Sawadeeka!

I am in Bangkok and enjoying your up to the minute reporting skills! I am staying at the new boutique Unico Grand SAthorn! It is a lovely place, between Sathorn and Silom and just five minutes walk to sky train chongnonsi..
However very small Pool! cute, but small! Oh, and tmmorow i am off to somewhere else in Thailand, will be pulling a last minute Bonita.

Sawadeeka again! Or Namaste~!

oh, and I will be looking forward to your Bangkok "serviced apartment" report and we can compare notes!

terry...we did see the sign for the resort you stayed at but we did not have time to stop in.....i honestly think i would have felt too far out of town if we had stayed there however....the sheraton was just the right distance from the town...

lets get together after the first of the year....happy holidays and the most happy new year to you and joseph and the girls...

B&K

Wow, Bob stayed and enjoyed a SHERATON!

Kathie must be smilling ear to ear!

Great report, love all the details.

Aloha!

That Sheraton sounds great and just the right distance...considering all the miles that you had added up by then.

I too wish you, Karen, and family a most happy holiday season, thanks for your good wishes...it must be interesting to see what you guys bought home this year for your family stocking stuffers! We look forward to getting together in 2007 (yikes, it's almost here).

Thanks for all your hard work on your reports, Bob!

before it escapes my pea brain, karen has asked me to interject her discovery of a wonderful trip aide....it is called 'Tide to go'...it is a pen type device which you dab on food spots on clothing....it is no bigger than a large pen and travels easily....she use it a lot on this trip and found it handy....it may have been around for years but it was new to us....it is found in the stain stick section of your grocery store....

it took care of any problems we had...it removes the stain without laundering...

sunday nov 5--loy krathang

breakfast in the room....our driver picked us up at 10AM for the trip back to bangkok....cherry, gal and all the cousins came by the hotel to wish us bon voyage..

we wanted to get back to bkk early to make sure we were all set for the big celebration....the drive was 2 hours and 5 minutes...

we arrived at the peninsula just after noon...our room was ready for us..we were in room 911 and it looked down river from one set of windows and towards the shangri-la and oriental from the front windows...perfect to see the fireworks..!!

we took a taxi down to the marriott to check on the arrangements for the mini fodors GTG the next day....all seemed under control (the bar we had intended to use was closed for renovations, but the staff had suggested that we use part of the breakfast restaurant instead--perfect)...we also checked on the cake for the next day for kathie's surprise birthday (39)...

grabbed our one and only mcdonalds while at the marriottt as we were running out of time....tasted quite good actually and 1/2 the usa price i think...

we took the marriott boat to taskim pier and then the penn boat back to our hotel...i needed to get the camera as we were going quickly up to the flower market...we took a taxi to the market on the "other" side of the river crossing at memorial bridge...

along with taking pictures we wanted to get ourselves a very fresh krathang....this is a small boat type structure made out of grass and flowers and maybe even some styrofoam which has a large candle or several candles on it....you light the candles and then float it out into the river after dark having made a wish...our 12 inche krathang was only 100B...some are simple like ours, but others are very elaborate... taxi back to hotel after a walk around in the market...

when we returned to the hotel, they were in the midst of a beauty contest...each hotel department selects a beautiful woman to dress up in traditional costume and represent them, but they are not the ones in the contest...the contest is for the most beautiful krathang....each department makes one...

the large krathangs from each department were very impressive...the contest was held around the pool and the krathangs were floated into the pool at an appropriate time...judges were there to select the winner... most were 3-4 feet in diameter and many had structures built on them...all made with flowers...one turned over because it was top heavy, but was uprighted by a department yeoman who jumped into the pool...it was fun...look for my pictures...

a quick change and we were off to meet kathie and cheryl....we had a pre-arranged dinner meeting at tongue thai....the restaurant was not open when we got there, but one of the staff was there and told us to wait a few minutes...it was only 5 PM but we needed an early start because it gets dark in bkk at 6 and the river festivities would start shortly after that...

kathie and cheryl arrived shortly after us in their distintive jim thompson T shirts... we had never met before but have corresponded both on and off of fodors...

the dinner was good, but off slightly in some way...not sure what the problem was...we all were disappointed...

