone was great, and she said we could choose any restaurant for the included dinner. Then I was completely honest with her, and told her I had sent an e-mail asking about the dinner, and had already been told no. She thought that sounded wrong still, and she is looking into our reservation now and will get back to me either with the no answer or hopefully with an amendment to our reservation that says we can choose a different venue for dinner that one night.

Elaine...thank you saying such nice things about Teaghan. I just don't think I can pull off lying about her age that way, especially when they charge an extra bed fee for children over 12...I want her to be under 12 to get the free bed :)

my vote is for the penn also...i don't like the pool at the 4 seasons for one thing...no comparison ....

another thing you could do is get a baby sitter for M from the hotel for the time you would be at dinner....she is old enough to deal nicely with that i should think....and you would have a nice private dinner...

the food is not bad at marriott, just not fabulous...the restaurants all do a huge business and many of the patrons are non-hotel residents....

i think M would love the marriott, honestly....the boat ride is fun and almost as frequent as the Penn boats...every 15 minutes....the pool is nicer and more kid friendly than at the penn....rooms are more simple however...but the price is about 1/2....

I would also go for the Penn over the Four Seasons. If the Marriott is at all in the running, I think that your daughter may prefer the bigger pool at the Marriott and the fact that there are often more kids there and they can be a bit louder there, as the pool area is larger. Howver, the Penn is just about to finish (or may have finished) their new spa, which would be a big sellling point to me.

OK...it's settled, and not only did the Peninsula win hands down here, their Japanese phone rep was wonderful. I was really unhappy with the e-mail I received yesterday and was tempted to just cancel and be done with them. My daughter begged me not to cancel there, as she just loves it there...her words: "But Mom, the Peninsula rocks."

So, I called the toll free number for Japan, and got a Japanese and English speaking rep in Hong Kong. Explained the whole thing to her, and she agreed it didn't sound right. So, she contacted the Peninsula in BKK for me, and arranged for us to have the dinner included at another restaurant where Teaghan can dine with us.

We don't have trouble leaving her with babysitters, but this stay at the Pen will be just before Rich goes home to Japan ahead of us and we want it to be family time, not couple time.

The Marriott is always there in the back of my head, cheaper, pool is nice...but I can't get past the much longer boat ride I guess...I don't know...we are spoiled I think by previous very excellent stays at the Peninsula, so much so that we weren't happy at the perfectly fine Conrad...all of us commented upon check out: "next time it's back to the Peninsula." So, higher prices than we've ever paid before there, but there we will be.

kim, the boat ride is very pleasant and you really see a whole different part of the river away from the big hotels at that section of the river....M would love the pool and more relaxed life at the marriott....give it a couple of days try...

Kim, I was sure the Pen would come through for you! And what better reason to stay at the Pen than "It rocks!"

Ahh Shucks I missed it! I was away from the computer for one day and I missed out telling you that I would have picked the Pen also but I disagree with
Bob about the FS pool area. It's pretty big and the cabana suites are in this area and they are very cool, but T-chan is right it doesn't rock like the Pen!

Aloha!

I've stayed at both and it's definitely the Four Seasons for me...hands down. Happy Travels!

Guenmai:
I can just smell those banana muffins .....ooooh I wish I had one right now (or maybe three).

Aloha!

Wow a whole thread about the wonders of the Penn and Gloria is no where to be seen!!!!! Come on Gloria you are slipping.

HT...Banana bread. Yes, and I miss it dearly. I just can't seem to get up earlier enough to leave my apartment and skytrain it over to the Four Seasons for breakfast. I miss the breakfast there though as it's my favorite of any of the 5 stars I've stayed in. Happy Travels!