Help with Hotels in Bangkok!
 

I have been searching around for a first class hotel with low rates in Bangkok and one of the best I found was here at the Hotel Plaza Athenee. Right now the offer is $110 a night (plus tax I assume).

Does anyone know if this hotel is in a good location or even a decent hotel? The pics on their site look great and it seemd fairly modern.

I cannot find a lot of info on the neighborhood though. Would I be beter off choosing a hotel which is more expensive and in a different neighborhood? Here is what I found...

-The Westin ($120)
-JW Marriott ($122)
-Landmark ($125 executive with club floor, bfast and late checkout)
-Intercontinental ($125)
-The Rembrandt. The Rembrandt ($88 w/bfast) is also less expensive than all the others, but i am not sure how good it is.

The Sheraton Grande, Shangri-la and Marriott Spa and Conrad all are above my budget.

I am also considering a Priceline Bid since the JW Marriott, Westin and others usually go for around $75 plus tax. Thats a great deal!

I am planning my trip in early April and any help will be apprciated.

You should check out The Royal Orchid Sheraton (not the same as the Sheraton Grande on Sukhumvit). The standard rooms are probably within your price range, and they do give a small discount for AAA if you are a member.
Plus you get the riverside location and the river view (all rooms have one, though some views are better than others). Do not rely on the Sheraton website or some general website like hotels.com for information about the prices - email the hotel directly.

If you are going to Bangkok primarily for general sight-seeing as oppposed to business or heavy-duty shopping, a riverside location is much more convenient to the vast majority of tourist attractions. The river and its ever changing traffic are ever-tourist sights in themselves!

I like the Intercontinental. I've stayed there twice. It is right beside a skytrain station, so very convenient for getting around. Plus, some wonderful shopping venues are just a short walk down the street! This would be my first choice.

Others might suggest you stay along the river, which is also lovely, for its excitement and ambience. I have stayed at the Pen and the Oriental. I like both of them (Pen just a little bit more) but when I'm going to do a lot of shopping I like something more convenient.

I have dined at the Rembrandt. It is a very lovely hotel! I'm sure the rooms would be quite nice, and a good value for the money. It is not as convenient to the skytrain as some others though.

Carol

We stayed at the Landmark in December and were very happy there. Great rooms, great service, fabulous breakfast, and they let us check out of our 2 rooms at 7pm at no charge!

I really liked the location of the Intercontinental in relation to malls and Skytrain.

Lots of people here love being along the river. We visited and ate down there, but all four of us agreed we would not have enjoyed that location. Too much commuting time involved, and two of the four got a little queasy on the boats.

Not that I wouldn't mind vegging out at the Oriental or Marriot, but we preferred the Sukhumvit area for the activiites we had planned.

the plaza ant. is a very good hotel and that is a fabulous price...it is in the same neighborhood with the hyatt and four seasons and roughly across the street from the american embassy...it is near the corner of wireless and plenochit which is a continuation of sukhumvit rd, where the jw marriott and the sheraton grande and westin are located...it is very close to the sky train...i would grab it....

i tried yesterday to get some pricline hotels in bkk and was 100% unsuccessful...it is sort of hit or miss...

the plaza is a better hotel than the sheraton orchid and the intercontinental in my opinion....it was just built in the last 5 years also..

the conrad is near-by as well...it is brand new --1-2 years old...

the jw marriott is very nice and upscale business hotel...you would also be very happy there....

try a look at this site for hotels which usually include breakfast and always include tax and service which amounts to 17.7%

www.huahin.20m.com

drop down and select other thailand locations.....then drop down the city and select bangkok city....you will see quite a few hotels in all ranges...

$110 is a great price for a 5 star in bkk at this time however...grab it...

Richardab-the Plaza Athenee-do you know how much you would pay if you wanted to stay at the flagship hotel in Paris? One of the great hotels of the world- I couldn't even walk into the Pl. Ath. in Paris, I felt so underdressed-the most haute couture and creme of Parisian society hangs there. You couldn't touch a room there in Paris for less than $800/nt.

