I would be happy to answer any questions regarding our 2 weeks in Thaiand and Bali. Here is a brief summary:

Thailand - hotels - Yaang Come Village in Chiang Mai and the Oriental in BKK, used Tong as our guide in BKK. Also stayed one night at the Novotel located at the new airport in BKK.
Bali - Bali Spirit in Ubud and Puri Santrian in Sanur Denpasar
Worst resturant was the Celedron at The Sakhothai Hotel in BKK, best was Dharma Semadi Bali in Samr Denpasar.
Flew Thai Air from JFK to BKK.
We did all the touristy things so if there are questions regarding what to see and what to miss, I can help with that also.
Wish I could go back tomorrow.

Nancy, would you please write a brief report giving us the highlights.

How was the Novotel at the new airport?

I'd love to hear your impressions of the Bali Spirit in Ubud...what kind of room you had, how the staff was, location etc

Will be in Ubud in 3 weeks and would love report on activities/places you liked best and why. Your hotel/restaurant tips welcome too.
Also staying at Puri Santrian a few nights because our dive trip is meeting up there. Have heard mixed reports-what was your experience?

Oops! Also forgot to ask, re sarongs and sashes at temples - will any thin strip of fabric do for a sash or does it need to be something particular? Ditto the sarong - I have lots of them I've used at the beach, but is there a particular length, etc, required.

Thanks to anyone with info on this and my previous post.

Would love to hear a report on the Thai JFK/BKK flight. Comfortable, or endless?

And, Celadon is still talked about as a top restaurant. What went wrong there?
Thanks.

what was wrong with celedon?? most people love it???

Please tell me about the Puri Santrian - I'll be Bali in a few weeks and will be staying in the club rooms.

Questions on the NYC/BKK flight; 1, Was that on Thai Air? 2. Is there an electrical outlet to power my dvd player if on Thai? 3. How tough was Thai Air on baggage weight? Thanks

Please provide details on Celadon. I have a dinner reservation there next month. Should I change? Thanks.

I am very interested in the Celadon comment as well. We booked our last night before we fly home at Sukhothai Hotel mainly because we wanted to eat at Celadon. I have read many reviews claiming it is excellent but expensive for BKK and Thai food. We really wanted a last upscale Thai dining experience before we leave. I am willing to pay for great Thai food, white table cloth experience vs. great Thai food in a back alley with plastic tables they both can be great experiences.

scf---we have only been for lunch and it was a great experience....my wife loved the food, i thought it good but not fabulous....the setting is very nice....you will be pleased...please do a hotel review here too as very few people stay there who report back on fodors...

you were mentioned at the boston GTG saturday by the way....all good!!

scf--I did exactly the same thing as you--booked our last night at Sukhothai (instead of the airport--thanks to the fodors Asia regulars)--both to experience the hotel and the restaurant. Hope Nancy responds with her thoughts.

Nancy your thoughts on your Celadon/Sukothai experience would be appreciated. Thanks.

Nancy,
Would you be able to give any insight concerning transportation from the new BKK airport? Looking at the BTS Skytrain map, would it be feasible and easy to take something (taxi? shuttle? bus?) from Suvarnabhumi Airport to the On-Nut skytrain station?

I wrote up a long answer to these questions and for some reason, it didn't get sent....this is a test before I do another one.

it works....yea

don't you just hate it when that happens!!

The most urgent seems to be the Celadon. Our dinner was $76 which is very high for BKK. The hotel is lovely (my sister stayed there and my husband and I stayed at the Oriental). I had Monk fish which was very much like soft shell crab. The menu is ala carte so that and wine is all I had. The lights were not on so we couldn't see the lotus ponds and were told they couldn't turn them if it were raining. We were the only diners in the restaurant so it was just not up to my expectations. We stayed at the new airport Novelel the night before our flight at 8:40 AM. Since is was the first day for international flights, we were concerned but we did fly out on time. I did see, however, a huge traffic jam coming into the airport, which might have been due to the opening. The Novetel, by the way, has a lovely lobby with nicely appointed rooms.

thanks for the info.....so it wasn't bad food, it just wasn't what you expected....the lites not working and the expense....i find that $75 is often about the price for a good 5* hotel dinner...your meals at the otiental were not much different were they?? there were not many people there the day we ate either....

we compare monk fish to lobster, rather than soft shell crab?? would you agree??

More..... be sure to ask for a nonsmoking room...ours smelled as if someone had been chain smoking all night.
We stayed at the Bali Spirit in Ubud and loved it. At first, I was concerned when I saw the bathroom. Ours had very little lighting and was outside (which is fine), but it needed some updating. Perhaps the upgraded ones were better but we didn't check those out. We truly relaxed with the scenery and quietness. The longer we stayed, the longer we wanted to stay. For $58 a night including breakfast, it was a steal. The setting was beautiful and staff was very friendly. They provide free shuttle service on their schedule and we used one of their guides for a full day and his Eng was fine. Our last 2 days in Bali were at the Puri Santiani in Sanur. We booked at the last minute so maybe that is why we got very dark and very warn rooms (bath tiles were in need of regrouting,etc) It was such a contrast to our Bali Spirt rooms, which were large and light. We are not pool and beach people so regretted spending our last 2 days in that area....very touristy. The buffet breakfast, however, was the best.
Back to BKK....we ate at Tongue Thai (very difficult to find in the dark) and it was good and the price was great ($30 for 2 with 2 bottles of wine). We regretted not eating at the Market (don't know the name) where you chose the food then they prepare it right there. Heard that was a great experience.
Don't get too worried about temple sashes...they provide them and we visited only one temple that required a sarong and again, that was provided. There will be some locals outside of the temple trying to sell you some, so that is up to you.
The JFK-BKK Thai Air flight was great. Eventhough, we flew economy, our service was outstanding, the 3 meals were good and there were enough movies to last a week. No complaints there. I think I have answered all the posted questions, so please send more.....