Which rooms at Peninsula and Anantara Golden Triangle?
 

Just booked our tickets so we are going to Thailand in March!! We are travelling with our kids (ages 12 and 15). We plan on staying at the Peninsula in Bangkok, the Anantara Golden Triangle and Hotel de la Paix in Siem Reap.

I know we should stay in a riverview room at the Peninsula - but just wondering if there are any other requests I should make, i.e. particular floor, tower, etc.

Also, at the Anantara I have heard others mention that one side of the resort is a better location than the other (not so far to walk, etc.). Any of those details would be helpful. Want to be sure we stay in the right places!!

Thanks for your help.

All of the rooms at the Penn have a river view. I prefer the rooms that face in the direction of the Grand Palace rather than those that face in the direction of the Sathorn Bridge. The Penn will make note of your request but cannot guarantee. The most basic rooms are the deluxe (lower floors) and the grand deluxe (upper floors).

I have not stayed at the Anantara but I have stayed at the HDLP. An upper floor might be quieter but as far as views go, the whole area is kind of dumpy...you might try to get a room facing the pool.

The Golden Traingle area is dumpy? And you're concerned about noise? Oh, Craig, I see you think they are talking about Siem Reap... they are asking about the Anantara at the Golden Triangle.

All of the rooms at the Anantara are lovely, with a beautiful view. I didn't think anything was a long walk. That said, we had a room overlooking the pool which was really lovely. But I wouldn't woory, none of the room locations are bad.

The Peninsula rooms...they are Deluxe, Grand Deluxe, Deluxe Balcony, Deluxe Suite and Grand Deluxe Suite and then the bigger, more extravagent suites. There is but one building, and all rooms face the river. The balcony rooms are in the center of the building, suites at each end. We've always had a suite on the up river side of the hotel and found it fantastic...I can't really imagine a bad room there though.

Deluxe rooms and Deluxe Suites are on floors 4 - 9. Grands are on floors 10 and up. That's the only difference between Deluxe and Grand Deluxe for rooms and suites...floor plans and decor are identical, you just pay a bit more for being on a higher floor. Children are not allowed to stay in balcony rooms, but I think the age cutoff for children is 12...so both of your kids are "adults"...also meaning you'll likely be requried to get 2 rooms (at every hotel I think).

The Anantara has deluxe rooms and deluxe suites. IF you book a suite, it comes with great extra benefits. They told me that if you were upgraded to a suite via SLH or Virtuoso or other program or promotion, you do not get the suite benefits. We'll be able to tell you about room location etc. after our stay there in August.

We had planned on staying at the HDLP and had a reservation there...but recently changed it to the Victoria Angkor on several friends recommendations and a poster here who stayed there this past Christmas time and loved it. Though the HDLP certainly looks lovely and gets pretty consistent good reviews, we began to think that a place that felt more geared to families might be more fun for us. Kids stay at the HDLP but not so many they told me. The HDLP location is great though, right across from the market area. It is noisy I've heard, though.

Yup. Good choice, Kim.

I'm a big fan of the HDLP, although it's definitely not a place for kids. It has more of a trendy boutique-y/W-ish type-feel. It's stunning, the rooms are gorgeous, the restaurant is fantastic and I recommend it to all our friends...just not ones with kids. :)

It is right in the middle of the city (within walking distance to the stores and bars) which is what I love about it...but I find others who prefer more quiet and more of a "campus" feel usually end up staying outside of town at one of the resorts.

Thanks for your replies. According to the Peninsula Website they also have a Superior Room which are on the lower floors and have a "limited" view of the river. They are $60/night cheaper than the Deluxe room, but I don't think I want the limited view. Yes, we will need two rooms.

I'm hoping the four of us can stay in a suite at the Anantara, but they haven't responded to my question regarding that yet.

HDLP said the four of us could stay in their Spa Deluxe Suite which would be cheaper than having 2 rooms. My daughter and I both chose the Victoria Angkor as where we wanted to go, but left the final decision up to hubby who chose HDLP. I like the idea of it being in walking distance to stores, etc. and I don't think our kids will be any problem, but look forward to hearing your report back, KimJapan, after your stay there. We are not going until March so have time to make a decision. Maybe I can sway him the other way.

Kathie, I guess you didn't read my post carefully - why would I comment on the Anantara if I hadn't stayed there? My recommendations were directed towards the HDLP which the OP also mentioned as a destination. Subsequent posters also commented (correctly) on the HDLP's appeal or lack thereof to kids.

Craig, I realized after I wrote my response that I had missed a line in your response. Sorry about that - that's what I get for answering a question on a quick break!