And then there's the BKK hotel. This is why I love Asia, partic. Thailand-where else could you stay at a hotel this deluxe for only $110?- by all means, if I were you, I'd definitely take it! I saw the Pl. Athenee on my last trip-I loved the futuristic look of it, and intended to go for a visit, but didn't get around to it, however, I did look it up on the internet-it's right in the heart of the embassy/financial district, and a few minutes away from the Ploenchit Skytrain. The reviews of the hotel on TripAdvisor.com are excellent-have you looked at these? The pool area looks lovely-it's really stunning that it's located on a high floor, and there is all that greenery and a teak pavilion even-and in the distance-skyscrapers! I've heard good things about their Thai restaurant and both the restaurants and bar area from the photos look very hip and cosmopolitan. If I stayed in town, I would try to stay here!

Yes I saw the Plaza Athenne in Paris and I know how exclusive it is, but somehow it seems like the one in Bangkok is just a glorified Le Meridien.

Truthfully I am having second thoughts about going to Bangkok in April since I heard that it was the "hot" season and is oppressively hot. How bad is it? I like to walk around a lot and I really don't want to be a sweaty rat the whole time.

Any thoughts?

In all honesty, Bangkok is probably its hottest around April. I've not been there at that time, but BKK is always hot, just hottER sometimes. The most pleasant time is from Dec to about late Feb.

I hope you will give BKK a chance, as it is such a gem!

I stayed at the Chateau de Bangkok in August, which is next door to the Plaza A. It's a 200 meter walk to the Ploenchit skytrain station which is two stops from the Siam sky train station which is the main station. It's not an interesting neighborhood to walk around in, but convenient to the sky train. If you are going to stay in that neighborhood then just stay at the Chateau de Bangkok by Sofitel...an Accor hotel. I paid about 1800Baht I think it was,(I'd have to look it up in my travel journal) per night for a beautiful Jr. Suite with large walk-in closet, a kitchenette,and nice bathroom. Sort of like a bachelor's apt.A VERY nice hotel and incredibly inexpensive. There was a swimming pool on the roof and a washroom where you buy tokens to do your own wash. Plus there were restaurants on the premises. It's a hotel/serviced apartment building.Happy Travels!

Richardab:
The smart traveler in BKK - stays on the river for the views and ambiance but hires a driver to take them around town and to the major sights (search on RATT in this forum- everyone uses her).
We went in April- yes its very hot- but if you go Dec/Jan prices will be higher and its still hot!
Getting a driver is fairly cheap - $5/hour- and you don't expend your limited energy gettig to the sights.
Also pace yourself- don't try to pack too much in a day.

Thanks Bill! I guess we fell into the dumb but happy travellers, then??

:?)

there is no cool time in bkk...its all relative...use lots of cabs and you will not notice the heat too much...its the only way to avoid it...do things in small spirts...go look at a site for an hour and relax for 20 min. in a/c, then repeat...

after march 31, prices are slightly less until they drop to their lowest on may 1...

the smart traveler stays near a bts or subway station and pays $5 per day using bTS day passes and taxis (auto, water and motercycle. ...

the smartest traveler walks and takes in the city with all of his/her scences

Yeah but Iam trying to figure out "how hot is hot"? Hot like Florida in the Summer? Like NYC? It's so hard to even realize how hot it could be when it's 14 degrees (-7 celcius) in New Jersey! I use to live in Southern California and can deal with a 105 degree day, I hate the humidity.

i think i will try a seperate post and see what people say, "How hot is Bangkok" (and I am not talking about the nightlife).

Oh I forgot to ask, what is the rule of drinking the water? I know you are not supppose to but I have friend that have gone and say it's not an issue. Will my Doctor presribe pills for me to take in case I get the "revenge"?

Richard- In Bangkok, its not the heat, its the heat AND the humidity!

In December, it was 92' and 90% humidity one day. This in the cool season.

It is always hot and steamy in Bangkok. Like Florida in the summer, but more humid.

Scared yet? Don't be. It is so worth going anyway!!

