lcuy

This report came out really long....so sorry! The gist of it is that my husband and I and daughters (ages 17 and 20) flew from Honolulu to Bangkok. Spent a week at the Landmark Hotel in Bangkok, then flew back to Tokyo and spent 4 days at the Mansions at Roppongi.

BANGKOK/TOKYO CHRISTMAS 2004

For the first time in 17 years, we did not go to Coronado for Christmas. Since we were doing thing differently, we decided to go somewhere really different.

After searching for internet airfares in all the usual spots, I lucked out with our tickets by calling H.I.S. travel agency in Honolulu. They have gotten some pretty good prices on past trips, and this time I got tickets on Japan Airlines, Honolulu -Tokyo (change planes)-Bangkok(1 week)-Tokyo (4 days) -Honolulu for only $732. I thought they were just a local agency, but later saw their ads on billboards in both Bangkok and Tokyo, so I guess thats how they can get such great rates.

Our 747 flight over was packed, and we had three babies that screamed the entire way. Fun... At least JAL has good food and I love the way they shut all the window shades with little poles once the movies start. In Narita, we had about 2 hours to get something to eat and then jump on another plane.

Our flight to Bangkok was MUCH nicer. It was half empty, so all four of us got our own rows. They also had the individual TV/game screens to help amuse us.

We arrived in Bangkok at about 8:30pm. We cleared Customs quickly, found a good exchange rate at one of the the airport booths, and took an AAC limo into town. Very nice driver and only 700 baht including tolls. I hadn’t been to Bangkok since 1982, when I was on a packpackers budget, so things had really changed

We were very pleased with the Landmark Hotel. It is right by a Skytrain station...maybe 75 yards from the entrance. We really learned to appreciate that as time went on.

The staff at the hotel were wonderful.. extremely helpful and not only nice, but very sincere. We made really good use of the concierge services, and they never lost patience with us! The lobby was nice, there were lots of shops & restaurants in the hotel and nearby and fast elevators.

We had booked two Lifestyle rooms with Club privileges at a special rate on their own website. $107 per night, including breakfast, evening hors devours, 3 pieces of laundry per stay, and use of the business center (but not free internet, That was 600 baht per day extra).

Our rooms were both on the 22nd floor, with great views. They were quite large, seemed newly furnished and immaculate. Had wide screen TV, feather beds, lots of lights, desks and big reading chairs. The bathrooms were beautiful, with lots of amenities, soft robes and had large showers with good water pressure. My only complaint was the lack of a tub. The hotel offered us a different room, but I decided it wasnt worth moving.

For breakfast you could choose room service or the buffet on the 31st floor. There was something for everyone- Chinese Jook, Japanese miso soup, British grilled ham or tomatoes, Huevos Rancheros, made-to-order waffles and omelets, cereals, salads, sliced to order turkey or roast beef, and a large assortment of fruits, juices, breads, pastries, and breakfast meats. The food was all fresh and wonderful quality.
Every trip seems to take on a theme, and this one seemed to be technology failures. My camera charger burned out the first night, my walkman speakers died, my cell phone wouldnt work in Thailand, (despite several advance calls to T-Mobile to make sure it would), and my ATM card wouldnt work.

Luckily , we had quite a bit of Thai baht and US Dollars, and most businesses in Bangkok accepted Visa and AmEx. Good thing, as I had no luck contacting my bank or credit card companies to make other money arrangements.

lcuy

On our first day, we took it really easy...late breakfast, then rode the skytrain (got one day passes for 100 baht each) down to the area by the Hyatt Erawan and Intercontinental Hotels. We shopped at MBK, and Central Dept Store, then at our kids insistence took a tuk tuk to the shop Thai Local Products. Bypassed the jewelry downstairs and ordered some custom clothing upstairs.

I had been trying to book a dinner at Harmonique for weeks, but they never responded to my emails or to the concierges calls either. Finally found out they were closed till Jan 5th. Instead we went to Baan Kranitha for dinner. Beautiful building, great service and delicious Thai dishes. Highly recommended!

