Craig

I should also say that the Shang is huge and frequented by tour groups, thus the recommendation for the "hotel within a hotel" that the Krungthep Wing offers. I have no idea if it is getting tired on account of its age, but recent TA reviews will tell you that. It is close to the river and the views are quite good. If you have limited time in Bangkok, the location is excellent because the Skytrain is right outside the hotel. Speaking of aging, does anyone know if the Penn has updated its rooms with flat screen TV's etc.?

cmstraf

So, this is what I've done:
--Reserved a grand balcony room at the Penn for $407 night (lowest possible ok to cancel)
--Reserved an Anantara Deluxe Premier River front room for less (ok to cancel), leaning toward this choice

The Anantara would be $500 less totalif I figured it out right. Neither includes breakfast. Both looked really nice. Once we pay for our trip to Bhutan (required in advance), we will get travel insurance. At that point, we will cancel both hotel reservations, hoping to get a better noncancellable rate which will then be part of the travel insurance.

Does this make sense? I have eliminated the Shangri-La and vague thoughts of MO thanks to you once again super helpful Fodorites. I feel only a little guilty towards the hotels because I will cancel with LOTs of notice. At this point, I'm actually unsure which of the two I would prefer and where they are in relation to each other (an ignorance that can be helped with a guide book.

crosscheck

We loved the Pen. It's a Bangkok icon - if you're curious about the kind of place that gets voted the best in Asia, you might want to splurge. Not only is the breakfast stellar and the service impeccable, but the spa was almost otherworldly. The torchlit Thai restaurant on the river was also super atmospheric and surprisingly reasonable. We needed two rooms because we were traveling with our kids and ended up with two junior suites with killer views procured with an Amex Platinum upgrade (rate much more reasonable than yours, but quite a while ago).

Friends were staying at the Oriental while we there. Had drinks and lunch there - It was lovely but not as much of a peak travel experience as the Pen, although I like the walkability of the neighborhood around the Oriental.

Stayed at the Anantara in the Golden Triangle area. Not sure if it's similar to the one in Bangkok, but the Anantara felt much more Asian than the Peninsula. In comparison, the Pen had a businessy vibe.

cmstraf

Thanks, crosscheck. What does more Asian mean?

someotherguy

<b>Crosscheck</b>: did you take your drinks at the Oriental in the Bamboo Bar? That's one of the finest cocktail bars I've encountered in Asia. Decent music, too

crosscheck

cmstraf,

< What does more Asian mean?> The decor of our room though lovely, was rather generic international 5* hotel, with art that could have been in Amsterdam or Boston and a set up that seemed somewhat geared to business travel. http://bangkok.peninsula.com/en/room...d-deluxe-rooms

In contrast, the Anantara (the one in the north which I believe has the same management as the one in BKK) was filled with woven silk pillows, carvings, masks and other folk art, a bed draped with Lao weavings and a view of a the Mehkong.

someotherguy,

<did you take your drinks at the Oriental in the Bamboo Bar?> Yes! Loved the Bamboo Bar. Take me back...any of these places are fine. The OP can't go wrong at any of these places. Just wanted to point out that I felt that staying at the Pen was one of those bucket list type events.

cmstraf

we will take drinks at the Oriental and decided between Anantara and Penn when the time comes.

Darn--I hate it when a comment is removed by moderators! I stay curious for at least a day. Did anyone see/write it?

Once I got a trip advisor review censored for being too erotic. I was shocked,but rewrote and then it was accepted. ( A WONDERFUL b and b on Bora Bora owned by Israelli guy and his Polynesian wife....many sensuous statues, great $$value and beautiful)

rhkkmk

btw, all penn rooms face the river, balcony rooms are front and center of building. I doubt you will sit on balcony however as it is so hot there---for this reason I prefer a regular room which has floor to ceiling windows and the same view, but is a/c'd.

crosscheck

cmstraf, I saw it. Nothing exciting, just an off-topic ad. You can get back to work.

AskOksena

>>>That's why hotel really matters...<<<


Warm greetings again to the OP, cmstraf, from a fellow discerning hotel dweller (mostly business travel stays for me).

