mikerri2be

So hard to decide this we are a younger coulpe honeymooning in thailand for 20 days & trying to stay in Bkk for under $100. pernight usd. any suggestions ?

simpsonc510

....and the debate goes on... river or city...

It depends upon your reason for being in BKK. The river definitely gives you an ambiance and flavor if this vibrant city. For a first-timer, yes you should spend part of your time along the river.

That said, if you are there for shopping (which is FABULOUS) then you might want to be closer to the busy shopping areas.

In six BKK trips, I've spent my time along the river, and now stay in the city part; but I still enjoy going down there for a canal boat ride or dinner cruise.

Your problem may be price, as the big river hotels will no doubt cost you more than your budget.

How much time are you spending, and how many destinations in Thailand? Maybe you could split your time, a few days and the beginning, along the river, and then when you are near the end of your trip, stay in the city areas.

Have fun planning. You've chosen an excellent destination for your trip.

SandyD1

I am heading off to Bangkok next week. I ended purchasing my room through www.yourrooms.com I am staying at the Marriott resort and spa Riverside. It looks beautiful, and it came in under the $100. It was about 35% cheaper than going directly on Marriott's website, but of course the are always some restrictions. Another benefit is that stays longer than 4 nights before the end of Oct, you get a room upgrade, so you can have a deluxe room and be upgraded to a riverview room. Other posters on this site seemed to have liked the Marriott and it has a boat shuttle than connects you to the metro station. Give it a look, it looks like a great place for a honeymoon. If you are interested in staying in town, look at Priceline and www.biddingfortravel.com (in which people post what bids they had accepted on Priceline and gives an idea of what hotels are accepting the bids). Many have been getting 4 and 5 star hotels downtown for less than $100. It is non-refundable, but an option.

glorialf

I would definitely stay on the river. You might check out the Ibrik Hotel or the Marriott -- very different but both have gotten good reports.

Guenmai

The big river/non-river debate continues.I agree with Carol(Simpson). It's all in what you like and want to do. I'm definitely not a river person although I've stayed on it to give it a try.I personally use the river for transportation reasons only and then stay in town. On my first trip to Bangkok, back in the 90s, I stayed in town and had no regrets about it at all. If you stay in town, you can probably get a suite at an excellent hotel for the price of...or less than... a standard room at some of the river hotels.How long will you be in Bangkok? I would not stay in just one hotel the whole stay. I always move around and try different hotels although my stable hotel is the Four Seasons...then all of the other hotels that I try out revolve around my stay at the FS. The bottom line is wherever you stay in Bangkok you'll have a ball. Happy Travels!

BillT

We liked the river- stayed at the Penn- it was fab! The wife really liked crossing the river every day on the Penn's boats- there is something magical about staying on the river- some people get it- some people don't- know thyself and choose!

Cicerone

I have been to Bangkok for work and pleasure probably 35 times over the years. I have stayed off the river only twice, once the first time of went to Bangkok in 1986 and stayed at the Intercon at the recommendation of my sister (in a lovely large park, but the hotel is now closed and to be frank it was not a convenient location but what did I know) and once because my meeting was at the hotel off the river where I stayed. That should tell you what I think you should do. Especially on a honeymoon, you will want some quiet and some downtime, and there is nothing better, IMO, than either lying poolside by the river or sitting with a cold beer in your hand watching the river and the ceaseless activity on it. Great at dawn especially.

Agree that the Marriott is great and should be available for your price. It is possible that the Penn, Oriental or Sheraton Royal Orchid may also be offering special rates as well, it is worth checking. Another very small boutiquish hotel which I do not know personally but which as received some good reccos on this site is the Ibrik Resort, take a look at http://www.ibrikresort.com. This is in you your price range as well. (According to their website, they have a hotel in the city as well.)

canterbury417

Penn has rooms for 138.00 per/n on their website. Good deal.

Flyboy

We've used the Royal River hotel several times and it's always been WAY under $100/night. The immediate neighborhood of the hotel is nothing to write home about, but the hotel itself is quite nice and there is a water taxi service. The breakfast buffet is super:

http://www.royalrivergroup.com/

We liked being on the River but we stopped by a number of the hotels in the city to check them out a little and I don't think I would hesitate to stay in any of them that we saw. Simply put, there are a lot of nice places to choose from in Bangkok.

Gpanda

We always stay on the river. The early morning view of the river coming alive is the essence of BKK. You can always hop on the ferry and the skytrain to get to other places. Also, cabs are so cheap (always use the meter) that you can just hop in one and get anywhere (I do note that the traffic can be staggering, but it's my experience that this is the exception rather than the rule.)

travelduo

We stayed at the marriott for our honeymoon last november and it was wonderful!!!! Getting around was very easy, and since it was our honeymoon they gave us a free room upgrade to the jr suite. It was so cool! They also gave us several wedding gifts while we were there and I think everyone there knew we had just gotten married. But I think that might just be a Thai thing in general.