The next day we got up early to meet Co Van Kessel for Amazing Bangkok Cyclist tour. Hes a Dutch expat and just a hoot. We met in a hotel in Chinatown. Unusually big group today- 10 middle aged Dutch people, the 4 of us, Co, and two Thai girls/guides in training. We all went down to the parking basement, where we choose bikes and adjusted seats and tire hardness. Great mountain bikes with baskets on front for our stuff.

We headed out into the wild traffic, then turned down a little lane and saw few cars for the next 4 hours. We wandered through narrow lanes of shops and homes, went through the vegetable and flower markets, and then loaded our bikes on a long tail boat to cross the river. From there, we found ourselves out in the country, cycling down concrete paths over marshes, canals and rivers. We stopped at several temples, and said Hi and Bye-Bye to all the people who live, cook and live in the mostly open homes right along the paths. We heard birds, saw beautiful trees and homes, and biked through more temples. We stopped several times at little shops where we were told to pick whatever drinks or snacks we wanted.

The highlight of our tour was totally unplanned- we stopped in front of an elementary school for a water break, and all the kids on the playground came to the fence to say hi. We were shaking hands and taking pictures, when the teacher came out and let us in. We were mobbed! They wanted to high-five, shake hands, say “what is your name?” and were just adorable!

After that, our long tail boats picked us up on a canal and gave us a long tour of the klongs on our way back to Chinatown. We saw several dogs wearing little shirts along the way, and asked our guide girls if that was a fashion to dress dogs. Had to laugh as they said no, it was just to keep the dogs warm in this winter weather!

The last 10 minutes of the day were the wildest. We formed a single line and were told to keep on each others tails. We then entered traffic- 3 lanes in each direction and millions of cars! We formed a solid fence down the middle! It was just incredible!

Anyway, I highly recommend this tour. Co is very laid back... no deposits, no credit cards, and only 950 baht (US $20!) for this five hour adventure.

We had an early dinner, then headed out for our evening at the Spa. I had planned to go to Divana Spa and we had emailed back and forth, but they were always a bit vague on details. I had the concierge call this morning to confirm everything, but when we returned to the hotel in the afternoon, he said they had no knowledge of us, and no room for walk ins. He referred us to Spa on 9th. They could take all four of us that evening, so we decided to take a cab over, and if we didn’t like it, wed leave.

It turned out to be a truly magical place. Very new and elegant, incredibly beautiful Thai house, and everything you want in a spa. The reception staff were warm and very helpful in helping us choose which treatments. We were served snacks and cool tea, and when wed chosen, they then brought over the lucky card box, and my husband got an additional 10% discount on his treatment!

I had a salt scrubs and facial followed by 1 and1/2 hour Thai massage. The girls chose salt scrubs, cucumber wraps and Swedish massage. My husband had just the Thai massage. It was pure heaven. Comfortable tables, really professional masseurs, Thai music playing softly in the background, scents of tropical flowers. The total bill for 4 of us for nearly 3 hours was 11,500 baht, or about $70 apiece!

lcuy

The next day was temple day. We took the Skytrain to Saphin Taksin station, then the ferry up to the Grand Palace pier (#9) for 10 baht apiece. As we were walking up from the pier, I overheard several couples falling for the touts saying “oh, the temples don’t open till 2pm today” scam. The third time, I turned to the wife and said the temples were definitely open. I felt so bad! They obviously weren’t Fodorites.

Had a nice visit despite the crushing heat that day, then walked down to Wat Po. We found a great little restaurant called Coconut Palms nearby. Friendly service, tasty food, cheap and strong AC. Had me krop, pad thai, spring rolls, a vegetable dish recommended by the owner, and several desserts.