after entering the restaurant i went to present kathie with a bottle of wine we had purchased for her as a birthday present and the handle on the bag holding the bottle let go and the wine crashed to the floor and the bottle broke...i was mad with myself and with the faulty bag...damn french!!! we parted after dinner to return to our respective hotels to watch the river celebrations concluding with massive fireworks...

upon our return to the hotel we were told that the river boat procession parade had been cancelled because the river was still too high...we were disappointed....i think this was wrong however because many of the river boats, with their unique krathang lighting on thier sides, did in fact parade up and down the river...

we took our krathang down to the hotel boat pier and the attendant there had a special pole for lowering the vessel down into the water...ours floated off along with hundreds more...each table in the elaborate parties held at the hotel for the holiday had their own krathang to float as well...btw, the dinners at the hotel ranged from $150 a head to about $400...there were a lot of empty seats!!

the fireworks followed...from our room on the 9th floor they were at eye level mostly...we were able to see all three hotel displays right in front of our windows (peninsula, shangri-la and oriental)---each hotel traditionally has their own display set off seperately, but this year they did it in unison...must have been for kathie's birthday...??

this was an early highlight of our trip...we were so pleased that this holiday fell while we were in bangkok...previously we had been in hua hin for this holiday and there it is quite different...the krathangs are sent up into the sky with lighted candles...

more after i have some dinner..

You paint such a beautiful sight on the river with the 3 major hotels setting off their fireworks in unison along with the multi candle/flower floats. Such a gentle holiday is Loy Krathang...so Thai...add this to my list of future "travel to do's."

Oh, so disappointing about the broken wine bottle, Bob...especially since you've been carrying it all the way from France! Here's where "it's the thought that counts" really applies! I hope that Kathie had a great birthday bash nonetheless!

So two of Bob's bottles of French wine got broken - one intentionally, one not. I do hope the other wine you purchased was much enjoyed!

Cheryl and I very much enjoyed meeting Bob and Karen... we all talked so much I'm surpised that any of us really noticed the food!

And my birthday was lovely, thanks!

I have seen fireworks along the river many times, often for new year's, and last year and this year at Loy Krathong. I had never before seen the synchronized fireworks - it was really spectacular!

Bob-Were you happy with your room at the Pen? It's still my favorite hotel in the entire world. :-) Were your friends at the Marriott disappointed with you for not staying with them for those days?

i'm having tons of computer problems so am sorry to be so slow...its driving me over the edge...

kris---we have always been very happy with our rooms at the penn... and with the hotel in general...this time we noticed the total difference in attitude of the staff there in comparison to the staff at the oriental---just from a visitor vantage point...enough said on this point..

the marriott people did in fact ask where we were for the celebrations...i explained that we wanted a better vantage point for the larger fireworks show...they understood...

monday nov 6

we woke up early and had a quick swim...our room did not include breakfast so we had a lite one in our room from pastry from the marriott...

did some packing for india and for the left luggage....

took the hotel boat to taskim and skytrain over to the jewelers and to the internet nearby...

skytrain back to taskim and boat to hotel..

had a delicious dim sum lunch at the penn's mei jiang chinese restaurant...karen actually preferred this dim sum to the conrad....it is in fact delicious...1029 B... many unusual items and all cooked to order, but the menu was perhaps 1/2 the size of the conrad's....fantastic service..

we took a taxi to the marriott...in my planning i had decided that it would be best to stay at the marriott for a nite before leaving for india as we wanted to leave our bags there....so we had only one nite this time at the penn--pity as it is such a great hotel....we checked into the marriott swiftly....went down for a quick swim...over to check in with jack the tailor...everything there was coming along nicely...another fitting...

about 4:15 we headed for the market restaurant at the marriott, the site of our second mini fodors GTG in bkk... upon arrival in the restaurant, we met up with m/m cadwex....we chatted and soon michaelbkk arrived as well...karen went to check on the cake for kathie that we had ordered and they told her that it would be delivered for us to the room... i was disturbed because the a/c was not on in the restaurant and they were not expecting us.....i spoke with a staff member and he telephoned the co-ordinator who then quickly put things together for us....we were doing this "on the cheap", 'the fodors way'....we were not paying for the room or for any service so i had to tread lightly...a waiter was assigned to us and they put several tables together so we ended up with a long table for about 15...eventually we had 13 people (2- rhkkmk's; brad in bangkok; 2- cadwex; 2 mirasia's; orgy and his girlfriend; kathie and cheryl; a young lurker from CO; and one who i can't seem to remember...
we had a great time swaping stories, etc....we presented kathie with a birthday cake and sang happy birthday to her...wine and beer were served along with other drinks if you desired..it was tons of fun meeting new people and in such a far off land...

