We are finalising our hotel plans for April 2007, and any input on the Junior Suite rooms at the Marriot? Also we are going to try and stay at the Conrad (Hilton Diamond members -all about the points!!)on our return journey..any thoughts about the rooms there? We seem to have struggled in choosing hotels there is so much choice. However we definitely like a deluxe room/junior suite with a great bathroom. And great service is a must. Lastly anyone stayed at the Millenium Hilton? It looks very "cold" from the pics. So if anyone has any input I would truly appreciate your thoughts.

Also we are going to be leaving Bangkok @ April 14th...How does the Thai New Year (?) celebration affect anything..do we get drenched or is that just guide book talk?

All the info I have read so far on this board has been so useful. We have Tong for a day and printed out RBK's restaurant list. Kathie - I have convinced my husband to take me to your SJ jewelry store!!

Do you had GTG - Los Angeles area ever?

Thanks again,
J

I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time! Do ask for Lily at SJ, and if you tell her that Kathie from Seattle sent you, the prices will get better.

The jury is still out on the Millenium. I've heard both rants and raves. Apparently, many of the rooms have showers that leak onto the bathrooms floor. Some people have reported great service, others have reported it is abysmal. I expect they are still having getting started pains.

i have only stayed once in a jr suite at the marriott....it was quite nice and the bath was superior to the reg rooms....there was a nice sofa and a railing seperating the "living area" from the bed area...room not much bigger than the reg rooms however...bath was nicer: seperate toilet room, seperate shower room, two sinks.....reg rooms have very simple almost old fashioned baths...
we would not pay the extra for a suite another time...

the conrad is a newish hotel and very slick...make sure you go for dim sum lunch at the liu rest. on the 3rd floor...you will be very pleased...good location too if you are away from the river, which i prefer...

hilton....too soon to tell...as kathie says both positive and neg comments so far....i am looking forward to a meal there and to taking a room tour...rooms looked small to me in pics and i did not like the windows as they appeared in pics

Re April 14, yes there is a chance you will get soaked, either by the Thais or by rain. The nice thing about Bangkok during Songkran is that it's usually quite empty. All the Thais leave town.

The big problem around that time is travel, since all the Thais are travelling too. The 14th is probably the best day to travel, since it's the middle day of the holiday. If you were traveling on the 12th or 13th, you would need to give yourself 5 or 6 hours to get to the airport - no exageration!!!

We stayed in a 1 bed corner suite at the Marriott and it was huge- bedroom, bath, living room, dining room and mini bar, and long entrance hallway. It also had a wrap around balcony. It was great for us as we had 2 kids with us.

As for the Conrad, we stayed in a regular room, which was much smaller than the suite at the Marriott, but very modern- king bed, cot, and small built in sofa area next to the bed. The bath has a glass wall which can be seen from the bed area (there is a curtain to close off the bathroom). We also saw the deluxe corner room which was bigger and bigger bathroom, but it had a larger desk instead of the sofa area. We preferred the sofa.

As for a GTG in the L.A. area...I have thought about it since I live in L.A. County. I just haven't had time to do one. Which part of L.A. County do you live in? Happy Travels!

Thank you all:

tnnc: Did all 4 of you stay in the Marriot one bed suite? It seems that they do not encourage 4 in a room in most hotels, so we thought we had to book two rooms? If that is the case the Marriot becomes the shoo in!
Michael: I am so glad you told me that about Songkran, we were worried about getting back to the airport. We have a very early a.m. flight back 4/14. Does everything close on the 13th? That will be our last day in BK so hope to do some shopping then? I have a "little" flexibility on my dates so is it best to avoid 13th thru 15th altogether? We could leave after or just before.
Guenmai: I am in Ventura county. A Brit living in the US, travelled alot, but this is my first trip to Thailand. Cannot wait!

Thanks again everyone.
J

I'm staying at the Millennium in a couple of weeks....and I'm a bit nervous given the see-saw reviews. Well, we'll see.

jim---i think it will be fine

It should be ok as long as you get a room where the shower doesn't leak! If your shower does leak, ask to be moved to another room.

thanks rhkkmk...just that i love the hotel down the ways ....so am concerned that, while staying at the Hilton, I will have Pen envy.

also: the leading hotels of the world lhw.com has a terrific deal on the Dusit Thani right now, if anyone's interested...

Yes, we all stayed in the 1 bed suite. It had a king bed and 2 roll-aways side by side next to it, so we slept all in a row. Our kids were 6 and 9 so we didn't mind. There is a sofa in the living room, but I don't think it opens into a bed. We didn't have a problem with 4 in the room, but I remember reading that 4 could be a problem some places.

Jim,

Upon your return could you please let me know how the Millenium H. is/was? I would really appreciate it.

Good Luck with the shower I read that too......!!!
Thanks
Jane

Stayed at the Millennium Hilton last week (using award points). I guess the easiest way to review is via pro and con; my overall reaction was positive though.

