laurie_ann

A few of us have corresponded about these two tiny "hotels" in Bangkok. Both are featured in this months Conde Nast Traveler magazine in an article about where the dollar is still a good value (5 or 6 destinations for $250 total per day hotel, meals, sightseeing, etc. and the tips on how to do it). Just thought I would share.

(The same issue has an article about new hotels around the world, with several others in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.)

Mealea

Thanks for the info. and I'll be sure to check out the article. I've stayed at both and wrote a report about Ibrik on this forum last fall. I stayed at Chakrabongse a few months ago, but haven't written anything yet. If other people have stayed at these places, I'd really like to hear about your experiences too.

glorialf

Mealea -- could you tell us about Chakrabongse? It looks wonderful.

JamesA

I have seen photos of the Ibrik in local design mazazines in Thailand and it looks great. There are a lot more of these smaller places that in addition to offering attractive accommodation also give a really personal style of serevice that plenty of big hotels could learn from, yes, sure, just a few rooms you have the time to give personal service but I saw recently someone mentioned on this forum paying $5 or $8 to 'rent' a video or CD to play in their room from some top 5 star Bangkok hotel. The place we last stayed in Hua Hin had over 30 DVD Movies to 'borrow free' to play on 'in room' DVD player, plus a CD Music library to play on the 'in room' CD player', no limit free tea/coffee, 2 indoor pools for just 8 rooms, free bicycles to use, huge proper size beach towels provided, all for about $30 a night! There are indeed a lot of 'boutique style' places opening, they seem to be a progressions from the bed and breakfast/guesthouse type place, see basically to use the same concept for with all modern facilities.

michelled

My husband and I will be staying at the Ibrik in June. I will report back how it was!

glorialf

These hotels really interest me. In general I'm not a fan of big hotels. I much prefer the small boutique ones or deluxe B and Bs. I've had fabulous experiences staying in them in Europe. I'm excitied that they are now beginning to open in Thailand. It may be hard for me to leave the Oriental but these are literally the first hotels that have tempted me. Personal service is the key to my enjoyment of a hotel. I can't wait to read more about them.

laurie_ann

Did you see Ibrik in Frommers Budget Travel magazine this month? (That will be my bed in August!!!)

Mealea

For details on my report on Ibrik Resort, please search the forum under "Bangkok - Ibrik Hotel on Chao Prya."

As for Chakrabongse Villas, I've also been there recently. It's a gorgeous place with spacious grounds right on the river. There's a view right across to the Temple of Dawn. When I arrived the first evening, I thought "Wow, this is one of the most magical settings I've ever seen!"

Chakrabongse is the former residence of Prince Chula Chakrabongse and is now owned by his daughter, Narisa. The family history, including the international marriages, is very interesting and there are books all about it in the library. This was one of the most interesting aspects of the visit for me.

There are just three rooms available for guests, all arranged around a spacious garden. The prices depend on the season - low season is May to Sept./high season is Oct. to April. The rooms are the Riverside Villa ($150/200), Garden Suite ($100/160), and Thai House ($130/180).

By far the best room is the Riverside Villa, where I stayed. It's pricey, but you are directly on the river with a huge private veranda looking out on the river and the Temple of Dawn. The veranda is the best part of the room. It's fantastic! The small sitting room is nice, but the bedroom was disappointing. Very small, dark, and the bed was quite hard with scratchy sheets. The TV was very small and an older model. Not what I was expecting for this price and the grounds I had seen earlier. The bathroom was not very comfortable or spacious either. The room was very sparsely furnished and again, quite dark. I was a little shocked that I had paid so much for what turned out to be a very simple room.

The pool is very nice. The gardens are beautiful. As for dining, you can order meals beforehand from the chef and dine in a private open air pavilion right by the river. The food was pretty good. The view was amazing.

So, in conclusion, the grounds and view are completely magical, but the room is really nothing very special. It was an interesting experience staying here one time, but I don't think I would go back again because of the high price tag for what you get. At Chakrabongse, you're paying the high price strictly for the views and location, not for the room.

In comparison, Ibrik Resort on the river is only $81. It had a more intimate feel, like staying in a small private home. The room was much more comfortable and nicely done up at Ibrik - bright, cheerful, and stylish. I would go back to Ibrik because of the wonderful river views and reasonable price. I just noticed that Ibirk now has a place called "Ibrik in the city" on South Sathorn Road, also with just three rooms. I'd like to stay there too sometime. I'm also hoping to stay at the Metropolitan one day since I really loved the new Uma Ubud in Bali, both owned by the Como Hotel group.

glorialf

Thanks for your detailed report. Looks like I'll scratch Chakrabongse off my list. At those prices I want a lot more than a setting.

How was the service at the Ibrik? Did you feel like you got to know people? That's always a big factor in what I look for in a hotel.

Mealea

I agree that I also expect a bit more at those prices, as far as Chakrabongse is concerned. Nice place though - too bad the prices are so high. Might be nice to try it in low season. Ibrik was friendly and the service was fine. I had an early flight on my last day and they woke up at 4 am to pack me a nice breakfast with fruits and snacks. It's a very relaxed, chilled-out kind of place. I liked the area it was in - a temple, lively marketplace, and ferry were all nearby. Not many tourists in the area I think. I liked it.

vakantie

Mealea, since you've stayed at Chakrabongse maybe you can help me. I want to book a room at Chakrabongse but they have told me that the 3 suites are not available at the dates I want them. However, they said they can offer me a smaller room for a sligthly lower price than the suites. They have not given me any other information as to if it's on the same grounds as the Chakrabongse, how it looks, if you can use the pool and so on... I've emailed them asking these questions but they are very slow with their response. Maybe you know more about this room? Any info is welcome!

Mealea

When I was there last December, I was in contact with a woman named Atom who handled all of the reservations. She was really nice. When she was showing me around, she mentioned they were thinking of adding other rooms that would be available to tourists. There's a main house on the property (the original house, I think) that has some guest rooms that were used by friends of the family. I think Atom mentioned they don't advertise these, but they sometimes offer them when there's an overflow.

I don't know what the rooms would look like, but the main house I'm thinking of is right on the same property and right by the other rooms/villas. Also right by the same pool. Just ask about it. Staying at Chakrabonse is not really about the rooms anyway, but rather the truly amazing location and views from the property itself.

vakantie

Thank you for your quick answer Mealea, it was really helpfull. However, it seems that we're not going to stay at Chakrabongse after all. We send loads of emails to Atom to which she didn't respond for days. Finally yesterday we got an email telling us that she was really sorry but that there are no rooms available after all. Big dissapointment for us because we really wanted to stay there. Oh well maybe next time!

kathrynj

I'll be staying at Chakrabongse Villas in the Riverside Villa the beginning of January---it sounds beautiful in spite of what the room itself may be like. Since we'll be starting our trip in Bangkok, the view is key to me. Thanks for the info.