We stayed at the Anantara in April and booked vi www.slh.com nad got the free upgrade to a suite which was excellent value. slh had the lowest price for the room anyway and the upgrade meant that we got the suite for less than half price. A word of warning! Whilst we were there at the beginning of April the smoke from teh slash and burning of the forest etc in Thailand, Burma and Laos was awful and looking at the thai air quality website http://www.pcd.go.th/AirQuality/Regi...?task=findsite it was even worse in March. this happens every year but I am not sure if this year was particularly bad or just normal"
my trip report is at
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34988056

I have stayed at the Peninsual a few times and the only comment I would add is that because of the zig zag design of the hotel some rooms are directly overlooked from others which, even with net curtains, is a little inhibiting. be careful which room you select. The corner rooms are good if you don't want to go to the expense of a suite. Also, the last 2/3 times I have stayed there they were offering upgrades to teh next category room for $20/30 per night.

any room at the penn will please you....i prefer the higher floors but last time i was on 9 and that was very nice as well....i do not prefer one end of the hotel from another...i love the view up river and also the view down river....i have never stayed in the center of the hotel---where many of the suites and balcony rooms are located..

we were in the upper group of rooms at anantara...i think the lower section---to the left of the lobby--may have a more restricted view...the closer to the lobby that you are the better imo...i do remember the walk up the lovely path in the heat got old real fast....we were about 2/3rds of the way to the top of the rooms, but on the lower level of the building...you will love your time there..

in SR being in town is no benefit as i see it....shopping is very limited and the town is a dump basically....

Hi jgg-

Re. the HDLP....I think you and the kids will be happy here, if you can't sway your hubby. The pool is very fun (albeit small) with cool water jet bed things (hard to describe). The pool is directly adjacent to the spa...so you could be in the spa for a massage and be able to keep an eye on the kids in the pool. Also, there is a little coffee shop with ice cream, etc in the lobby of the hotel, so the kids could go get snacks on their own.

Bob, here's where I disagree. Siem Reap is far from a dump! Sure, it's not as clean or developed as say...Boston :) , but it's a third world country! I found it to be extremely interesting, very cool and most different from any other city I've ever been in. It still maintains a very French colonial flair downtown and it almost has a New Orleans-type feel in the bar district.
I think, depending on the OP's taste, it might be something they could enjoy.

We had ideally-situated rooms last December at both the Anantara and the Pen w/ our boys, 13 and 16. We were on the 33rd floor in the Pen and I think room 207 at the Anantara (after switching from the distant, dark, cold side, though "cold" will not be a factor in March.) The best building is the one with the spa (on the Burma side).

Memory is fading, but room numbers are in my trip report. Search for "Boy Falls Off Elephant; Man Buys Japanese Toilet".

I agree with filmwill and humbly disagree with Bob - I did not find Siem Reap to be a dump and I LOVED the shopping (great Asian antiques, better priced silks than in Thailand, amazing prices on Kmer silver, also opportunities to go to craft collectives and silk farms.) SR has many charming pockets including the Grand Palace area, facing the park, (where the Victoria Angkor and the Regent are located) and river areas.

Old market area was a lot of fun, but that's not where I would want to stay - too much construction and congestion. I do agree with Will that it was a better location for strolling to restaurants, but the Victoria was a 3 minute tuk-tuk or 15 minute walk from all the action.

That said, I must disclose that we have friends with teens who stayed at HDLP right after we were there and loved it.

maybe SR has changed....it was 3-4 years ago when i was there, but somehow i doubt it....i remember it clearly as a dusty forelone place...with very limited shopping opportunities and we walked all around...

It may be a matter of perspective, Bob. I was in SR in 2001 and found it poor but very interesting. Most of the hotels there now were not yet built.

kathie--probably true....

Thank you again for all your comments. Crosscheck - I think it was probably your trip report that mentioned one part of the Anantara being better, as I recalled it had to do with being near one country (Laos/Burma) over the other. I did hear back from them and the 4 of us can stay in a suite so I will book that and request a room on the Burma side - heat will definitely be an issue in March!!

I have also appreciated the discussion about Siem Reap and HDLP. Do you think that one could say staying in the Victoria is more resorty feeling than HDLP?? Or is that not a true statement.

1. I was in Siem Reap in 2006 and it was still pretty much of a dump then - just my 2 cents. Then again, I thought Yangon was dumpy too when I was there this year and many disagreed with me.

2. The HDLP does not have a resorty feel to it. It is just a very nice boutique hotel. Although we have never stayed there, I would think that the Victoria would be more along those lines...

One goes to Siem Riep for the temples. Some think it's a dump, others are taken with the struggles of the inhabitants. Impossible to say how you will react.

Don't agonize too much over the hotel choice. You will spend most of your time at the temples or driving. A mid-day plunge in the pool is very nice, but any hotel in the range about which you've spoken can take care of that.

In fact, all the hotels mentioned in this post are super. You will enjoy them a lot. The service will astound. If you're not satisfied, let them know (gently) and they will do their best to make you comfortable.