After touring Wat Po, we all had an hour massage at the school. Id had one there 21 years ago, and had been looking forward to returning ever since. I was not disappointed. One hour for 300 baht! I finished first and had fun watching people come out squinting in the sunshine with that look of pure pleasure on their faces. Before leaving, we made arrangements for 4 of them to come to our hotel a couple of days later.

Leaving Wat Po about 4 pm, we decided to go to the jewelry store, SJ International. It didn’t seem that far on the map, but it took us 7 tries to get a cab that would agree to take us there and use the meter. The guy who did was very sweet. He tried calling SJ on his cell phone, but had no luck, but guessed they would be open till at least 6. It took us over an hour to get there! Bumper to bumper, and no movement at all for one 20 minute period! Now we knew why no one wanted to take us there!

At last we arrived and he offered to wait for us. We were happy to not have to deal with negotiating another ride later, but the shop wouldn’t let him park there. I gave him double what the meter required (100 Baht for the hour long trip!) I really appreciated his kindness.

Kathy, thank you for telling us about this place. Once we said we knew you, they offered us the wholesale price. We had a great saleswoman...not pushy at all, spoke excellent English, and extremely helpful. Unfortunately, they were started closing at 6, so about 6:30 we set aside some potential pieces and the owner sent us home in a car and arranged to pick us up the next morning.

Nittaya was off the next day. When we first walked in, the salesgirls were quoting us double on some items, until her official “replacement” was found, and halved all the quotes. We ended up getting some great stuff. The nicest part was they sized all the rings (even the $5 silver ones) for free and made a custom ring for one daughter in 36 hours. All were delivered to our hotel when promised and were of excellent quality. I didn’t know it, but my husband even called later and ordered one of my much debated “rejects” and they had it at the hotel within half an hour for him to purchase as a surprise New Years gift for me.

If anyone does go here, do call first. They will send a car for you. Do mention Kathies name or mine (Lucy from Hawaii with the 2 teenagers) The prices will be much better.

My husband went to Thai Stone Jewelry store at the Nana hotel as well. He said the prices were much much higher on similar items, despite saying that Bob and Karen of Boston referred us. I’m not sure if they are just better at the custom work or what, but SJ s prices and friendliness suited us better.

For dinner that night, we has reservations at the Bedsupper club on Carols recommendation. At the last minute, we got a message on our phone that no one under 20 would be admitted and had moment of panic (as younger daughter is 17). We decided to chance it..the younger girl looks much older than the 20 year old, When we got there, the bouncers (and we knew that s what they were, since their tee shirts said so!), didnt want to let us in. I promised that neither girl would be drinking, and they finally asked the hostess for advice. She looked at us (hmmm, party of four on a slow night...) And let us in once we promised to stay out of the bar/dance area.

Ill have to say it was fun. Nice servers, certainly comfortable lounging on the bed, and periodic entertainment by a robot girl and a bottle juggling bartender. The salad and desserts were wonderful. The main dishes good, but nothing to rave about. Service was a bit slow, but we were upstairs, so the view (of the restaurant) was really nice.

Walking home, we ran into an elephant. Just strolling along with its owner, who was selling bags of corn for 20 baht. We of course bought some and took pictures and petted it for a while. What incredible animals. Frightening and lovable all at once.

lcuy

Christmas Eve Day- we spent much of this day just shopping and wandering the city. Got a lot of our souvenirs at Narai Phand, Prices were very reasonable and selection was great. Added benefit of being air conditioned, and the sales people were helpful, but not pushy. Learned about the VAT tax refund here, and got the forms. Lucked into seeing a small fashion show/ photo shoot while we were here.

We enjoyed the Christmas decorations and a big Christmas production in front of the Erawan hotel. Girls hip hop dancing to Jingle Bells in red elf costumes, etc. Jingle bells seemed to be THE Xmas song in Bangkok- it got really annoying after a while!