after about 2 hours people began to leave...

we invited brad to join us at crepes and co on soi 12, sukhumvit for a lite supper....we took a taxi there...delicious as always..

after dinner he invited us to view his serviced apartment at the omni on soi 4, sukhumvit....we enjoyed his company and being able to see the omni after we have heard so much about it from carol....

we took at taxi back to the marriott as i was too lazy to walk to the skytrain...

off to bed...

tuesday nov 7

breakfast buffet included with our room...delicious....did some final packing...we seperated our stuff into a number of piles: india; hua hin (our destination upon return from india); storage; and things to wear on the flight to india...

we took a taxi over to river city shopping center... wanted to start things rolling at js thai silk on a few items karen was interested in having made...first was a silk robe for her cousin in florida that she had requested us to have made...$85...they greeted us as always as old friends as indeed we now are after over 10 years of doing business there....they were very busy...

we took the oriental boat from river city to that hotel...we had a lunch reservation for the buffet at lord jim's.....what a fantastic spread...it has even improved over what we had had on our last visit....soup to nuts in every way....all beautifully presented and delicious....gracious and attentive service...2519 B...
our table had to be one of the premier tables....right at the window center overlooking the river...

too tired to continue...more tomorrow

Bob
I'm enjoying your report. I noted that you didn't do the Penn breakfast but ate in your room instead. One of my favorite parts about staying at the Penn is having my breakfast riverside, reading the paper, and sipping my coffee, and lingering there, just watching the river wake up in the morning. You missed that pleasure...

What did you think of the Omni? I'm not thrilled with the location, but I do really like having an apartment rather than a hotel room when I'm in BKK for any length of time. Rates are very reasonable for all the space you get, plus I can "cook"... (lol)... when hungry. You know, those cup o noodles things... lol...

Sorry to hear about the wine bottles that didn't make it. I'm sure Kathie understands. It IS the thought that counts.

Carol

carol---we agree with you about having more room and the option to cook simple things....we found the location to be quite good as we have stayed in that area in the past....the omni was quite servicable...

after a stroll around the oriental we jumped onto their boat to taskim and the marriott boat back to the hotel...

went out to see jack, the tailor, again for a check on progress before we left for india for 11 days...

bob took laundry down the street to be picked up on our return from india...did some last minute packing...karen left some white laundry at the marriott laundry as she does not trust the local thai guys for her white linen pants, etc...

so it seems we were ready for india...not sure if they were ready for us...

the taxi guy we had used a day before showed up right on time to fetch us....he wanted 600 B to the airport and i said no, please use the meter....290 B plus the 65 B tolls...another lesson learned...it took 45 minutes from the marriott to the new airport at 4:30PM....

the new airport is very efficient....when you enter you must look at the electric direction signs to tell you where to check in for your specific flight--the flights are listed by departure time...which section...they have letters for identification... check in on thai air international was very easy and swift...we paid our 500 B each departure tax at the kiosk and went through immigration and security quite swiftly again...

inside of immigration there are literally hundreds of shops and food stalls, duty free, etc...no lack of things to do....the sculpture and decorative arts that the airport authority has placed around are wonderful to behold....there is a huge formal garden set outside in one area...this is an aiport for the 21st C...distances are quite far to the gates, however....there are moving sidewalks to assist....don't come late for flights and expect to whiz through...its impossible...

so this ends the first section of the thailand trip...the report on our time in india is listed under the title, "WHY INDIA--RHKKMK" if you wish to read it at this point..

i will continue below with our arrival back from india on november 18...

