Royal Orchid Sheraton Bangkok?
 

Hi
We have booked rooms at the Millenium Hilton to spend 10 nights in Bangkok. Having read the mixed reviews we are now looking to change this to another riverside location. We have ruled out the Marriott resort & spa as it will be too far out for us, I know I will find the travelling into Sukhumvit / Silom etc annoying & tiring. We are now considering a Towers room at the Royal Orchid Sheraton instead as it has good perks, is closer to the skytrain and seems to have a good pool area (a priority as we will want a few days relaxing in such an extended trip to Bangkok). Has anyone stayed there recently? I am slightly concerned about the mixed reviews on Tripadvisor and want some reassurance before we go ahead and change!
Thanks
Cathy

We always stay at the ROS when in BKK. For us, the location is superb. You can walk to several wonderful restaurants. One of my pleasures is watching the river come alive in the morning. The rooms are nice, but relatively generic. The Towers lounge is very pleasant. The pools are great.

Thanks. If we do decide to go ahead I would love to hear about the restaurants!

Cathy

The closest is Gallery Cafe, about 1/2 block. Harmonique and Tongue Thai are about 3-5 blocks away. River City shopping is right next door and so is the river ferry. I note from your original post that Silom is one of your destinations. It's a short Taxi ride from ROS.

the hotel is only ok, iROS....i don't think you would find it any closer to the skytrain than is the marriott...maybe one or two minutes, but you have to take the "public" boat and that only runs at certain hours in mid-day and bit after 6PM...there are plenty of taxis however...

personally i think you would make a mistake at the ROS....its impersonal and older....the pool in the portugese embassy is very nice however....not as nice as the marriott however, but almost...

have you considered the peninsula or the shangri-la hotels??

what is the trouble with the hilton??...i saw one negetive report about water on the floor from the shower but others said that was not an issue...i have seen no other negetives...

have you considered the sheraton grande on sukhumvit or the conrad on wireless or the four seasons on wireless or the intercontinental?? not on the river of course...

I always stay at the Royal Orchid, in the Towers rooms. I find the location very convenient, and taking the public water taxi the couple of minutes to the Skytrain is fun.

I love the amenities of the Towers: breakfast (in the Lounge or room service, cocktails and canapes every evening, and free laundry - 6 pieces per person per day, oh yes, and free internet access in the Club).

The pool area is really lovely.

Staying in the Towers gives you access to the people who work in the Lounge to make reservations for you, give infomation, etc They will do whatever they can to accommodate you.

The rooms are just ok. The old decor had lovely hand-carved teak everywhere. They "upgraded" to a more generic modern decor a few years ago. I stay in a Towers suite, which has more Thai touches to the decor.

While I always stay at the Royal Orchid, I have to say, I wouldn't stay in a regular room. I love the location of the hotel, but it's the extras in terms of service and amenities in the Towers that makes it special.

Bob dislikes the ROS (could you tell?) at least in part because Gpanda and I always stay there!

Thanks everyone. We have previously stayed at the Shangri la & would prefer somewhere different. It was OK but nothing special and not as convenient for the Sky train in reality as it first appears. I agree its the amenities of the Towers rooms that are tempting!

no interest in the peninsula??? far superior..

also can you tell us what is wrong at the hilton??

I'm not a ROS fan,either. I'm a Four Seasons fan. And Bob, the Four Seasons isn't on Wireless...it's on Rajadamri Rd. Happy Travels!

guen---i know but basically the same area...one main street over...i lump them together....

Yes, Kathie...you said it right...don't stay in a standard room which is what I stayed in. I tried the hotel out for one day, having transferred over from the Pen. I really wanted to check out the moment I saw my room, but knew that I'd still be charged...so I stayed. It's not that it was run-down or anything, but just downright plain and boring. And the bathroom plumbing was awful. I did ask to see the Towers area and yes, the rooms...the ones I was shown...were, as you put it, generic modern and clostophobically small...and at a very high price...I think around US$175-$190...This was in August 2004. Happy Travels!

Yup, the rooms aren't special. You stay in the Towers for the wonderful amenities, the view and the location.