The next day was Christmas. Santa hung our stockings (well, color photo copies of them) on our hotel doors. I made a quick morning run to the Jim Thompson outlet, then we headed down to Lord Jim Restaurant at the Oriental Hotel. Their buffet was fabulous, in appearance, selection, and taste. We had a table at the front corner window, so were able to watch the river, the pool, and the dining crowd. We stayed about 3 hours just eating and relaxing. Kept expecting theyd throw us out!

This evening we finally made it to the night Bazar. It was well worth the trip, and so much cooler with sun down. We shopped and ate from about 6 to 11:30 pm. As usual, had to fight to get a metered cab. We were jsut about to try the subway when we got one. He made good use of his time...must have been going down the street at 60 miles an hour!

The 26th was our final day. Landmark allows you to stay in 24 hour periods, instead of having a set checkout time. As our flight was at 10:30 pm, we appreciated this.

The day started off with a bang, or should I say roll. I felt the Sumatran quake as we were getting up for breakfast. Having been raised in So. California, I know earthquakes and this was a big one, and it kept going. I ran to my daughters room and told them to get out of the hotel. They could feel the quake, but said they needed to shower first!!! I went back to get my husband, and met the manager in the hall. She said she was checking for damage, so I really got worried and nearly dragged the family downstairs. Many scared guests were out in front. It wasnt until several hours later that the extent of the damage became known.

We did some more shopping this day, then came back to the hotel for Thai massages in our rooms. $17 dollars for 90 minutes of pleasure. A great way to end our stay in Bangkok.

We chose to just take a taxi to the airport that evening. The hotel hailed one, and helped load our tons of luggage, but once out of the driveway, he claimed his meter had broken. Said he’d only charge 1000 baht though (vs 700 that the limo charged). My husband said well, take us back to the Landmark, and miraculously, the meter lit up and worked! He also tried overcharge on the tolls, but DUH, the tolls are printed in English! We had a good laugh as it was so typical, and I would have given him a tip otherwise.

At the airport, there were reporters asking us if we’d been in Phuket, and we saw the news on CNN. Very sobering.

A couple of general thoughts on Bangkok:

There are Banks, money changers and ATM machines everywhere in BKK. Just make sure you have a working ATM card! You get a better exchange rate better for TC and big bills. In reality though, the differences in rates between businesses or type of exchange was so small as to not really worry about....38.65 vs 39 baht to the dollar was about $1.50 difference per $100 dollars.

Although lots of Fodorites prefer river hotels, we were glad to have a hotel closer to the big shopping and directly on the Skytain. It was just so much quicker to get places and in the heat, we liked the air conditioning on the trains.

Taxis were dirt cheap...most expensive ride was our one hour trip for 100 baht. The problem though, is that traffic is horrendous and even short distances can take a long time.

In addition, it often took flagging 3 or 4 cabs before one would agree to use the meter. It was irritating and hot to have to stand on the curb waving, then having to argue. I wouldn’t mind paying a flat rate, but we were often quoted 200 to 500 baht for a 40 baht ride.

lcuy

TOKYO

The flight to Narita from BKK was not full so we had 2 seats each, but no rows to lay down . Red eye flights are not my favorite.

Cleared customs very quickly, then bought tickets on the Narita Express. We have always taken the Skyliner in the past, so this was a bit different...more of a local train with morning commuters. Only 1000 yen though. Changed trains at Ueno for the Hibiya line to Roppongi. We were staying at the Mansions at Roppongi. From the station exit (#5) it is about a 1 minute walk. Come out of exit #5, then walk about 50 yards to the 3rd lane and turn right. Its about 5 buildings down with a big sign. We got lost, but only because we turned too soon.

Loved the Mansions. Weve stayed at Ryokan Shigetsu a few times and like it, but liked this a lot more. Very helpful staff who all speak English, nice lobby, and open 24 hours, although you need your room key to open the lobby doors at night.

We had rooms 102 and 407. Both studios. 102 had a lanai area that might be nice in warm weather. Both rooms had wood floors, king beds, big tv & DVDs, sitting areas, fully equipped kitchens, and desks. They had washer/dryer, japanese bath and those hi-tech toilets. Our room had an entry hall and the kitchen, laundry and baths were separated from the bedroom with a door.