Pros: 1) the staff. very eager to please, smiling and friendly. 2) The gym is of a good size and they offer many free classes (yoga, etc.). 3) Some of the public spaces (lobby, walkway to the pier among others) have a "wow" factor due to the design and large amount of space. 4) The top floor bar has stunning views over the city (and the beer is cheap given the swank digs). 5) restaurants are generally impressive though i only ate at Flow. 6)outdoor lounge areas (front of flow) have great view of river

con: 1) the rooms. small. Ill laid out (e.g. gigantic lamp that serves to eat up a corner of the room). Also, the construction/finishing is cheap -- clearly, they spent the money on the public areas. On the other hand, the flat screen Tv and jacuzzi tub are nice touches. 2) the pool. postage stamp-sized, for people who don't like to swim. they apparently are going for a "look" here, and it does look good, just not functional. Pity, since the area could be a knock-out had they thought it out a bit better. 3) transport to the BTS pier. The one boat seems to leave when it wants to; and much, much less frequently than say, the Peninsula boat.

Hope this helps! Would I stay there again? Probably, but only if the price were low or if I used points.

We stayed at the Conrad using points last December for 1 night and in January for 3 nights. The rooms are nice enough, if a bit on the small side. We had one extra bed in the room and it took up most of the extra space and made the sofa/sitting area unusable. The bathrooms are nice, but not special in any way. The exec floor rooms are the same size, and the corner rooms are not bigger. Didn't see a suite though.

The pool area is attractive. Service is weird...to get attention, you should call the staff by using a toy wooden frog. Instead of doing that, we tended to grab someone as they walked past or walk up to the restaurant/bar area and order from there. They do give you complimentary bottles of water there.

I visited the spa twice. The first visit was exquisite - I had a lovely body scrub and massage. The second visit was horrible - I chose a Thai massage, and it was the worst I have ever had: the masseuse was inattentive and distracted, took many breaks to adjust her clothing and to look at her watch...I actually couldn't wait for it to end, so I stopped her well before finish time. She didn't ask why, nor did the desk staff. I commented that I was disappointed in the quality of the massage and the staff apologized and gave me a bottle of bath gel and then the bill for the full amount.

Breakfast in the restaurant was certainly nice. Wide variety. Friendly service. I didn't like their service of coffee though...they leave you a thermal carafe of coffee on your table to serve yourself. Decaf is instant.

Prior to this year, we had always stayed at the Peninsula, but high season prices prompted us to seek an alternative, and free sounded good. If I had paid with money, I would have been unhappy, to be honest. The price isn't so much lower than the Peninsula, and the whole set up is a big step down, from room size and decor to service and facilities.

For our next trip to BKK, we are debating whether to stay at the Peninsula again, or try the Four Seasons. We'll probably go with the Peninsula for it's riverside location...love breakfast outside on the river terrace, the pool and the service.

Jim, thanks for your report on the Hilton Millenium. Very helpful!

yes, jim thanks for this review....the rooms look small and weird on the web site...
the hotel really is a gamble...people are very aware of its history, so it could have been a total financial bust...

glad i changed my res to the penninsula...only $20 more in fact...

Funny you mention the Pen...the hardest part of staying at the Hilton was looking longingly at the Pen from my window. (We did stay there the last 3 nights.)

ALSO: note that the hotel boat pier (Near BTS) is close and being "reconstructed" so all hotel boats now stop at the public pier immediately adjacent. It's probably about time, since the hotel pier now includes stops by Hilton and ROS shuttle boats and has gotten quite busy.

Jim,

Thanks so much for your post on the Mil. Hilton. I think we are going to avoid the Hilton. Your comprehensive report really helped us decide!! We really dislike the idea of pokey rooms! and we are travelling with teens so the pool does matter!. Our first couple of days will either be at the Marriot or the Penn. After our return from Hua Hin we are going to stay at the Conrad. It is the Hil. Diamond member point/upgrade thing that appeals, and a different location.

Again many thanks,

Jane

hey guys,

we just stayed at the Millenium hilton, our choice for BKK as hilton gold members. (didnt realise the Conrad is also a Hilton hotel).
We thought the hotel was really beautiful... modern oriental style. the service was amazing. yes, the rooms were a bit small, but the panoramic windows with great river view was awesome to wake up to.
I havent compared it to other BKK hotels, so i cant say if this was nicer or not than others, but we liked it. (personally, i like charming smaller hotels, but my husband likes big modern ones, i let him have the hilton...)
on our last 3 nights in BKK - after our return from the islands, we were upgraded to a suite which was hugely spacious and amazing!

the prices were pretty good, like $110 per night, though we hadnt realised that wasnt including taxes, so it came out quite a bit more.
i heard that their prices have gone up drastically since we booked 9about a month ago).

con: its a new hotel. taxi drivers dont know it. always have a hotel card with address on it for return taxis!