Hi Richard
We spent 6 nights in Bangkok at the beginning of January.It was very hot but perfectly manageable as long as you pace yourself and drink plenty of water.You asked about drinking water.In my experience,most travellers buy bottled water. It is seriously cheap and readily available. We always left our apartment armed with a bottle each and then bought more cold ones when needed.And as for meds...if you are plagued with any sort of tummy bug, there are Boots Pharmacies all over and the pharmacist keeps all the necessary antibiotics and dispenses them without a script. One of us had a problem in Koh Samui and the pharmacist sorted us out.
We stayed in a great apartment in Soi Tonson; easy stroll to Chitlom Skytrain and nice area. Fully serviced with all hotel facilities. Somerset Suwan Park View ....excellent.
Have a good trip.
Linda

Is that the same Boots that is in London? I love Boots!

By the way, in case you aren't familiar with me, I am on the Europe boards a lot. This year I decided to skip Europe (so expensive) and try a different type of trip.

If you are interested you can read my "I Heart Paris" blog from my recent trip. I posted to this live while I was in paris last November...

http://richardab.typepad.com/iheartparis/

I just checked rates at the Chateau de Bangkok, $50 bucks a night for a superior studio and $70 for a one bedroom apt. this seems awful low for a Sofitel. I wonder what the catch is?

richardab-- re: water. Only drink bottled water. It is VERY easy to find. It's everywhere. And remember not to use ice cubes unless you are someplace that you know is safe.

The Chateau de Bangkok is not in the same league as the Hotel Plaza Athenee. If you read Guenmai's other posts about it, it sounds perfectly adequate, but not in a very interesting area.

Richard, there's absolutely no catch in the price of the Chateau de Bangkok. I paid less than the $50....just in August 2004. As I stated before, I paid 1800 Baht for a jr. suite with kitchenette. To stay in that neighbiorhood, I think the price is excellent. If I'm going to pay more for a hotel then not only does the hotel need to be really good, but the neighborhood around it,too.I personally wouldn't pay the Plaza Athenee price to stay in that neighborhood. I like to walk and explore as well as take the sky train. In that area, one really needs to take the sky train to get anywhere interesting...although not too many stops on the sky train to the shopping areas. I usually stay at the Four Seasons for superb hotel quality and great location.But whenever I'm in BK, I stay at many different hotels in different areas to try new experiences and then save the Four Seasons for my last 4-5 days.You stated that you need a hotel with LOW rates that's why I suggested the Chateau de Bangkok by Sofitel which is definitely NO dump although the prices are low.You could always check in and then if you don't like it, walk across the street to the Plaza Athenee or vise versa. Happy Travels!

what...

the athanee and chateu de bangkok are in the same nighberhood they are about 2 short blocks away from each other.

And the athanee is a good 10 minut walk from the hyatt.. too get too hyett you get off at chit lome station or (ratchadmri) and too get too the cheteou you use the phlonchit station..

Orgy...The side street that one drives up to get to the the Chateau de Bangkok is on is the same street that part of the Plaza Athenee is on. I remember it very clearly when the driver was driving me down the street.I saw the sign saying Plaza Athenee and even took note that that's where the Plaza Athenee was...for future reference. Now as to where the FRONT entrance of the Plaza Athenee is I don't know if that's on the same street or not. Happy Travels!

Even in the big upscale hotels (i.e the ones you have identified) I woudn't drink the tap water. Ice cubes should be fine in these hotels. I've never had a problem cleaning my teeth with the tap water either.

Most of the hotels you've identified will probably pop a couple of bottles of complimentary water in your room (some will even replenish them free of charge - although they might not tell you)

I have gotten so much useful information from reading the postings here. RIchard & Kathie: special thanks to you both. While I am waiting to hear back from the BKK travel agent, I've yet to book a hotel in BKK in early April. However, I have surfed the hotel sites for hours and hours and hours. I've found that planetholiday.com to be far cheaper than any other site. I'm wondering if it is problematic as no one else has referred to it or suggested it to trip planners like me. I've narrowed it donw to the Pl. Athenee (neighborhood?)or Royal Orch. Sheraton (river life, etc.).... I'll be with my 17 year old daughter who will have spent the previous 2 months in Chaing Mai,then touring via youth hostels. which hotel or.....??? thanks

here he goes again!!! please take a look at the marriott resort and spa...it is perfect for a 17 y.o.

i just looked at planet site...i did not find it as inexpensive as www.asiavoyage24.com which includes all service, taxes and usually breakfast....