Congratulations on narrowing down your Bangkok lodging choices. Have never stayed at one of your potential picks, the Anantara, but can highly vouch for the Peninsula. Most of my Pen stays have been business related, but have also had the privilege of some exceptional holiday / celebration stays, including Loy Krathong and Valentine's Day, as well as a memorable December evening a few years back, honouring H.M. King Bhumibol. The Peninsula is special; over time, have locked in on 'our' special suite, high up on the property. At present, next Pen stay scheduled for next February; will pass along any significant changes.

Would be remiss in not repeating my suggestion of spending time dining / imbibing at the Mandarin Oriental. Have found the MO Bangkok particularly warm and welcoming of late, for corporate and holiday stays (and no surprise there, having been spending more time with MO Hotel Group properties for work). I find the MO's General Manager, Ms. Amanda Hyndman, most gracious and a welcome addition to the Bangkok property. (And her Peninsula GM cross-river counterpart, Ms. Katja Henke, is also delightful.)

Finally, would be remiss in not mentioning one of our cherished favourites, not just for Bangkok, but worldwide: The Siam. (Bit of a shameless promotion, as we are friends with some lovely individuals who have been involved with The Siam since day one.) Last Siam visit was last month, as noted on my profile page. Relative to other Bangkok riverside properties, The Siam most certainly has her fair share of "oasis" moments.

Wherever you stay, savour your planning and holiday. Warm Friday morning and holiday wishes to you and all,

macintosh (robert)


... Singapore Airlines, You're a Great Way to Fly ...

cmstraf

rhkkmk: thanks for tip about balcony. I am not a heat fan, so would definitely prefer floor to ceiling windows. Think we will probably end up Anantara, but still drawn to Penn

macintosh: We will definitely eat and/or drink the the Oriental. And I will google the Siam right now.

rhkkmk

at anantara there are 3 buildings... I prefer the main central building fir no special reason---nearest to taxis..

cmstraf

thanks rhkkmk
I am now checking United daily for award flights back from Bangkok to San Francisco.
Ours should come available in a week. There are excellent times available for economy, but the business ones are not ideal (flight out of BKK 11:30 pm, arriving in Seoul at 6:30 am, leaving Seoul 10 hours later, then arriving in SF at 10am). I think we will take whatever we can get business . I will keep checking and pay change fee if something better opens up.

Is the anantara close to the Penn? I get a sense of the difference between the two in style. If you were free to choose without money being big object, which would you pick?

BillT

You might want to consider getting a junior suite at the Anatara.

cmstraf

Will check out $$$, thanks

yestravel

Use google map and you can see exactly where they are located and in relation to other places. One of my favorite things when we stayed on the river was getting around by the boats. For me it wouldn't matter where you stayed, just hop the hotel's boat and go up/down the river to wherever.

rhkkmk

the 2 hotels may be 1 mile apart or a little more....

I love them both for different reasons:

penn for:

nicer rooms and lux feeling all around
better river views
boat ride is shorter, but not necessarily nicer
lobby is more beautiful
my wife likes the silk lined undies drawers
very good breakfasts
love look of pool but dislike it for swimming and lack of foliage
afternoon tea
Chinese restaurant with dim sum


anantara for:

more relaxed feeling
all rooms recently updated
BEST pool in town, love garden feel
MOST friendly staff
leisurely, interesting boat ride
different cost levels of restaurants
boats to asiatique
fab breakfasts
more spread out
ease of access to rama III for taxis to sukhumvit
price is right
Italian restaurant


make sure breakfast is included in your rate at both places, although the anantara has a fine coffee/bakery shop for breakfast---really good stuff.

cmstraf

Thanks rhkmk--that is really helpful. I'll come back to this when we are making final decisions.

And BillT--I took your suggestion and changed to junior suite. It included breakfast which riverfront room did not.

rhkkmk

I booked my oct/nov, 2015 room today. the last few years they have offered me a special return visitor rate which is quite good and includes lots of extras.

you might try contacting them directly:

address in next screen

rhkkmk

[email protected]