I'm reading all of the posts and it seems that the big honors for five star hotels go to Oriental and Peninsula -- both on the river. The Four Seasons website looks great.....although it's not on the river. Is that important? How far is it from the other two hotels? Is it mostly for business travelers? What do you think? Thanks so much.

the 4 seasons is about 2 miles from the other hotels or about a 20 minute taxi ride...it is in a fabulous location with a skytrain station just across the street...it has excellent restaurants---our favorite bkk rest. is there--biscotti...next door is the hyatt hotel and the conrad is not far away....shopping is all around you with the peninsula plaza shopping almost next door...

the lobby is very old world with high ceilings all painted...fabulous flower arrangements and a sense of quiet elegance.....lots of activity in the lobby....

the pool, which is important to us in bkk, is very disappointing however...

there are great shops in the hotel arcade as well as the spice market restaurant which many love for its thai food....my wife likes it, i do not...

you would not be disappointed at the seasons....

HOWEVER IF YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN TO BKK, MOST OF US PREFER THE RIVER LOCATIONS...

i prefer the penn, although i have never stayed at the oriental....i think the oriental is a little dated although they have recently refurbished things...the lobby is lovely but too busy for me...the restaurants are good, especially lord jim's....

the penn is up to date and modern...its only about 6 years old...its rooms are fabulous...each one has a full river view....the lobby is much more relaxed...there is a restrained feeling ....there are very few shops...the restaurants are all excellent, especially jesters and the newish alfresco thai restaurant near the pool....the pool is only about 4 feet deep which i do not like, but it is a lovely location.....the penn is slightly cheaper than the oriental...$200 vs $325 for the base room....

are you going to be there long enough that you could try all three or at least two...i like to move around from one to another if time permits...then you know what you like...for next time...

you will get lots of opinions here as we all have our favorites...

PENN FOR YOU

at all the hotels i think you will find a mixture of guests from all type groups...the penn would probably have the fewest business people because it is located on the "other side" of the river....i find this no problem at all by the way...i like the boat ride...they have boats that take you to their reception area across the river and to taskim pier where the skytrain goes from--boats leave all the time during the day...

The Four Seasons for me. Read my comment just written under the post entitled...Bangkok Four Seasons v. Penn. We have all just responded to this question...plus there were responses yesterday on this topic to other posts. Happy Travels!

My recommendation is always to stay on teh river, especially for a first-time visitor. It's really what makes Bangkok special. I also find the air clearer and the traffic less problematic by the river. In my many trips to Bangkok, I've never been caught in one of the mythical traffic jams where you take an hour to move a few blocks.

Nonetheless, there are a few people who don't like the river locations, Guenmai among them.

The Four Seasons is a lovely hotel, but it feels to me like just another nice hotel in a big Asian city.

Penn- hands down- you must stay on the river to get the full experience- so if its between the Four Seasons and the Penn- I say go for the Penn. The ride across the river on the Penn's boats is great! Its more relaxing staying on the river.

I would also stay on the river and from my point of view the Oriental is head and shoulders above the Peninsula in terms of service. If, however, you are into high tech, go for the Peninsula. The Oriental is NOT dated. It's just been redone. It's lobby is very busy which I love because it's great people watching. No tour groups. No luggage. No one in line checking in. Just people going to an event or just enjoying the ambience of the hotel while talking and having a drink. One of the things I didn't like about the Peninsula is the how quiet it seemed in the lobby. Felt dead and sterile. When you sit in the lobby of the Oriental you feel like you are in the middle of Bangkok (upper crust obviously) social and business world. At the Penn I felt like all I ever saw were other tourists. I could have been in a deluxe hotel anywhere in the world.

Look this fixation on high tech at the Penn is way overblown. We did not stay at the Penn for its high tech gadgets as some have characterized it. Its only thru this forum that I have heard that mentioned. The Penn is newer and so the odds are that your room will work and won't be "dated". The Oriental seems to be quite a bit higher in price, and for my money I don't think you are getting more for your money. If you have read all the pros and cons on this forum over the last yearor so on this subject you will recall several guests having problems with their rooms, getting the cold shoulder treament because of their attire, etc at the Oriental, but as yet no one has complained about their room or getting bounced out at the Penn.

GOOD NITE GRACIE!!!!!!!

Can't help myself at times!

Well I got the cold shoulder at the Peninsula-- so what does that say about me.

Look -- they are both super deluxe hotels and they both have their fans. But, they are very different and what is most important is to point out their differences.

It says you are the first- and maybe the only one- to get the cold shoulder at the Penn as far as I can tell from the feedback on this forum.

I understand what Glorialf is expressing.Happy Travels!

I didn't much like the location of the Four Seasons. Many of the rooms overlooked a very busy and noisy main road, plus it looked like there was building work going on there (last week). We stayed at the Shangri-la on the river. A good class hotel; not as stuffy as the Oriental and a better location than the Pen.

gracie responded: GOOD NITE GEORGE!!

OVER AND OUT.... this is not worth the effort...

Come on Bob- tis is fun! .... Tastes great- no Less Filling!!!!!

Last August 2004 when I was at the Four Seasons, I was told that there would be some work done...changing the carpets in the rooms. As for the rooms looking out over a noisy road. I have never gotten a room there that looks out over a noisy road...or any kind of road....and I stay there regularly and in a standard room. As for location of the hotel, it's in the heart of shopping if one wants to shop and the sky train is across the street.It gets thumbs up for location as far as I'm concerned.When I check into any hotel anywhere in the world, I just request a room not facing a street or road if the street or road looks like it'll be a noisy one. Happy Travels!