I'm (of course) partial to the river, and would always recommend a hotel on the river over any other area of Bangkok. I don't think it matters all that much which hotel on the river you choose, though we all have our favorites. Choose the hotel that will give you the best deal.

remember that all these booking agencies negotiate rates with the hotel so each site may have diffrent prices so DON'T fall in love with one site.. I think checking out 3 sites that you trust is a good idea..

also many sites specialize in difrent things.. I tend too check out www.asiatravel.com and they specialize in packege deals.. but thier prices on lux on day bookings are steep.

the planetholiday site seems too have good starting prices for the lux's.. I just checked out asiavoyage24 and once again each site had diffrent deals on difrent hotels.

orgy, you are so right about comparing prices on different websites! There are huge differences.

Bob, by the way, I've decided I have to visit your beloved Marriott Resort and Spa on my next trip to Bangkok. You enjoy it so much I have to take a look!

hope you enjoy it....its not as lux as some but it is certainly equal to the ROS....its lobby is plain but the gardens are very nice and the staff is fabulous....i will tell them you are coming....

I think rhkkmk that you will soon have everyone going to the Marriot Resort and Spa..I am also planning to stay there when we go in November..Which by the way, is Novemeber a good time to visit BKK? And for that matter, is November a good time to visit Angkor Wat and Vietnam..It is just our regular month that we travel..Would January be better?

Bob - I'll be there next Tue!! I figured that dropping your name will automatically get me all sorts of gifts, upgrades, presents, services, etc ;-) I heard you're applying for that PR position they have open...

cjackson---it will get you nothing other than a swim in the pool---or is that a throw into the pool in your clothes....
would you be willing to do me one favor??? i have been trying to contact the woman at the desk on the lower level who sells time share at the jw marriott in phuket.... she does not return my e-mails...maybe i have the wrong address....would you ask her to contact me at [email protected]......i would like to arrange a visit in may/june to the facility....
in advance thank you very much...

visit my tailor....jack---upper level of the mall overlooking the large parking lot at the marriott---monet il sarto is the shop name....he is fantastic...tell him i say hello ...


tracy....november is the best time imo...we usually go in nov/dec.....jan is just as good, maybe a tad warmer---warmer you do not need....generally i think bkk is best from 3rd week of oct to late jan.....

For the man who steered me to the best pool in BKK, no problem! And we're visiting Jack for sure. Will post as the opportunities arise...

cj---there are two tailor shops on the upper level of the mall...jack is in the one away from the hotel, our nearer the street....the hotel laundry next door to him is excellent as well and at 1/2 the price of in room laundry pick-up-----same service exactly...

the desk is just inside the left hand door to the lower lobby in the main/central building directly behind the pool area...thanks a bunch....

if you buy wool from jack look it over carefully as thai wool is not as good as ours....usually it says british, but i don't think it is...i think it is thai or chinese...

Gotcha. My notes are updated!

Stayed at Plaza Athenee for same price in October and Nai Lert Park for $89 in Nov. Would go to Nai Lert before Plaza because the grounds are gorgeous in Nai Lert Park and totally newly renovated in very trendy way. They are very close to each other using same skytrain stop. Also checked out all hotels you originally mentioned except Landmark plus others. For me Nai Lert top, then Plaza (which by the way has beautiful pool as well); Intercon (great shopping location), Marriott and Westin about equal, and Rembrandt last - bit dated but yes, is cheaper. Sofitel Silom Rd is also very nice for rooms and great value if available at around $65., but pool is rubbish.

cjackson...i heard back from the marriott person about phuket....the person i heard back from was from the jw marriott....which hotel did you stay at?? my comments were about the marriott resort and spa on the river, so perhaps you stayed at the other one on sukhumvit road...sorry if i misled you....

bob

thanks for helping in any case