patt711

Has anyone stayed at the Montien Riverside Hotel? We want to make sure we can get around the city without too much trouble and traffic congestion.
Also, any other suggestions for hotels in Bangkok that you'd recommend? We do not want a Sheraton, Marriott...nothing that even remotely sounds American, thanks.

Hanuman

The Montien Riverside is quite far from the other hotels along the river. I think a lot of the group tours uses the hotel as I often see a lot of tour buses there. The road there is quite good and traffic shouldn't be much of a problem.

Other hotels with out belonging to an American chain - the Sukhothai and Banyan Tree but these are a bit more expensive then the Montien.

Hanuman

The Montien Riverside is quite far from the other hotels along the river. I think a lot of the group tours uses the hotel as I often see a lot of tour buses there. The road there is quite good and traffic shouldn't be much of a problem.

Other hotels with out belonging to an American chain - the Sukhothai and Banyan Tree but these are a bit more expensive then the Montien.

Forgot the Mandarin Oriental hotel and the Pan Pacific hotel plus a few other hotels without sounding American. It depend on your budget so let us know how much you plan to spend.

rhkkmk

on the river you do not have many choices...the royal river is not bad but 3 star probably... the menam is another....
the main road beside the montien is often very clogged with traffic and it hangs up going over the bridge there...
the hotel itself is set back quite a ways from the river although as of yet nothing is built in front of it...

personally i do not believe you can beat the marriott resort and spa, although it is more money....look at the royal river...

Boron

I haven't stayed in the Montien Riverside, but have stayed one night at the Menam Riverside and think it is a little better situated as far as traffic and getting around, for a river hotel. Also, it is in the same price category as the Montien. The other hotels along the river mentioned here, while much nicer, all come at much, much higher rates and I am not sure if you are considering them.

The good: it has a nice big pool that stays in the sun all day, a raised sun-deck along the river to watch the boat traffic. Friendly staff, boat to skytrain. Pretty cheap rates available if you pre-book with online hotel agents.

The not so good: This was 2 years ago but the room seemed shabby with broken bathroom blinds and worn out furniture. (It was clean and the bed was comfortable.) The breakfast buffet, not only the food but also the dining area too, was not very good or appealing. If you can get a good rate, you might consider.

The shangri-la, Oriental, and Penninsula are all Hong-Kong based hotels (not American). But if you are worried about traffic, IMHO the Penninsula is not well located either.

patt711

Thanks so much for your suggestions. I'll check them out this evening (when I'm not at work
Is it better to stay somewhere in the interior of the city for seeing the sites? We've never been to Bangkok, would like to see the Palace, Jim Thompson's house, etc...and have 3 1/2 days before heading towards Chiang Mai.
Thanks again for your help!

Boron

For anyone's first trip to Bangkok, I vote for a riverside hotel. I base this not in terms of the river being the most convenient place but the river and its scenery "is" Bangkok---the whole experience of being there.
Riding the water buses on the river is one of the "must do's" while in Bangkok and the most convenient and fun way to get to the emerald buddha and royal palace.

rhkkmk

with the skytrain and the new subway it is comparitively easy to move to different areas of the city....i find that i have to often take taxis from the skytrain to the sites i want to see...taxis are very cheap....i too vote for the river, although as i said above the hotels tend to be more expensive....why did you pick montien?? we rarely hear much about it here....

patt711

Hmmm, how did I hear about Montien? Good question! I think I just came upon it on some website, one of the recommended ones by Fodors people. It looks great, but I wanted more info before booking it. Where are you located, RHKKMK? Or did you mean you "rarely hear about it" on Fodor's website?

rhkkmk

i ment that i rarely hear about it (montien) on fodors at all....i often see it from my window at the marriott or from the boat on my way to taskim and i see their "old" boat on the river....i have also seen its entrance from the main road when sitting in traffic...

i am in boston, usa...

patt711

Ok, I'll bite...explain what you meant by "old" boat. And does that mean the Montien hs a boat that will take us to the Palace, etc? I knkow they have a shuttle service. How far is it from the Marriott?

rhkkmk

i was trying to be kind....their boat looks old and not cared for...it is of a lesser quality than the other hotels, which goes along with what has been said about the hotel in general...the boat will take you to taskim pier i believe and maybe river city shopping center...i think it runs on a limited schedule as well...

glorialf

Definitely stay on the river. If you want a deluxe hotel with a fabulous pool and don't mind being a bit out of the way, stay at the Marriott. It's an excellent value. If you want a better location try the Shangri La or Royal Orchid Sheraton. I only stay at the Oriental. It's much more expensive than the other hotels but worth every penny as far as I;m concerned. I would not stay at the Peninsula.

patt711

Really? The Montien is a "lesser" quality? I know pictures can deceive, but it sure looks beautiful in the photos.
Thanks for the advice, Gloria. We're trying to find both value and luxury--duh, obviously not that easy in any city. The Royal Orchid was recommended by a travel agent as well.

glorialf

Oops -- sorry. I was thinking of the Menam Riverside -- not the Montien. I actually don't know anything about the Montien although I've seen it from the river. The Royal Orchid and Shangrila are much better located.

Boron

Of the riverside hotels, I think the Sheraton Orchid is a good compromise between location, pricing, and amenities. I think it is fine if you don't expect top upscale, something that the Oriental and Shangri-la seem to provide in terms of "more posh". The Sheraton is ideally located, has nice pool area, and offers fantastic river views.

It was the first riverside hotel I stayed at and I can't find fault in terms of value for money/location.

glorialf

I would also vote for the Royal Orchid Sheraton for value and location.

patt711

Thank you everyone for the great advice! We're booking the Royal Orchid today through Expedia, which is the best rate online (or through the travel agent) that I've found. Now I don'thave to stress about location--sounds perfect for our needs.

rhkkmk

you don't mention your sheraton rate, but www.huahin.20m.com has it for $132 including tax/service and breakfast which is a good deal...the tax and service amount to 17.7% of everything on your bill which adds up quickly...

did you also look at the marriott resort and spa which i personally feel is a superior hotel in every way to the sheraton, which i do not care for

Scotters

Even a better rate for the Sheraton can be found at the site below. 3890 baht (99us) for a deluxe room and includes taxes/service charges but no breakfast. The only thing is a do not know how reliable this site is having never used it.
http://www.thailandhotels.net/