We will be staying at the JW Marriott for 4 days in May. What is the best transportation from the airport? There will be 3 adults and we do not travel light.

If you do not travel light, you'll want a "limo" which in Bangkok is a nice sedan, usually Mercedes or BMW. If that's not enough space, you'll want to ask for a van. The car service I use is AAC limo. Typically, we ask for a sedan, but once when we were traveling very heavy, we got Mercedes van. It will be 1000-1200 baht per the car. You will have to pay any tolls - about 70 baht. AAC will be there to meet you as you come out of customs. There will be someone with a sign who will escort you out to the car. email them for reservations at [email protected] Alternatively, you can use AOT limo at the airport, they're usually 100-200 baht more, but no reservations necessary. Ask for the kind of vehicle you want.

Thank you Kathie! Our departure flight from Bangkok leaves around 6:50 am. How much time would you suggest we allow for travel to the airport?

It shouldn't take more than 45 minutes from the JW to the airport at that hour. You need to be at the airport at least 90 minutes before you flight.

I always stay just down the street from the JW, on soi 8. I leave by about 4:15am for my 6:50 flight out of BKK airport, and I have always had plenty of time for checking in and then time to relax in the Thai lounge before boarding the plane for home. There really is no traffic, other than folks heading to the airport, at that hour.

BTW (by the way) a fodorite whose name is Evelyn is staying at the JW right now. She says the hotel is beautiful, but the room is not as large as one they just left, at the Marriott Resort & Spa on the river.

It will take less than 30 minutes if you leave that early (sometimes less than 25 if you have your typical race car wannabee BKK taxi driver).

Bisbee... there are also the wannabee hearse drivers... you just want to tell them to HURRY UP sometimes! But anyway, the OP should not have traffic issues at that time in the morning.

Bisbee, you are right. I always figure 25 minutes from the river to the airport, but it makes others nervous.

i am more conservative.... for a 6AM flight i leave at 3:30 to allow plenty of time... i take either a local taxi or one of the limos..

to answer your direct question, from the airport i always take the limo on my initial arrival and usually take taxis on any subsequent arrivals... if you take a taxi make sure the driver understands sukhumvit soi 2...

Thanks everyone for the information! It sounds like 4:15 will be a safe time to leave for our 6:50 flight. It has been while since our last visit and we could not remember the limo company we used. Once you mentioned ACC we remembered.

We have stayed at the Resort and Spa and the Peninsula in the past and really enjoy the river scene but this time we are traveling with an uncle who would like to explore the city on his own a bit. We thought the JW would be a good launching point for him and something different for us.

This is all after a week relaxing at our TS in Phuket. There are so many lovely Marriott properties springing up in Phuket that we might skip BKK altogether on our next visit and spend the whole trip in Phuket.