Hi i hope this works ok because im new to these forums but was wondering if anyone could recommend a good quality tailor/dress maker in bangkok so my boyfriend and i can go and get some clothes made while we are on holidays. he is after some suits and i am after some dresses?

also can anyone recommend any nice places to stay in phuket. my boyfriend and i are staying for 4 nights. we would like somewhere on the beach (maybe karon beach)and not right in the centre of patong but close by. we are looking at spending about 100-120 a night for the room. id love to stay somewhere that has a "thai" feel about it...if that makes any sense

and we are also lookign at doing a day trip to james bond island while in phuket and wondering if there are any tours/tour companies we should or should NOT go with?

thankyou

One of the wonderful things about this forum is that it is searchable. In the search box at the top of teh page, type in Bangkok tailors and you'll find dozens of posts about tailors in Bangkok. Make sure you are spending enough time in Bangkok to have your clothing made. Allow for at least three fittings.

When are you going to Thailand? Note that the end of Christmas/New Year's holiday period is very busy and the prices are the highest of the year. I'd suggest you start your hotel search by going to www.sawadee.com and looking for hotels in you price range at your preferred beaches. Others will chime in with suggestions, but without knowing when you are going, we won't know what the hotel price will be.

I visited James Bond island many years ago and thought it was a total waste of a day. Perhaps others have had a more positive experience.

for phuket take a look at the le meridien, maybe more than you want to spend but fantastic...also kata thani....both not that far from patong...both on the beach..

there are several new courtyards by marriott....some near the beach...

tailors: for ladies try cotton house in OP Place just behind the oriental hotel...lots of fodorites love it...my wife likes two places: js thai silk on the ground floor of the river city shopping center, just next to the sheraton orchid hotel on the river---river city has a boat from taskim pier at the end of the skytrain, free and the sheraton has a boat from there too....

for men i like monet il sarto on the 2nd level of the mini mall behind the marriott resort and spa...jack is the owner...tell him bob sent you...he does some ladies things too....cottons, silk, wools...moderate price...marriott has a free boat from the same place..

you must plan on at least two fittings so go right to the tailors upon arrival....

perhaps the best tailor for suits in bkk is located adajacent to the landmark hotel on sukhumvit just down from tha nana skytrain station...i don't have the full name but it is something like suriwongse???...to find it go to the hotel, and facing the hotel it is two or three doors to the right...suits $300-400 range but supurb...

i have all my shirts made in bkk and have for years...

In Bangkok, I use World Garmets, near the Oriental Hotel, for all my suits. I've tried other cheaper places over the years, but have returned to World for the quality I get. As Bob says, a good tailor is going to need several fittings over the course of a few days. Do not patronize any of the "ready in 24 hours" places. They just aren't worth it.

You might have a look at the Movenpick on Karon beach in Phuket. It would be just over the hill from Patong, but there are several nice restaurants just around the corner, so you might not feel the need.

michael...is that tailor the one in the newish stand alone building in back of the oriental? i stayed out of it because it looked like ny prices??

For Bangkok tailors, I find you really, really get what you pay for. And remember that even the "cheap" places are going to try and upsell you to better material. Once you decide on the better material, then those "cheap" places aren't very cheap and you are better off going to a better tailor from the beginning.

For myself, I was happy with Rajawongsee. They do a lot of stuff for US diplomats and the like, including the elder George Bush. To that end, the styling can be a little conservative, but the great fit gives it a modern look and feel.

http://dress-for-success.com/

Don't trust the website, though, they don't do women's stuff.

For dresses, my wife had some great stuff made by the tailor in the Hilton Millenium. Really, really great craftmanship and nice selection of materials. You want to go to a women's tailor, as tailoring for women is very different from that for a man.

Also, the more time you can put into it, the more you will get out of it. Try going on the first day of your trip, so that you have time to go back for a fitting or two. This is particularly true for women's clothes, as they are more difficult to tailor. If you don't go for the fittings, you are just getting made-to-measure.

the above mentioned tailor is the one i was thinking of near the landmark hotel