Best of all, everything with a control panel or remote had complete English translations! For once we could use ALL the features on the heater, the washer, the tub, the toilet and the bathroom heater!

The location was really great. Both the Oedo and Hibiya lines stop at Roppongi station. We bought all day passes for 700 yen from the station machines (which had English screens). Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Ginza were just minutes away. Roppongi has lots of shops and eateries, and the Roppongi Hills complex is about a 4 minute walk away. There was a great sushi place between the station and the Mansions called SushiZanMai. The hotel will give you a sheet with lots of little places to eat within walking distance as well.

We didn’t do any sightseeing at all on this trip. Met with two of our former exchange students for dinner at a Tempura place in Rpppongi Hills one night, and had dinner with one girls family in the Ginza at Tapas-tapas the next. Tapas is a Tokyo chain- very fun, loud and sort of Spanish Italian/ Japanese style. Our food was great...Don’t know the pricing as our hosts ordered and paid. Advance reservations needed as it is very popular. They even pre-ordered our appetizer tray, so it was served as we sat.

On the way there, we walked from Tokyo Station with our hosts...there was an incredible display of Christmas lights overhead. They looked like stained glass and lined the streets for blocks. Many of the roads were closed off and it was shoulder to shoulder people. Had a really Japanese moment as we entered this “tunnel”. Half the crowd lifted up their phones to take pictures!

The rest of the time was spent shopping in Harajuku, Shibuya, and Shinjuku. Bought food to eat

lcuy

(oops, sent too soon..)

Bought to eat in our room some of the time, and bought some to bring home for New Years.

We were happy to find that nearly everyplace in Tokyo takes Visa cards now...restaurants, shops, grocery stores, and booths in the food floor of the department stores. Only the smallest shops didn't accept it. We had brought several hundred dollars in Yen from a past trip, so we never had to do any money exchanging at all.

Tokyo subways are getting easier and easier to navigate. All stations had ticket machines with English translations, and all signs and recorded messages are in both Japanese and English.

Subway lines are clearly identified by both color and name and all the stations have a letter and number identifying the line and numerical order on the line.

Inside the stations, the directional signs also were very clear with colored circles and arrows pointing to the platforms. In the stations each exit is numbered so you can find it on the wall maps, and businesses usually will tell you which exit to use to find them.

More stations now have escalators, but you still need to plan on lots and lots of stairs.

The last day, my husband wasn't feeling well, and we had a lot heavier luggage by this time, so we decided to forego the trains and take the Airport bus. Our hotel clerks arranged for two taxis to take us from the Mansions to the ANA hotel and even had the bus tickets for us (paid with dredit card).

It was a short ride to the ANA (1240 Yen per cab) and the bus was great...they handled our bags and the scenery was really nice on the hour+ trip for $3000 yen per person. I would definitely use this method again...it really wasnt much more than the train, but so much easier! Of course, if I had rail passes, I’d use the train.

All in all, a fun trip. Can’t wait to go back again!

emd

Greata report! So much good detail, I felt like I was on the bikeride w/you. I appreciate your info on Mansions. I am reconsidering our booking at a Yokohama Sheraton (on hotel points) to visit Tokyo, and am looking at places in inner Tokyo now. Looked at Shigetsu. but don't like the small western rms. and the lock out from 10 til 3 during the day and curfew. Mansions sounds like alot of room and amenties (washer/dryer!) Thanks for the details on that and the subways. Did you book directly w/MAnsions, and how much was it there, if you don't mind me asking?
Thanks again Lucy.
Eileen

kuranosuke

lucy; mahalo for the great report. sushizanmai in tsukiji in one of my favorite places to eat sushi. good report on the bike tour. did you book it prior to your trip? can novice bike riders handle this trip?

btw, do you remember the chinatown hotel that was the meeting point for the bike tour?

lcuy

Dear Emd- we really did love the mansions. I booked directly with them at 22,000 yen per night. I could have booked with asiahotels.com at US$168 a night, but I didn't want a non refundable room for this trip.