Saturday, nov 18

we slept a bit on the flight, karen for about 3.5 hours and i just dozed...

quick move through immigration but then we hit a snag....our luggage took over one hour to come out...the luggage system stopped a couple of times and for some reason they had 4 flights on our system when there were many others available...

the AAC greeter was there to meet us as we emerged from customs... i had arranged a special deal with AAC...they were to pick us up at the airport, take us to the marriott with a 15 minute stop there, and then transfer us to the hyatt where we would pick-up the hyatt shuttle to the hua hin hyatt at 10AM.....1350B...it all worked very well...we had ample time at the marriott to switch some luggage items, leave our india purchases, etc, go to the bakery for some car snacks, go to the marriott laundry to pick up karen's clothing...
we arrived at the hyatt about 9 for the 10AM van departure to hua hin...i had made a res for the van ride on the internet with the hyatt from home...500 B per person....as it turned out we were the only passengers that day which was very nice in the very large van they use...as we had an hour before departure, we jumped over to starbucks on plenochit for a quick coffee for karen..

we napped along the way as we were a bit short on sleep as the india flight was only about 4 hours...arriving at bangkok about 6:30AM....the van stopped for a rest about 1/2 way for about 15 minutes... we were in hua hin by 1PM..

we immediately noticed how much hua hin (HH) had grown since our last visit about 3 or 4 years ago...building everywhere, especially south of town...

the hyatt was as we remembered...a trully world class hotel...it sits on a very large plot of land quite south of the town of HH...the hotel is surrounded by pools and a large beach front...
we used hyatt points for the first two nights of our stay and then moved to club rooms for the last two nites of our stay (booked directly on the hyatt site for a cheaper price than on the discount sites)....
our first room was room 1230 (easy to remember)...it was the last room in one building which overlooked the huge elephant fountain from the generous balcony...we could see a spot of beach through the trees however....but the best part is that just down our stairs, (we were on the 2nd floor)you could slip directly into one of the lagoons which surrounds the property on the beach side...tons of shade for me and a comfy lounge for karen in the sun....

after a welcome shower, we went to 'you and me' for lunch---a poolside noodle venue....not just noodles but a relaxed sandwich/noodles restaurant...delicious...
we noticed that there were many asian families there with children...later we learned that they were part of a large dance troupe that were performing in HH that evening...
karen notes that a coke was cheaper than water??? 847B..

karen did some hand laundry and put it out on our balcony to dry...

we swam the afternoon away..

for dinner we went to figs restaurant in the main building....the venue is italian and it was quite good... 1671 B

we noticed immediately that the food in the hotel's restaurants was very reasonable for hotel food...very refreshing....for this reason many people remain at the hotel for meals, rather than going elsewhere...i think they have made a good business decision...the food was extremely good as well...

we were in bed by 9 and asleep by 9:30...long extended day..

we did not wake up until about 9AM, so about a 12 hour sleep...wow...

went over to the buffet breakfast...very nice indeed with more staff cooking than in most chow halls...400 B per person...again very reasonable for the quality and the variety...they had a featured "cooler" each day, and day one was pineapple which was about the best thing i have ever drank...

we spent the morning around the pool...there are literally 10's of sites that you can do this...back to you and mee about 1:30 for some lunch...karen needed a burger....

after lunch we walked along the beach to the let's sea restaurant, that jamesA had suggested....it looked quite nice so we made a reservation...

it was very hot and i did not fancy walking back to the hotel, so we asked the restaurant to call us a taxi...they asked where we were going and in a few minutes a black BMW showed up....it was a hotel limo...nice ride until they told me it was going to be 250B...the ride was maybe 1/2 mile at best....i spoke to the front desk upon my return only to find out that the hotel cars are no longer owned by the hotel but are sub-contracted out....i complained a bit more and the girl said i was right and she removed the charge from my bill....ok andy here is more to crow about...
this must be a trend because the marriott no longer owns their limos either...

back to the pool for some relaxation...our aim with the HH stay was one of relaxation after the somewhat strenuous days in india...

the hotel golf cart took us out to the end of the road to catch a tuk tuk on our way to let's sea for dinner...tuk tuk was 50B...

we had a very nice dinner out under the stars at let's sea....pommello salad, chicken larb, yellow curry shrimp, fried butter fish, rice and desserts plus drinks---1900 B...the service was excellent...

they called us a tuk tuk for the return to the hotel--took 1/2 hour to arrive to pick us up--we had started finally to walk...i see this as a bit of a negetive for this restaurant...

early to bed again..

How short would this report be if there was no mention of pools or taxis? Of course, this attention to "detail" is what we love about Bob. Nothing is too small for noting. I feel relieved that he doesn't descibe each day's attire.

Don't give him any ideas!!

i do have in mind the full description of one very brief outfit ...speedo...and i have pictures to share!!!

first, however i will be mailing all fodorites an air sick bag...