Kuranosuke- We did book the bike tour prior to going, but paid at the end of the day. We met at the China Grand Princess- a big hotel and on an easy to find major intersection. It was perfectly suitable for a novice or a middle-age-out-of-shape person too . My younger daughter knows how to ride a bike, but just barely. You go prettly slowly most of the time due to the size of the lanes and obstacles, plus you stop often to look or snack. One of the guides rides in back, so no one ever gets left behind, as you are free to stop and take photos whenever you need to.

A nice (to us) thing about the bike tour is that it is not a "narrated" tour. It is based on looking and absorbing sights at ground level. You can talk to Co or the other guides at the breaks, but most of the time you are caught up in the looking and riding.

Smalley

Thanks for the report Lucy, great stuff. We'll be in BKK in March and you've given us some extra tips.
Do you recall how you booked Co? Was it with www.realasia.net or www.amazingbangkokcyclist.com?

kuranosuke

lucy; mahalo for the info on the bike tour. i think i will do it on my next trip. by coincidence, i will be staying at the gcp.

Gpanda

lucy-thanks for the great report. I'll definitely give the bike tour a try next time I'm in BKK. Beth may take a pass. We also used taxis to our great advantage. In traffic they're not so fast, but the ease makes up for it.

Kate_W

Great details in your report, lcuy. By the way, those snacks you ate in the lounge are called hors d'oeuvres, not hors devours: hors means "outside of" the main dishes of a meal (oeuvres). Although, given the way one tends to fall upon tasty appetizers before dinner, "devours" is one of the most appropriate misspellings I've ever seen.

It reminds me of being in Spain in my first Spanish class. I had been teaching myself from a book. From what I could tell, the teacher was giving us homework, but then he kept asking: "In ten days? In ten days?" I was thinking, why is he giving us 10 days to do this? It's not that much work and I'm only here for 10 days. I realized afterwards that he was saying "entendais" - Spanish for "Do you understand?" Apparently not.

lcuy

Thats what I get for typing while jet lagged, and for depending on the spell checker

Actually, we call them pupus here in Hawaii, but that is not always understood by others!

rhkkmk

lcuy---fabulous report...i loved all the details and have made some notes for tokyo....

sorry thai stone seemed expensive to you....glad kathie's place worked for you...

taxis---we rarely find a problem with meters these days....except for the rigged ones...i usually don't take them from tourist areas however...funny story about the one when leaving the hotel...so typical...

interesting too about the quake you felt...i have not seen any one else report that....did you see my pass along about the canadian family --fodorites-- who were in phuket?? i copied it to fodors asia site...

welcome home...

CFW

Lucy, Thanks for a great trip report and all the details! We leave for Bkk in two weeks. Can't wait! Do you have an address for the Spa on 9th? Also, who should we ask for at SJ International? Nittaya?

lcuy

CFW- the Spa on 9th is not on 9th, but at 9 Soi Thonglor 25, Sukhumvit 55
Tel: (662)712-7021 Fax662)712-7022
their hours are 10am -10 pm daily.

They said we could walk from the Thonglor station of the Skytrain, but its a very long walk. We took a taxi and it was only 40 baht ($1 US).

WE really liked Nittaya. Her English was excellent, she wasn't pushy, and her prices were great. The woman who helped us the next day was nice also, but a little less patient (we're slow) and a bit harder to understand.

Smalley

I'm interested in how you booked Co van Kessel Lucy.

mrwunrfl

Hi lucy, great report! Am a bit confused about your mention of the Narita Express. The N'Ex is an all-reserved seat train and costs over 3000 JPY and is definitely not used as a commuter line. Oh, maybe you were talking about the Keisei Skyliner costing 1000 yen?

lcuy

Youre right, I had them backwards. Sorry!